Chocolate Making Class at Chocolate Box

A couple of weeks ago a friend turned 30 and to celebrate his girlfriend took a bunch of us out to a chocolate class at Chocolate Box in Downtown Seattle.

They had a class area set up in a little nook at the back of the store. You can see on the shelves that they also sold wine. The guy explained that they can’t compete on price with the big stores so they focus on selling chocolate and wine from (mainly local) small producers.

To begin with they gave us some hot chocolate with marshmallows. The photo made it look a bit gross but it was the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had!

It’s made from melted chocolate, not cocoa powder, and it was really rich – more chocolatey than milky. The marshmallows were also really good – apparently they’re made by hand by some local company. By the way it’s a small cup (maybe shot glass sized), not giant marshmallows.

At the start of the class we learned about how chocolate is made (from a fruit!) and what it goes through to become a chocolate bar. You can wiki the process if you’re interested but this is one of the steps – the cocoa nib. Please forgive my gross gym calluses.

The nib is pretty much a health food but it is super gross. Apparently some people don’t mind it but I found it really bitter.

The guy also talked about distinguishing good chocolate from mass market chocolate. The main one that I remember is that good chocolate has a lingering mouthfeel – it kind of coats your mouth even after you’ve eaten it, if that makes sense. It’s also rich enough that I reeeaaally didn’t want to eat lots of it.

After the talk we made our own chocolate bars and decorated them with nuts, fruits and spices. As the birthday boy Luke was allowed to lick the spoon.

Our chocolate bars were taken off to cool while we did the rest of the class and we got them back at the end.

The top one is mine. I had cardamom, sunflower seeds, peanuts, walnuts and peanut butter chips.

The bottom one if James’. He used habanero sugar, peanut butter chips and dried fruit.

By the way the habanero sugar was awesome – sweet but with a spicy kick. I don’t know what you’d use it for but I was pretty much sprinkling it on my hand and licking it off.

For the next part of the class we got to temper our own chocolate and coat various things (marshmallow, tortilla chip, strawberry and two biscuits) with it. James decided to be artistic and put one of the biscuits on top of the marshmallow to form a chocolate mushroom.

There was a granite stone underneath the paper to cool the chocolate. But if we just left it like that it would have cooled unevenly so we had to keep lifting up the melted chocolate with our fingers and letting it trickle down. This is James working on his chocolate. I don’t know why he is as rosy as Santa.

To test whether it was done we had to dab some on our wrists; if it felt warm or at body temperature it was too warm, but if it felt cool then it was at the correct temperature. Mine took ages to harden, which was a sign that I didn’t temper it properly. =(

We got to keep the leftover chocolate – but it’s really rich so I’m still making my way through it a week later.

James was much better at it than me. His chocolates turned out really well – they got a nice hard shell quite quickly and the guys that worked there commented on his tempering skills. On the right you can see his chocolate mushroom.

We also got a delicious teeny, tiny cupcake while we waited for the chocolate to cool.

That strawberry in the background is one that James dropped on the ground earlier. Luckily they brought over a replacement strawberry for him.

Some of the guys forgot about their strawberries until a few days later so had to throw them out. Which was unfortunately because they were really tasty. James ate his a day after I did, but was a bit grumpy that I had remembered to eat mine but hadn’t thought to put his in the fridge. Sorry Jamesy!

Here are the guys sampling a bunch of chocolates at the end of the class. Behind the bar is where we were earlier, and in the background you can see James packing all our chocolates up.

Everyone shopped while we waited for our chocolates to cool (a lot of us had tempered poorly!). We were all given 10% off vouchers as a thank you – I haven’t used mine yet but I want to pick up some chocolate bits to use in cookies and some of the chocolates that we sampled.

Overall it was really fun! We learned some useful chocolate facts (chocolate doesn’t get better with age – the best time to eat chocolate is now!) and had a great day out with friends.

Actually now that I think about it I think we spent that whole weekend with the same group of people (snowboarding and dinner on Saturday, and on Sunday brunch, the chocolate party, and another friend’s housewarming party in the evening). Everyone gets along and we do lots of stuff together. I think we got really lucky with James’ team – living in Seattle would be much less fun if he didn’t work with such great people.

God Bless America

12 packs of pop tarts for $19ish from Amazon!

They are James’ guilty pleasure and after extensive taste tests he has determined that frosted blueberry is the best flavour. (Frosted cherry is second best)

Now I no longer have to see James’ forlorn labrador face when we run out of junk food. Also we have many chances to win $100.

 

Christmas Loot!

