Recipes from a passionate cook & foodie
One of my favourite times of the year has arrived - my birthday! Since I am in Spain we will once again replace the traditional birthday cake with something far more interesting - Roscon de Reyes filled with crema de trufa (chocolate cream) and nata (cream). A delight! If you would like information on how to make this Spanish delight check my posts on Roscon de Reyes and Cream de Trufa … [Read more...]
Some months ago my mother began the creation of a recipe which was to become her very own chocolate dessert yorkshire puddings - a pudding, I might add, I have subsequently named Satan´s own dessert. It is made now with Green & Blacks Organic Milk cooking chocolate and cocoa - and it is absolutely delightful. Its deliciously naughty. The current recipe is below, but be warned, this recipe is still being worked on as we have yet to create the PERFECT Yorkshire Pudding as yet. But, fear not, … [Read more...]
I received a wonderful Christmas recipe in my inbox today which I just had to share with you. I´ve not had chance to try it out yet but it promises to be a real treat. Followers of the blog will recall that Fred Ponnavoy is the genius who presented the Festive Hot Chocolate a short while ago. Sexy French accent and an expert with chocolate - is this not every girls dream? I personally find the whole package irrestible... But, back to the pudding, I adored the Hot Chocolate and have tried it out … [Read more...]
Hot Chocolate is one of my favourite evening drinks during the winter months but, up until recently, I have not found a single recipe which could match the Spanish hot chocolate traditionally served here to accompany churros. As I said that was until recently - and this all changed when I received word of Chocolate Enthusiast Fred Ponnavoy's Festive Hot Chocolate Recipe. Take a look at the following video for a wonderful new take on Hot Chocolate. How about serving this on a Christmas … [Read more...]
Isn´t it every girls fantasy to cover themselves in melted chocolate and be devoured by the likes of Richard Armitage, Stephen Moyer or Craig Charles? Or is that just me? Either way an added bonus to this fantasy would be if the entire hotel suite were chocolate too! Well, now it can be, but only if you are willing to break past security and enter the Magnum Chocolate Hotel Suite as designed by Karl Lagerfeld. 10.5 tonnes of chocolate bring to life the delicious vision of one of fashion¹s … [Read more...]
Earlier on I provided a recipe for Toberone Cookies we are following up with one almost equally fattening - Toblerone Fondue! Although you can appease your conscience by ensuring you serve a wide and varied selection of fruits with the fondue, I would personally recommend strawberries, seedless grapes, stoned dates, wedges of peeled kiwi, and kumquats just for starters! At least this way you can state categorically it is contributing to your healthy 5-a-day, even if the accompanying dip is a … [Read more...]
Today I purchased my Roscon de Reyes for the Feast of the Epiphany here in Spain. Anyone curious to hearing more about this delightful treat can find the recipe here. Much as I normally swear by homemade pastries over bought the delectable Roscon de Reyes is the only exception to the rule in my book - for me, it just tastes far nicer when purchased from one of the many numerous patisseries. I normally have my Roscon filled with Trufa, a wonderfully delightful chocolate cream. This year … [Read more...]
When I was considering my chosen career many years ago in school there is one job I would have loved above all others. Even now I would cast aside my current employment, as a website developer, without a second thought! Have you worked out my dream job? I will give you a clue. It involves copious amounts of chocolate. Green & Blacks are offering you the chance to start a new career tasting chocolate, developing new products and helping to approve everything they make. The … [Read more...]
Two of the most exquisite bars of chocolate I have EVER tasted arrived by post today courtesy of Chocolate and Love, a new online chocolate boutique. I have tasted so many "gourmet" chocolates in the past which have never met up with the expectations the pricetag encourages. This, I can say without reservation, is not one of those occasions. I had the chance to sample Crushed Diamonds (Organic Dark Truffle Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs) and The Coffee Affair (organic dark chocolate with coffee). … [Read more...]
Chocolate tasting is often compared to wine tasting. On the one hand this is a fantastic analogy, because the cocoa bean really does give us a whole world of different flavours to savour. On the other hand though, it makes fine chocolate sound like a thing that can only be enjoyed by aficionados, and I don’t think fine chocolate should be limited in that way. So, like wine, there is something unique to look out for. Join the Dark Side? So why would someone make that leap from … [Read more...]