Ka'u Coffee Festival Triple C Recipe Contest

What do you get when you mix a lot of butter, a little sugar, and some of the world's best coffee together over scorching heat? Sugar splash burns on your belly from cooking in a swim suit?

No! I mean yes, but more importantly you get the grand prize winning recipe at the Ka'u Coffee Festival's Triple C Recipe Contest. I'm super excited to report to you all that my Coco Mocha Roca won first place candy and the overall best recipe prizes last weekend in Pahala.

You may remember that my Ka'u Coffee Brigadeiros won first place candy last year, but were edged out of the grand prize by Chelsea Lynn Kauionalani Rosario with her biscotti recipe. 

The Triple C Recipe Contest is only one part of the Ka'u Coffee Festival which is going on through May 5, 2013. I went to the ho'olaulea in Pahala on Saturday for unlimited coffee tastings, ono food, and of course great, live music. More on that event later.

If you have never been, or it has been awhile since you visited Ka'u, this is the perfect opportunity to check it out. Not only does this district of the Big Island offer views for days of the greenest ranch land and the bluest seas, but it's hard to beat the down-home, country vibe that oozes around every bend in the road. 

Before attempting to make the recipe below, you will definitely need a candy thermometer. Hope you like it!

Coco Mocha Roca

makes about 30 two inch pieces

1 cup Hawaiian cane sugar

1 cup butter, plus more greasing pan

3 TBL finely ground Ka’u coffee, divided
1 ½ cups roasted & salted Big Island macadamia nuts, chopped and divided

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup shredded coconut

Butter a 9x11 pan.

In a saucepan over medium high heat melt sugar, butter, and 2 TBL Ka’u coffee grounds and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn heat down to medium, stirring constantly for about 12 minutes or until a candy thermometer reads 300 degrees. Do not allow it to go ever 320 degrees.

Mix 1 cup of mac nuts in with sugar mixture.  Carefully spread mixture in pan with a wooden spoon, taking care to spread as evenly as possible. You may need 2 spoons to accomplish this since it is so hot. 

Sprinkle the chocolate chips and the remaining Ka’u coffee over all. Allow chocolate to melt for a minute or so, then spread it out evenly with the wooden spoon. Top with remaining mac nuts and coconut, pressing down a little so it sticks to the chocolate. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 2 inch squares with a sharp knife. Enjoy!

PS: If it is a very humid day, the sugar/butter part of this recipe may not set, so choose your day wisely. 

Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory Tour

Cocoa beans drying in the sun

The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory is one of only a handful of places in the United States where chocolate goes from bean to bar. In fact, it was the very first. And right here on the Big Island, no less.

The Coopers bought the small farm in 1997, with about 1 acre of already established cacao trees. Not knowing exactly what they had, the cocoa beans were tested and revealed to be of both the forestero and criollo varieties, ideal for making high-quality chocolate.

Which is exactly what they did. Today, the Coopers sell their single-bean chocolate (a rarity in the chocolate world) all over Hawaii in addition to offering tours of their farm.

Mr. Cooper, owner of OHCF, wows the crowd with raw cocoa peans straight from the pod 

Come on a tour and you'll be treated to the smell of cocoa beans drying on racks in the sun and a glimpse of the otherworldly manner in which cacao pods grow straight out of the trunks of their mother trees. Cooper likens the cacao harvest to an "Easter egg hunt," as the ripe pods come in various bright hues such as magenta, yellow, and orange. The pods are then split open to reveal slimy white beans that  self-ferment in wooden crates until they shed their outer coating. The beans are then dried, cleaned, roasted, winnowed (to remove the hard, outer shell), conched (the process of adding soy lecithin and vanilla powder), and tempered to become chocolate. Witnessing this involved process brings chocolate appreciation to a whole new level and is highly recommended.

Freshly picked ripe cacao pods

Tours can be had at their farm in Keauhou on Wednesday and Fridays at 9am for only $15. Be sure to book ahead, these tours sell out fast. More info: http://ohcf.us/tour/

This farm tour was part of the 2013 Big Island Chocolate Festival.

1st Place in Kona Coffee Recipe Contest

The Big Island's most important recipe contest of the year was held on Sunday at the Sheraton Kona Resort. The Kona Coffee Recipe Contest, sponsored by KTA and Kamehameha Schools, included dessert and entree divisions divided in professional, amateur, and culinary student categories.

My display table. We went with a "candy shop" theme

I entered the amateur dessert division with my Kona Coffee Brigadeiro recipe and won first place!

Posing with Kona coffee royalty

Let me tell you, the competition was fierce. On either side of me were contestants that had entered for many years and knew all the tricks of the trade. We chatted as we set up our display tables and the intimidation factor grew quite high for me, as this was my first go at this particular contest.

I was so surprised, happy and grateful to have won. Those little brigadeiros (a Brazilian fudgy candy) look humble, but pack a mighty flavor punch. The display turned out pretty cute too, thanks to my helper Rosanne. Thanks also to Renee for cheering me on, and to Ciara and Brendan for bringing me a sandwich when I forgot to eat the entire day. Please see the winning recipe below and don't forget to drink 100% Kona coffee!

My lucky coffee cup ring

The Kona Coffee Festival continues until November 11 with loads of fun activities including a parade, coffee cupping contest, a concert, and much more. See you there.

Kona coffee brigadeiros

Kona Coffee Brigadeiros
A twist on a Brazilian fudgy candy

Makes about 3 dozen

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

½ cup espresso or very strong Kona coffee

2 TBL butter

2 tsp light corn syrup

½ cup cocoa powder

36 Kona coffee beans

In a medium saucepan combine condensed milk, coffee, butter and corn syrup over medium-high heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once the mixture begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to stir for 15-25 minutes or until the mixture thickens, like fudge.

Pour the mixture into a bowl without scraping the sides of the pan, discard what remains in the pan. Allow the mixture to cool in the fridge for 3-4 hours. 

Using a teaspoon, scoop the mixture and roll into balls with butter-coated hands. Dip into cocoa powder to coat and press a coffee bean on top. Enjoy!

You should know that it took me 4 attempts to get the technique for this recipe right. Don't get impatient when you are cooking the batter, it needs to be pretty thick or else it won't hold together. I just don't want anyone to get the idea that this is an easy recipe, it's not! But it is certainly delish and was worth all previous failures.