This year for Christmas I got …

Two books on breadmaking from Ivanna for my Cousin KK gift.

Cat bought me The Homesick Texan Cookbook, a wooden recipe book holder, and a salt cellar.

My $10 lucky dip gift was a USB fan.

And some Bundaberg Reserve rum from mum and dad that I didn’t take a photo of. James will likely drink some and I may attempt a Christmas pudding with it for next year.

Then on Boxing Day we did Christmas with James’ family. Liz and Andrew bought me a deep exfoliating mask from Dr Sebagh, which I’ve wanted ever since I tried a sample. They found it on my Amazon wish list and bought it for me. =)

James’ grandma got me a pretty necklace.

And James’ uncle Sandy got us each $25 Dymocks gift vouchers. It’s a bit of a tradition now for me and James to go to the Dymocks boxing day sale (20% off storewide) so I can buy a cookbook with the voucher. =) This year I narrowed it down to 3 books and James picked the one he liked the best – we got the Gingerboy cookbook.

It has just occurred to me that I am going to have to clear out some shelf room for my ever-growing collection of cookbooks. But anyway, those were the lovely, lovely presents I got for Christmas this year! =)

Donna Hay Magazines

On the weekend I picked up an eBay auction I won – 17 Donna Hay magazines for $26.

I’m quite pleased because it worked out to around $1.50 a magazine ($1.70 if you count the cost of my train ticket). I think this lot was really cheap because the seller specified pick-up only.

They go for a lot more than that on eBay – usually $4 to $10 (and issue number 4 – which sadly I don’t have – goes for $30+!). That’s more than retail when you include postage – so if I wanted to get rid of them I could probably make a couple of hundred dollars.

But for now I’m happy to just leaf through them and check out the food porn. Sometimes it’s nice to have actual recipe books instead of printing recipes off the net.

And that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing this week while I’ve been sick. Also browsing the net and feeling sorry for myself. =(

New Experience #1: Making Vanilla Extract

For my first week of trying new experiences I decided to make vanilla extract (an easy one to start). I already had most of the ingredients, so all I had to do was go buy a suitable jar to store my extract in.

Ingredients:

Vodka

Vanilla Beans

I sterilized my jar by rinsing it in hot, soapy water, boiling it for 10 minutes, then drying it in the oven on lowish heat.

My jar is about 250ml, and I stuffed it with 11 vanilla beans (roughly 30g) that I halved and then split lengthwise. This is the jar with all the vanilla bits soaking inside. The liquid is fairly clear, but should darken over time as the beans infuse the vodka.

I need to shake it every week or so, and after 6 months it should be ready to use!

Lunch Today!

I am a leeeetle bit drunk.

Hello lunch!

Vasse Felix semillon, Holy Goat La Luna cheese, a Noisette white sourdough loaf, and some awesome, fat smoked salmon (not pictured).

La Luna is often referred to as one of Australia’s best cheesemakers, and their Holy Goat cheese has won a whole bunch of awards.

It’s priced fairly steeply compared to other cheeses, at $15, but I was in a splurgy mood.

I think I was eating the cheese wrong to begin with. I was just eating the non-rind part and thought it was a bit dry (albeit very tasty), but once you incorporate the rind the balance is much better. Also I like how the cheese looks like brains.

I don’t know if it was the booze kicking in or if it was the fact that I had a better balance of rind to cheese, but at the end I was really getting into the Holy Goat. I don’t know how it differs from regular non-award-winning goat cheese; I don’t have any other goat cheese on hand to compare and also I am not a cheese expert.

I don’t know if I’d spend $15 on it again, but I’m definitely intrigued enough to try their other cheeses.

PS – the down side to not drinking very frequently is that after a glass of wine with lunch, I needed a lie down and a shower to clear my head. I’m still feeling pretty tipsy, but less dizzy than before. That’s what I get for trying to be all fancy and mature by having wine with cheese. =(

Microplane Grater (Or How I Tried To Shop Local And Failed)

To make zesting citrus easier I decided to buy a Microplane grater. I’ve been meaning to get one for awhile, and while my current grater is pretty terrible at the job, it hasn’t been terrible enough to really light a fire under me. But if I’m grating 17 lemons for my future limoncello I want to get the best tool for the job.

image from Amazon

Apparently Microplane is the holy grail of zesters. And luckily it’s prety cheap – after conversion it was $18.60 including shipping from the US.

Before I bought it, I figured I would see how much it cost locally. I was willing to pay up to $30 to avoid the hassle of having it shipped to me, so yesterday I walked down to the kitchen supply store to check. The bloody thing was $40! I don’t need it immediately, and for less than half the price, I don’t mind waiting a couple more weeks.

