Hot chocolate reviews and recipe

Recently I've become obsessed with hot chocolate...anywhere I go, I'll try their hot chocolate. A couple of months ago  I visited Madrid, their thick chocolate and churros were heavenly. You can get thick hot chocolate at Cocoa - a small independent chocolate shop on ecclesall road. I really love this shop, it's unlike any other shop I've seen in Sheffield. It's just unbelievable. You go in and just don't know where to look it's breathtaking and yes, they definitely do the best hot chocolate in Sheff.

Anyway my hot chocolate obsession has lead me to try out various hot chocolate to make at home and here are a few I've recently tried and my views on them. I've rated them out of 5.

Mortimer pure dark chocolate powder

This hot chocolate is unlike any of the others as it's actually powdered chocolate and 70% cocoa at that. Apparently it's great for cooking with. I found it had a slightly strange texture when I added it to my hot milk, kind of gloopy and didn't melt that well. Perhaps whisking would have helped with the consistency. The flavour was very rich although I added some honey to sweeten it slightly as I found it needed it. It's the most expensive of the ones I've reviewed here at 220g for £3.80.
★★★

Cadburys drinking chocolate

The texture of this is smooth, the colour is kind of grey and lighter than the others. It tastes cheap, sweet and disappointing. 500g £2.99 

★

Divine drinking chocolate

Well, Divine continues to be my favourite and it had been since I first tried it a few years ago. They've added salt which none of the others have done, this enhances the rich cocoa flavour. It melts beautifully and tastes delicious. 400g £4.00 

★★★★★

Green and blacks organic

The granule form is slightly odd but makes for easy combining with the milk. Another one lacking in sugar, maybe I'm just a sugar addict. It is organic though. It has dark slightly bitter taste with smooth texture 300g £3.59
★★★

Options hot chocolate - white choc

Something different here with this instant white chocolate variety. The initial flavour is really comforting, like a milky bar but unfortunately there is a nasty after-taste of aspartame, I guess flavour is something you have to sacrifice when you choose a 44 calories hot chocolate though. 220g £3.19
★★

Cafe direct san cristobal

This produced a lovely dark colour when finished and the flavour was lovely with the perfect amount of sweetness but it had a chalky texture that kind of made me choke a little bit, very powdery.250g £2.79
★★

Aero mint chocolate drink

 Another instant hot chocolate. This one is mint flavour, chocolate and mint is a favourite combination of mine and for an instant chocolate drink this one is very impressive. It has a foamy top with a delicious sweet minty flavour. Tastes just like the chocolate bar. 288g £3.49
★★★★


Here is a recipe for the ultimate luxurious hot chocolate - perfect for a special treat

Serves 2

• 1 mug (about 400ml) of milk (I used almond, cow is ok too)
• 1 mug coconut milk from a tin (if there is a thick layer on top, include that)
• 80g best dark chocolate - green and blacks maya gold is great here
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tbsp sugar/honey to taste
• a pinch of salt

Heat ingredients together on the hob, stirring with a wooden spoon. Pour into mugs, dollop on some whipped cream if you fancy and enjoy. Perfect for your bonfire night parties!

Real people's recipes - Vegetable and coconut curry!

Mado

This recipe comes from my lovely auntie, Mado. I've asked her a few questions to give you a bit of background behind her, hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed hearing the answers!

Where abouts did you grow up and when did you move to Sheffield? In Kharian, Pakistan. I moved here when I was 16, March 1967. I came here to join my family, I had a headache for seven days and was depressed because of the lack of sun. The first time I saw snow, I fell over! I thought televisions were too small because I was used to watching cinema screens. the first thing I ate was toast with butter for breakfast and I thought it was awful because I couldn't taste the butter at all. I soon found out that food here had no taste or smell compared to back home.
Who do you like cooking for? Family and friends.
What is it that you enjoy about cooking? I find it really therapeutic and relaxing, and I enjoy it because I am good at it! It's easy for me. I also like the fact that people enjoy my food when they eat it.
What are the inspirations behind this dish? I wanted to make something different from my usual curries, this was an experiment that resulted in a dish that a lot of people really like. It's very healthy and it can be enjoyed by vegan and meat eaters alike. It's my own creation.
What would be your last meal? It would probably be a mixed lentil curry with a salad of cherry tomatoes, red onions, radishes, cucumber and quinoa. Pudding would be carrot halwa.

Sweet potato, courgette, green bean and coconut curry.
This is a delicious, rich and creamy recipe full of flavour. When served alongside salad and rice and beans it makes for a very satisying dish.

