>> Narrator: Today's episode is about chocolate.

And more chocolate.

And even more chocolate!

Because my son is taking over my kitchen, so what's a mama to do?

In Oaxaca, I'll show you how the locals get it, and in my kitchen, we are making 3 out of this world chocolate dishes.

A spectacular Chocolate Crepe Tower.

Chocolate-Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread.

An overloaded Mexican Milkshake.

>> We have gone overboard!

>> Narrator: I think Willy Wonka has met his match.

>> I think we should open up shop.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> Pati's Mexican Table is made possible by: >> Some things are always there for you.

Like your alarm clock, right on time.

Your parking space.

Seriously?

Girl's night, always there.

And avocados from Mexico.

They're always there because they're fresh all year round.

>> ♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ >> La Costeña, por sabor!

Taste that transcends.

More information at mexicorico.com >> FUD brand meats with traditional hispanic flavor!

>> The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food.

Mexbest.

The National Agricultural Council.

♪ epic music plays ♪ ♪ ♪ >> I am always testing recipes in the kitchen, but today my son is turning the tables on me.

Lately, he's been asking to make so many things that have chocolate, he is obsessed with chocolate, so today we're gonna dive into his chocolate-covered life.

We're starting with a Chocolate Crepe Tower.

To make this chocolate crepe tower, you really have to make it ahead of time.

You're gonna see it's so many layers of crepes and then chocolate pastry cream, but it has to sit in the refrigerator at least 8 hours.

So I have 6 eggs, 3 egg yolks, 3 cups of milk, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/3 cup of sugar.

And then I have 2 sticks of unsalted butter that I melted, and I'm gonna pour it right in here.

3 cups of flour, so I have 1, 2... 3 cups of flour, and then I'm going to process this until completely smooth.

[blender whirs] >> Once it's processed, I'm gonna add 1.5 cups of water, process it again.

[blender whirs] >> Ah!

Perfect.

And now I'm gonna pour the batter in here, and put it in the refrigerator for half an hour, which is a trick for making the batter make really fluffy crepes.

You're gonna make really thin crepes, but they can be fluffy.

This crepe tower is really gonna be crazy!

We're gonna be making triple the batch of crepes I usually make for a full week, and then we're gonna layer them with chocolate pastry cream in between them, just wait and see.

I have 4 cups of milk, 2/3 cup is going to mix with 1/3 cup of cornstarch, and the rest of the milk is gonna simmer in this saucepan along with a 1/2 cup of sugar.

And a half cup of heavy cream.

Bring it to a simmer, but I'm not gonna let it come to a boil.

While that happens, we're gonna make the cornstarch slurry.

So I have 2/3 cups of milk, and 1/3 cups of cornstarch, and I'm just gonna mix this with my fingers because I can get rid of any lump.

Let me rinse my hands.

I have 6 egg yolks here, and I'm gonna whisk them with a 1/2 cup of sugar until this thickness and changes color from sun-bright to a pale yellow.

My son is always in the kitchen, not only is he helping out, but he also has his ideas.

We're on Instagram together, and he sends me videos or photos of things he wants to try and do at home.

This crepe tower was one of them.

The egg yolks are where they need to be, so now that the milk came to a really gentle simmer, I'm gonna temper my egg yolks.

Ladle some of the hot milk into the egg yolks, and whisk so the eggs don't scramble or curdle, and stop when you have tempered the eggs and they're hot as the liquid in there.

So I'm gonna do another ladle.

Now bring the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the milk, it's really not that complicated.

I have my heat at medium-low, and I'm going to pour the egg yolk mixture right in there whisking as I do.

Now add that cornstarch slurry.

You can see the beautiful color as it thickens.

I'm gonna hurry up and chop the chocolate.

I have 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, just gonna chop it in chunks because you just want to make it easy for that pastry cream to melt it.

Since we're making so many beautiful things with chocolate, I put on a white dress, let's see how long it lasts without chocolate stains.

