>> "Modern Pioneering" is made possible by... >> Welcome to Total Wine.

Doing okay?

>> My buddy says, "Rosé all day."

>> My personal fave is this new French rosé.

>> Find wine, beer, and spirits from around the world at Total Wine & More.

>> At Muir Glen, we believe that organic farming benefits consumers, farmers, and ecosystems.

>> And made possible by... ...and many other generous donors.

A full list is available at GeorgiaPellegrini.com.

[ Pounding ] ♪♪ >> Something that's really interesting about working with these guys in Mexico and kind of the mentality that they have -- it's not that we are teaching something.

You are remembering something.

And I love that cyclical idea of these talents that we have are innate or latent, and we just give it the space to come back out.

I did come from a technological background, but there's a really fundamental human connection with materials and making things, and that could be farming or dicing vegetables.

Yeah, you can buy diced vegetables at the grocery store, but somewhere in there, humans have to interact with that.

>> Humans have been colliding with metal and fire for millennia, molding it through sheer strength and perseverance.

Today still, there's something primal about what happens to us when handed a hammer and fire, as if we are in control of our destiny.

That is the thing about creating with your hands.

It makes you come alive with the sense that you are shaping your own story.

♪♪ ♪♪ In Santa Clara del Cobre in Michoacán, Mexico, copper artisans are hard at work, hand-forming copper pots the same way they have been made for 500 years.

Jonathan Beall drives his truck between Austin, Texas, and this workshop, helping bring artisan copperware to the U.S. >> ♪ And I got down on my knees ♪ ♪ Looking for the Delta Queen to hush my grief ♪ >> During the year 2000, I basically just uprooted my entire life from here in Austin and moved everything down to Mexico, to this village, Santa Clara del Cobre.

I did an apprenticeship with Don Chema, and then my other maestro, Don Maximo Velazquez, who is probably the greatest living copper artisan today.

>> It's been almost 25 years since Jonathan formed a partnership with copper artisans in Mexico and began Sertodo Copper.

What began as an experiment selling copperwares out of his truck has become his business and his passion that he has made his life's work.

>> I bought an old truck, "The Macho," and I filled it up with 2,000 pounds worth of copper stuff.

And then I just started driving around the Southwest, and I would just basically show up somewhere and open up a phone book and call up caterers.

All of a sudden, I was just talking with so many different people.

We're all so similar in so many ways, and this was a little medium for me to go and connect with people.

And we've talked about the original spark and interest and why do I do this and the motivation, and one thing that occurred to me through doing this is that, oh, you know, this work -- work is nice.

I enjoy working.

However, the work is really just a medium for me to kind of live how I'd like to live and do the things that I want to do and do the things that I enjoy.

And this very quickly became a vehicle for me to do all of those things and all of these interests that were coming up, and that, you know, opened doors of interest for me.

>> I'm visiting Jonathan to learn more about copper and why it's a passion for him.

>> Georgia, what we have here is kind of a mix of some of the tools that we use for our production.

This right here is just a giant ingot of solid copper.

Cut that into pieces of the material that we clean up.

>> Wow, it's so heavy.

>> This piece of copper will be made and then run through a rolling mill, and from the mills, we get sheet cooper.

>> Ah!

These are the disks.

>> I also have brought, over here, the very first pan that I made.

There's so many mistakes in this pan, which is amazing, because making the mistakes is how we figure out, "Oh, where do we need to go from there?"

You know, you can see how there's a little bit of just surface variation, and that surface variation helps with the release of your food.

And we like it also because it just -- Work hardens the material.

It beats a shine into it that comes out a little bit easier.

>> You're seeing the handwork, though, of the craftsman.

>> Would you like a little demonstration?

>> I would love to, yeah.

>> Okay.

I have some of these tools sitting around, but this is basically the kind of stake that we work a lot of things over.

>> Okay.

Shall I be your assistant?

I'll hand you the tools?

>> Sure.

One of the things that we're looking for is, like, I can't see where it is on there, but -- So, I'm looking for... [ Clanging ] There's that sound.

See that little line that's appearing there?

>> Yeah.

And I guess to get it that perfect even pattern is really just, like you said, almost like the memory of your hands.

It's a rhythm you get into.

>> It is, yeah.

If you'd like, I can turn the forge on and we can get something... >> Yeah, let's do it.

>> ...get something red-hot.

>> Let's do it.

[ Whooshes ] Whoo!

Copper is a relatively soft material until you work it repeatedly.

As you work it, the crystalline structure compacts and hardens until it gets to a point where it can't be worked anymore.

From there, it is reheated to about 1,000 degrees, until it is red-hot and the crystalline structure rearranges itself to become soft again so it can be worked further.

Red-hot.

>> Go ahead.

>> Am I going straight down?

>> Yep.

Nice.

>> This is fun.

>> It's a lot of fun.

My hope for the future of Sertodo Copper is that it continues to be this bridge between cultures and people and friends and their family from Mexico that work with us, but also a bridge for opportunity for different people.

And the immediate work is just making this something that is transparent and understood.

>> Jonathan brings back delicacies on his road trips between Mexico and Texas -- figs cured in lye, amaranth balls, and raw cocoa that has been made by the same family since 1898.

And so, in this wonderland of glimmering copper pots, we use some of his copper to make Mexican hot chocolate.

>> Grab out a couple of those chocolate biscuits.

>> I've never seen chocolate in this form before.

>> Oh, yeah.

Yeah, these are nice, fat ones.

>> It smells so good.

>> I've got some water boiling.

And I'm going to put in probably about three.

And then we're going to use this traditional way of making the Mexican chocolate.

And you just put it in there, and as the chocolate softens, this will go in and... >> Wow!

>> I also brought back some of my favorite little treats are these.

Some amaranth balls.

Amaranth is a traditional grain grown in that region, and they take that and they toast that and roll them up with honey.

>> Gonna wait for my hot chocolate and eat all of this at once.

This sounds so good.

>> See all that frothiness, that wonderful froth happening in there?

And, you know, I brought back some of those beans.

>> That smells chocolaty.

I think I'm gonna eat one.

Do you take off this outer shell?

>> Take the outer shell off, yep.

And there's the -- Yeah.

For me, when I eat these, it's got so much oil in there, like, it feels cool in the mouth.

It's just the way that oil is.

>> It does feel cool.

>> Alright, let me just work it back and forth.

You can see... >> It's getting creamy-looking.

>> And smelling delicious.

>> Mm-hmm.

Mmm!

Okay.

>> Ready for a little?

>> Moment of truth.

>> Okay.

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers.

Thanks for coming down.

It's going to be hot.

>> Thanks for having me.

>> Mm-hmm.

No sugar.

>> I love that.

>> It's strong.

Here, have it with your -- >> Oh, yeah.

>> That might sweeten it up.

>> Mmm!

That's the sweetness that you need to balance it out.

Got your amaranth and your savory chocolate.

Wow.

That's a combo.

I'm inspired to cook with copper and explore the savory possibilities for chocolate.

We're going to start off with making a delicious chocolate adobo sauce, which is a savory sauce, followed by some pork chops with sage, roasted apples, and thyme.

Then we're going to finish with a Mexican-chocolate milkshake.

So, to start, I'm taking about 2 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate.

The key is unsweetened because you're really going to add those flavors yourself.

Gonna add that to my copper pot.

Then I'm going to add Worcestershire sauce, which adds a bit of earthiness.

About 4 teaspoons.

Then I've got some adobo sauce, which has a nice smoky flavor.

You can just get that in a can at the grocery store.

But I love the smokiness and richness of adobo sauce.

We're going to mix that in.

Then a little bit of brown sugar.

About maybe 2 1/2 tablespoons, roughly.

Okay, last but not least, about 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Add a little brightness to that.

Now I'm going to add a touch of water just to make sure it steams out.

Alright, we're gonna put the lid on that, let it slowly melt.

Give it a few stirs, low heat.

And while that cooks, we're gonna move on to our pork chops.

So, I've got my copper pan and I am sprinkling my pork chops with salt.

Alright, we've got salt, a little bit of pepper.

All sides.

Now we're going to add an important ingredient -- butter.

I'd say a healthy tablespoon or so of butter.

The pork has a lot of fat, but you want to give it a head start.

Okay, roll it around in here.

Gonna add our pork chops.

And then some fresh sage.

I'm gonna drop that right into the butter.

Going to make that butter taste really good, and it will infuse into that meat.

Sprinkle that around.

Now I'm going to cut up a little bit of apple.

There's nothing better than the combination of apple and pork, in my opinion.

So, I'm going to take one apple.

If you have more room in your pan, you can add more.

I love adding them right into the pan, because the apples absorb the juices from that pork and that herby butter.

I'm popping out that core.

I'm just cutting them into maybe inch, 1/2-inch slices.

Gonna add those all around.

Now, I have preheated my oven to 325 degrees.

And we're going to add a little bit of thyme and a little bit more butter.

More butter is never a bad idea.

Sprinkle that over these apples.

Add a little bit of salt to these apples.

It helps bring out the flavor.

I think I can fit a couple more.

Alright, so, we're gonna transfer this to a 325-degree oven.

We're going to bake it for about 15 minutes.

We don't want it to get too overdone.

Pork needs to have a little bit of tenderness inside.

We're gonna put it in the oven, bring it out, let it rest.

Let's see how our pork is doing.

Ah, it looks so good.

Got golden-brown apples.

Nice and soft and caramelized.

Beautiful.

And the pork -- I can always tell by just pressing on it.

It's not super-soft.

