Aphrodisiac For Chocoholics?

On The Early Show, author Joy Nagy talked about how she thinks the flavorful qualities of chocolate complement the birth signs in the Zodiac. It is all in her book "Chocolate Astrology" and it may be what you need this Valentine's Day.

By trade, Nagy is a painter/illustrator/photographer who found herself working chocolate-related advertising jobs a few years ago. While finishing up the illustrations for her clients, Joy began to receive gifts of chocolates from them. She says, "I thought, 'Oh! It must be in the stars." Then she thought, "Oh, I wonder if there is a connection between the stars, chocolate and the sign under which a person is born." And that's how the idea for this book came to be.

Wouldn't it be interesting to see if you could, for sure, create a little romance by teasing the Pisces in your life with Pisces Chocolate Pudding?

Here are a few recipes from her book:

Aquarian Brownies
Makes 16

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons espresso coffee powder
2 cups dark brown sugar, lightly packed
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, letting the foil overhang the sides. Grease the foil.
2. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, combine the butter, unsweetened chocolate, and espresso powder. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar until smooth. Then, using a spatula or wooden spoon, beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the rum, then the flour and salt. Fold in the pecans and white chocolate just until evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan.
3. Bake the brownies just until they pull away from the sides of the pan, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove to a rack and let cool completely. To serve, use the foil to lift the brownies out and cut into 16 squares.

2 cups red wine
1 cup sugar
2 strips (1 by 2 inches each) lemon zest
2 dozen ripe cherries with stems, pitted
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 ounce white chocolate, chopped, optional

1. Combine the wine, sugar, and zest in a small heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the cherries and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the cherries cool in the pan. Remove the cherries from the saucepan and drain thoroughly.
2. Holding each cherry by its stem, dip into the melted bittersweet chocolate. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
3. Place the white chocolate in a glass measuring cup or bowl and microwave on medium for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave for 10 to 30 seconds longer, or until melted. Scrape the chocolate into a small plastic sandwich bag. Snip off a small piece of a bottom corner and pipe the Aries sign onto each cherry. Refrigerate until set. Keep the cherries refrigerated until time to serve (they will keep for 2 days).

Cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 ounces ( 1 1/2 squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup boiling water

Icing

3 ounces (3 squares) unsweetened chocolate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up
2 1/4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sour cream

1. Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Line twelve 2 1/12 or 3-inch muffin cups with paper cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla, and finally the chocolate.
3. With mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour and beating just until blended. Beat in the boiling water. Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes, or just until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely on racks.
4. To make the icing, combine the chocolate and butter in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Microwave on medium for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring a few times, or until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer.
5. Beat in 1 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar and the vanilla with a electric mixer on medium speed. Beat in the sour cream, then the remaining sugar, until the icing is smooth, about 1 minute. Ice the cupcakes and serve.

Cake
2 (.25 ounce each) packets of dry yeast
1 teaspoon plus 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup warm water
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup warm milk
1 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk

Filling
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small bits

1. Combine the yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and the water in a small bowl. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the yeast has become creamy.
2. Meanwhile, sift the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt together into a large bowl. With your fingers, two knives or a pastry cutter, rub in the butter until it forms small crumbs. In a small bowl, combine the milk, egg, yolk, and the yeast mixture. Pour into the flour and stir until a sticky ball comes together. Turn out onto a heavily floured surface and knead, adding extra flour as needed (this is a very sticky dough), for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and less sticky. Place the dough in a lightly buttered bowl and turn to coat it with butter. Cover with a clean dishcloth and set in a warm place for about 2 to 3 hours, or until the dough is doubled in size.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 20-by-15-inch rectangle. To make the filling, mix together the cocoa and 1 cup of sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle over the dough. Dot with the butter. Roll the dough up along the short length, tucking the ends in as you go along (so the filling doesn't fall out), and place it, seam side down, in a buttered 10-by-14-inch angel food cake pan or ring pan. Cover with the cloth again and let rise in a warm place until the dough reaches the top of the pan, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until nicely browned and the cake sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let the cake cool on a rack and turn it out of the pan.