Chicks Love Chocolate

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and that can only mean one thing CHOCOLATE. As a child it was a feast day second only to Christmas. You knew you would get lots of chocolate and be allowed to eat it at your own pace -which when it comes to kids generally means fast! Easter eggs are everywhere, in many shapes, sizes, types of chocolate, themes etc.. but what about making your own? Well why bother? It's a lot more economical, environmentally friendly and easy, once you have a mould. Also you are in control -how dark you want the chocolate, what ingredients you want, how thick you want the egg etc....so it's a win win situation. I bought a mould in a kitchen shop, Stock in Dublin. They only had chicken moulds left, if you can't get one, you can buy a cheap egg that has the plastic protection and use this. All you need then is some chocolate to melt and whatever you'd like to add.

I used 100g of chocolate per two halves -so each chicken is made of 100g chocolate. To make sure it's not too fragile and thin you have to do two layers, so, first fill the moulds with a layer and allow this to harden in the fridge. If you leave the chocolate over the bain marie, but off the heat, it will still be liquid by the time you're ready for the second layer. I added the nuts when I was doing layer two, but do as you wish. Then pop them back in the fridge and when they are ready to be stuck together, you need a little bit of melted chocolate -this is the hardest part so take your time and try not to hold the chickens for too long or you'll get fingerprints all over them.

You can use almonds, coconut, lavender, crystallised ginger, chili or whatever you fancy.

Wrap in coloured paper with ribbon and flowers on the outside for a cracking nice Easter egg present.

Chocolate Ganache Tart - because you are worth it

I was watching Raymond Blancs' latest tv show The Very Hungry Frenchman recently and he made an amazing chocolate ganache tart with a crumble base and butterscotch sauce - I wanted to make something similar, but not a replica as I didn't have enough time for Raymonds extras. So I searched around internetland and found a recipe on a blog that caught my eye. A chocolate ganache tart that used an almond pastry shell - which requires you to melt the butter, yes -a pastry that requires you to apply heat to it -mon dieu! The recipe is from a blog called COOK, a oui chef journal by Connie. In the end I combined Raymonds filling with Connies pastry base...although I tweaked both a little. The base seemed to have a tonne of butter -8 tbsps (!!) so I played it by ear with the butter. My tart dish was too small so I reduced the filling to avoid overflow, that's why the base is so thick compared to the filling -so make sure to use a 9 inch tart dish and then increase the volume of the filling...sorry if this is complicated... I will give the recipe according to a 9 inch tart dish and you will have a thinner base. The result was very delicious, a smack of dark chocolate and a lovely crumbly, buttery base.

Waiting for the tart to set

For the base;

• Turn your oven on to 180'C/Gas 4
• In a pan over a medium heat melt 6 dstps of butter
• Gease a 9 inch tart dish
• In a bowl combine 1 cup of plain white flour sieved, 1/3 cup icing sugar & 3 tbsp of ground almonds
• When the butter has melted slowly pour into your dry ingredients using a fork
• When the mixture has formed large crumbs take a 9 inch tart or flan dish and press the 'pastry' evenly into the dish, bringing it up the sides to form an edge, bake in oven for 18-20 mins or until very lightly golden, allow to cool once cooked

Pour in your ganache filling

For the filling;

• In a saucepan over a medium heat add 165ml of whipping cream & 1/3 cup caster sugar, bring to a boil (if you use a chocolate with low cocoa solids don't add the sugar)
• Break in 180g dark chocolate (80%) and whisk it up to ensure they combine properly, remove from heat
• In a separate bowl whisk up 1 egg & 5 tbsp milk, add a little bit of the chocolate mixture to the egg, to bring up the temperature, then add the egg mixture into the chocolate
• Pour into your cooled pastry shell, when the heat has gone from the filling place your tart in the fridge for at least 2 hours, serve solo or with a scoop of good vanilla or hazelnut ice-cream

Enjoy with a nice cuppa!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFGCZZV4dxs&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Old Cadbury Flake advert ...don't forget to pack your Flake when going to the jungle...

Chocolate Soufflé

As I went to sleep last night the wind was howling around the house and I thought to myself   'Baking....yes baking tomorrow if the storm continues' And so it did! Over coffee I gazed at the array of cook books on my mothers welsh dresser and my hand was drawn to the infamous Silver Spoon -the bastion of Italian cooking. Then I suddenly remembered that I had promised myself (a few months ago) that I would learn how to make soufflé. It is seen as a test of culinary skill and would provide me with an escape from the grey, windy, wet Winter day. Any excuse to turn on the oven in this kind of tempestuous weather!

Serves 6

• Turn on oven 200C/Gas6
• Grease a soufflé dish with butter and dust with vanilla sugar (I just used brown) or 6 ramekins
• Break up 80g dark chocolate into bowl, over a bain marie, with 175 mls milk -stir until melted, whisk if you need to get it to come together and be smooth.
• Put 35g sifted plain flour into a saucepan add 125mls milk -mix with a whisk ensuring no lumps
• Stir in 50g caster sugar
• To the flour mixture add the chocolate milk mixture, bring to the boil, stirring all the time for 2/3 mins -be really careful here as the flour is cooking rapidly so you need to be vigilant in keeping it off the base -I had to use a whisk for most of this part!
• Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly
• Add 15g unsalted butter
• One at a time add 3 egg yolks
• Pour the mixture out of the saucepan into a bowl
• Whisk 1 egg white until stiff in a seperate grease free bowl
• Gently fold the egg white into the chocolate mixture, working very slowly and gently from the bottom to the top, to avoid knocking out the air

• Spoon the mixture into the soufflé dish (not more than 2/3 full) and bake for approx. 30 mins until risen and set - do not open the oven door.Or if using individual ramekins instead cook for 10 mins.
• Serve immediately -consider jogging the next day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuXdhow3uqQ   Flight of the Conchords - Foux Du FaFa  -Trés Funny!!