Ingredients
2 Large Onions
4 cloves Garlic
Thumb of Ginger
Tin Coconut milk
2 courgettes
Green beans
1 Sweet potato
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder

Method
Fry your onions, garlic and ginger together with salt until the onions have softened.
Add your veg and spices and fry for a few minutes longer, until the vegetables are slightly tender.
If it starts to stick add a splash of water.
Now add the coconut milk and cook until the potatoes are soft.

Sweet potato, coconut, courgette curry. Vegan, gluten free and delicious!

Vegan peanut butter brownies recipe

Woohoo! This recipe was recently published in Now Then magazine!
This makes me happy. These brownies are seriously good, no one will know they are vegan.
Cook them and put them all in your mouth....mmm, nice.

If you can't quite read the text in the photo, here is the recipe

250g dark chocolate
250g soya margerine
100g flour
350g sugar
3 tbsp gram flour
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
200g peanut butter
1 cup (give or take) of soya or other alternative to milk

1. Melt the chocolate and margerine together in a bain marie.
2. Beat together sugar and peanut butter
3. Gradually add rest of ingredients, adding the milk last.
4. You may need more milk, it should be easy to stir.
5. Bake at 180 for 20 minutes, so its still gooey and delicious!

Sharrow Marrow

I first visited Sharrow Marrow when it was newly opened, and wow its changed a lot!
In fact I enjoyed my stay so much I decided to write a whole post about it.
The shop owners were taking full advantage of the fact that today was the farmers market, and had a dazzling display of colourful and enticing products outside. Such delights included chutneys, watermelons and yellow courgettes, with lots of free tasters!

 

 

 

I nibbled on a slice of dewy and refreshing watermelon, picked up some plums, a bulb of smoked garlic and a yellow courgette and went inside.

 

This place is full of gorgeous tempting fresh fruits and vegetables plus loads more goodies. The daughter of the shop owner has her own company - brambles, and makes such delights as cakes, jams and cordials here too.

The range of high quality nuts, spices and other store cupboard essentials make Nigella's larder pale in comparison.You'll find Sheffield honey, tempting snack bars and a vast selection of local cheeses.

The lovely ladies were happy to pose for a photo and were keen to hear more about what I had to say, even though they were super busy!

So its definitely worth popping by when you are in the area. I'll be coming up specially to visit and I'd even go as far to say its my new favourite place on sharrow vale road!

Blackberry, pear and stem ginger crumble with an oaty topping recipe!

I do love a good crumble and the other day, whilst cycling past an overflowing blackberry bush, inspiration struck.
So after getting thoroughly spiked and stung (note to self - shorts are not good fruit picking apparel) I came home with some tasty treats.

I've added pear to bulk it out and stem ginger because its awesome.
Ooh and due to my recent lactose intolerance diagnosis, its also vegan!

Ingredients:

Blackberries about 200g
Pears x2
Stem ginger x3 little chunks
Brown sugar, to taste

2 tbsp oats
200g plain flour
100g margerine
50g brown sugar

Method:
Simmer top 4 ingredients in a pan with a little of the syrup from the ginger. Do this til the pears have softened slightly 10 minutes ish depending on fruit.

Meanwhile combine the other ingredients in a bowl and crumble them between your fingers til you have what looks like breadcrumbs.

Pour the fruit into a ovenproof dish and add the crumble on top. Bake til golden!

Enjoy.

Spring Vegetable And Goats Cheese Filo Parcels With A Caramelized Apple Compote Recipe

I tried a similar version of this last week whilst I was in Morocco, at the Earth Cafe.

The apple and goats cheese work very nicely together and when I made this at work it sold out pretty fast! Enjoy!

This is a rough-ish  recipe as however many parcels it will make will depend on the sheets of filo you get in your pack / don't rip etc.

I used roasted butternut squash, courgettes, red onion, red pepper and blanched kale as my vegetables but you could use pretty much any!

Ingredients:
Pack Filo Pastry
Vegetables (see above)
Goats Cheese
Apples
Oil (for brushing)

Method:
Pretty straightforward really!
Preheat gas to 200 degrees C.



       Compote

• Peel and small rough chop the apples removing all the pips.
• Cook on the stove in a pan with a little water and sugar.
• It will stick slightly, let it do so as this adds colour and flavour!

       Parcels

• Roast your veggies or steam them, pan fry them, boil them it really is up to you, this is a very versatile recipe. Make sure to leave them with a bit of crunch.
• Gently seperate your filo. Each parcel needs 2 sheets. lay these on top of each other. (Tip - with filo, a slightly damp tea towel, laid over the remaining filo, whilst you begin working on a parcel, helps it to not dry out!)
• Layer your vegetables and finish off with a gooey slice of goats cheese.
• Brush the sides with oil and fold them over like you are wrapping a present - bringing them over together neatly on top.
• Garnish with remaining pepper and bake for 10-15 minutes
• Serve with the apple compote! 

