CHOCOLATE has been putting a smile on people’s dials for hundreds of years. From birthdays and Easters to everything in between, it’s a yummy crutch many people rely on and a product that almost everybody in the world loves. Heck, it’s even been responsible for patching up bad behaviour after a big night out (in fact, I think I have shares in Cadbury’s!).
This delicious brown goodness is originally sourced and produced from the cocoa bean found deep in the lush tropical hills and coastline of Africa, South America and Mexico. The cocoa bean undergoes fermentation and a roasting process that tones down its intense bitterness until all that is left is cocoa liquid. This is then blended with cocoa butter and sugars to produce what we know today as confectionary chocolate.
Chocolate has become as complicated as wine, with suppliers of cocoa beans offering single plantation or hill-side beans carefully roasted to produce the highest quality available. However the chocolate from the eggs we are going to watch melt today and form part of our dessert, is the perfect kind for using in the kitchen.
This recipe below will hopefully introduce you to cooking with chocolate and show you how simple it is to use at home.
It always pays to use good quality chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa solids. Look out for chocolate with 65 to 75 per cent cocoa solid range. Going that extra step when you’re confident working with chocolate will pay off with your mates.
Here we go for this week’s chocolaty recipe — happy cooking and enjoy!
Melted chocolate and coffee pots with a strawberry salad
What you need:
200ml double cream
100gm of left over Easter eggs — chance to smash ‘em up
50ml single cream
2 large egg yolks at room temp
35g castor sugar
2 tbsp strong coffee, cooled
For the strawberry salad:
1 punnet of strawberries or other varieties
2 sprigs of fresh mint
1 tsp castor sugar
What to do:
Warm up the oven to 170 degrees.
Heat the double cream to a simmer on the hob, add the chocolate and stir to blend together.
Remove and stir in the single cream and allow them to cool on the side.
In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick in colour. About five minutes should do it.
Fold in the chocolate cream and pour in the chilled coffee.
Divide the mixture into four or five small pots or coffee cups. Place them in a deep tray and fill the try with hot water from the kettle. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes until set around the edges.
Take out and allow them to cool for a few hours in the fridge.
For the salad use an electric blender and blend half the strawberries into a liquid.
Add the sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Quarter the remaining strawberries and fold them together. Toss in the fresh mint and serve with the chocolate pots. Enjoy.
How do you use your excess Easter eggs? Tell us below:
