Chocolate

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I never saw this post coming......

After spending a few months back in the UK last year where I was able to gorge myself on British made chocolate as much as my purse would allow I think I've actually 'grown out' of loving chocolate quite so much.

I loved and indulged myself with chocolate throughout my childhood, teenage years and early adulthood but it was only when I went to live in Hong Kong in 1998 that I started to fixate on it quite so much. Even then I never allowed myself to eat anything other than British chocolate so I'd go for weeks and weeks, sometimes months without so much as a nibble of the stuff*.
I think that having all those years of not having access to the chocolate of my dreams made me crave it all the more. So when I was back in the UK last year I found myself eating such huge amounts that I was literally making myself ill. I couldn't sleep at night, my heart was always racing, I had terrible heartburn and quite frankly I was setting myself up for an almighty fall.

Luckily after a few weeks I realised this and began to slow my intake down, I'd only allow myself to buy one bar at a time (instead of going with the panic hording that I'd done all those years while in Asia) and by the time I left the UK again last October I only packed 2 small bars with me.

Now I find myself not craving it at all. I still have a need for sugar, but no where near like before, which I am sure my pancreas thanks me for!

So 2011, the year of living with a bit less sugar......



* I did always get my sugar hits from mint and chews though.

Thats not chocolate

I decided it was time to have a hair cut. I also decided to have some colour added.
I asked for chocolate brown, which was my natural colour before I moved to Asia and had the bright sun on my hair every day caused my hair to become lighter.

My hair is now black. I'm not so impressed.

Afternoon Tea

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Flourless Chocolate Cake With Fresh Blackberry Sauce
From San Francisco Examiner

For the cake:
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, in pieces
4 oz semisweet chocolate, in small pieces
9 tablespoons butter
12 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons ground almonds
5 large eggs, separated
pinch of salt

For the chocolate icing:
4 tablespoons butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 oz semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons whipping cream
2/3 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the fresh blackberry sauce:
2 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup kirsch
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil the bottom of a 9-by-3 inch round springform pan. Line the bottom with wax paper. Oil and flour the wax paper and shake out the excess flour.
2. Prepare the cake. Place both chocolates in the top of a double boiler over simmering water and stir until melted. Remove the pan from the heat and use a rubber spatula to scrape the chocolate into a medium-size bowl. Allow it to cool for 3 minutes.
3. Gradually add the butter to the chocolate, stirring well. Then add 9 tablespoons of the sugar and the ground almonds. Stir in the egg yolks, one at a time.
4. Place the egg whites and salt in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until they form soft peaks.
5. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and beat until the whites hold their shape but are not too stiff.
6. Fold the whites, in thirds, into the chocolate mixer. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 35 minutes.
7. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then carefully remove the sides of the springform pan. Cover the top with a wire rack and invert the cake and the rack together. Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and peel off the wax paper. Place a second wire rack over the bottom of the cake and invert it once again, so the top faces up. Allow to cool completely on the rack.
8. Prepare the icing: melt the butter and both of the chocolates in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, whisking constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cream. Add the confectioner's sugar and the vanilla and whisk until smooth.
9. Place the cake on a rack on top of a baking sheet to catch the drips and pour the warm icing over the cake. Spread it with a long, thin cake icer or spatula, making sure the sides are iced too. Let the cake rest for two hours for the icing to set.
10. Make the blackberry sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until pureed. Pass the sauce through a strainer to remove the seeds.
11. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, for up to three days. Bring to room temperature before serving. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Education

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It has come to my attention in the last few weeks that there are a number of cultural references that I make that fly past the heads of those who come from the Colonies*.

#1. 'Bob' Yes when you make me say the name 'Bob', it has to be said with a pop to it in the style of Blackadder - (NOT to be confused with Mr Bean). Blackadder is the best of British comedy

Blackadder is the generic name that encompasses four series of an acclaimed BBC One historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. The shows were produced by John Lloyd, and starred Rowan Atkinson as the eponymous anti-hero, Edmund Blackadder, and Tony Robinson as his sidekick/ dogsbody, Baldrick.

In 2000, Blackadder Goes Forth ranked at 16 in the " 100 Greatest British Television Programmes", a list created by the British Film Institute. Also in the 2004 TV poll to find " Britain's Best Sitcom", Blackadder was voted the second best British sitcom of all time, beaten by Only Fools and Horses .

Although each series is set in a different time era, all follow the fortunes (or rather, misfortunes) of Edmund Blackadder (played by Atkinson), who in each is a member of an English family dynasty present at many significant periods and places in British history. Although his intelligence levels rise over the course of the series (the character starts as being quite unintelligent in the first and gradually becomes smarter and more perceptive through each passing generation while ironically decreasing in social status), each Blackadder is similar in that they are all cynical cowardly opportunists concerned with maintaining and increasing their own status and fortunes in life, regardless of their surroundings. In each series, however, Blackadder is usually a cynical (almost modern) voice puncturing the pretensions and stupidity of those around him, and what might - through modern eyes - be seen as the more ludicrous and insane follies of history (from the cruel and unjust medieval religious witch-hunts and the petty whims and insanities of various British monarchs to the pointless bloodshed of World War I).