You don't want it to be too pink inside.

It's got a little bit of give.

Let's serve these up and give them a taste.

I like to let them rest a little bit -- for about five, 10 minutes, just to let those juices go back inside and not end up all on the plate.

Then we're going to add a little bit of this juice and these apples to our plate, as well.

Put those around.

We have this buttery, herby sauce, and the pork has flavored it.

Beautiful.

Gonna add some sauce to these guys -- all around.

Make sure you get all those crispy herbs in there.

Alright, now finishing sauce is our chocolate adobo sauce.

You can see it's creamy and thick.

No need to go crazy with it, but it's almost like a beautiful dipping sauce.

You can just drizzle on the side.

There you go.

Voilà.

It smells so good.

The chocolate and the adobo smells rich and smoky.

You have that herb butter.

There's nothing like sage and butter on a plate.

Let's give it a taste.

Mmm!

I love a thick-cut pork chop.

Got to have a little bit of that apple with it.

Mmm!

A bit of that chocolate sauce to finish it off.

[ Laughs ] That little spice it adds to it.

Mmm!

You have the saltiness, the sweetness, the herbiness, and then that finishing chocolate-spicy kick.

It doesn't get any better than this.

Time for the milkshake.

Before I make the milkshake, I'm going to go deeper into the world of chocolate and learn from a local chocolatier who crafts chocolates by hand.

Like Jonathan, Nicole Patel wasn't always in a creative field.

She was an engineer by trade, planning to spend her life in a corporate job.

As a new mom, she made chocolates as a creative outlet for friends, for family, for anyone she could serve them up to.

She soon became known for her innovative flavor combinations -- fried-chicken chocolate, smoked-brisket truffles, jalapeño-tequila truffles, along with all of the classic chocolate flavors people love.

Soon, Delysia Chocolatier was born.

What makes her unique as a chocolatier is that she handmakes every single chocolate.

There are no machines, no production line of employees.

She sources only sustainable chocolate and chooses to do it the slow and more challenging way because she cares about the end result.

Today, she is going to give me a lesson in making truffles, something that I can make at home with a few simple ingredients.

I have a confession, which is I have never made chocolate truffles before, so I'm excited to learn from an expert.

>> So, to start with, we would measure out our chocolate.

>> Okay.

>> And then we would put it either in the microwave or over a double boiler to melt it completely down, which is what we have here.

>> And what kind of chocolate is this?

>> This is dark chocolate.

This is melted already.

So we're just going to switch that out.

>> Okay.

>> And then we are going to add our heavy cream to it.

>> And what's your ratio that you try to -- >> So usually, about a pound to about 1/2 cup.

>> This is warm, hot?

>> This is warm.

Now, you don't want it too hot, because you don't want it to scorch on the bottom.

>> Should I mix?

>> Yes, absolutely.

>> Can I be the mixer?

>> Just blending it all in until it's just a nice silky cream.

>> So, this is considered a ganache?

>> This is a ganache.

So, ganache is just a fancy word for the inside of your truffles or your bonbons.

So a blend of chocolate and cream.

>> Should I put some of that into this bowl?

>> Yes, we can put about half into that bowl, and then it will allow you to start adding your ingredients.

>> What kind of spices do you have here.

>> So, we have a pink Himalayan sea salt, cardamom, cinnamon, coffee with a little bit of hickory in it, and then I made a spice blend of habaneros, cayenne, ancho chilies, and chipotle.

>> Oh, my gosh, you are speaking my language.

And I love cardamom.

It has the most incredible just scent to it.

I love it.

Well, maybe we can do one cardamom and one spicy.

>> I love dark chocolate and cardamom.

Go ahead, you can pick the spice you want.

You can decide how little or how lot you want to add into it.

>> I'm more in the "lot" category.

>> Yes, me too.

That's how I feel about cinnamon, as well.

Anything else you want to add to it?

We have citrus, as well.

>> Ooh!

that's a fun idea.

How about a little bit of orange zest in there?

>> Orange zest?

Alright.

>> Mmm!

Cardamom and citrus.

Doesn't get any better than that.

That looks so good.

>> So, now we're going to put these in the fridge.

We're going to let them set.

>> Okay.

>> We're then going to bring them back out and we're going to scoop them into little balls.

>> Fun!

Let's do it.

>> So, I have a bowl already prepared of your cardamom with orange zest.

>> Nice!

>> And so now it is time to scoop the chocolates.

>> So, am I doing it like that?

>> Yep.

And then just release that.

And they don't have to be pretty at this point, because we're gonna stick them back in the fridge, they're going to set, and we're going to roll them into beautiful little balls.

>> Look at that.

So, this will set in the refrigerator for how long?

>> About 15, 20 minutes, depending on how cold your fridge is.

You just want it to get to a nice temperature to where it's not melting in your hands as you roll them.

>> Got it.

