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. 

Chocolate from the Philippines!

There are many different chocolate dishes from many countries around the world. Where I come from, the Philippines, one of our most famous chocolate dishes is called Champorado. This is a sweet chocolate rice pudding made by boiling sticky rice with cocoa powder, with milk and sugar added to give it an even sweeter taste. This dish is perfect for warming up your body during a cold winter night, or can be served as a nice meal for breakfast. I highly recommend this dish for any chocolate lovers around the world.

Here is a recipe and simple guide to make it:

http://www.food.com/recipe/rich-chocolate-cherry-brown-rice-pudding-93257

What are some signature chocolate dishes from your country?

Chocolate Weekly Review by LIJIN: Anthon Berg

Anthon berg is chocolate brand was born in 1884. The picture is showing one of the most famous products. Each carton has eight different kinds of flavor, a total of 64 bottles. It is suitable for festive occasion, dark chocolate bottles are filled with some of the world’s most prestigious spirit brands. Sauza, Borghetti, Remy Martin, Vodka, Galliano, Jim Beam Whiskey, Cointreau and 1858 Canada Whiskey are harmoniously combined with the rich, robust flavours of premium chocolate. I very surprise it packing. When I open it I can smell the alcohol. I occasionally enjoy a bottle, because it contains alcohol. You can't eat it when you want to driving. The bitter taste of chocolate is mixed with the sweetness of wine, It can balance between two taste and bring new experience. 

Timeout - Chocolate Cheesecake Bar time!

If you guy have read my previous blog posts, you would know that I have a massive addition for coffee, sour foods and sweets. Typical. I’m 19, in university and would better than to invest my spare time in indulging on fattening foods and drinking coffee to get back that time at night. However one thing I haven’t mentioned was my love for cheesecake. You simply do not know how much I love cheesecake (before I ramble on, I must specify that I am not a girl in case anyone was wondering, cheesecake is unisex).  

So my weekly shopping commenced, the daily essentials such as bread and milk was tipping my basket and when I thought my trip had ended with the heavy weight. But aimlessly, I had walked past the confectionary aisle again. My brain had already said that I had too much sweets this week and I shouldn’t spoil myself more. But then I saw it. Raspberry cheesecake chocolate. Yes, every single word you read was right, a raspberry cheesecake chocolate bar. What the hell?! There is a thing like this?!

Without a second thought, it ended up being the icing on my shopping basket and I ended racing home to try this variety from the Naked Truth Collection.

The first thing I saw when I reached for the bar and laid it on the table was the name. Consistent with its design and its gimmicky names (that bring a sense of guilt) was labelled “Timeout with my…(Raspberry Cheese Cake)” . Timeout – you can’t a better timeout when you have chocolate and even better was cheesecake as well.

Okay let’s get done to business. This bar stands at 40g, a fraction bigger than the average sized bar I’m use to introducing and indulging. But this is most likely due to the filling inside as I really can’t think how they can incorporate a cheesecakes texture without inflating the normal chocolate bar a little.

The first bite was heavenly, 2 thin layers of chocolate sandwiched between a spread of cheesecake. It sounds really heavy I know, but similar to the lemon in the milk chocolate I introduced before, the fruitiness of the raspberry off-setted the heavy cheesiness and cocoa. The raspberry was lightly sprinkled inside the spread of cheesecake and therefore didn’t allow the sweetness of the cheesecake to take over at once. It was a beautiful concoction.

So how does it stand in my books? The guilt this time was a bit too much for me. Although this bar racked in full points in flavour (even thought I am biased) the aftertaste was too strong and my mouth just lingered with a sweet sensation. If you are to try this, bring water. But if you are having a stressful day, weak mental fortitude or think gym is for hipsters – this bar will give you the best of both worlds. 

