TwoFaced Tuesday: Cocoa

"TwoFaced Tuesdays" is a joint venture between CupcakesOMG! and Jenna from The Paleo Project. Each week, we select one secret ingredient and put our own paleo spin on it. You can catch up on the entire series here. Also, if you have any special ingredient requests, you can always tweet us (@MHeraldo and @ThePaleoProject) using the hashtag #TwoFacedTuesday.

To preface, you don't have to eat paleo to enjoy today's TwoFaced recipe (or any of our other recipes, for that matter). If you could give a rat's ass about eating within the confines of any one diet, please skip ahead to the pretty pictures.

This weekend, I coaxed Jenna into featuring cocoa as our secret TwoFaced Tuesday ingredient. 

"I want to make a dessert," I told her. She was all "awesome." And I was all "cool." And then we went on with our lives. But even as I started whipping up my UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS concoction, I couldn't help but feel like I was setting a bad example.

The phrase "paleo dessert" is kind of an oxymoron. After all, the paleo lifestyle is one that supports all things natural, nutrient-dense, and righteous, whereas dessert is pretty much anything that isn't. It's indulgent and makes your thighs jiggle. And while I'm a bajillion percent all about the occassional "paleo-friendly" indulgence, it should still be considered just that: occassional. And also indulgent. And also "paleo-friendly." Because many of my friends are giving the whole paleo thing a go (which is awesome btw), I'm picking up on lots of leeway people are giving themselves in the name of paleo but in the practice of doin'-it-wrong.

What I'm trying to say is that the fundamentals of paleo are this: 

• Eat meat. Eat tons of meat. 
• Also, eat veggies. Lots and lots of veggies. Avoid white potatoes and corn, where possible, but just eat lots of veggies.
• Have a little fruit. One apple and a handful of berries a day at most. It's sweet because it has sugar in it. So don't eat too much of it.
• Enjoy seeds and nuts, but not too many because they're high in calories and if you eat too much you might shit your pants.
• PLEASE use healthy, natural fats like olive oil or coconut oil. 

Tell me where on the list you see "eat nut butters, nut flour, and maple syrup like it's your job." Oh you don't see it? THAT'S BECAUSE IT ISN'T THERE!! 

Sorry, I really shouldn't yell, but I don't want y'all to get the wrong idea. Paleo can take many forms, but if you're leaning toward the side that encourages maple syrup and coconut flour on a daily basis, the fact is, you're not eating paleo. However, if you consider these to be only infrequent treats, then by all means, enjoy your paleo cookies, paleo bread, or, the delectable creation I bring you today, paleo chocolate pavlova.

Pavlova is basically a large meringue cookie, made with egg whites and sugar. It's pretty easy to make, but it looks real fancy-like, guaranteeing to impress anyone you serve it to.

To make it more "paleo-friendly", I swapped the white and brown sugars for honey. Then I whipped it with the egg whites until it formed stiff peaks.

This is a stiff peak. That's what she said.

After adding the [unsweetened] cocoa powder to the mixture, I then spread it out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Oh, and so that you get it the right shape, you'll trace a bowl on the parchment paper and then flip it over, using the outline as a guide for the pavlova.

After it bakes for a while, you can top it with yummy things like...

...whipped coconut cream...

...and dark-chocolate-covered raspberries (sorry, no link...that recipe should be pretty self-explanatory)...

...and a few dark chocolate shavings.

Ya know, for effect.

The end result is this rich combination of a chocolate souffle and a gooey brownie.

You want a piece of it right now, don't you?

Now, off with yourself to see Jenna's interpretation of cocoa!!

