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Chocolate Week Event Guide

by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published on Foodepedia on 11th October 2010:

Hey chocolate lovers, we know that Chocolate Week is like Christmas for you. So for Chocolate Week this year (11-17th October), we’ve put together a few other things that you could do to celebrate. In case you are not au fait with Chocolate Week, it is a week full of chocolate related events ending with Chocolate Unwrapped at the Vinopolis. You can also read the pick of Chocolate Week Treats here.

Chocolate making:

  • Artisan du Chocolat will be running a ‘bean to bar’ day at their Kent atelier on the 9th of October. This is a little ahead of Chocolate Week but it is a very special event because for the very first time, they will attempt to make 300kg of chocolate from Jamaican beans on site. This means all the roasting, winnowing, grinding, conching and refining. You can book in for the event for free by emailing irena@kitchencommunications.com and telling her why you should be invited. Of course if you can’t attend this, Artisan du Chocolat are also hosting free tastings of their bean to bar chocolate at their shops in Westbourne Grove, Lower Sloane street and Selfridges, Oxford Street.
  • William Curley will be setting up shop at Claridge’s on the 15th and 17th of October to spread his wisdom on truffle making and seasalt caramels. With classes at £100 per person, you can expect to walk away with some truly extraordinary chocolates. Call 0207 409 6307 to book. If that’s a bit pricey then you can still enjoy some William Curley specials during the rest of the week for Claridge’s Afternoon Tea or at one of his London stores. William also runs truffle master classes and other bespoke tutorials at his London stores, POA.
  • If you just fancied a hand at making chocolates at home, why not pick up a chocolate making kit from ChocChick? One pack has everything you need to make basic chocolate bars or get creative and add your own special ingredients. Kits are from £11.99 and are available on www.chocchick.com.

 Chocolate dinners:

  • How could Chocolate Week be complete without some tea? On the 9th of October, Smugglers in Cornwall will be hosting a tasting master class with a three course dinner, wine and petit fours for £85 per head. The tea will be supplied by Tregothnan Teas, the only producer growing tea in England, and the chocolates are from Demarquette. Call 01872 520000 to book for the event.
  • Richmond’s Michelin-starred restaurant, The Bingham, will be serving up a chocolate themed gala dinner to launch Chocolate Week on the 11th of October. The menu is a collaboration between the restaurant’s executive chef Shay Cooper and chocolatier William Curley and is available for £120 per head. For the rest of the week until the 16th of October, there will be a tasting menu at only £65 per head. Visit www.thebingham.co.uk to book.
  • For a dinner with a different, food journalist and author Sudi Pigott will be hosting a chocolate quiz at Northbank Restaurant, London, on the 12th of October. Tickets are £30 per head and includes a three course meal plus a glass of wine. Call 0207 329 9299 to book.

 Chocolate drinking:

  • There are more than a few Chocolate Afternoon Teas around for Chocolate Week but there is only one which is available all year round. The Hilton, Park Lane, serves up a delicious one called ‘Confessions of a Chocoholic’ with open sandwiches, chocolate tea pots and chocolate chip scones. The selection is usually dark chocolate based but for Chocolate Week only, they are changing their entire selection to milk chocolate. For only £25 per head, call 0207 208 4022 to book.
  • Harrod’s Wine Shop have teamed up with Godiva to do chocolate and rum tastings in-store on the 12th of October with UK Rum ambassador Ian Burrell. Call 0207 893 8777 to book. If you have to miss out, they also do a Godiva Rum ‘n’ Reason selection box.
  • K West Hotel & Spa, London, have created five chocolate cocktails – Liquid Bounty, Choconana, Jaffatini, Peppermint Crisp, Raspberry Blush. At only £5 each, they are a real treat. For more information go to www.k-west.co.uk.

 Free chocolate tastings:

  • Fortnum & Mason will be hosting tastings of chocolates by Master Chocolatier Marc Demarquette throughout Chocolate Week. You can sample one of the seven flavours from the Orient Collection in store and even meet the man himself on the 14th of October.
  • La Maison du Chocolat are hosting a series of chocolate tastings at their Picadilly and Harrods stores during Chocolate Week. They have also launched a limited edition chocolate box which contains Caracas, a plain cocoa ganache with hints of grilled almonds and spices, and Extreme chocolat, an 100 % pure cocoa ganache with notes of roasted coffee, just for Chocolate Week.
  • Harvey Nichols will be hosting hot chocolate sampling with Choc-o-lait at selected stores on the 16th of October. Choc-o-lait is the Belgian company which makes chocolate sticks which you simply dip into hot milk and stir to create tasty hot chocolate. They will also have a number of other Chocolate Week events in store but will vary according to location.

