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My friend Iain made this Chocolate Tart for a Buffet Supper - I thought I had died and gone to heaven! This is his recipe just as given to me - it is something really special and ideal as a special treat for the Easter festivities.
For a 12 inch flan dish
Short Crust Pastry (sufficient to line dish) – the ready-rolled stuff is fine
350 ml double cream
2 tablespoons caster sugar
Pinch salt
115g unsalted butter
455g milk chocolate (I use good quality Belgian cooking chocolate)
100ml cold milk
cocoa powder for dusting
Pastry case
Line 12 inch flan dish with short-crust pastry
Bake blind* for 25 mins at gas mark 6
Allow to cool
Chocolate filling
Soften the butter
Put the cream, sugar & salt in a pan and bring to boil
Reduce heat and add the softened butter & chocolate - stir until melted
Allow to cool slightly and then whisk in the cold milk until smooth & shiny
Fill the pastry case brim-full with the chocolate mixture and leave to cool for 1-2 hours or until it reaches room temperature.
Dust with cocoa powder & serve
* Bake blind = pre-bake the pastry in dish on its own, lined on top with foil and weighted-down with baking beans or rice so as to stop pastry rising.
Note – Can be kept in fridge for a few days. It can be served chilled straight from fridge, but I prefer to let it come to room temperature, which gives the chocolate filling a lovely soft texture
The perfect starter kit for any chocolate lover……. Hotel Chocolat have put together a splendid ‘Discovery’ Box
- 62% Rabot Estate milk chocolate bar
- 72% Rabot Estate dark chocolate bar
- Liquid Chocolat – authentic dark chocolate drink with chilli
- A bag of mousse au chocolat truffles
- Dark chocolate dipper to swirl in hot drinks and nibble
I can hardly believe this news story - I found myself checking the date to see if it was 1st April! Granted Ferrero Rocher are not my favourite but….
No interest, chocolate eating contest cancelled
Mar 14, 2008 01:25 PM
THE CANADIAN PRESS
STELLARTON, N.S.–It sounds hard to believe, but a chocolate eating contest at a Nova Scotia museum has been cancelled because of lack of interest.
The contest was supposed to be held tomorrow at the Museum of Industry in Stellarton, N.S., the New Glasgow News reported today.
But museum spokeswoman Denise Taylor says only three contestants signed up.
Contestants were to eat as many Ferrero Rocher chocolates as they could in one minute.
I have many recipes for Hot Chocolate, this is probably the most basic and is ideal when you want it NOW!
1 - 2 oz (25 - 50 gms) good quality chocolate, broken to pieces
2 tbsp (30 ml) milk, cold
8 fl ozs (200 mls) hot, but not quite boiling, milk
A large spoonful of double (heavy) cream
Put the chocolate and cold milk into a heavy saucepan and warm over a gentle heat
When it starts to melt and before the liquid boils, remove from the heat and allow the chocolate to soften
Beat into a smooth paste with a small whisk
Slowly add one or two tablespoons of the hot milk to dilute the paste, then slowly add the rest of the milk, continuing to stir all the time
If necessary reheat just a little but do not allow it to boil or you will lose the lovely chocolate aroma!
Pour into a large cup and drizzle the cream across the top.
Curl up in your favourite armchair and drink slowly.
I’ve never thought of Nestlé as a Gourmet Chocolate manufacturer but it seems that all that is about to change.
Roland Decorvet, head of Nestlé in Switzerland announced that the company plans to open a research centre that will develop new chocolate products to meet the anticipated growth in demand for luxury and gourmet confectionary. The centre will apparently employ up to 30 Chocolatiers and will open in the first half of next year at the company’s factory in the Swiss town of Broc. Nestlé will be investing around 20 million Swiss francs ($19.6 million) in the project.
You just have to start with chocolate truffles - and these are so quick and simple to make… They will keep for quite a while and will freeze, if they last that long!
Ingredients:
8 oz (200 gms) Semi-sweet chocolate
1/3 cup (80ml) Milk
1/3 cup (80 gms) Unsalted butter
2 Egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
Unsweetened cocoa powder for rolling
Instructions:
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the chocolate with the milk and butter over a low heat, stirring until smooth.
Remove from heat. Put the egg yolks into a medium sized bowl and stir 1/4 cup of the hot mixture, then whisk the yolk mix into the rest of chocolate mixture in the saucepan.
Add the vanilla essence and beat well.
Pour into small bowl, cover and refrigerate until firm.
You can store in refrigerator for up to 2 days at this point
Form small teaspoonful sized amounts into balls, roll in the cocoa powder and shake off any excess.
