Someone once said, “There is nothing
better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate”, I couldn’t agree
more…The fact is that very few people fail to realize the charms of chocolate
and it is probably one of our most popular ingredients. Indeed many food scientists have reported chocolate to be the
single most craved food and sales of chocolate worldwide continue to soar. We
Europeans eat a staggering 40 percent of all chocolate produced in the world.
The top five countries are Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, Germany and Norway,
according to the world Atlas of Chocolate.
Luckily for me, as I’m a confessed
chocoholic, the consumption of chocolate has been scientifically linked to
longer life. A few pieces of chocolate every month may make your life both
sweeter and longer, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. A survey
of healthy 65-year-old men revealed that those who ate sweets containing
chocolate reportedly lived longer. Mortality was lowest among those consuming
chocolate 1-3 times a month and higher among those who indulged in the habit 3
or more times a week. Surprisingly
non-consumers had the highest mortality of
all. As with most things in life, moderation seems to be paramount. So,
unluckily for me, overindulgence of chocolate has been linked to some
overweight cases and could result in the onset of diabetes, not to mention a
little bit of tooth decay.
As an addict, I’ve convinced myself the
benefits far outweigh the downsides and dark, velvety chocolate is my
particular vice. Dark chocolate is chocolate made without milk and should
contain a minimum of 35% cocoa solids, at least 18% of which should be cocoa
butter. However, the cocoa content can be, and often is, much higher than this,
and can reach up to 80% and even 90%. I prefer mine to be around 70 to 75% for
rich cakes, sauces or desserts.
Chocolate is one of those amazing
ingredients that work so well with an amazing array of flavour combinations.
Crazy marriages like chocolate and bacon or being paired with beetroot,
avocado, chili, lavender or cauliflower might sound strange, but they actually
do work. More classic pairings include anything from almond, banana, coffee,
oranges, pears, mint and strawberries. Endless recipes exist but there is not
one that calls for leftover chocolate…I know exactly why!
ORANGE-CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
ingredients:
600g dark
chocolate
300g butter
200ml cream
2tbsp. Grand
Marnier
Grated
zest of half an orange
100G dark
cocoa powder
Chop the chocolate or break into small
pieces and place in a bowl. Bring the cream and butter to the boil. Remove from
the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate, stirring continuously until all
the chocolate has melted. Add the Grand Marnier and grated orange zest. Leave to
set in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours.
Sift cocoa powder on to a flat plate,
then take heaped half teaspoons of the truffle mixture and dust your hands in
cocoa, roll each piece into a ball and then roll it in the cocoa powder.
Place it immediately into a paper case.
Obviously the less handling the better as the warmth of your hands melts the
chocolate. Store in the refrigerator
TOURTE AU CHOCOLAT
It
really doesn’t get much better than this! Rich, dark chocolate with fresh
raspberries is wonderful combo and this classic French Tourte is pure heaven.
Ingredients: serves
6-8
500g
dark chocolate (chopped)
650ml
cream
5
egg yolks
75g
sugar
150ml
framboise (raspberry liquor)
600g
raspberries
Chocolate
topping:
100g
dark chocolate
50g
butter
75ml
cream
50g
dark bitter cocoa powder
Put 300ml of the cream in a saucepan
and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate and
framboise liquor, stirring gently to make a smooth cream.
Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl
and whisk until light and fluffy, then gently stir in the chocolate mixture.
Whisk the remaining cream until soft
peaks form and fold in to the chocolate mixture.
Line a deep-sided cake tin or flan ring
with sponge and half-fill it with the chocolate mixture, add the cleaned red
fruit and almost fill with the remaining chocolate mixture.
Place in the refrigerator to set for
1-2 hours.
For
the topping:
Heat the cream, butter and chocolate
gently over a low heat, stirring all the time until all the butter and
Chocolate has melted. Pour gently over
the set chocolate cake and place once more in the refrigerator to set. Dust the
surface with the cocoa powder.
To
serve:
Slide a knife blade dipped in hot water
between the edge of the cake and the flan ring and carefully remove the ring.
Slice the truffle cake into equal portions and serve.
Chocolate &
Lavender Crême brulée
Ingredients:
serves 6
500ml cream
150ml milk
1tbsp lavender
flowers
1 vanilla
pod
4 egg
yolks
150g chocolate
grated
zest of 1 orange
Heat
the cream, milk, lavender flowers, vanilla pod and orange zest in a
heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring slowly to the boil and remove from the heat and
add the chocolate. Leave to infuse for 15-20 minutes and strain through a fine
sieve. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together and add the cream mixture.
Pour
into earthenware or ramekin moulds and place in a bain-marie of cold water.
Cook in a gentle oven 90cº/gas 4 for about 40-45 minutes or until just set.
Do
not be tempted to turn the oven temperature up, as they will curdle.
Chill
in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
To
serve:
Sprinkle
with sugar and caramelise under a hot grill or with a blowtorch & serve
immediately.
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