 Other titbits…

  • For some light reading, Food and Travel magazine are doing a chocolate themed November issue with exclusive chocolate recipes from Marcus Wareing. Of course if you have more time, you could always enjoy Sarah Jane Evan’s new book, Chocolate Unwrapped: Taste and enjoy the world’s finest chocolate.
  • Young’s have used their Double Chocolate Stout to create some chocolate brownie recipes. Why not give it a go at home? We have the recipe here.
  • And last but not least, the UK national selection for the World Chocolate Masters takes place at this year’s Restaurant Show, London, on the 11th and 12th of October. The contestants have to create works of art according to the theme ‘Cocoa Quetzalcoatl’s Gift’. For more information, visit www.worldchocolatemasters.com. The event is held at a trade show so if you have anything to do with the restaurant industry, register here: www.therestaurantshow.co.uk.

Foodepedia’s pick of Chocolate Week Treats

by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published on Foodepedia on 11th October 2010:

Many of you chocolate lovers will know that Chocolate Week is coming up. From the 11th of October, Britain will be whipped into a chocolate consumption frenzy, ending with Chocolate Unwrapped at the Vinopolis on 16th and 17th of October. You can read our Chocolate Week guide here.

To help with the indulgence, the Foodepedia team (and a few lucky volunteers) gathered around the office to try out some truly delicious chocolates to give you our pick of Chocolate Week consumables. We want to thank all the chocolatiers who have sent in samples to help us decide and the choice has been by no means easy. And you know it was that good when it’s taken us almost three weeks to come up with the goods!

Chocolates truffles

We tried: Artisan du Chocolat Truffles, Booja Booja Around Midnight Espresso, Booja Booja Italian Hazelnut, Harrods Chocolatier Milk Chocolate Truffles, Harrods Chocolatier Pink Chocolate Truffles, Hotel Chocolat Classic Champagne Truffles, Hotel Chocolat Pink Champagne Truffles, Paul A Young Los Ancones Truffles.

We loved: Paul A Young Los Ancones Truffles

Because… it’s the classic truffle with an almost liquid centre which tastes like freshly made real hot chocolate. These truffles are rich, dark and delicious. We also detected a hint of nuttiness which made the flavours all the more intense.

You can buy it from: Paul A Young.

Retro chocolates

We tried: Guylian Chocolate Seashells, Harrods Milk Chocolate Pastilles, Harrods White Chocolate Pastilles, Neuhaus Lady Chefs.

We loved: Neuhaus Lady Chefs

Because… the packaging is so beautifully retro, and it tastes good too. Neuhaus is of course one of the most famous Belgian chocolatiers. The selection comes in a pink faux-leather case and the chocolates inside are all flavours created by female chefs. The girls in the team can’t imagine receiving a better chocolate gift.

You can buy it from: Harrods who are the exclusive stockists in the UK.

Dark chocolates

We tried: Amedei 63, Artisan du Chocolat Jamaica 72% Cocoa, Artisan du Chocolat Vietnam 72% Cocoa, Harrods Chocolatier Dark Chocolate 67%, Hotel Chocolat Rabot Estate 65%,

We loved: Amedei 63

Because… it’s smooth and velvety without the bitter after taste so often found in dark chocolate. The fact that the ingredients are from some of the world’s most sought after beans just makes it even better.

You can buy it from: Harvey Nichols, Chocolate Trading co.

Gourmet chocolates

We tried: Demarquette The Orient Collection, Neuhaus Lady Chefs, Paul A Young Sea Salt Caramels, Sir Hans Sloane.

We loved: Sir Hans Sloane

Because… it tastes intensely chocolaty, has beautifully classic packaging and the chocolates are easy to identify. We loved the fact that the chocolates are labelled in situ so there was no faffing about with paper guides. The flavours weren’t adventurous but they were good.

You can buy it from: Sir Hans Sloane, Harrods.

