Chocolate: Breakfast, Lunch And Dinner

Chocolate is to Valentine's Day what turkey is to Thanksgiving. So why fight it? And as long as you're going to indulge, you might as well do it right.

In the "Five-Minute Cooking School," cookbook author and cooking teacher Tori Ritchie shows how to turn chocolate into an all-day decadence, morning, noon and night.

She joined The Early Show from the Manhattan flagship store of specialty home furnishings retailer Williams-Sonoma with recipes and tips.

RECIPES

Chocolate-Amaretti Heartbreakers
These are really waffled cakes — moist, cocoa-rich and flecked with ground amaretti (Italian macaroons) and bittersweet chocolate. They're delicious as is, with just a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar, luscious with lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream, and downright indulgent with ice cream and hot fudge.

3 large double amaretti (or 6 amaretti from 3 paper-wrapped packets)
2 oz. high-quality bittersweet chocolate
5 tbs. unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. double-acting baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cocoa, preferably Dutch process
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2 eggs
Confectioners' sugar, sweetened whipped cream, ice cream and/or hot fudge sauce for serving (optional)

Place the amaretti and bittersweet chocolate in the work bowl of a food processor or in a blender and process until pulverized; set aside.

Preheat a waffle iron. If you'd like to serve the waffles warm, preheat an oven to 350°F.

Melt the butter; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar and cocoa. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla, almond extract and eggs until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with the whisk to combine. Fold in the amaretti-chocolate mixture and the melted butter.

Lightly butter or spray the grids of the waffle iron, if needed. Brush or spray the grids again only if subsequent waffles stick.

Spoon out 1/3 cup of batter (or the amount recommended by the manufacturer's instructions) onto the hot iron. Use a metal spatula or wooden spoon to spread the batter evenly over the grids. Close the lid and bake until just set. Bake these slightly less than you do other waffles because chocolate has a tendency to burn easily. There's no need to worry, but you do want to keep an eye on these. Transfer the finished waffles to a cooling rack while you make the rest. If desired, just before serving, warm the waffles briefly, about 2 minutes, in the oven. They're good at room temperature, too.

To serve: You can present a full five-of-hearts to each person, shaking a dusting of confectioners' sugar over the entire waffle and then scooping some whipped cream or ice cream onto the center. Hot fudge sauce is both luscious and luxurious over these. Broken into individual hearts and filled with ice cream, these make fabulous sandwiches. Makes about 10 full five-of-hearts or about six 6 1/2-inch round waffles.

Adapted from "Waffles from Morning to Midnight," by Dorie Greenspan (Weldon Owen, 2001).

Chocolate-Banana Croissant Panini
Our simple sandwich is inspired by pain au chocolat, a much-loved after-school snack in France. It is, literally, a chocolate bar sandwiched between two slices of bread. This sweet treat is also enjoyed by schoolchildren in Spain.

2 day-old croissants, cut in half horizontally
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate shavings
1 small banana, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices

Heat an electric panini maker to medium, according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Lay the bottom half of each croissant, cut side up, on a clean work surface. Sprinkle with about two-thirds of the chocolate, dividing equally. Arrange the banana slices on top, then sprinkle with the remaining chocolate. Place the top half of each croissant, cut side down, on top.

Place the sandwiches on the heated panini maker and close the lid. Cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until the chocolate is melted and the tops are golden, 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut in half. Serve immediately. Serves four.

Chocolate Espresso Bars
Instant espresso powder offers the most practical way to impart a rich coffee flavor to cookies, candies and cakes. Sold in well-stocked food markets and specialty coffee stores, the fine powder dissolves quickly in hot liquid, producing a bolder, more concentrated taste than regular instant coffee. This intense flavor comes with a solid dose of caffeine, however, so if you are sensitive to caffeine's effects, look for a brand of instant espresso powder labeled "decaffeinated."

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
3 tbs. instant espresso powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
8 tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 eggs
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
Pinch of salt
16 chocolate-covered espresso beans (optional)

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Generously grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl; set aside.

In a small, heavy saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and chocolate and heat, stirring occasionally, until melted, about two minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar until blended. Gradually stir in the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the vanilla, then add the flour mixture and stir until blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan and the center is springy to the touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool.

Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and espresso powder and heat, stirring, just until the powder is dissolved and bubbles start to appear around the pan edges. Add the chocolate and salt, remove from the heat and stir just until the chocolate is melted. Let cool to room temperature.

Using a small offset spatula, spread the cooled glaze over the cookie in a thin layer. Refrigerate until the glaze is set, about 30 minutes. Cut into 1 1⁄2-by-2 1⁄2-inch bars or 2-inch squares. Top each bar with a chocolate-covered espresso bean. Makes 16 bars.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, "Cookies," by Marie Simmons (Simon & Schuster, 2002 ).