The lives of the four Blackadders are also entwined with their servants, all called Baldrick (played by Tony Robinson), who in each generation acts as Blackadder's dogsbody/punching bag and who decreases in intelligence (and in personal hygiene standards) just as his master's intellect increases. Each Blackadder and Baldrick are also saddled with the company of a dim-witted aristocrat (who is even dimmer than even the dimmest Baldrick) whose presence Blackadder must somehow tolerate. In the first two seasons, this role was taken by Lord Percy Percy (Tim McInnerny), whereas this position was assumed in the third season by Prince George ( Hugh Laurie) and in the fourth by Lieutenant George, again played by Laurie.

Each series was set in a different period of English history, beginning in 1485 and ending in 1917 (with one special set on New Year's Eve 1999) In addition to these, three specials were also made: " Blackadder: The Cavalier Years" appeared as a 15-minute insert during the 1988 Comic Relief telethon; Blackadder's Christmas Carol was a 45-minute Christmas instalment, broadcast the same year; and Blackadder: Back & Forth was a 30-minute film originally shown in a special cinema at the Millennium Dome throughout 2000.

#2 Curly Wurlys

Curly Wurly is a type of chocolate bar manufactured by Cadbury and sold in the UK and Australia. It was launched in the UK in 1971 and relaunched in 1976. Its shape resembles two flattened, intertwined serpentine strings. The bar is made of chocolate-coated caramel. Also available are "Curly Wurly Squirlies," which come in a bag and are just the cross beams of the ladder.

A 2004 online poll found that the Curly Wurly was the most popular chocolate bar still in production.


And these people made themselves a giant one!



#3 Richmond Park is one of my favourite places in London. At almost 1000 hectares (2500 acres), it is the largest Royal Park in London and is home to around 650 free roaming deer.

Especially of note is the Isabella Plantation.
Many many happy hours spent there and one of my top 4 places to have a picnic.

* Colonies - It seems that most if not all of my favourite people (outside of family) come from the former colonies, so you know that was meant in fun right! ~grin~

As if there were any doubt!

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Chocolate can be good for you.

....... obviously, taken in controlled amounts!

For old times sake

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Here are a couple of my favourite chocolate recipes, enjoy.

Chocolate soufflè

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 ounces good quality unsweetened baking chocolate (or use four ounces semi-sweet, but you must therefore reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup)
5 eggs, separated

Directions

You will need a soufflè dish for this, so that the soufflè can bake and rise correctly. If your dish is too small to accommodate high-rising batter, you can add a foil collar (folded over aluminum foil, folded the long way, and paper-clipped at the ends as it fits around the top edge of the dish, to make an "extension" of your dish's height.)
You will also need a second bowl to whip the egg whites in.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Butter and then sugar-dust the inside of the soufflè dish and also the optional foil collar (best to this before you attach it to the rim). This helps the soufflè climb, and it also adds a bit of flavor to the "edges" of the soufflè.

Over medium or medium-low heat, melt butter and flour together in a saucepan, stirring to make a roux, it should smell nice, and be thickened a bit.
Now, add the milk, and stir well to make it smooth and keep it from clumping, and add the vanilla.
Stirring, add the chocolate, and keep stirring until it is melted and smooth.
Cool the chocolate mixture a bit, because you will be adding the egg yolks at this point (save some calories and use just four egg yolks, not five... it will also be lighter in weight, rising a little higher). If the mixture is too hot, the egg yolks might clump up before you have a chance to finish stirring them in.
Stir the egg yolks in, mixing until smooth. Set this aside for a moment.
Using clean egg beaters and a clean bowl, whip the 5 egg whites until firm but not stiff.
Scrape the chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture in about three additions, folding but not collapsing the soufflè.
Pour into the prepared soufflè dish.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes (do not check until the 20 minutes has passed. The top should be floating a bit, and look neither soggy nor over-done).
Serve immediately...with whipped cream, cold, heavy cream, or on its own!

Serves 6 to 8 adoring fans

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Mint Chocolate Pudding Cake

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons peppermint extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter six 3/4-cup (6 ounce) ramekins. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

2 Using electric mixer, beat eggs, egg yolks, and 1/3 cup sugar until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add all purpose flour and beat until blended. Add chocolate mixture, peppermint extract, and salt; beat just until incorporated. Divide chocolate mixture among prepared ramekins. Place ramekins on baking sheet.

3 Bake cakes until edges are set but centers look shiny and still move slightly when ramekins are gently shaken, 10-11 minutes. (Start checking at 9 minutes.) Remove cakes from oven; let cool for 5-10 minutes.

4 Either serve as is, in the ramekins, or run a knife around the edges of the cakes and invert on to individual dessert plates.

Serve with raspberries, mint leaves, vanilla or mint ice cream, or whipped cream.

Serves 6.