Lucky In-Laws

Lucky in-laws .. why? ’cause they have me as a daughter in law … no I don’t think so. But they won a spot prize at a local ‘do’. Then it was lucky me as mother in law offered it to me :-)) Yeah excellent, posh cups with saucers. And not those roundy saucers that mean the chocolate biscuit melts to the side of the cup, but oval saucers where the cup is at one side leaving lots of room for the obligatory chocolate treat.

Chocolate Sundae

It was a cold wet miserable Sunday morning. Was I the only one daft enough to leave a cosy house to face the elements all for chocolate? Himself certainly thought so. But the Chocolate Fair happens once a year and by hook or by crook we were going.

HoneyB donned her wellies and was quietly excited about meeting the chocolatiers to get some tastes. By the time we got there the rain had eased and I was encouraged to see all the chocolatiers setting up, unperturbed by the weather. We got down to business straight away, relaxed by the Willie Wonka music playing the in background.

We got a tremendous reception at Wilde Irish Chocolate. Trish remembered us from last year and brought some chocolate bunny lollipops especially for HoneyB. Yahoo! We got a special ‘Wilde Rocky Road’ to taste … their secret: lots of delic milk chocolate, mini mallows and honeycomb. It is a chocoholics dream i.e. more chocolate than ‘other stuff’ :-)

Their truffle boxes were amazing, so colorful and inviting … now you can have a box of your favourite flavour. Maybe a box of Orange Truffles for Mum this Christmas??

I got my fix of Super bar (80% & cocoa nibs), and a jar of White Chocolate Hazelnut spread for the nefs. Well, as part of my research I had to open the jar for a tiny taste. I was expecting soft and spreadable, but it was pretty firm. Just like spreading butter straight from the fridge … how will that work out I wonder??

Next port of call was ChocONeill who do simple things with wonderful chocolate – why mess with a good thing, eh? I picked up a Peru single plantation for tasting later.

At this stage a patch of blue sky emerged – hallelujah! and an old school mate of mine arrived. Yes it was time for hot chocolate ala Louise Lennox: 3 types of chocolate, milk and cream – yum. Himself went for the marshmallows (aka flogs … do you remember flogs?) on top. Then it was time to decorate cupcakes … and yes we would all like a go … sweet messy stuff is not the preserve of kids ;-)

Although I was cold, HoneyB must not have been as she dived into a free tub of Ben and Jerrys ice-cream. We headed inside to see Benoit Lorge’s demo leaving the ice-cream behind … that was not a good idea and HoneyB exploded into tears. Himself quickly nipped back to get more and in the meantime the chocolatier came to her aid with a piece of Valrhona :-)

The demo was excellent and both boys were rightly impressed. TC … might you leave down your guitar and pick up the spatula?? HoneyB sat patiently or maybe somewhat confused thinking ‘hey this guy is making a mess and mommie not cross’.

I must mention Sarah Varela, face painter extraordinaire. HoneyB was too young for face painting by got her hands done-up like a tiger (just like in Peppa Pig, grghhh).

O’Conaill were there with an immense range of chocolate bars with everything sprinkled on them, molds from way back when, drinking chocolate kits and even some dipped fruit peel. The coffee beans on top of dark chocolate sounded like one for Himself.

Dinner was supplied by Mero Mero Sabores de Mexico in the form of Turkey Mole … spicy but hit the cold spot perfectly and for €5, good value.

Final port of call was Aine Chocolates where apparently their chocolate is made from beans (rather than couverture) … ‘takes a very long time’ I’m told. They buy the beans, roast them etc … ‘yes, it takes a very long time’. I was stunned … where were the trumpets to announce the bean to bar stall??

We bought 3 bars for €6 too but oh the pain when I got home and saw what was behind the Butterscotch wrapper. The bar was bloomed beyond belief (streaked white and crumbly). The Lemon Zest and Honeycomb was fine though – phew!

And now I realise the benefit of clear wrappers. I’ve bought Cluizel bloomed so I know it can happen … but with a clear wrapper you can see the state of the chocolate before you buy. Maybe I’ll start a campaign for ’see-thru’ wrapping. Actually Aine Chocolates had some clear wrappers … maybe they are moving over …

There were many stalls we didn’t visit as HoneyB started to get tired and my arms were at breaking point. There was the Truffle Fairy, Natasha’s Living Foods, Celtic Chocolates, Gallaghers, Chez Emily, Chocolate Garden of Ireland … as we left the fair, the sky was blue and the stalls busy.

New York Times Hot Chocolate Tips

While browsing I came across this most insightful Hot Chocolate article (thanks to Himself). Now here is a writer, Amanda Hesser, who takes her research seriously!! She devises her own recipe after much experimentation. Her tips include:

- Use the best chocolate you can. “One thing is certain: It is impossible to make good hot chocolate with bad chocolate.”

- Use milk not cream. “Hot chocolates made with cream are not hot chocolate, they are hot chocolate pudding.”

- Combine cocoa and chocolate rather than using one or the other. This will give the best texture, not too watery (i.e. cocoa alone) and not too thick (i.e. chocolate alone).