Milk chocolates

We tried: Artisan du Chocolat Jamaica 40% Cocoa, Cocoa Bean Chocolate co Irish Honey, Harrods Chocolatier Milk Chocolate 41%, Paul A Young Autumn Bar.

We loved: Artisan du Chocolat Jamaica 40%

Because… it’s not too sweet but very chocolatey. It’s plain, simply and good quality chocolate but there was also a hint of something we can’t quite place. It’s also available in a dark 72%.

You can buy it from: Artisan du Chocolat, Selfridges.

Cooking chocolates

We tried: Amedei Chuao, Hotel Chocolat Hacienda Iara 100%, Hotel Chocolat Hacienda Iara 80%, Valrhona Abinao, Willie’s Supreme Cacao Hacienda El Tesoro.

We loved: Amedei Chuao

Because… you can cook with it but it’s equally good as a nibble with the perfect balance between sweetness and bitterness. It’s really hard to pick the one we loved the most when all the ones that we tried were of such a high quality – as it should be if you’re cooking with it. But we know that Amedei chocolates are ethically sourced and they only use the highest quality beans. Plus, it helps if you can eat it as you cook.

You can buy it from: Harvey Nichols, William Curley.

Flavoured chocolates

We tried: Hotel Chocolat Rocky Road Slab, Paul A Young Aztec Emperor, Paul A Young Pina Colada, Cocoa Bean Chocolate co G&T, Cocoa Bean Chocolate co Rose & Pistachio, Cocoa Bean Chocolate co Sea Salt, Cocoa Bean Chocolate co Lime Zest & Black Pepper.

We loved: Hotel Chocolat Rocky Road Slab

Because… we couldn’t imagine a chocolate which has more flavours or textured incorporated into one. The Rocky Road Slab is a mixture of dark, milk and white chocolates plus cookies and rice puffs. There is something for everyone in this one bar.

You can buy it from: Hotel Chocolat

Chocolates with filling

We tried: Demarquette The Orient Collection, Neuhaus Lady Chefs, Paul A Young Seasalt Caramels, Paul Wayne Gregory Chocolate Lollies, Sir Hans Sloane.

We loved: Paul Wayne Gregory Chocolate Lollies.

Because… it’s outrageously different, and in a good way. The outer shell is a mixture of deliciously dark chocolate mixed with exploding candy which melts away to an intense seasalt caramel centre. The feel and taste is just incredible.

You can buy it from: Paul Wayne Gregory.

So, we hope you enjoyed our little round up. Do let us know your Chocolate Week favourites too.

Truffle making with William Curley

by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published on Foodepedia on 10th October 2010:

William Curley Kitchen

Dark chocolate truffles are the only kind of confectionery that I find absolutely irresistible. I like that they offer all the taste of dark chocolate without the bitter after taste. I love the way they release a burst of rich chocolate intensity before gently melting away on your tongue, always leaving just enough flavour to keep you wanting more.

Every year, when the weather turns wintry and Christmas is on the horizon, I would start my search for the perfect dark chocolate truffle for the season. Last year I even cobbled together a recipe and made my own. It was passable, delightful but by no means perfect. So when I heard about William Curley’s chocolate making masterclass, I thought to myself “what a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon”.

And why should it not be? William Curley started out with an apprenticeship at Gleneagles before moving on to a number of Michelin-starred establishments including Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons. He opened his first store in Richmond in 2004 and has since been voted the Best British Chocolatier in 2007, 2008 and 2009 by the Academy of Chocolate (2010 hasn’t been decided yet). With expertise and tastings incorporated, this was set to be a good one.

The masterclass took place at Curley’s Belgravia store where there is a small kitchen beneath the cafe store. Lucy, one of Curley’s patissiers was heading up the afternoon session with a handful of eager participants.

We started with a cup of William Curley’s hot chocolate, the perfect antidote to the miserable weather outside. The ingredients were all laid out on the counter, prepped and ready to use. As we sipped on the cups of liquid gold, Lucy explained the history behind William Curley’s shop and gave us the recipes for the truffles we were going to make – Japanese whiskey and sesame.

