S'more dip in a crazed brie baker...

S'more dip in a crazed brie baker...

   This s'more "dip" has been making the rounds on Facebook in my circles recently.  It is exactly what it looks like - browned, melted marshmallows over gooey melted chocolate - all ready for a graham cracker to dip.  It tastes just like a traditional s'more, although have to say I miss the smokey flavor of the marshmallows toasted over a camp fire.  But this s'more "dip" is easier to make, far less messy and you can make it regardless of the weather - rain, sleet, snow or sun (we often have all four on the same day in Cleveland ; ).  

(s'more dip recipe below)

     So the pot I used to make this toasted wonder is a wheel thrown stoneware plate with a nice, big rim that I carved.  The whole piece was glazed with a Coyote glaze called Crazed Copper, which I talked about a few blogs ago.  I was initially disappointed with the results of the glaze because it didn't craze as it was supposed to.   It was/is a beautiful, translucent celadon but without the  texture I was looking for.  

   
                                    (Baked brie with honey and rosemary sprinkled on top)

    Fast forward, in the last year or so, I've used this plate occasionally as a brie baker - it's the perfect size and shape for that purpose.  It was also the perfect size for the s'more dip.  After we demolished the s'mores and I was cleaning the plate, I was surprised to see that the crazing was now pronounced and has the look I originally envisioned.  This, I have now learned, is due to something called "delayed crazing" and "it occurs as the clay body and glaze adjust to their newly formed state after the firing." (IS IT FOOD-SAFE? Thoughts on Ceramic Safety by John Britt, great article that can be purchased here: http://johnbrittpottery.com/shop/844/).  There is some controversy about whether crazing is safe - it's considered a flaw, and generally I have been told, represents a problem with clay body and glaze compatibility; however, there are those, including glaze engineers, who have also said that no one has ever been hurt by eating from a crazed ceramic surface; as long as good hygiene practices are used, there should be no issue of unsafe bacterial growth.  I'll go with that. Here is a close up of how the now visible crazing looks:

S'more Dip

The recipe I followed said to use an iron skillet, but it's just as easy to use a 

ceramic pot - or a glazed brie baker!  

Oil the skillet/dish up to the rim (to prevent chocolate and marshmallows from sticking), and preheat the dish in the oven for about 10 minutes at 450.   (If you are using a ceramic dish, be sure to place it in a cold oven and then turn the oven on to preheat - it's best not to put a room temperature ceramic dish into a hot oven unless it's made of oven tempered ceramic)

Remove the warmed, oiled pot from the oven and add semi-sweet chocolate chips. In this smaller dish, I added about 1/2 - 3/4 a bag of chips, so about 6 - 8 oz of chocolate.  (my daughter likes the addition of peanut butter cups on top of the chocolate chips). The chocolate will start to melt on the warmed plate.   Cover all the chocolate with marshmallows that have been cut in half.  Return pot to oven and heat for about 5 - 7 minutes.  The marshmallows will puff and brown.  Keep an eye on them to be sure they don't burn.  

Serve immediately with graham crackers. YUUMMMMMY!