Movie about chocolate

Chocolate is one of the most popular treats in the world, its only right that there was a movie about it! Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was the most famous movie about chocolate. It was released in 1975, 20 years before I was born, but I still watched it and it was one of my favourite movies to watch as a young chocolate-loving child. When I was young Cadbury ran a promotion and hid golden tickets in their products just like in this movie, I begged my parents to get one every time we visited the grocery store but never found the ticket.

This was my favourite scene in the movie, it wowed me to imagine visiting such a place!

Pana Chocolate

Pana chocolate, a guilt-free chocolate that is beautifully made in Australia. Pana chocolate is rich, smooth and velvety which is raw, vegan, gluten free, suitable for people who are coeliac and soy intolerant, low GI, and organic. Pana choclate is made using a different process than the regular process used to make chocolate. Since Pana chocolate is a raw chocolate, 42 degrees is the maximum heat level used as the nutrients must be kept in their purest form. The ingredients used to make Pana chocolate are natural and wholesome and is sweetened with agave nectar. 

Over the weekend i visited Pana chocolate which is located at 21 Fountain St, Alexandria NSW. There was a wide variety of chocolates, I had a chance to try four different types and they all taste sensational! i would rate it a 8/10. 

Have you tried Pana chocolate? Whats your favourite Pana chocolate?

Bambini and their Chocolate Ganache

Over the weekend my family and I decided to visit a relatively new restaurant that had opened up in Kincumber, Bombini. They're serve specifically Italian, after covering the menu and learning of the chocolate ganache cake they had to offer how could I wait, the entrees and mains we all had were delicious, For the entree we ordered a variety of seafood dishes and for our mains we varied with chicken, fish, venison and beef, I had the beef which was beautiful, the meat falling off the bone the meat itself soft and delicious. On for desert of the desert menu consisting of three different options, the ganache, a hazelnut chocolate gelato, their signature Bombini and raspberry desert. It was a toss up between the hazelnut chocolate gelato and the ganache. My mind was set however after seeing another patron with the ganache. The cake itself was much like a brownie in its shape the perimeter of which was a cream, probably baileys mind you my memory of the night is still hazy as their drinks were quite affordable. The texture of the ganache smooth the chocolate strength itself was not overbearing but in any case it was simply mix with some of the cream and its taste would be perfect. 

Overall Bombini score from myself: 9 out of 10

The Ganache: 10 out of 10

Bombini 366 Avoca Drive, Kincumber NSW 2251 Phone. 4381 1436
http://www.bombini.com.au/

chocolate weekly review by LIJIN：MAX BRENNER

For chocolate lovers: I often ask friend where have delicious chocolate. Is the most Max Brenner is widely recommended brand. My favorite is Strawberry White Chocolate, it is a kind of special drinks mixed White Chocolate, strawberries and yogurt, its taste sour and sweet. It comes in a white mug, "Drink Me" is writed on the mug. Melting Chocolate Heart Cake is worth to taste it. There is melted chocolate in a chocolate cake. You can uncover the surface of chocolate cake with a spoon, and inside chocolate will flow out. In addition, Max Brenner still has a lot of chocolate gift box. Max Brenner is a chocolate as the theme of the restaurant, the restaurant use chocolate to made chocolate beer, chocolate fondue, chocolate sandwich, chocolate waffles and chocolate pizza. Max Brenner is absolutely not to be missed restaurant for chocolate lovers.

The Naked Truth Chocolate - a chocolate with vinegar?

Hey All, Hoi here again, introducing another one of my new favourites from the Naked Truth. If you read my last post, you would know that it wasn’t long ago that I happened to cross roads with the Naked Truth (actually I have only reviewed one type from them here at SSCF), but the taste drew me to them once again and before I knew it, I was standing at the confectionery aisle studying the available assortments like a student cramming for finals.

The section at the mart was amazing, different shades of the chocolaty brown with the occasional red and white sprinkled amongst the assortment made my eyes open with frenzy – it was a child’s dream. However it wasn’t just the clear packaging accentuating the indulgence that made it fun, it was the clever names that I had the joy of reading while making sense of the variety that made it more like a child’s playground. The last one I got was “Grounded”, this time I got “Death By” and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

This red heaven was amazing, the raspberry sweetness combined with a hint of vinegar (Yes, it has a hint of vinegar, you did not read it wrong) gave the block a perfect balance. The sour off-setted the sweet and accentuated caramel sweetness of the base chocolate.

