Saturday, October 30, 2010

Recipe of the Week - Chocolate Tofu Mousse

It sounds exotic! And even a little weird. But this recipe for Chocolate Tofu Mousse is not only incredibly easy to make its also rather delicious!


Ingredients
10 oz silken tofu
3oz 70% dark chocolate
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup drained and seeded raspberry puree, 
1 tbsp brandy (optional)


Method 

1. Puree the tofu in a blender or food processor, until it is smooth.

2. Place chopped chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, raspberry puree and brandy in a saucepan or heat-proof bowl fitted over a pot containing 1-inch of barely simmering water. Stir frequently, until melted and smooth.

3. Add the chocolate mixture to the tofu and puree until smooth and well blended. Spoon the mousse into serving dishes, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. For an extra touch sprinkle a Cadbury's Flake over the top of the mixture.


Article posted by Spencer Samaroo, Managing Director of Moo-Lolly-Bar.
The best online chocolate, lolly and confectionery store on the web!



Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Dream Job?

Green & Black's, the chocolate company, is looking for a Taste Assistant to help them come up with new flavour combinations, test new products and travel round the world sourcing ingredients.

Although no formal qualifications are required only a limited number of people are blessed with acute enough sense of taste and smell to do it.

However, your chances may be greater if you are young and female.

According to experts women tend to have better sense of taste and smell than men. Those under 35 are likely to have sharper senses than those who are older since sensitivities to taste tend to decline with age.

Micah Carr-Hill, Green & Black's Head of Taste, said: "Despite 1 in 4 Britons being born with the right physiology to be a 'supertaster' I'm looking for someone with a good nose too. A highly developed sense of smell is just as important in determining a person's suitability to be my assistant and help me to create the future flavours of Green & Blacks."

Flavour is made up of a complex combination of taste, smell, touch, temperature and sensation with smell the most important aspect.

Candidates will have to undergo a blind taste test as part of the interview process in which they must identify the flavours of specially created bars of chocolate.

The final five applicants will then take part in a live "Taste Challenge" at the beginning of next year.

In a bid to attract the right candidate Green & Black's are advertising the post in cinemas as well as on Facebook, the social networking website.

Humans have around 7,000 to 8,000 taste buds with 4,600 on the tongue and a further 2,500 on the soft palate and roof of the mouth. According to a report by Prof Tim Jacobs of Cardiff University, women tend to be more taste-sensitive than men because they have a greater density of taste buds, or papillae, and are usually significantly more sensitive to bitter (and other) tastes. They are at their most sensitive during the first trimester of pregnancy when the foetus is most vulnerable to poisons.

Experts claim that Britons tend to compromise their sense of taste by eating too fast and being wary of mixing flavours.

Mr Carr-Hill said: "The field is wide open and we're welcoming applications from everyone."

Candidates should apply by December 16 and expect to start their job in early 2011.

Article posted by Spencer Samaroo, Managing Director, Moo-Lolly-Bar
The best online chocolate, lolly and confectionery store on the web!

If you like what you have read check out our updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Source and picture taken from The Telegraph.




Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Ouch!

An Iranian crook will lose a hand and spend a year in jail - for stealing chocolate!

The 21-year-old, whose identity was not released, was arrested in May after busting up a pastry shop in Tehran, according to the Fars new agency.

The man was accused of damaging the store, and making off with $900, as well as chocolate and cocoa.

The amputation of a hand is used in Iran in cases of repeated theft. All I can say is ouch!


Article posted by Spencer Samaroo, Managing Director, Moo-Lolly-Bar
The best online chocolate, lolly and confectionery store on the web!

If you like what you have read check out our updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Source and picture taken from Dominican Today.


Monday, October 18, 2010

Recipe of the Week - Chocolate Beer Cake

We saw this on the fantastic The Cake Mistress and just had to share it with you. Not least as it combines two of our favourite things!


INGREDIENTS

250ml Beer
225g unsalted butter
65g unsweetened cocoa powder (3/4 cup)
215g plain flour
80g Almond Meal
360g caster sugar (2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
160g sour cream (2/3 cup)


METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (150c fan-forced). Grease your cake/muffin tin well.

2. Simmer the beer and butter in a medium sized pan over medium heat, then whisk cocoa powder through until fully combined.

3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, almond meal, sugar, baking soda and salt together and stir to combine.

4. In a medium bowl, hand-beat the eggs and sour cream, then stir the warm chocolate mix in.

5. Make a well in the dry ingredients and gently hand-fold in the wet mix with a rubber spatula until combine.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 15 minutes for cupcakes or 20-25 minutes for cake, or until the cake comes away from the sides of the pan and a skewer comes out clean.

7. Leave the cakes to completely cool before trying to remove from the pan. Dust with icing sugar to finish.


Recipe posted by Spencer Samaroo, Managing Director, Moo-Lolly-Bar
The best online chocolate, lolly and confectionery store on the web!

If you like what you have read check out our updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Article and picture taken from The Cake Mistress.


Thursday, October 14, 2010

National Chocolate Week

This week in the UK is National Chocolate Week. A week of pure indulgence which will see the country's best chocolatiers and chocolate shops holding events all over the UK.

The highlight of Chocolate Week undoubtedly will be Chocolate Unwrapped where visitors can immerse themselves in a decadent feast of chocolate of all kinds, shapes and taste. Exhibitors this year include Artisan du Chocolat, William Curley, Paul a Young, Melt, Rococo, Rabot Estate, Duffy Sheardown, Original Beans, Amedei, Cacao Sampaka, Melt and many more. Features of the show include:

- Chocolate tastings and experiences
- A stunning exhibition of chocolate art and sculptures
- Talks from top chocolatiers, experts and authors
- Chocolate and flavour tastings
- Try Sanguinaccio chocolate blood pudding
- Taste chocolate as it would have tasted 100 years ago
- Sign the chocolate wall
- Try new chocolate launches
- Try chocolate made from rare cacao beans
- Enter the chocolate and love tasting booth.

The week long event finishes on the 17th October 2010. More information about it can be viewed here.


Article posted by Spencer Samaroo, Managing Director, Moo-Lolly-Bar
The best online chocolate, lolly and confectionery store on the web!

If you like what you have read check out our updates on Facebook and Twitter.