Hey all, I’m sure everyone who is “on the line” is already tired of hearing about it, but the eclipse is coming and I am trying to formulate (or alter with purpose) a recipe that can be served to commemorate the experience. Of course, I’m going heavy handed on the symbolism and intend to use this recipe is a base.

With that being said, I’m going to post up my changes and ideas in hopes that some of you more knowledgeable when it comes to baking (it isn’t my strong suit, especially when yeast is involved) might offer some suggestions – or be daring enough to be guinea pigs and try it out before I am able to.

Mostly, the only substitutions I will be making is in the filling, as I’m trying to conjure something very solar. I’m thinking:

Filling

• (1) lb ground beef
• (2) medium sized shallots
• (3-4) garlic cloves
• (2) ripe plantains – mashed; might even go the mofongo route
• (1-2) tbsp chili powder
• (½) tsp cayenne pepper
• (½) teaspoon cumin
• (1) tbsp turmeric (give or take – until it’s the vibrant color I’m looking for)
• (1) tbsp tomato paste
• Salt & Pepper

1. Over medium, brown ground beef – remove and drain of most of the oil, but leaving some in the pan.
2. (Adding additional oil if necessary) Add tomato paste, chopped shallots and smashed garlic,

   sauté

   until shallots are translucent and garlic has some color. Return ground beef to pan, adding the remaining spices. Deglaze with a splash of coffee and let reduce.

3. Peel and cut plantains into 1 inch pieces, fry over medium heat – in lard, if you want to do it up the right way, making sure not to brown them too much, only get them tender enough to beat the shit out of them with a mallet (in a bag) – or mortar and pestle.
4. Combine and let cool.

Dough

I’m going to do my best to leave this as untouched as possible, subbing out (2) tbsp of flour for cocoa powder and adding black food coloring. Which would leave:

• (1) tbsp yeast 
• (1 ½) cups warm milk 
• (4 ½) cups flour minus (2) tbsp.
• (2) tbsp cocoa powder 
• 4 tablespoons sugar 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 4 tablespoons butter, very soft or melted
• Black or red/green/blue food coloring

I know cocoa has a tendency to sponge moisture, so I’m hoping the very minor addition of liquid via the food coloring will offset some of that, but again, I can’t be sure. 

So yeah, basically, it will be the “sun” wrapped in a black bread (the shadow of the moon). Ideally they’ll be cracked open as soon as the sun returns, but until then… experimentation is the name of the game.