I think we've tried most of the things that my son has wanted to try.

The list is really building to the point that Juju told me he really didn't need to go to summer camp at all because he would much rather spend the summer in the kitchen than be out there playing.

The chocolate is ready and chopped.

Let's see - oh yeah!

Come see how the sauce is really thickening so nicely.

That's where you want it at.

You can see the lines of the whisk, so that's how you know you're there, you need to stop, I'm removing it from the heat.

I'm adding all the chocolate I chopped, and we're whisking.

Ooh, did you see how the color changed?

Yum, it's like a creamy chocolate pudding.

So I'm adding about a tablespoon of vanilla, and 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, whisk all that in.

I added the chocolate and vanilla last because I want those flavors at the forefront of the pastry cream.

Okay, that's ready.

Mmm!

Time to make the crepes.

The batter has been in the fridge 30 minutes, so I'm gonna butter my pan.

I have my non-stick pan over medium to medium-low heat, and then I'm gonna use a normal soup ladle, drop the batter and then quickly swirl and spread.

I'm gonna try to cover the whole pan.

You want your crepes to be as thin as they can be.

You can see how the edges begin to brown.

When you flip it, you want to flip it fast and with determination so the crepe doesn't fold over and do funny things.

So you give it 1 minute on the first side and 30 seconds on the other, but you're gonna know fast, like, as you start making them.

See, it's so thin that it's ready, and you can just go like that.

So here we go, yeah.

See as it spreads it starts setting.

If you didn't get an area, you can go with your ladle and fill in the gaps.

You release an edge and then determine.

Just a few more seconds on this side.

A good idea is to add some parchment paper in between each crepe so it's easier to separate them.

Oh so pretty!

Okay, I'm gonna roll now, ready, set, go.

It's like the French tortilla.

And I'll just add little numbers so I know because I want about 40 crepes.

You don't need to add butter between each crepe, just after 3 or 4.

Oh this is gonna be pretty.

I have my stack of crepes, my pastry cream that cooled, and a cup of coffee, and now we're gonna build a tower.

So we're gonna grab all the beautiful crepes we made one by one, and then I'm gonna do 2 - 3 tablespoons of that chocolate pastry cream right in the middle, and you're gonna spread it from the center to the edges.

Now you don't want to go all the way to the edge because if not, as you stack the crepes the pastry cream is going to come out.

If some of the crepes aren't as perfect, doesn't matter.

Put the ones you don't like the most in the middle.

So far so good on my shirt.

Usually I don't get stained when I cook, it's when I eat, every time I eat I get dirty!

It's like, I'm not a young kid anymore, but I can't help it, it just goes all over the place!

But you know what, not gonna stain as I do this cake.

Chocolate is really big in Mexican cooking, both in sweet and savory dishes, if you think of moles and rubs, we love chocolate, and we're proud of our chocolate too.

One of the places that is most well-known for its chocolate is Oaxaca and they have a very special way of processing it.

>> Narrator: Wandering the streets of Oaxaca, you're certain to be struck again and again by the rich smell of chocolate, and you're bound to come along a Mayordomo, a speciality store dedicated to selling chocolate products.

That's because in Oaxaca chocolate is more than an ingredient, it is a point of pride.

The Aztecs believed chocolate was a gift from the Gods.

Drinking it was said to bestow strength and sensual vitality.

Today, Oaxacans are still crazy about their chocolate.

In the mayordomos, found on almost every street corner, you can get freshly ground chocolate powder made to order.

They start with toasted cacao beans, add canela, also known as true cinnamon, and sugar, grinding it into a chocolate powder that will then be used to make the richest and freshest hot chocolate you can imagine.

Wooden molinillos are used to stir the drink and produce a creamy froth.

Pouring into the cup, you can smell the chocolate and cinnamon, and that perfect head of foam is an invitation to deliciousness.