Sorry local economy. =(

(Also, a pre-emptive sorry because in the next day or so I’m probably buying a $2 – including shipping – kitchen timer from Hong Kong)

A Variety of Epicurean Delights, Shipped From Afar

Vanilla Beans

Awhile ago Cat and I bought some vanilla beans from this ebay seller. 20 A Grade Tahitian vanilla beans for $11 AUD (including shipping)! Actually, the seller threw in 2 extra so we got 22, which worked out to 50c a bean – 1/6 of the cost that they are here.

As soon as they arrived I wrapped them in plastic and sealed them in an airtight jar. I need to go buy some vodka so I can make vanilla extract, and I’ll save some for baking as well.

Fleur de Sel de Guerande

Liz and Andrew went to France and Greece, and they asked if there was anything we wanted them to bring back for us. I figured wine and cheese would be too unwieldly, so I asked for some fleur de sel (which David Lebovitz has called “one of the great bargains in France”). It’s a finishing salt, used just before eating, and harvested by hand. This is what it says on the little tag that came with it:

This special delicate salt is picked up by hand at the surface of Guerande’s salt pans, in France’s Britany. It appears only some days, when the east wind is blowing, and only in a very small amount. Light, pure, it is famous for its violet flavour. Previously reserved for royal tables, it is exceptionally soluble and very rich in magnesium, calcium and trace elements. It is guaranteed completely natural.

I think I originally wanted it for a salted caramel recipe, but I won’t be tempting myself by baking anything unhealthy in the near future, so I’ll sprinkle it on some salad or steak.

Speculoos

In that photo you can also see the Speculoos that Liz and Andrew picked up for us too (David Lebovitz also wrote an article about Speculoos that made it sound really tasty too). It smells like a mix of spices – cinnamon and ginger are the ones I can pick out – and also like cookies. Which isn’t surprising given that it’s basically a paste version of those dutch windmill cookies.

I had some Speculoos with my steel cut oats a week ago. I had to use a fair amount to get it to taste as strong as it smelled, and I think overall I prefer peanut butter in my oats. I can see Speculoos going really well with crepes or croissants!

Raw Food Event at the Collingwood Lululemon Outlet

Or as James titled it: Haha You Went To A Crazy Hippy Dinner.

Yesterday night the Lululemon outlet in Collingwood hosted a raw food event with Kemi Nekvapil (who incidentally, I recognised from a segment on Gardening Australia, which I watched back when I was garden-obsessed). I signed up because I like the idea of incorporating more raw vegies into my diet. I don’t know anything about the raw food movement, but in general I prefer to minimally cook my vegetables because I’ve always assumed that it helped retain most of the nutrients. Also because grey beans make me shudder.

In the spirit of being healthy, I walked from my place to Collingwood, which took about 30 minutes each way. I like to think it was a fairly heroic effort because it was a very cold night. I’ve never been to a Lululemon event before, and I wasn’t sure if everyone else was going to show up head to toe in Lulu. I didn’t want to jog there since I was bringing my camera, so I just wore normal clothes with my new Scuba hoodie since it’s one of the warmer jackets I own. Good call. Nobody (except the Lululemon staff) was dressed in Lululemon. I would have looked like some crazy fangirl (which I kind of am. But still. And yes, I know I worry about stupid things.)

It was definitely the sort of night where a nice big bowl of carbs would have hit the spot. And I confess, I did bring my wallet in case we were presented with a lettuce leaf and a radish, and I needed to make an emergency stop at Maccas afterwards.

But anyway, to the food! Check out the Vitamix. It was the first thing I noticed when I walked in.

Actually that’s not true, the first thing I noticed was how swish the Lululemon office is! Their kitchen is to die for, and the space is gorgeous (you can see part of their main office behind the kitchen in the first photo), and it’s all wooden floors, open space and exposed beams. There was also a meeting room filled with Lululemon clothes on hangers, and I kind of wanted to roll around in them like Scrooge McDuck.

OK, OK, now onto the food. Kemi started off with a couple of green smoothies. I make these in Summer a fair bit, so they weren’t that much of a revelation. A green smoothie is basically where you add greens like spinach and silverbeet to your smoothies. If you choose mild-flavoured greens you can’t taste them at all (especially if you use strong-flavoured fruits). The second smoothie had some ginger and parsley in it, along with pineapple and orange, and probably some other stuff I can’t remember. It had a bit of a kick that the first one didn’t, almost like a cold soup. Kemi said that ginger was a good addition for cold weather, since it has some heat to it.

