ISYS100- Super sick chocolate

Here at the SSCF – we endorse not only the sweetest chocolates but also hope to share this with everyone, whether you are young or old, we hope that our reviews and blogs will help you understand the true delights of the brown marvel that is chocolate. Therefore we have made a video highlighting all the chocolates the gang here at SSCF like so if you don’t like to read – why not watch this handy video?

A Sweet Start to the week - The Naked Truth Chocolate

A new week, a new start and of course, a new chocolate to try.  With mother’s day, just past, I had a chance to review a type of milk chocolate that my mother prefers. This time I also went with the Naked Truth.

My last 2 reviews were both focused on my 2 pet likes – Coffee and sour foods.  Therefore I decided to go for something that the audience might prefer as the previous strong taste from the coffee type chocolate and the sharp smell of sour foods are off putting for some.

I went for milk chocolate. A chocolate with an emphasis on the dairy that makes the chocolate block silk smooth, whilst also simultaneously lightening the strong sense of chocolate some people may not prefer.

The one I chose this time was Sweetie Pie; the name firstly, is certainly credited for capturing my attention. This white chocolate, consistent with the Naked Truth series, also had a hidden hint that gives the Naked Truth its magic. This time it was lemon and coconut. Yes I did talk about my having a fondness on sour foods, but don’t take me wrong, the lemon in “Sweetie Pie” wasn’t sour at all. It was sort of the opposite. The lemon gave more of a fragrance to the rich dairy chocolate, making it sort of sweeter when it enters the mouth. The citrus also cut something of the rich dairy taste that is associated with white chocolate making it perfect for the chocolate lovers that don’t take dairy well.

To top it off, a sprinkle of coconut gives the block an extra layer of texture. (Who doesn’t like coconut sprinkles anyways, its like chocolate sprinkles but healthier – and we all know that sprinkles make anything better.) As always, to give a rating – this would be a solid 7 maybe even an 8. The reason being that this chocolate is a bit sweet, however this is trait of the Naked Truth range, and that the lemon and coconut additions really deviated from an average chocolate bar that (should) highlight the cocoa (it basically made it a lolly/sweet) however I appreciate its ambition and it certainly did not taste bad.

Chocolate Brownie Recipe

Thought I 'd share with those interested in a recipe I found on how to make the greatest chocolate brownies I've ever made

Ingredients

• 185g unsalted butter
• 185g best dark chocolate
• 85g plain flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 50g white chocolate
• 50g milk chocolate
• 3 large eggs
• 275g golden caster sugar

Method 

1. Cut 185g unsalted butter into smallish cubes and tip into a medium bowl. Break 185g best dark chocolate into small pieces and drop into the bowl. Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to mix them. Now remove the bowl from the pan. Alternatively, cover the bowl loosely with cling film and put in the microwave for 2 minutes on High. Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.
2. While you wait for the chocolate to cool, position a shelf in the middle of your oven and turn the oven on to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4 (most ovens take 10-15 minutes to heat up). Using a shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of non-stick baking parchment to line the base. Now tip 85g plain flour and 40g cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium bowl, and tap and shake the sieve so they run through together and you get rid of any lumps.
3. With a large sharp knife, chop 50g white chocolate and 50g milk chocolate into chunks on a board. The slabs of chocolate will be quite hard, so the safest way to do this is to hold the knife over the chocolate and press the tip down on the board, then bring the rest of the blade down across the chocolate. Keep on doing this, moving the knife across the chocolate to chop it into pieces, then turn the board round 90 degrees and again work across the chocolate so you end up with rough squares.
4. Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar until they look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This can take 3-8 minutes, depending on how powerful your mixer is, so don’t lose heart. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. Another check is to turn off the mixer, lift out the beaters and wiggle them from side to side. If the mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you’re there.
5. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Plunge the spatula in at one side, take it underneath and bring it up the opposite side and in again at the middle. Continue going under and over in a figure of eight, moving the bowl round after each folding so you can get at it from all sides, until the two mixtures are one and the colour is a mottled dark brown. The idea is to marry them without knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like – you don’t want to undo all the work you did in step 4.
6. Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly. Gently fold in this powder using the same figure of eight action as before. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit unpromising, but if you keep going very gently and patiently, it will end up looking gungy and fudgy. Stop just before you feel you should, as you don’t want to overdo this mixing. Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they’re dotted throughout. Now your mixing is done and the oven can take over.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side across the top to level it. Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 minutes. When the buzzer goes, open the oven, pull the shelf out a bit and gently shake the tin. If the brownie wobbles in the middle, it’s not quite done, so slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin. Take out of the oven.
8. Leave the whole thing in the tin until completely cold, then, if you’re using the brownie tin, lift up the protruding rim slightly and slide the uncut brownie out on its base. If you’re using a normal tin, lift out the brownie with the foil. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares and finally into triangles. These brownies are so addictive you’ll want to make a second batch before the first is finished, but if you want to make some to hide away for a special occasion, it’s useful to know that they’ll keep in an airtight container for a good two weeks and in the freezer for up to a month.

