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Tuesday, 30 April 2013 00:00

Meet Cheryl - our Chocoholic Dish of the Day

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Cheryl creates a wonderful range of chocolates, scrumptious cakes and brownies at Artistry in Cocoa. Newmarket which we mentioned earlier.  And here is her recipe:

Chocolate Cake with Ganache topping and Chocolate Dipped Strawberries.

For the Chocolate Victoria sandwich:
4 eggs
Softened Butter or margarine or a mixture of both
Sugar (granulated)
Plain Flour
Cocoa powder
Baking powder
Milk or water

Weigh the eggs.

Weigh out the same weight of butter/margarine and place in your mixing bowl.
Weigh out the same weight of sugar and add to the mixing bowl.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Weigh out the same weight of flour, then remove a tablespoon and replace this with cocoa powder. 

Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and a teaspoon of baking powder together.
Break the eggs into a cup or jug and beat into the creamed mixture one at a time, adding a little of the flour mixture to prevent curdling as necessary. 

Fold in the rest of the flour with a metal spoon. 

Add a tablespoon of water or milk and mix in gently.  Dip your spoon in the mix and hold it above the bowl. The mixture should drop off your spoon to a slow count of 3.  If it takes too long add another spoon of liquid.  If you have accidentally put in a little too much liquid add a small spoon of sieved flour/cocoa.
Bake in greased and lined or greased and floured tins at   190C/fan 170C/gas 5   until the cake springs back to the touch.
Remove from the oven, run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake from the tin if necessary and invert onto a wire rack to cool.   

For the chocolate ganache coating :

200g- 300g milk or dark chocolate and an equal amount of cream.

Break up the chocolate into small pieces, bring the cream to boiling point and pour over the chocolate. 

Allow to rest for about 5 minutes to soften the chocolate then whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy.  If the ganache is very runny you may wish to leave it to cool further before you cover the cake with it.  This can be done by pouring or spreading. Do not cover your cake until the cake itself is cold.

Melt some extra chocolate gently until it is almost, but not entirely, liquid and stir well to melt out any lumps until the chocolate looks smooth. 

Dip your strawberries holding by the stalks and place directly on the cake.  Please note that the strawberries should be dry or the chocolate will not stick.  If you wish to dip your strawberries in advance then place them onto greaseproof paper so that you will be able to remove them once set.

If you wish to pipe on the cake with the ganache you can make it with a little less cream so it will be thicker and whip it before use.  You can fill the cake with a layer of ganache or you could use sliced strawberries and whipped cream and top with ganache.

Here is a small chocolate business just down the road - on Sun Lane in Newmarket. They have recently developed a range of real ale truffles using a number of Greene King beers, and a smoked cinnamon and raspberry truffle chocolate to have with a ruby port - which gained them a place as finalists in the Chocolate Academy Noval Trophy. They frequently run chocolate making workshops and courses, and their website is www.artistryincocoa.co.uk.
Thursday, 18 April 2013 14:45

Zest- the training restaurant

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Wow!  I just ate Plaice Florentine at Zest; the training restaurant attached to West Suffolk College. It was absolutely perfect.  They have a sweet trolley too, and today it featured a Malted Chocolate Tart, Strawberry Bavarois, Rose scented Creme Brulee and a hot option of Sticky Toffee Pudding.  You can't buy the ingredients for the £9.50 charged for 3 courses. Book a table and see for yourself.  They also do a fabulous new takeaway menu.

Thursday, 18 April 2013 10:01

A dogs dinner

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Quirky Black Lion Hotel in Little Walsingham, Norfolk has a menu especially for dogs.  It also has a Stitch 'n Bitch Knitters Anonymous evening on a Wednesday night. I ate there last week, in the middle of the afternoon and the only person in the place.  I had the fresh sea bass as I didnt fancy the rawhide chew. It was very good.

Monday, 08 April 2013 00:06

Smokin' Barracuda

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Finally got round to trying to smoke some fish because here it's all we eat, nearly every day. And because I'm not in the cold miserable UK at the moment it had to be a Barracuda fillet. I didn't catch it myself but I did brine it and smoke it over a Logwood fire (you know, like the one in the Bob Marley song) and it was a bit like the most delicious smoked haddock.

Lunch today was at Josef's Vegetarian Cafe in Bury St Edmunds.  This cafe reminds me of the late 70's and 80's.  Days of Bagwhan and the Rajneeshees when they were resident at their commune in Herringswell.  Bright decor and the smell of patchouli with a slight hessian look going through to the Lizard Room.  The food is very good.  I ate the Felafel with spicy salsa, cucumber and yoghurt raita in a warm hummus pitta.  The salads which were not mentioned on the menu were particularly good.  But oh, the service.  So laid back man. 

Wednesday, 13 March 2013 22:05

Cook it! 2013 call for entries.

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The Guild of Food Writers are calling for entries to their annual cooking competition for 10 - 16 year old children. Some great prizes are on offer to the winner who comes up with a two course menu which will  impress the judges.  The deadline for entries is April 19th.  Follow the link

Wednesday, 13 March 2013 22:01

Chakalaka (sunshine food and don't we need it?)

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Chakalaka is a traditional South African recipe for a fiery tomato relish. You can eat it with almost anything and either hot or cold. It is thought to originate in Jo'burg and ask anyone for a recipe and you will never hear the same ingredients twice.  Baked beans are often added.  Try it and see!
 
 
1 large onion, finely diced.
6 large tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
2 green peppers, finely diced
4 large carrots, peeled and grated
2 tsp curry powder
2 small hot chillies, finely diced
a couple of splashes of peri peri sauce to taste
pinch of salt
150ml vegetable oil.
 

Method: 

Heat the oil in a pan then add the onions and green peppers. Fry until soft before adding the carrots, tomatoes and chillies.

Mix thoroughly and allow the mixture to simmer gently for 1 minute (stirring occasionally). Towards the end of the cooking time use a broad spoon to squash the ingredients against the side of the pan so that the mixture becomes smooth.

Add all the remaining ingredients and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Monday, 25 February 2013 23:38

An Island Breakfast

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From my next door neighbour...every Sunday, in return for a lift to church. Salt fish, chop-up, plantain, salad - I just have to make the toast.

Tuesday, 22 January 2013 16:16

Shake up your Wake up

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Shake up your wake up because this week is Farmhouse Breakfast week. This morning I made buckwheat pancakes filled with delicious locally cured bacon and a poached free range egg. It also happens to be gluten free!

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