- Heat to just below simmering; anymore and you risk damaging the delicate chocolate flavours.

- Whisking the ingredients helps to:

1. aerate the mixture so that you get a frothy top. This frothiness adds a lighter note to the texture.

2. emulsify the mixture otherwise the cocoa will sink to the bottom.

3. stop a skin from forming (the skin traps in the aroma).

What a superb article, maybe the state of the chocolate industry has changed since Feb 2000 but the tips hold true for today.

My First Hot Chocolate

HoneyB gets her very own cup of hot chocolate (espresso sized) with mini marshmallows. She said goodbye to bottles and hello to milky hot chocolate.

Java Republic Roastery

A trip to IKEA saw us diverting to Java Republic cafe for a look at their setup. Wow it is amazing out there, the factory is impeccable, with bright yellow machines doing the biz. We didn’t get to see too much but enough to envy the creators. Himself was not too impressed with the coffee but I think it’s because he makes stronger coffee at home. My hot chocolate was good: milky with a decent chocolate taste (not creamy and sweet) and beats Starbucks into second place. It contains 40% cocoa, Green & Black’s Drinking Chocolate contains 60%.

HoneyB was thrilled with her Mammut stool from IKEA … but the leg keeps falling off. At 18 months she was a sponge and absorbing everything we said. Now she is an intelligent sponge so can say things at the right times … e.g. leg falls off and she says ‘f*cksake’. Sorry HoneyB – I’m a bad mommie ;-)

My star buy at IKEA was a Raritet two layer food storage box which I can use to transport double the amount of truffles … only at IKEA can you get these sorta gadgets.

A trip to IKEA saw us diverting to Java Republic cafe for a look at their setup. Wow it is amazing out there, the factory is impeccable, with bright yellow machines doing the biz. We didn’t get to see too much but enough to envy the creators. Himself was not too impressed with the coffee but I think it’s because he makes stronger coffee at home. My hot chocolate was pretty good though and beats Starbucks into second place. A long way to go for cocoa though so I’ll stay loyal to the ‘Bucks in Blackrock.

 

HoneyB was thrilled with her Mammut stool from IKEA … but the leg keeps falling off. At 18 months she was a spongs and absorbing everything we said. Now she is an intelligent sponge so can say things at the right times … e.g. leg falls off and she says ’f*cksake’. Sorry HoneyB – I’m a bad mommie ;-)

My star buy at IKEA was a Raritet two layer storage box which I can use to transport double the amout of truffles … only at IKEA can you get these sorta gadgets.

http://www.javarepublic.com/iopen24/product_info.php?cPath=0_76&products_id=1247

http://www.javarepublic.com/iopen24/index.php

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/15937-2?pageNumber=A trip to IKEA saw us diverting to Java Republic cafe for a look at their setup. Wow it is amazing out there, the factory is impeccable, with bright yellow machines doing the biz. We didn’t get to see too much but enough to envy the creators. Himself was not too impressed with the coffee but I think it’s because he makes stronger coffee at home. My hot chocolate was pretty good though and beats Starbucks into second place. A long way to go for cocoa though so I’ll stay loyal to the ‘Bucks in Blackrock.

HoneyB was thrilled with her Mammut stool from IKEA … but the leg keeps falling off. At 18 months she was a spongs and absorbing everything we said. Now she is an intelligent sponge so can say things at the right times … e.g. leg falls off and she says ‘f*cksake’. Sorry HoneyB – I’m a bad mommie ;-)

My star buy at IKEA was a Raritet two layer storage box which I can use to transport double the amout of truffles … only at IKEA can you get these sorta gadgets.

http://www.javarepublic.com/iopen24/product_info.php?cPath=0_76&products_id=1247

http://www.javarepublic.com/iopen24/index.php

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/15937-2?pageNumber=0

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We’re all going on a Summer Holiday …

Well actually Sir Cliff we are just back from our summer holidays in Killarney and would definitely go back again. There’s so much to do and I must mention the excellent Kennedy’s All Weather Pet Farm (the important words here being ‘all’ and ‘weather’!), bike hire from the friendly O’ Sullivans, and the NP.

The jarveys were out protesting against horse nappies … HoneyB was definitely on their side saying ‘horsies no wear nappy mom, nooh’. The disruption increased our drive to Lorge by 20mins but it was worth it. A small cottage at the side of the road in the middle of the countryside we found Lorge happily chocolatiering.

We tasted some excellent truffles, my favourite was the Dark Chocolate and Lime and a very close second was Valrhona Guanaja ganache. The truffles had a thin coating which allowed the filling to take center stage. So unlike many mass produced confections, the filling was not hidden under a thick shell of chocolate. They were delicate some dipped, some molded. The praline was strongly nutty with a sweet hit, rather than vice versa. But they were so fresh … the freshest truffles ever.

And if that was not enough, we had to have a Hot Chocolate, with a hint of Ginger. It shortened the trip home ;-) Himself wiled the time away taking photos of the truffles balancing on the gear stick!