It was a chocolate certainly to “die” for. (Yes another pun). Certainly something I would recommend – I’m not going to rate this one as I am biased for sour foods. But if you want to try something apart from the normal chocolate bar, you won’t go wrong with this one.

chocolate weekly review by LIJIN: the little snail

The little snail is a very famous French restaurant in Sydney. I haven't eaten French food for a long time. From the time I walked in the door, everything was lovely, the waiter was attentive. The food was magnificent and surprisingly, the price of wine is very reasonable than other restaurant. We had the 3 course meal. Entree is Snails and calamari and mains is beef tenders and salmon. It is worth mentioning that the snails were amazing. Later a friend recommended that I must try the dessert. It is really delicious. I forgot the name of dessert, but I remember the taste of it. In fact, beef tenders and salmon is no surprise to me, but I am addicted to the dessert. Most of the dessert is mainly made of chocolate sauce with cream and strawberries. Bitter chocolate and delicious fruit mixed out the different taste. I can’t wait to try again. Very Yum!

Introduction to the Naked Truth

"The Naked Truth?, What is this?"

This was my first thought that came into my mind as I browsed the confectionary/sweet aisle during my weekly grocery shopping.

"Hey, at least the packaging looks sleek" - whoever the package designer was, he did an awesome job because it certainly caught my eye. The minimalistic packaging for this unknown chocolate represented something from the 80's,  an iconic rectangular bar of chocolate with clear packaging illustrating the brown indulgence underneath with a clever name to match its sweetness.

"Ground Me" was the one I got. (Picture above). As a coffee fan - the name certainly did its work, serving as a reference to the espresso kick inside and a pun to "grounding" someone (because get it, chocolate so good it's worth getting grounded for? No? Okay maybe it’s just me.) Nonetheless the iconic packaging coupled with the clever name introduced me to one of my new favourite types of chocolate available at the local supermarket.

Standing at 25 grams, its taste was what it said it was. A dark chocolate that wasn't too bitter with the coffee incorporated, the espresso carefully accentuating a subtle sweetness that paired with the dark chocolate just perfectly. If you aren't a fan of dark and bitter chocolate but would like to get into it, this would be the one I would recommend.  The convenient size and the reasonable price (I got mine for just 2 bucks) rates this lovely sweet high in my chocolate charts. The only criticism I have was the chocolate was a bit hard, the thinness of the chocolate helped in aiding the weak masticator but it still didn't give the softness of an average bar.

Overall I would rate this hipster bar a overall 9/10, its strengths being in its price, design , size/convenience and its cons being its resilience, not allowing me to engulf it (Maybe it’s a good thing though?)

Chocolates I don't like

              

I love to eat most chocolates, but there are some kinds of chocolate that I dislike. One kind of chocolate I dislike is chocolate that is heavily dark. I don’t like the very bitter taste that comes with it and prefer sweeter types of chocolate. However I do like classic dark Tim Tams. Another kind of chocolate I do not like is salted caramel chocolate. The kind of chocolate I dislike the most is definitely minty chocolates. I find that the two flavours   conflict and do not work together, but that’s just my opinion and there are heaps of people who like it. What chocolates don’t you like?

Chocolate on a cold day!

Not all chocolate comes in bars! Today it is very cold, and outside the sky if full of clouds. I have my day off to rest, and work on assignments. One of my favourite things to do on a day like this is grab a mug, pour some milk in it, and mix some chocolate powder with it and put it in the microwave to heat up. Hot chocolate is a perfect drink to help keep you warm in a day with low temperatures. When I was younger I used to do this every day during winter, either when I wake up or before I go to sleep. This brings back the memories!