Melted Easter Eggs

A scorching Easter, chocolate eggs melting all over the place. What to do?

Rice Krispie Cakes

Dark and Squidgy Chocolate Torte

Chocolate Fondant

Chilli con Chocolate

There are several different ways to melt chocolate but if you want perfect results every time there are a few basic rules which need to be observed:

1.    Water and chocolate don’t mix well – make sure any equipment you’re using (pans or bowls) are perfectly dry as any stray drops of water will cause the chocolate to thicken and stiffen.  For the same reason do not cover chocolate whilst melting or once melted.

2.    Don’t rush the melting process – the temptation might be to turn up the heat but rushing the process will ruin the flavour and texture of the chocolate

3.    For a really smooth result it’s best to either grate or chop the chocolate before melting.

One of the best and easiest ways of melting chocolate is to melt it in a bowl over a pan of hot water. 
Make sure the bowl fits securely over the pan so no water or steam can escape.  Water in the saucepan should never touch the bottom of the bowl.  Place the chocolate in the bowl.  Allow the water in the saucepan to come to the boil and place the bowl on top.  Turn off the heat and leave to stand until the chocolate has melted. 

Alternatively, a microwave is very useful for melting chocolate, particularly small quantities of chocolate.  Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a glass bowl.  Microwave uncovered stopping every 15 seconds to mix the chocolate to make sure you get a smooth consistency.  Take care not to burn the chocolate though.  Once burnt it cannot be used. 

Chocolate should only be melted over a direct heat when combined with other ingredients, such as butter, sugar or milk or similar ingredients, often when making sweets or sauces.  Always use a very gentle heat and stir continuously.  As soon as the chocolate has melted remove it from the heat to prevent the chocolate over-cooking and becoming grainy.

Happy Easter!!

Humble / Umble Pie

Aside from the 60’s British band ‘Humble Pie’ who featured a line up from the Small Faces, The Herd, Spooky Tooth and Apostolic Intervention, the dish has an interesting tale dating back to Norman times.

"humble pie. Here we have a play upon words which dates back to the time of William the Conqueror. First, the pie referred to in 'eating humble pie' was really umble pie, made from the umbles - heart, liver and gizzard - of a deer. It was made to be eaten by servants and huntsmen, while the lord of the manor and his guests dined on venison. Thus a person who had to eat umble pie was in a position of inferiority -- one who had to humble himself before his betters. The pun resulting from umble and humble is even more precise when you recall that in several British dialects - notably Cockney - the h in humble would be silent. Actually, the two words come from quite different roots, humble from the Latin 'humilis'(low or slight), and 'umbie' from the Latin 'lumulus' (loin)."

Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" by William and Mary Morris



Stone Soup

Stone Soup is a dish with a story behind it that highlights how tasty leftovers can be. It starts with a Monk who makes camp at the side of the road and is so poor that all he can find to make soup with is a stone which he starts to boil.

The Monk invites passers by to share his soup but warns them that this being the third time he has used the same stone, it must be getting a little worn out.

He suggests that they might have a little something in their packs or pockets to add the soup, just to help the stone along. Most of the growing group of diners are able to find something that will add to the soup and help get the most from the boiling stone.

Of course, by the end of the tale, and after numerous contributions, he has a delicious and nourishing meal to share with those who have been persuaded to add to the pot and help eke out the meagre offering that he has so generously offered to share.

There are similar tales from around the World that feature nails, buttons and even an axe head as the key ingredient. The protagonists are sometimes hungry soldiers, tricking villagers.

Why not try it at home with the contents of your fridge and store cupboard, just miss out the stone. It is just a story after all.



Preserved in Aspic

In our modern day society dishes such as faggots and haggis would struggle to become popular if newly introduced. We have become very picky as to what we consider fit to eat.

Back in the ‘good old days’ when food was expensive people were less fussy. In Victorian times Aspic jelly was popular, both as a preservative, forming a barrier around certain foods and as a nourishing dish for invalids.

The jelly is made by boiling up meat and bones and clarifying the resulting stock which contains natural gelatin. Pig’s trotters were a popular source and could also be found on the menus of various culinary establishments, especially chop houses.

In the best traditions of ‘waste not, want not’ the remains of the trotters were retained after the clients had picked what they could from them and the bones and gristle boiled up to make the jelly. The boiling sterilized the trotters rendering the Aspic safe to eat.

As Fergus Henderson so eloquently puts it in his marvellous book -Nose To Tail Eating - If we are going to eat meat then it’s only polite to eat the whole animal.



200 Food Decisions

Food is a joy but we are becoming increasingly aware that it is also a privilege. Just because produce is apparently abundant and cheap does not mean that it will always be so, or that our misuse of resources is not having an adverse effect elsewhere in the World. 

As we understand more about the stresses that the human race is putting on the planet, and each other, so ethical eating becomes more of a minefield. We are faced with increased choices of what and how to eat and with these new choices there come further implications of our effect on the world in which we live.

Psychologists have worked out that we make at least 200 food choices, each day!

With so many decisions in our lives it may seem as though there is too much to take on board and that it would be easier just to ignore the confusion and do nothing.

On a more positive note, effective change starts with small steps. Choosing an area where you have influence and can see the difference helps to make it more achievable. This is even better when you can see a positive result in your own life immediately.

So what can we do in our own lives to cut down on this waste? We need to look at  how we shop, store and utilize the food that we buy with the aim of consuming the majority and minimizing wastage.

This can all be achieved in a variety of ways.

• By controlling our spending habits we can shop wisely, buying only what we will expect to consume over a given period.

• A lot of waste is down to poor storage and there are techniques for improving this.

• Then there is how we approach meal preparation. Rather than seeing each meal as being a standalone event what we can look at is how leftovers can be turned into something new & inviting. As opposed to binning what is left and starting afresh with new ingredients.

Even if you are not shopping to cook for yourself or to feed a family you can take a look at your own eating habits.

By not shopping on an empty stomach you can avoid stocking up with perishable snacks that will never get eaten.

The way that you store fruit can make it last longer and even encourage you to eat more of it.

Avoid restaurants that take pride in oversized portions that you will never complete and resist the temptation to take more than you require from buffets. A restaurant made a point recently when it banned a family for repeatedly over filling their plates, it was after all an ‘all you can eat’, not ‘all you can waste’, offer.