We also visited Murphy’s Ice Cream cafe on Main St. It is such a fun relaxed place, the staff are so friendly and enthusiastic. On our first visit we chose Dark Chocolate, Chocolate & Whiskey and Strawberry. The girls’ favourite was the Dark Chocolate, the boy’s favourite was the Whiskey.

Next visit we went for a tasting plate i.e. a selection of 5 ice creams: Honeycomb, Raspberry Sorbet, Peanut, Milk Chocolate, Guinness. My favourite was the Peanut … chocolate chips, peanuts and vanilla ice cream … divine. Ha ha would you believe I just checked out their website and the recipe is there !!

Unfortunately we did not get to CocoaBean and Skellig factory … next year hopefully.

White Chocolate Lemon Truffles

Some brilliant people at work organised a fundraiser lunch in aid of Dean’s Fight for Sight and the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. For my part, I chipped in with some pasta and kudos to HoneyB for letting me cook all that pasta in her drum (aka my big pot!). But I couldn’t not bring some chocolate treats: truffles and hot chocolate sachets.

Here is the recipe for White Chocolate Lemon Truffles which, even for a 70% girl, is very moreish!

Makes approx 40 depending on the size.

zest of 2 small unwaxed lemons
229ml double cream (the unusual amount is because Avonmore double cream comes in this size carton)
250g white chocolate, finely chopped
200g roasted chopped hazelnuts (to coat)

1. Add cream and zest into a pot and heat gently until just simmering. Remove from heat and leave for 20 minutes.
2. Reheat the cream mixture to just simmering. Strain through a sieve to remove the zesty bits.
3. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. (In my case, the mixture cooled before all the chocolate had melted so I zapped it in the microwave at MED power for 10 sec intervals, stirring in between zaps until the mixture was smooth.)
4. Pour into a shallow bowl and leave to cool at room temp. Once cool, cover and refrigerate for 4 hrs or leave at room temp overnight. If you do refrigerate, take the mixture out at least 20 mins before forming the truffles otherwise it will be too hard.
5. Once the mixture is firm, form the truffles. Pour the hazelnuts in to a shallow bowl.
6. Take a tsp of the mixture and roll into a ball between your palms. Then drop the truffle in the nuts and roll it around until coated.

Store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge. But do allow them come to room temp before eating.

Variations: As with all truffles you can vary them in any way, adding different amounts of zest, changing the coating. Toasted coconut would work well here too.

Tip: When forming the truffles, drop 5 or 6 into the bowl containing the coating. Then take the bowl and shake it gently rolling all the truffles until coated.

Chocolate Boutique

Just back from our first hotel break in the Marriott, Ashbourne … yes we went ‘all the way’ to Co. Meath for a mini break. On the way we stopped in Chez Emily’s Chocolate Boutique.

It is simply chocolate heaven. A sizable shop/cafe with floor to ceiling shelves stacked with decorated chocolate bars, molded chocolate, candies, nougat, biscuits, accessories, presentation boxes and truffles galore. They also sold quality chocolate buttons by weight including 2.5kg bags of Callebaut 70% buttons.

HoneyB was in her element deciding which lollipop to buy … a rabbit, a duck or a football. She nibbed while I sipped a very sweet hot chocolate and Himself had a rather glorious Mocha. To flick-thru, there is a leaflet about ‘how chocolate is made’ and scrap book filled with photos and reviews.

Of the truffles we bought, I would go back again for the Black Beauty, a thinly coated dark chocolate ganache.

Hot Chocolate Mix

Right-oh, I can make instant hot chocolate mix from these ingredients??? Well let’s test it out! This recipe comes mostly from Hot Chocolate: 50 Heavenly Cups of Comfort.
1 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 cup dried powdered milk
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup your favourite chocolate in chunks/buttons

1. Sieve the milk and cocoa, add the sugar and chocolate, and whisk until completely combined. Et voila, homemade hot chocolate mix.
2. Store in an airtight container until needed.  I used a nice jam jar complete with lid.

To make a drink, just add 3 tsps into a mug, add boiling water and stir until the chocolate chunks have melted. How easy is that! How tastey is that!

Venezuelan Black

I came across Wonka Willie’s Cacao in Harvey Nics Dundrum (€8.50 for 180g solid chocolate cylinder) so just had to buy and try. It comes complete with recipes on the back of the label.

The Hot Chocolate recipe seemed a good way to taste the chocolate:

3 tbsp grated chocolate

150ml water

Sugar, marshmallows, honey to sweeten

2 tea cups to serve

Add the chocolate and water to a small saucepan and bring to the boil. It will thicken beautifully. The smell that filled the kitchen as it boiled was dreamy. Then serve sweetening to taste. This recipe yields 2 cups if topped up with milk, but I prefer to serve it ’straight’ in espresso cups.

This was a whopper of a hot chocolate, but it is not the traditional big mug of frothy milky sweetness. Because it is made with water and because I get to control the sugar level, the result is strong, thick and bittersweet. The drink itself has hints of dried fruits.