Last year , after my lay off, I interviewed for what sounded as my dream job, as a brand ambassador for a food marketing project. I didn’t get the gig, but was happy when the agency reached out to me to see if I was willing to sample some Green & Blacks and enter their contest. Of course I said an enthusiastic yes. Who turns down chocolate? In addition to sampling a variety of amazing chocolates , I was asked to enter a contest. The deadline was looming quick, and I needed to put something together. I hesitate with contests, because I never win, and really don’t promote myself and pimp myself out enough to get the votes. This contest was great because the Green & Blacks Team would pick the semi finalists, and then the voting would begin. Unfortunately I didn’t make semi finals, but that doesn’t matter as I made a co workers smile and talk about this treat . And that’s really all that matters, isn’t it? Because as my catering slogan goes… “Coco Cooks Food That Makes You Happy”. If you’re wondering what happened to all the chocolate, Certain Someone ate the majority of it , before I could even take a photograph or enjoy them. From what I did partake of,I can conclude,it was that good.
The inspiration behind these Eros Nests came from a coworker celebrating Ramadan. She was trying to make simple syrup for a dessert made with shredded phyllo to break her fast. I saw the shredded phyllo in my grocery adventures calling my name and decided to play around with it incorporation the Green & Blacks. I also had plenty of honey on hand that I wanted to infuse with spice. Honey, spices, nuts, and chocolates are all aphrodisiacs , hence the name Eros Nests , as they look like tiny birds nests. On friend on Facebook described it as an amped up deconstructed Nutella Turnover. I lost my original notes on this, but its easy enough to remember without notes and makes a stunning presentation when entertaining.
- .5 lbs of Katafi dough/ shredded phyllo.
- 4 oz of melted unsalted butter
- ⅛ tsp of ground cinnamon
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 bar Green & Blacks Baking Chocolate with 72% Cocoa
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup honey
- 1 dried Thai chili
- 1 cup skinned hazelnuts
- ½ cup brown sugar
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Carefully break apart half a package of shredded phyllo and shred into a bowl.
- Add melted butter, cinnamon and cayenne pepper.
- Take a 12 cup muffin pan and carefully form nests with shredded phyllo. Bake until deep golden and crispy. Approximately 25 minutes.
- Remove the pan from oven and let cool on rack. Carefully remove after 15 minutes from pan and continue to cool on rack.
- In a pot add sugar . honey, water and dried Thai chili. Bring to a rapid boil and reduce. Simmer for 15 minutes until slightly reduced. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Melt the chocolate over a double boiler.
- Place a baking sheet under cooling rack, where nests are resting. Carefully brush the simple syrup over the nests to. You want the crunch to remain, but you want a good soaking. Let excess drip to pan beneath.
- Carefully brush the melted chocolate over the nests interior. Dribble some down the sides for artistic effect.
- Let cool until chocolate is completely set. To rush this you can place in the refrigerator until hardened a bit.
- In a sauce pan, toast the hazelnuts. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same sauce pan caramelize the brown sugar gently over a med high heat. You don't want to burn the sugar. Add hazelnuts quickly when caramelized and bubbly, toss and coat in pan .
- Pour onto parchment lined baking sheet or a Silpat to cool and harden.
- Break apart pieces of the candied hazelnuts to place inside the nests.
- Serve for dessert, with cheese course, wines, cognac, and coffee.
Happy that you made your coworkers happy! Looks like a treat!