Chocolate Ice-cream Recipe

An easy homemade ice cream recipe

Serves 6-8

35m (plus churning time in ice cream machine)

Ingredients

100 g 70% cocoa dark chocolate, broken into pieces

300 ml full-fat milk

85 g sugar

3 free-range egg yolks

300 ml whipping cream

1. Put the chocolate pieces and milk in a heavy-based saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until smooth, then remove from the heat to cool slightly. 

2. Beat the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until pale and thick. Stir in the cooled chocolate milk, then strain back into the pan. Cook the custard over a gentle heat, stirring all the time, until it thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Don't allow the mixture boil or it will curdle. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool, stirring occasionally. 

3. Whip the cream into soft peaks, then fold into the cooled chocolate mixture. Churn in an ice-cream machine, according to the manufacturer's instructions, until it's frozen.

Enjoy! 

Bonne Journee Terrigal

Bonne Journée is a small family business that has been built on the foundations of high quality food, ingredients, and coffee. In my opinion only the chocolate matters.

I highly recommend this place as it is probably one of the best food outlets in the Terrigal to Gosford region, also is basically within easy walking distance for myself. I traditionally get (depending on the weather). A Cappuccino for the winters and a chocolate thickshake for the summer, the thickshake is perfect, thick unlike those other places that say thick and ends up being a milkshake, chocolate fragments are found throughout the drink to further enhance the chocolate vibe. The foods I'd get from here range drastically, Rocky Road Slice, Brownies, Tarts, Cakes and various other treats, however i'd normally settle on the rocky road slice.

Overall I'd give the place a 9/10, and I highly recommend it to all my friends and colleagues who visit either Terrigal or East Gosford

Chocolate Weekly Review by LIJIN: Desobry

Desobry is Belgium Company that is cooking biscuit, it was founded in 1947. there are four to five kinds of new products each year. But, I recommend the Permanent collection of chocolate biscuit. A variety of cookies with different proportion of chocolate is smell of charming. Desobry became the masters in the field of making chocolate cookies. Each cookie is a treasure, which is full of chocolate and biscuits fragrance. Its taste and quality are popular in a lot of countries. It successfully occupied the chocolate lover's heart. We agreed that the Belgian chocolate after conquered Europe, it also conquered the other areas. Such as, Oceania and America For me, I am one of loyal customers and foever.

Cadbury's new chocolate combinations

Could this be the greatest Aussie food combo for chocolate? It has been the most talked about combination, the two Aussie favourites : Vegemite + chocolate! 

Cadbury has asked fans to tweet using the hashtag #chocpluswhat tweeting suggestions of new cadbury combinations. As a result 4 new flavours were introduced, the golden toffee, pretzel and peanut, salted caramel, and last but not least vegemite. There has been mixed reviews on the new vegemite flavour, many reviews stated it tastes like salted caramel, and only has a slight and subtle  taste of vegemite taste. Others suggested that it will be better off made with dark chocolate and others have said that the after taste isn't pleasant. 

I personally dislike vegemite but I'm curious on how the combo would go together. What are some chocolate combinations you wished exist? If you want your suggestions to be heard just tweet #chocpluswhat on twitter with your suggestion.