Sorry I have no finished picture of the parcels but they did sell out before I had the chance to photograph any!

 

Gluten Free Cherry and Almond Buns!

I haven't posted a recipe in a while so thought I'd give one for these delicious little buns. I made them at work and a woman liked them so much and wanted the recipe as she'd never tried a gluten free cake that wasn't horrible and dry, most gluten free cakes do tend to be dry but a solution to this is adding plenty of liquid or moist fruits like I do with this one. I used fresh black cherries.

Ingredients

• 150g gluten free flour (I use doves organic)
• 100g ground almonds
• 250g butter
• 4 eggs
  
• 250g sugar
• 200g cherries
• 3 tsp g.f baking powder
  
• few tsp icing sugar
• few toasted flaked almonds
  

Method

1. Remove the stones from the cherries by giving them a little squash with a bowl or similar so the stone is easily removed (important - some juice will come out, you want to save this)
2. Cream together your butter and sugar
3. Add your eggs, mix til combined
   
4. Add the flour, baking powder and ground almonds, mix til combined
   
5. Add your cherries and give a quick mix
   
6. Spoon into cases and bake for 18 minutes at 180 degrees
7. For the icing mix the reserved cherry juice with the icing sugar to form a smooth runny paste, when buns are cool drizzle this over them and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.
8. Eat!

Creamy mushroom and kale puff pastry pillows

These are a delicious treat as the creamy mushroom part is very rich. I like to serve these simply on their own as a meal on the go or with salad. I used crimini mushrooms from waitrose but it works well with any variety. Ingredients 1 pack of mushrooms 1 onion butter curly kale splash white wine cream garlic puff pastry beaten egg Method

1. First fry the onions with the garlic in butter til softened
2. Add wine and let the onions absorb the wine, season with salt and pepper
3. Add the mushrooms, fry until mushrooms are golden
4. Add the cream, reduce for 5 mins and set aside
5. Steam or saute some kale until cooked, season, set aside
6. Cut puff pastry into squares
7. Add a spoon of the kale to the middle of a square
8. Add some mushrooms (not too much juice)
9. Brush the eggs around the side and place another square of pastry on top
10. Crimp with a fork to seal and make a small slit in the top
11. Brush the egg on the top and bake for around 10 minutes or until puffed and golden

My chocolate orange cake, a step by step recipe

Hiya everyone, I hope you enjoy cooking and eating my recipe as much as I did.
If you do then if you could let me know then that would be awesome!
This would make a great alternative to christmas pudding if like me and many others that really isn't your thing!


Ingredients

* 250g butter
* 200g plain flour
* 250g caster Sugar
* 4 eggs
* 2 level teaspoons baking powder
* 50g cocoa powder
* 3 unwaxed oranges
* 200g plain chocolate
* 230g double cream



Method

Ganache topping

1. Heat cream but do not boil.
2. Break up chocolate and pour the cream over, leave for a few minutes
3. Stir, if all chocolate is not melted then place over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until there are no lumps left.
4. Place in the fridge for up to 1 1/2 hours until its thickened.




Cake

1. Weigh out all your ingredients.
2. Melt your butter for a few seconds in the microwave until its a little bit softer but not melted.
3. Add your sugar and mix together
4. Add your flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and mix well.
5. Add your eggs, one by one. Mix well
6. Pour into your cake tin and place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees.
7. After 20 minutes, check it because different ovens vary and I know because my cake ended up taking twice as long as normal to cook! Stick a knife in and if it comes out clean then its ready. Leave to cool





Orange drizzle and sweet zest

1. Zest or grate your oranges
2. Juice them using a fork or however you wish
3. Place the juice in a pan with 100g of caster sugar, boil til sugar is dissolved.
4. Place the orange zest in some water and bring to the boil, drain and repeat.
5. Add a small amount of water and some sugar, heat until the sugar has dissolved and the water has gone, set aside.




You do not have to do this step, you can use orange juice from a carton instead of juicing your own and buy candied peel from a store, but fresh is always best!

Now the fun part! Icing the cake!

1. Take out your ganache icing and spread over your cake.
2. Sprinkle over your sweet zest. Done!





Sorry about the blurry photo.
Thanks for reading and remember to let me know what you think.
Ps. I found some silver balls from last christmas and added them to my cake! What do you think?