A Christmas without chocolate?

A Christmas without chocolate? I don't think so! For me eating chocolate during Christmas is unthinkable, it's like Easter without Easter eggs. OK almost.

If you don’t know what to give then chocolate hampers are a perfect gift! It never goes wrong. I have never seen anyone getting sad for receiving chocolate that’s for sure.

As Christmas is approaching so quickly now in November I have started to worry about advent calendars. My son is 4 now and surely it’s time for him to get his first advent calendar. I just can’t decide on chocolate or Lego. First choice would be chocolate as I love the calendars myself. He would probably want to eat everything the same day though.

I live far from my family so I have to send things to them as I can’t give them in person. That’s why it’s good you can send chocolates by post, that makes it possible to give without being there.

I am a complete chocolate lover so I would be very happy if I only receive chocolate gifts for Christmas. OK, I will eat the chocolate but if it is good chocolate I will never forget it. In fact I still remember a delicious coffee chocolate that I was given when I was 11 years old and can until today still feel the taste. So chocolate eating is an experience you will not soon forget.

Now talking about it I have to go and eat some… Would you be happy if you got chocolate for Christmas?

Technorati Tags: chocolate, chocolate hampers, chocoalte gifts, christmas gifts, sending chocolate by post

Temptaçoes

I loooove chocolate, you might already have figures that one out after reading my Chili Tryffle post.
Well I like dark chocolate, not too dark and not too sweet. And I love to experiment with chocolate. I am not a big fan of these chocolate recipies that you find in “everyhouseholdcookboooks”.

I usually think the chocolate taste isn’t enough or that they are too dry or sweet.Now I have found a real “Oh just another slice” cake. And it was so simple and so delicious.
I basically just call this cake “Dark Temptation” or you ould call it “Dark Strawberry Temptation”.

Dark Temptation
Cake:

150g butter
180g sugar
100ml mashed/mixed Strawberries (100ml after mashed)
4-5 tbsp cocoa
2tsp vanilla sugar
2 eggs
60g flour

Decoration:
50g cream cheese
2tbsp cocoa
2tbsp butter
2tbsp cream
60g confectionars sugar
Strawberries

Melt the butter and beat with the sugar. Stirr well and add cocoa, vanilla sugar and the mashes strawberries. Add an egg at the time and finally add the flour. Pour into a round pan and bake for about 20 min 175 degrees.
The cake is not supposed to be completely dry in the middle but still a bit “loose”. Mix all the ingredients for the decoration, make it double if you think it’s too little or want to spread it instead of piping it.
Pipe the chocolate over the cake and decorate with strawberries.
Serve with cream or as it is.

Truffas

I went on a 4 hour long ¨course¨on how to make perfect truffles a few weeks ago. It was very interesting, and I learned a lot. For example, that the temperature of the cream and chocolate has to be the same when you mix them, and the chocolate has to be kept in the refrigerator over night, at least 24 hours.
That's what the chocolatier said, but most people/recipes says different.
In most recipes you gently heat the cream and melt the chocolate in the cream. The chocolatier said different, you melt the chocolate in a bowl, placed on top of a pan filled with water that is 37-40 degrees C. Let it melt, let the heated cream cool down, simply mix chocolate, cream and add flavor of your choice.

Since the course I have tried various kinds of truffles; cardamon, cinnamon, mulled wine, rose pepper, pink pepper with black pepper and now chili and sugarcane rum and chili/sugarcane rum and salt tryffles.

I have been curious to make chilitruffles after I tried it once in a chocolate shop. First, I was a bit worried it might go wrong, but after studying several recipes I decided to have a go at it myself.
So yesterday I took 200g dark chocolate, 100ml single cream, 2tsp sugarcane rum, half a small red chili and made my chili truffles.

Chili truffles with sugarcane rum

200g dark chocolate
100ml single cream
2teaspoon sugarcane rum/rum
0.5 small red chili

Put the cream to boil, add the finely chopped chili * use a scissor instead so you don't have to touch the chili*
Let simmer for 1-2 min and remove the chili from the cream. Add the finely chopped chocolate to the cream and stir gently for everything to melt. Add the rum.
Place in a suitable bowl and cover and leave overnight in the fridge.

For Chili truffles with salt simply add a pinch of salt into the chocolate and stir well. Taste to see if further salt is needed.
Absolutely delicious!!

The chili and the rum combine well and leaves a nice stingy flavor when eaten. I can't stand spicy food but this is just perfect so don't be afraid to try it if you don't like spicy food.

The pink pepper truffle is an absolute favorite of mine now!

*Blogger won't let me post any pics at the moment so pic's are coming later.*