Drinking hot chocolate, an afternoon tradition in Oaxaca isn't complete without pan de yema, sweet rolls whose greatest purpose is to be dipped into this magical drink.

Here comes the moment, into the hot chocolate.

It's nothing less than pure mouth-watering perfection, so when you come to Oaxaca you can't miss this local delight.

>> I totally see why my son loves doing these things in the kitchen.

It is so much fun, and look at this ridiculous tower.

Done!

Now I'm gonna put it in the fridge and let it cool for 6 - 8 hours because it really needs to set so I can really slice into it.

>> Hola!

>> Juju!

Want to make banana bread?

>> Yeah sure.

>> So I have our last notes here and what we thought we wanted to do.

You said you wanted to add a bit more white sugar, and less cocoa so we can taste the banana.

>> Yeah.

>> I think maybe this one will be the one.

You wanna bring the ripe bananas?

>> Yeah.

>> I'll start beating the butter.

So I have a 1/2 cup of room temperature butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and a 1/4 cup white sugar.

I'm gonna beat this until super creamy.

Everything we're doing today is all your idea.

Are you up for overboard chocolate stuff?

>> Of course!

>> (laughs) see?

Okay, we want this to beat until super creamy.

>> Can I mash up the bananas?

>> Yes.

So we have 2 ripe bananas.

How many times have we tried this banana bread?

>> At least 10.

>> At least 10, right?

Maybe by the 30th we'll get it just right.

>> Remember we made a ton of different ones and we had friends try them and tell us which ones were better.

>> We had decided on the right direction, but they all liked the other version.

We were just, like, doubting.

Are we going in the right direction?

I think we're going in the right direction here.

>> I think making it chocolate-y was the right decision.

>> Totally.

Let's add the banana and then do you want to add the cream cheese?

It's a 1/4 cup.

Let's go ahead and add the teaspoon of vanilla extract.

We did the vanilla, hey, we need an egg.

Beat all that, and then we'll add the next batch of ingredients.

You've made it a habit to put the lock and put the mixer not too close to the edge.

>> You taught me.

>> I taught you!

Let's combine 1.5 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder.

>> Wait why both?

>> Remember that made it very fluffy because we had made it too pasty with the cream cheese and then we wanted to fluff it up?

We decided to add a 1/2 teaspoon salt because sometimes salt and savory makes the sweet shine.

So now what are we gonna do?

>> We're gonna add the dry ingredients.

>> And I'm gonna mix the 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, and 1/4 cup of hot boiling water because the hot water helps the flavor of the cocoa powder bloom.

>> It also makes the mix a bit more moist because it'll get too dry if you don't add water.

>> I'm gonna pour that in there, okay?

>> You wanna do that?

Here you go sir.

I'm in Juju territory now.

And I'm gonna chop 1/2 cup of chocolate chunks.

Bigger?

Smaller?

>> Like this size.

>> Like that size.

Turn it off.

So can I convince you to do summer camp instead of cooking here in the kitchen with me all summer?

>> No.

This is way more fun.

>> It's because cooking is fun.

Or it's because I'm here washing your dishes.

>> Yeah.

>> (imitating Juju) Yeah.

>> I think we have enough.

>> Mix it just until the chocolate chunks are mixed with the batter.

Okay, so it's at 350 degrees, we're gonna put it in there for 55 minutes.

When I put it in, I'm not touching any part of the oven.

We are going to make the most outrageous milkshake.

Inspired by that milkshake you liked in Oaxaca.

So it's 1 pint chocolate ice cream, and then you can pour that milk, which is 1.5 cups.

I have some dulce de leche here, add 1 tablespoon.

So Juju, you loved that Oaxacan chocolate which I actually have here.

I have a 3-ounce bar that I'm gonna take about 2/3 of and add it into the milkshake.

And then I'm gonna take the remaining piece and grate it over the top.

So let's add all of that.

I want us to process this until smooth.

[blender whirs] >> That's good because you don't want it to heat.

