Recipe: Oak Knoll Inn Chocolate Tacos (chocolate tortillas, fresh fruit filling)

OAK KNOLL INN CHOCOLATE TACOS

"While chocolate tacos may sound decadent, this is actually a no-cholesterol recipe. The dark crisp chocolate tortilla provides a textural and flavor contrast to the sweetness of ripe, fresh fruit. Topped with an icy smooth fruit sorbet, what could be better?"

FOR THE CHOCOLATE TORTILLAS:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened alkalized cocoa
2 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup skim milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

TO MAKE THE BATTER:
Place all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth with an electric mixer. Cover the batter and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

TO COOK AND SHAPE THE TORTILLA:
Remove the batter from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature, which will take 20-30 minutes. Heat a small non-stick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Pour in a little less than 1/4 cup of batter (I use a long-handled measuring cup as my ladle) and tilt the pan quickly to spread the batter into a 6-inch circle. Once the edges look dry (2 or 3 minutes), loosen the edges with a knife and turn over the tortilla. Cook another minute or two.

Lift the soft hot chocolate tortilla out of the pan with a knife and quickly drape it over a rolling pin. It will become firm and crisp as it cools. Alternatively, if you have a taco rack, put the soft tortilla in that to firm up, teasing the middle open so that you'll have lots of room for fruit.

HINT:
If the tortilla doesn't firm up, it means it isn't thoroughly cooked, so cook it a bit longer. It should be dry when you remove it from the skillet.

FOR THE FRESH FRUIT FILLING:
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced (grind a tiny amount of fresh black pepper on top)
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blackberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1 mango, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes or sliced into 1/2-inch thick strips
2 kiwi, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 banana, peeled and sliced into rounds just before serving to prevent browning

Gently mix berries together in a bowl. Keep the remaining fruit separate until assembling or they'll pick up the colors from the berries.

TO SERVE:
1/2 pint sorbet (Use a flavor of one of the fruits)
8 mint sprigs (for garnish)
8 edible flowers (for garnish)

Place a tortilla on a serving plate. Generously fill it with the berries and then tuck in the mango, kiwi and bananas. Add a scoop of sorbet and garnish with mint and the edible flower.

Makes 8 servings
Source: Chocolate For Breakfast: Entertaining Menus to Start the Day with a Celebration, From Napa Valley's Oak Knoll Inn by Barbara Passino