Spatula in chocolate

First, there was the ganache. In pairs, we were given a bowl of finely chopped dark chocolate and a small knob of butter, weighed out according to the recipe. Lucy boiled the cream for us and weighed it out into our bowls. The hot cream started to melt the chocolate immediately and we had to mix the two together until smooth, minimising the number of air bubbles, before adding the butter. When the mixture became a silky runny liquid with a temperature just cooler than skin, the whiskey was weighed into the bowl and mixed in. Finally the whole thing was put into the fridge to cool until solid. Then we moved on to the sesame truffles with the same principles except instead of the whiskey, we added black and white sesame paste for flavour.

While we waited for the ganache to cool to a solid enough state to pipe, Lucy talked about the chocolate we were using. The William Curley chocolate of choice is Amedei, which he has been using exclusively for the last few years. Amedei only uses ethically sourced Criollo and Trinitario beans to make their chocolates so the quality is excellent and the product morally sound.

When the ganache is sufficiently cooled, we moved on to phase two of the chocolate making – piping. The last time I held a piping bag was when I was attempting to decorate a Christmas cake, aged 15 and in a “food technology” class. Needless to say it wasn’t really a skill I possessed or practised. Lucy demonstrated the best way to pipe out a round ganache but we all somehow failed in that task because in front of us were trays lined with ugly little pellets, barely recognisable as truffles.

Piped chocolate truffles

These were quickly stashed away to be cooled for a second time before being coated in tempered chocolate. Tempering is when the chocolate is melted and held at a liquid state while it’s being worked. Once the tempered chocolate cools, it will set and form a hard shell, protecting the ganache inside but also giving it a glossy sheen.

In the interim, we were treated to a selection of Japanese inspired chocolates from William Curley’s portfolio of flavours. Curley’s Japanese wife Suzue, the co-owner of William Curley Chocolates, has been a great influence on the flavours produced by the chocolatier.

In the final part of the truffle making masterclass, the chilled ganache is coated with the liquid chocolate and then covered with toppings such as soya powder or sesame seeds. A little sneaky rolling before the coating solved the problem of the ugly pellets. Once the chocolate coating sets, they were ready to be boxed and gift bagged.

My piping skills aside, I’m not sure if these are the perfect dark chocolate truffles but they do taste pretty good. The masterclass however, was very educational and hands on and comes highly recommended for the truffle making beginner.

William Curley runs a number of truffle making masterclasses at his stores, as well as bespoke classes by request. For Chocolate Week he is also running a special masterclass at Claridge’s.

William Curley Chocolates are at 198 Ebury Street, Belgravia, London SW1W 8UN and 10 Paved Court, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1LZ.

www.williamcurley.co.uk

Cloudy Bay Chef’s Table at The Montagu, Hyatt Regency

by Qin Xie | 1 Comment

Published on Foodepedia on 6th October 2010:

Ahead of the London Restaurant Festival this week I was invited to The Montagu at Hyatt Regency, London, to sample a rather special meal.

The meal was special in that the entire menu had been created to complement a small portfolio of six New Zealand wines rather than the usual method of matching wine to food. It was also special because the new world wines are almost exclusive to The Montagu restaurant at the Hyatt Regency since so few cases have been imported into the UK.

The wines in question were from Cloudy Bay, one of the oldest wine producers from the Marlborough region of New Zealand, where their vineyards have been established since 1985. The most notable wine from Cloudy Bay is perhaps their Sauvignon Blanc, known for its “vibrant aromatics, layers of pure fruit flavours, and fine structure” and often considered the benchmark for the variety. But Cloudy Bay also produces a number of other varieties including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and late harvest Riesling as well as limited release whites like Pinot gris.

Upon arrival at the restaurant we were given a glass of Cloudy Bay Pelorus NV, a sparkling white wine, to kick off the evening. There was a choice of two Amuse Bouche to match, one was a seared swordfish with Parmesan crisp and the other was tuna with salsa verde. These were enjoyed in the bar area so that all the guests in attendance had the opportunity to meet each other, the chef and the restaurant manager.

The man who created the menu we were sampling was Carlos Teixeira, a relatively young Portuguese chef currently holding fort as the Head Chef at The Montagu. Together with The Montagu’s sommelier and his team, Teixeira pulled together a further five courses to complement the other five beautiful wines we were about to sample.

After the Amuse Bouche, we were seated at the Chef’s Table – front row audience to the action inside the open kitchen of a five star hotel. As each of the dishes were plated in front of us, restaurant manager Adam Skrzypczak explained the tasting notes behind the wines and Teixeira explained how the dishes complemented the wines.