>> These are cool and ready to go.

>> Alright.

>> So, now we're just -- You can see how they've kind of formed a little bit more.

>> Yeah.

>> So, just pick one and kind of roll it.

>> So you're forming it more in your hands?

>> More into your hands, more like a perfect little ball.

>> It kind of has a little bit of a clay consistency.

>> Yeah, a little Play-Doh.

Do you want to start coating some?

>> Yes, I do.

>> So, we have cocoa powder, the sprinkles, powdered sugar, and pecans.

>> Great.

I think I'm going to go with the classic cocoa powder next.

So, just drop these guys in?

>> Just drop them, roll them, yep.

>> Look at that.

Beautiful.

You were telling me earlier that there's a proper way to eat chocolate.

Is that with any kind of chocolate?

>> It is, yes.

So, we always want you to slow down, not just eat it all in one big bite.

>> Okay.

>> The most important thing is to resist the urge to chew.

So you just want to take a bite and let it sit on your tongue and just let it melt.

>> Is now the time to practice?

>> Yes, absolutely.

>> Thank you.

>> You're welcome.

>> No chewing.

>> No chewing.

Just let it melt.

But you'll get the flavors of that cardamom up front, followed by that citrus on the finish from the orange peel.

>> I guess part of the art of eating chocolate is the beautiful mess.

Your hands, your clothes, your tongue.

Mmm!

I'm glad you chose this over engineering.

>> Oh, thank you.

It is a lot more fun.

>> What a treat.

Thank you for sharing this with me.

>> You're welcome.

Thank you.

>> I'm gonna make a lot of truffles in my life now.

>> That sounds great.

>> Inspired by Nicole's knowledge of chocolate and the pure cocoa that Jonathan brought back with him from Mexico, I'm going to make one final recipe -- a Mexican-chocolate milkshake.

So, to start, I'm going to scoop in about 3 cups of chocolate ice cream.

Okay.

Let's set this aside.

I'm going to add my milk.

I'm gonna add about 2/3 of a cup of milk.

Okay, pour that in.

Now I've got cinnamon, which adds a wonderful richness and spice.

We've got a little bit of chili powder.

This is just going to add some warmth.

Then we have some chocolate sauce.

Pour that right in there.

Has that extra richness.

Alright, we're ready to give it a spin.

Here we go.

Okay.

Time to serve it up.

We've got some nice tall glasses.

And then we're going to give it a bit of a garnish.

You can add whipped cream if you want.

I always say yes to the whipped cream.

Add that right on top.

Okay.

And this is a little bit of pepper.

It's not super-spicy, but just kind of a smoky spice.

Moment of truth.

Oh, look, someone's here to help me with the seasoning.

Hi.

Come on in.

Good job.

Come here.

Come here.

Yeah.

Oh, look.

>> Woof, woof.

>> Woof, woof.

Wanna try?

Mmm!

You like it?

You want to try the pork chop?

>> Yeah.

>> Ooh!

[ Laughs ] I think it's a hit.

Mmm!

>> Apple.

>> Apple.

Okay, ready?

>> Apple.

>> Mm-hmm.

Savory apple with butter.

Mmm!

As I reflect on the modern pioneers I've met this season, one thing has become evident.

I believe that a society in pursuit of convenience will eventually rob itself of the hidden connectors that give our lives meaning.

When nearly anything can show up to our doorstep with just a few clicks, what's the point in pursuing something that takes time, patience, and vision?

>> ♪ Give me a wish, and I'll make you smile ♪ ♪ Give me a chance if it's worth your while ♪ ♪ 'Cause I wanna be the one that you need ♪ >> Does a meal taste better if you've had a hand in growing the ingredients?

Does a candle smell better if you made it?

Is an item worth more when it has a story behind it?

>> The good news is that modern pioneering is all around us.

It's within us as we discover there is joy that comes with doing things the hard way and there is joy in celebrating the people who have chased after meaning instead of convenience.

I relish in celebrating the people that haven't taken the convenient road to where they are.

They remind me that the texture and meaning in life often rewards bravery, that the simple pleasures and humble discoveries are every bit as meaningful, and the lost world we seek can be within arm's reach.

>> ♪ With me ♪ ♪♪ >> To learn more about the topics featured on this episode, log on to GeorgiaPellegrini.com or follow along on Georgia's Facebook and Instagram pages for weekly modern-pioneering adventures, tips, and recipes.

"Modern Pioneering" is made possible by... >> Welcome to Total Wine.

Doing okay?

>> My buddy says, "Rosé all day."

>> My personal fave is this new French rosé.

>> Find wine, beer, and spirits from around the world at Total Wine & More.

>> At Muir Glen, we believe that organic farming benefits consumers, farmers, and ecosystems.

>> And made possible by... ...and many other generous donors.

A full list is available at GeorgiaPellegrini.com.