We all got samples, but I was fiddling with my camera and spilled my smoothie on the floor. =( Luckily one of the lovely Lululemon girls gave me another smoothie. This is a photo of the replacement smoothie (I was a lot more careful with the contents this time).

Next we moved onto salads, which involved using the food processor to chop raw vegies. It has actually never occured to me to make salads that way, and it is definitely going into my repetoire. The beauty of it is that it’s not so much a recipe as a method – just add whatever is in season (or whatever you like).

From recollection, this salad had sweet potato, carrot, zucchini, red cabbage, parsley, coriander, spring onion, and corn. Maybe some cos lettuce too. There were also some seeds, dried fruit, and ground coriander. Similarly, the dressing is a mixture of  oil with something astringent/sour (lime juice, vinegar, mustard) and something sweet (maple syrup, pomegranate molasses). This dressing was thrown together with oil (a lot of oil – I don’t like too much oil in my salads, so I will probably use less), some apple cider vinegar, and an apple juice concentrate.

And for dessert we had chocolate balls, which was a mix of cacao, nuts, raisins, seeds and honey, with water to bind. It was pulsed in the food processor, and the Lululemon girls formed the mixture into rum balls.

It tasted like nutty dark chocolate. =) Obviously you can make it sweeter if you add extra honey or vanilla extract, but I don’t have much of a sweet tooth so I liked it as-is.

So even though I entered with some trepidation (and my emergency Maccas money), it was a surprisingly tasty experiment. I’m not convinced by some of the more extravagant health claims, but that doesn’t really matter one way or the other. It’s kind of like yoga – I don’t believe that yoga flushes out my body’s toxins, but I do it because stretching is good for my body. The raw food night definitely gave me a few ideas on how to better incorporate raw vegetables into my diet without sacrificing flavour.

So thank you to Kemi and the Lululemon staff for a great night. It was the first event hosted by the Collingwood Lululemon, and hopefully there will be many more to follow.

I am Peeking at your Peeking Peking Duck!

Something my parents used to do as a treat was to have Peking duck at home. They would buy a roast duck from a Chinese BBQ shop and gather all the ingredients, then we would make our own Peking duck. Obviously it’s not the same as the restaurants, but in terms of flavour it’s pretty much there. I can’t say that I enjoy it any less than the proper version.

The spread. (I felt like we needed more vegetables, so I made some choy sum. I really shouldn’t have bothered. If I took an “after” shot you would have seen that everything was cleaned out, except the choy sum, which hadn’t been touched)

The star of the show was BBQ duck from Rose Garden, which cost $27. (I remember the first time we did this we bought the duck somewhere else since Rose Garden was sold out, and the duck cost the same but was sooo much smaller and crapper)

In hindsight we should have immediately divided the duck bits in half because I think a Rose Garden duck could be spread out for 2 nights of Peking duck, but we were a bit greedy at the start and overloaded our pancakes. We thought the ducky times would never end. =(

Earlier this week I bought some pancakes from Asian grocer. They were $9.40 for 10 which is a total rip off since it’s just flour and water, but I was pleasantly surprised that 10 pancakes actually = 20, since each pancake has 2 layers. So still a rip off, but not as egregious, and much less hassle than making your own, which I have done 2 times now. I assumed I’d have to steam them, but there were no instructions on the packet and googling didn’t yield any results, so I called mum and asked her how to prepare them. Turns out you just have to microwave them for 20-30 seconds at a time (lightly misting with water if it’s getting a bit dry). Easy!

While James was slicing the duck (you can see him doing it in the above photo), I cut up some cucumber and spring onion. I used 1 lebanese cucumber and 3 spring onions.

And of course, we didn’t forget the hoisin sauce.

A special meal requires special booze: James had some Mountain Goat pale ale and I had my Rekorderlig strawberry-lime cider, which Nicola introduced me to a couple of days ago. I really like it, but James thinks it tastes like lollies.

The first time I had this cider, I didn’t realise it was alcoholic. It’s 500ml, which is a pretty hefty serve, and after I drank it I was feeling really light-headed. It was weird experience because normally when I’m tipsy I know it’s because I’ve been drinking. But it was disconcerting having that tipsy feeling when I didn’t realise why I was feeling like that.

I should have taken a photo of the assembled pancake, but I was pretty hungry at that point. You will just have to take my word for it that it was an awesome meal. Like you know how sometimes you take a bite of something and you almost fall over because it is so perfect and fantastic, and you are just so freaking happy? Yeah, it was like that. Except lots of bites. (And possibly the almost falling over was due to the cider. But still!)