Honeycomb

Honey comb

Honeycomb is fun to make and great to eat.
You can also use it to make Gold Edible Glitter. However, if it is used to decorate foods that are not dry such as truffles and icing, it needs to be eaten straight away, as the moisture in the food will quickly soften the honeycomb.

For Christmas we have mixed the broken up honeycomb with melted chocolate to make our very own chocolate honeycomb crunch.

Ingredients
250g granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
60ml water
25g butter
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
You will need a tin lined and greased (I used a 25cm by 18cm tin) and a sugar thermometer.

Method
Put the sugar, honey, water, butter and vinegar into a saucepan and heat slowly, stirring the mixture, until the sugar is dissolved.
Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
Boil, without stirring, until the temperature on the sugar thermometer reaches 150 oC. (About 5 minutes).
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda.
The mixture will rise up, full of bubbles. Pour into the greased tin and leave to set.
Turn out onto a board and break up into pieces. The easiest way is to cover with a sheet of greasproof paper and tap firmly with a rolling pin.
To make Edible Gold Glitter, blitz in a food processor.
Store in an airtight container

Cooks tip 

To make your own chocolate honeycomb crunch put 200g of Mortimer Dark Chocolate Powder in a baking tin, (I used a 25cm by 18cm tin), and melt in a low oven (100oC) for 15 minutes until molten. Remove from the heat. Stir in about half of the broken pieces of honeycomb, spread out and leave to cool, before putting in the fridge to set. Break into pieces. You will find the bottom of the set chocolate has a lovely sheen to it.

Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta

It is international Chocolate Day today, we are going to celebarte with a rich silky Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta.

You will need 5 ramakins or small, individual (175ml) pudding basins..

Ingredients
100g Mortimer Dark Chocolate Powder
2 ½ leaves of gelatine
250ml milk
250ml double cream
Method

• Line the ramakins with cling film. This makes them easier to turn out.
• Put the leaves of gelatine in a shallow bowl of water for 10 minutes to soften.
• Pour the cream and milk together into a saucepan and heat until it starts to simmer.
• Add the dark chocolate powder and stir until dissolved.
• Remove the leaves of gelatine from the water, add to the pan and stir until dissolved.
• Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool while stirring gently.
• Pour into the ramekins and place cling film over the surface to prevent a skin forming.
• Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, until set.
• Turn the individual panna cotta’s out.

 

Tiramisu

Tiramisu – a special dessert for Father’s Day, this Sunday.

Ingredients

• 50g Mortimer Dark Chocolate Powder
• 1 pack boudoir biscuits (approx 30)
• 3 eggs separated
• 250g tub mascarpone cheese
• 50g caster sugar
• 200ml cold strong black coffee
• 3 tablespoons of rum

 

Method

• In a mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese, sugar and egg yolks, with an electric mixer until evenly blended and creamy.
• Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
• Fold into the mascarpone mixture.
• Break the boudoir biscuits in half. In a shallow dish mix the coffee and rum. Dip the biscuits in the rum and coffee, carefully as they will absorb the liquid quickly.
• Depending on the shape of your serving bowl, put roughly a third of the biscuits in the bottom.   (My serving dish is much narrower at the bottom than top, so I use less biscuits in the bottom), Add a third of the mascarpone mixture.   Then sprinkle over a third of the chocolate powder.
• Repeat the layers twice more, finishing with a thick sprinkling of the chocolate powder.
• Leave to chill in the fridge for several hours, or overnight.

 

This Italian desert is always popular.  It looks and tastes wonderful, yet it is straightforward to make.

 

White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Compote

I have often seen this being made on Masterchef and admit was a little nervous of how it would turn out, but now I wish I had been making it for years. It is much easier than I thought and the creamy white chocolate texture and flavour is sublime.
We had a barbeque party on Sunday for Adrian’s Birthday and all the children were desperate for second helpings!
Our Rhubarb in the garden is ready and the sharpeness of the rhubarb compote complements the sweetness of the panna cotta.

You will need 5 ramakins or small, individual (175ml) pudding basins..

For the Panna Cotta
Ingredients
75 g White Couverture Powder
2 leaves of gelatine
250ml milk
250ml double cream

Method
• Put the leaves of gelatine in a shallow bowl of water for 10 minutes to soften.
• Pour the cream and milk together into a saucepan and heat until it starts to simmer.
• Add the white couverture powder and stir until dissolved.
• Remove the leaves of gelatine from the water, add to the pan and stir until dissolved.
• Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool, to room temperature.
• Gently stir the mixture with a whisk before pouring into the ramekins.
• Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, until set.
• Turn the individual panna cotta’s out and serve with the rhubarb compote.

 

For the Rhubarb Compote
Ingredients
250g  rhubarb
100g of caster sugar

Method
• Chop the rhubarb into slices about 3cm long.
• Place the chopped rhubarb and sugar into a saucepan over a medium heat.
• When the rhubarb juice starts to flow, stir with a wooden spoon turn the heat down to low and cook until the rhubarb is soft.
• Allow to cool.
• Puree with a food processor or hand held blender, and serve with the panna cotta.

 

 

 

 

Guest post: Tom Kerridge on Britain’s Next Top Supplier

Mortimer Chocolate has entered their “Melt Me” Chocolate Fondue into Ocado’s Britain’s Next Top Supplier competition.

We would love to show Tom our passion if we get through to the Dragon’s Den style Pitch.