You love chocolate graham crackers.

>> Mhmm.

>> I love them too.

Now why don't we just break some in there.

Mhmm, they're so chocolate-y.

So we have different kinds of chocolate taste going in there.

So now we'll process this, but just a little so that when we drink the milkshake - >> You can taste the crackers.

>> So like 2 seconds.

Done!

One more.

Okay.

Let us see - >> Oh, do you see that?

[laughs] >> Ooh, look at that, look at those chunks!

>> That's what you mean by overloaded.

>> Yeah!

>> Mmm, whipped cream.

>> And then we have some dulce de leche here.

What do you think about two... Could we have gone more overboard Juju?

>> Mmm.

>> Mmm.

I think we should open up shop.

>> Better than the ones in Oaxaca >> Mmm!

It has the chunks from the graham cracker that are wet but still there, and then you get the shaved mixed in chocolate.

>> You can also taste the ice cream, the flavor of the ice cream.

>> Mmm.

I can't stop.

[timer beeps] >> Juju, the chocolate adventure isn't over!

The banana bread is ready and we're just gonna let it cool.

For the Chocolate Crepe Tower, I want to do a ganache.

So we have 1 cup of chocolate chips, and I'm gonna pour 1 cup of heavy cream that is now simmering, and you don't whisk it right now because you want the heavy cream to do its thing, it's gonna start melting the chocolate.

While that sits, our chocolate-chocolate Super Chocolate Banana Bread is ready.

Mmm.

>> Mmm.

>> Mmm!

So soft!

I can taste the banana.

Mmm, the banana is there.

It's, like, glazed with chocolate, but it really has that nice, like soft texture.

>> It's so loaded.

>> Mmm.

You have to help me whisk the cream with the chocolate for the ganache.

Juju on the beat.

>> No.

>> Okay, we have the ganache and now do you remember your Chocolate Crepe Tower?

>> Chocolate Crepe Tower!

>> Ahh!

What do you think?

>> Wow.

>> Wait no!

Okay, so the chocolate ganache is still warm and the cake is cold, so as you pour the ganache on top, it's gonna start firming up and becoming solid.

So I want to start in the middle.

>> Want me to spread it out?

>> I want it to naturally drizzle.

Wait, I want it to do its thing.

Is that enough?

I was bragging about not getting dirty with chocolate as I cooked, but.

Okay, I didn't make it through the end.

It feels so nice to cut into this cake because it's dense and at the same time soft.

You can see how gorgeous it looks in there.

Juju!

How can we make something so pretty?

So tall.

>> You can't even eat one piece of a bite.

>> You can't even!

Mmm.

Mmm!

Mmm, mmm, mmm!

This is so yum!

I'm so happy you had this idea.

The crepes are so delicate, and the chocolate pastry cream doesn't feel too chocolatey, it feels - >> Just right?

>> Mmm.

Mhmm!

I think this is my favorite chocolate cake ever.

Who wouldn't like this, right?

Juju!

I had so much fun playing with your chocolate inspired recipes.

I can't wait to see what you want to get into next.

>> (Laughs) Could be strawberries.

Or mango!

>> (Gasps) Mango Juju.

Here's to our next mango adventures in the kitchen.

>> Pati Narrates: For recipes and information from this episode and more, visit patijinich.com, and connect!

Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest @PatiJinich.

>> Pati's Mexican Table is made possible by: ♪ epic music plays ♪ ♪ ♪ >> The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food.

Mexbest.

The National Agricultural Council.

>> Introducing FUD Campirano Mexican cheeses with resealable packaging!

>> La Costeña, por sabor!

Taste that transcends.

More information at: mexicorico.com >> Some things are always there for you.

Like your alarm clock, right on time.

Your parking space.

Seriously?

Girl's night, always there.

And avocados from Mexico.

They're always there because they're fresh all year round.

>> ♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ >> Proud to support Pati's Mexican Table on public television.