Paleo-Friendly Chocolate Pavlova
Makes about 8 slices

• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 3/4 cup honey (Kyle thought it was a bit sweet, so try experimenting with 1/2 cup)
• pinch of salt
• 2 TBSP good unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 pint raspberries
• 4 oz. high quality dark chocolate (at least 70%)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Using an 8-inch wide bowl, trace the bowl onto a piece of parchment paper. Place it upside down on a rimmed cookie sheet (this will serve as a guideline later). 
2. Combine eggs whites and honey in a large glass bowl. Place bowl over a pot of simmering water to create a double boiler (don't get water in the mixture) and whisk until the honey is completely dissolved in the egg whites and the mixture is slightly warm, about 3 minutes.
3. Add a pinch of salt to the mixture. Whisk egg whites and honey mixture with a stand or hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes.
4. Gently fold cocoa into egg whites until mixture is not longer streaky. Don't over mix.
5. Using an offset spatula or a flat spatula, gently spread out meringue onto the parchment paper, careful not to touch the edge of the circle you traced earlier. The meringue will spread out a bit while it cooks. Make a small well in the center of the pavlova to avoid rising.
6. Bake until the pavlova is dry to the touch, about an hour. While that's baking, melt the chocolate and dip the raspberries in it. Set in fridge to set.
7. Let pavlova cool on the parchment on a wired rack for another 30 minutes or so.
8. Top with whipped coconut cream, chocolate dipped raspberries and shaved dark chocolate.

Paleo, Vegan, Raw, Sugar Free Dessert (A.K.A. Berries and Coconut Whipped Cream)

Looking for a true paleo dessert can be as pointless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie (two awesome points if you can name that movie quote). Between agave nectar and nut flours, the "paleo desserts" swimming on the internets are, generally speaking, no better for you than these. That said, I have a bitch of a sweet tooth that just.won't.die.

When I first heard mentions of coconut whipped cream, I was PISSED!! Pissed that I didn't come up with it first!!! Real whipped cream is perhaps the simplest recipe of all time (heavy cream, a dash of vanilla, a tablespoon of sugar, whipped until thick and creamy), so the idea of replacing dairy with coconut milk took the mirage of a tasty and true paleo dessert from mere delusion and thrust it square into reality.

Welcome to the real world, bitches:

So, like I said, it starts with Coconut Milk. I'm pretty sure when the Greeks talked about a "nectar of the gods", they were actually talking about this stuff. 

A few of the blogs I consulted before embarking on this HIGHLY intimidating task suggested refrigerating the can first to separate the milk solids from the water, as you need only the milk solids, but I found this made no difference for me. Oh, I also found that my hair looked really good today!

These are Coconut Crystals (i.e., pure coconut tree sap...you can obviously read the label in the picture for more details). I passed these for the first time a couple months back at Whole Foods, but had been skeptical to try them. None of the aforementioned consulted recipes suggested this, but I will because I'm a badass.

Consider me your guinea pig (you're welcome): getchurself a can of this! It's sweet, but not overly, and surprisingly doesn't have a coconut flavor. It's just enough to sweeten your paleo cereal, morning cup of coffee, or, ya know, other stuff you would put sweetener in.

With your ingredients now in your possession, dump the milk solids into a mixing bowl. Save the leftover water for a smoothie or to drink later.

Using a mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the milk on high until it doubles or triples in size and becomes thick.

You'll know it's finished when the whisk holds stiff peaks of cream.

At this point, I tasted the whipped cream before deciding to add a tablespoon of coconut crystals and a dash of vanilla. By all means, leave them out if you prefer an unsweetened cream.

If you ARE gonna use vanilla, though, make sure you buy the good stuff. I like this one because the bottle reminds me of an old timey medication that a witch doctor might give you because you "done come down with a case of the vapors!!" Yes, I was president of my high school drama club, why do you ask?

What you choose to do with your whipped cream from here is up to you (ideas might include adding cocoa powder for chocolate mousse or topping one-ingredient ice cream with it, or filling a crust made from ground almonds and topping with bananas for a paleo pie), but I'm a classicist, so I opted for strawberries and raspberries.

Oh, and if you're not blogging and don't give a shit about taking a pretty picture, screw the trifle and just eat them the old fashioned way:

What I like about this recipe is that it's not pretending to be something it's not. It actually IS whipped cream. It has just the right amount of sweetness and richness to satisfy my finicky sweet tooth with all the right paleo elements to keep me on track. 

Let me know if you make it and what you do with it, would ya? My quest for the Holy Grail of paleo desserts lives on in each and every one of you...

Whipped Coconut Cream
Makes about 1.5 cups

• 1 can chilled coconut milk
• 1 T. coconut crystals (optional)
• 1 t. vanilla (optional)

Combine coconut milk solids (be sure to avoid adding any of the water) with coconut crystals and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Whisk on high until the mixture becomes thick and creamy. Use as topping on fruit of your choice.