Guest post: Tom Kerridge on Britain’s Next Top Supplier.

Festive Mincemeat Tart

Festive Mincemeat Tart

If you have any mincemeat left over from Christmas, why not try this lovey tart.

Serves 8

First make the pastry

Orange pastry

Ingredients:

• 200g plain flour
• 75g butter
• 50g lard
• 1 orange
• Water

Method

Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl. Grate the butter and lard into the flour. Occasionally coating the grated fat with the flour to stop it sticking into a lump.

Rub the butter and lard into the flour, until it resembles bread crumbs. Finely grate the orange zest and stir into the flour. Squeeze the orange.

You need in total 8 dessert spoons of fluid. Measure in the orange juice and make up the rest with water if needed.

With a fork stir the liquid into the flour mixture. Using your hands bring the mixture together and knead very lightly until a ball is formed.

Rest the pastry in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Tart Ingredients

• I quantity of Orange Pastry
• 1 heaped tablespoon Mortimer Chocolate Powder
• 4 tablespoons mincemeat
• 410g can of pear halves in fruit juice

For the topping

• 2 level tablespoons plain flour
• 1 level tablespoon ground almonds or semolina
• 25g butter
• 1 level tablespoon caster sugar

Method

Roll out the pastry to line a 23cm (9inch), flan tin.

Make up the topping: grate the butter into the flour, then, rub in until it resembles bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar and almonds or semolina.

Stir the chocolate powder into the mincemeat and spread over the pastry. Drain the pears and arrange on top of the mincemeat. Lastly, sprinkle over the topping.

Bake in a hot oven Gas Mark 6, 200 deg C (180 deg C for fan ovens), for 30 minutes, until golden.

Serve hot or cold.

Cooks tip

Delicious with brandy butter if you have any of that left over as well!

Chocolate Prune Cream

Chocolate Prune Cream

Soaking the prunes in brandy, makes them plumb and delicious.   This is good to serve with my Boozy Prune Chocolate Cake.

Ingredients

100g prunes

50ml brandy

50ml water

50g Mortimer Dark Chocolate Powder

300ml double cream

Method

·         Put the water and brandy in a saucepan and heat until simmering.

·         Add the chocolate powder and stir until melted.

·         Add the prunes, remove from the heat and leave to soak overnight.

·         Liquidize the chocolate prune mixture to form a chocolate paste *.

·         Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.

·         Stir in the Chocolate Paste.

 

Cooks tips

*The chocolate prune paste would make a lovely dairy free filling for homemade chocolates.

Boozy Prune Chocolate Cake

Boozy Prune Chocolate Cake

The addition of prunes soaked in booze turns this chocolate cake into something rather special.  Just right for a Christmas treat!  Serve cold for afternoon tea, or warm with a helping of Chocolate Prune Cream for a delicious dessert.

Serves 8 –10

You will need a greased and lined 7”by 11” (28cm by 18cm) tray bake tin.

Ingredients

150g prunes

50ml brandy

50ml water

125g butter

125g Mortimer Dark Chocolate Powder

250g caster sugar

2 large eggs

150g self-raising  flour

Method

·         Put the water and brandy in a saucepan and heat until simmering.

·         Add the prunes, remove from the heat and leave to soak overnight.

·         Cut the prunes, which should now be nice and plump, in half.

·         Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.

·         Add the chocolate powder, stir until melted and remove from the heat.

·         In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and caster sugar.

·         Mix in the melted chocolate.

·         Stir in the prunes

·         Sieve the flour and fold into the chocolate mixture.

·         Spoon into the prepared tin, level the cake mixture and bake in the oven at 180⁰, at 160⁰C for fan ovens, GM 4 for about 35-40 minutes, until firm to the touch.

·         Leave in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning out.

·         Serve warm with Chocolate Prune Cream for pudding or cold with a cup of tea.

Deliciously Creamy Chocolate Ice-Cream

Chocolate Ice-cream

I have been trying lots of different recipes for chocolate ice-cream ever since an ice-cream company  gave us a sample when we were exhibiting at the BBC Good Food Show in 2011.  It was deliciously creamy.  I think I have now come close to matching both the flavour and texture.   Some recipes come together straight away, whereas others are years in the making!

You start off by making the chocolate sauce which then needs to be cooled.  This stage can be made the day before.

Serves 6-8 – You will need an ice-cream maker.

Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:

100g Mortimer Dark Chocolate Powder

170g tin of carnation evaporated milk

100ml vegetable oil.

Method

• ·         Pour the evaporated milk into a pyrex bowl .
• ·         Add the chocolate powder and whisk.    Don’t worry it won’t mix well at this stage.
• ·         Microwave on high for 1 minute.
• ·         Whisk until the chocolate has melted and the sauce is smooth.
• ·         Add the oil and continue to whisk until it is completely incorporated.
• ·         Cover the surface of the sauce with cling film and allow to go cold.

 

For the ice-cream

Ingredients

1 quantity of chocolate sauce

2 eggs

2 tablespoons caster sugar

300ml double cream

100ml milk

Method

• ·         In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
• ·         Beat in the cream followed by the milk.
• ·         Finally pour in the sauce and beat well.
• ·         Using the manufacturers instructions, pour the mixture into the ice-cream maker and churn.
• ·         If you can resist not eating it straight away, put into a plastic container and put in the freezer.   The flavours do develop if left overnight.

·         You will need to put the ice-cream from the freezer into the fridge for 30minutes before serving, so it is easier to scoop.