To begin the meal, we had Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2007 matched with smoked duck breast with fig and roasted pepper salad. Course two was the infamous Sauvignon Blanc, the flagship wine of Cloudy Bay. We had a young vintage from 2009. Matched to this was a very fresh and fragrant fricassee of scallops, prawns and clams with lime and lemongrass. With the regular topping up of my glass, I was beginning to wonder how I was going to try and pace myself as well as remember everything that was said.

The third course was the Cloudy Bay Te Koko 2007, a wine named after the legend of the explorer Kupe. Whole roasted Foie Gras with Cox’s orange pippin and black truffle was selected to complement this wine. It was a match which was extremely difficult to do but done very well on this occasion. The flavours are so perfectly complementary that you could recall the tastes and smells for weeks afterwards.

The fourth course was the Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2008, the only red wine on the menu and in Cloudy Bay’s portfolio. Matched to this was braised breast of veal with curcuma polenta, blackcurrants and glazed root vegetables. The final course was the Cloudy Bay Gewurztraminer 2007. A very aromatic, light and fruity caramelised lychee parfait with cardamom foam and pistachios was chosen to match.

Five courses may sound like a lot but the dishes were light enough to allow the full sensory experience without filling up. By the end of the meal, it was obvious that everyone had decided on their favourite course and favourite wine which they happily reminisced as they staggered off into the night.

The menu is available now until early December. To book, call 0207 299 2037 or emailing montagu.hrlondon@hyatt.com.

The Montagu is at Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, 30 Portman Square, London W1H 7BH

Trinity, Clapham

by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published on Foodepedia on 21st September 2010:

4 The Polygon, Clapham, London, SW4 0JG www.trinityrestaurant.co.uk

Trinity is the second Clapham restaurant of chef patron Adam Byatt, with the first being the now defunct Thyme, and it works very hard to amalgamate fine dining with its friendly neighbourhood restaurant ethos. From the outset, there’s the unassuming entrance. Soft lighting gently framed the windows with only a small discreet plaque revealing the restaurant within, Trinity. Facing a disused building, it manages to be in the centre of Clapham Common and yet at the same time sneakily tucked away, giving diners accessibility and an incredible sense of privacy.

Mondays are traditionally very quiet for restaurants. For Trinity, this meant a merry-go-round of taxis stopping to set down groups of eager diners. Their a la carte, tasting and prix fixe menus offer extensive choice without pricing out the average visitor.

Pigs trotters made an interesting starter for me and my companion had the poached Loch Duart salmon. Trotters may be unusual but getting the entire dish served on a block of wood was definitely unexpected. Finely diced meat from the trotters were served on a slice of toasted sourdough with a single stick of crackling balanced delicately on top. Sauce Gribiche decorated the base and three perfectly fried quail’s eggs, centre still runny, framed the block. It seemed like a lot for a starter but somehow managed to remain light enough to make a pleasing appetiser. Suffice to say that it tasted as good as it was scrupulously presented.

A fillet of slow cooked Dexter beef served with artichokes, triple cooked chips and steak tartar made a deliciously filling main, the kind that makes it hard not to quip about a match made in meat heaven. Aside from being a demonstration of the skill and effort required to produce the dish, the taste and texture also perfectly reflected the quality of the ingredients used. For my companion, there was a slight quibble about the bones in his lemon sole and seeds in his Muscat grapes. It seems that having to work hard for the pleasure of tasting something wonderful was just a bit too vexing.

There was a good selection of desserts to round off the meal as well as the option for a cheese course. All the courses were accompanied by beautifully matched wines, a highly recommended and thoroughly pleasurable addition to the meal. My companion raved so much about his dessert wine I’m not even sure he finished his dessert, although I’m quite certain it tasted divine if my raspberry ripple souffle was anything to go by.

Overall the food was excellent, as expected, and meticulously prepared. The restaurant was run with military efficiency and impeccable attention to detail in every step from taking of the coats to seating at the table to a refreshing Bellini and welcoming flat bread. The staff were friendly, helpful and unobtrusive; effortlessly creating the relaxed atmosphere. And let’s not forget the fragrant loose tea and freshly brewed coffee at the end of the meal, served with a cookie jar.

And as an endearing extra, we were each furnished with a bag of hand-made mini meringues before we left. There has never been a local eatery so hospitable.