Choc Recipes: Chocolate Crunch Torte with Pistachios & Sour Cherries
Day 3: Chocolate Crunch Torte with Pistachios & Sour Cherries All this week I’m sharing fantastic chocolate recipes. Today it’s a wonderful Chocolate crunch torte with pistachios and sour cherries. What you need 225g dark chocolate 10g unsalted pistachios 50g dried sour cherries 50g raisins 3 tablespoons rum 50g butter 150ml double cream 225g sweet oat biscuits What you do You’ll need a loose based cake tin (20cm in diameter, 4cm deep) lightly greased with a flavourless oil. Soak the dried cherries and raisins in the rum overnight. Place the broken-up chocolate and butter in a large heat proof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Allow the chocolate to melt – it should take about five minutes. Remove from the heat. Give the chocolate a good stir and let it cool for a couple of minutes. Fold in the lightly whipped cream followed by the soaked fruits, chopped pistachios and broken biscuits. Mix well. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin evenly. Cover with clingfilm and chill for a minimum of four hours. Serve with a good spoonful of crème fraiche. Tomorrow, a recipe for an incredibly simple chocolate sauce....Choc Recipes: Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding
Day Two: Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding This week I will be sharing fantastic chocolate recipes. Today it’s a chocolatey take on a classic: Spicy Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding What you need 5 thin slices of white bread 75g butter 50g sultanas 100g grated dark chocolate 3 eggs 220ml milk 1 level tsp mixed spice 50g cocoa powder 220ml cream 50g muscovado sugar 1 vanilla pod split and seeds removed 25g icing sugar What you do Butter the bread and remove the crusts. Place one layer of bread on the base of the tray and cover with a layer of sultanas and chocolate.. Place the rest of the bread on top of the sultanas. Bring the cream, milk, mixed spice, cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla to the boil in a pan and place the eggs in a bowl and whisk the hot liquid into them. Pour over the bread and place the dish in a bain-marie and put in a moderate oven for about ½ hour until cooked. Dust with icing sugar. Cover with whipped cream and Armagnac prunes. Tomorrow, a recipe for an indulgent chocolate crunch torte with pistachios & sour cherries!...Choc Recipes: Simple Chocolate Pots
Day One: Simple Chocolate Pots This week I will be sharing fantastic chocolate recipes. Today: Simple Chocolate Pots. What you need (makes 4) Food processor 100g of good couverture chocolate chopped up 250ml double cream 40g muscovado sugar 1 vanilla pod split and scraped 1 egg Fresh raspberries – 1 punnett for decoration Icing sugar and mint What you do Place the chocolate in the food processor and chop into small pieces. Meanwhile place the cream, sugar and vanilla into a pan and bring to the boil. Pour into the food processor and leave for one minute. Switch on and add the egg for a further 20 seconds. Pour into small ramekins and chill for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. Decorate with raspberries and dust with icing sugar and mint. Tomorrow, a chocolate take on the classic Heathcote’s Bread & Butter Pudding!...English drink. Made in New York.
A sommelier must know more than just wines – they must know about spirits aswell. So today let’s talk about American spirits. The latest trend in the USA is gin. You may shout “What? the classic English drink, made in the USA? Impossible!” Yet it’s true. Brooklyn has many distilleries producing excellent gin. Whilst working in New York I made an English man change his mind and he’s now only drinking Brooklyn gin. Fortunately, one of these gins is available in the UK: the Breuckelen Glorious Gin. It’s distilled from wheat grown in upstate New York, and the base spirit is redistilled with juniper, lemon, rosemary, ginger and grapefruit. It’s a very complex gin, with notes of juniper, grapefruit, hints of ginger and fresh herbs. It is quite an oily and spiced gin. Importantly, the distillery only sells what they produce – compared to some big distilleries who buy batches from others. It’s almost like home-made. I tell you, this gin is fantastic. You can have it straight, with tonic or with a nice cured salmon. Give it a try and I’m sure you won’t go back to traditional gin… Cheers! -Anne Malhere Photo attribution: See-ming Lee, Flickr, Creative...A flying saucer in your glass
Today my American wine pick is for lovers of Chateau Neuf du Pape, and also for people like me who love story and humour. But first, to love this wine, I have to tell you more about the man behind it: Randall Grahm. He is one of the most charismatic people in wine with a Monty Python-esque sense of humour and a newsletter that’s enjoyable even if you’re not a wine lover. Before becoming a wine maker, Randall was a philosopher. Let’s talk about the first wine made with Rhone Valley grape varieties in the United States: le Cigare Volant. What a strange name! But once again, full of humour; it comes from a law in Chateau Neuf du Pape that prohibits flying saucers from traveling over the region’s vineyards! Le Cigare Volant is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre (known as GSM in the wine business) and Cinsault. It’s a full body red, with fantastic flavours of cherries, red bramble fruits, black pepper and silky tannins. It’s a perfect companion to barbecued meats, beef and lamb. It’s definitely one of my favourite California wines because of the taste but also because of the man behind it. Our next wine event takes place on July 3rd: just in time for Independence day we have an American winelist from Colin Burbidge and American-influenced menu devised by Paul Heathcote and Carl Noller. You can view the menu by clicking here. Cheers! -Anne...10% Student Discount
Students can now enjoy The Olive Press Preston's authentic range of Italian pizzas, pasta and grills for 10% off their usual price. Just book in advance and bring a valid NUS card when you visit us. Terms & conditions apply. See link below for details.