Hi all
Well I now have a new blog with lots more to offer, Recipes My Portfolio of my time at midsummer, all my recent Cakes and Chocolate creations.
Please Check it out! http://chocolateshells1.wordpress.com/
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Working trip to SOSA Bacerlona
Had a fantastic day at SOSA with a warm welcome from owner Quico & Sosa`s executive chef Jordi.
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| Collected from the Airport by Quico SOSA. |
Quico SOSA, Whom many know by SOSA and his work as researcher and producer of ingredients for the restoration.
First a quick tour of the factory....
Not all of you may realise SOSA was set up as a family business & all there products still to this day are Created, produced & packaged on site. Its such a grand impressive operation run like clock work, in suck a small warehouse. With majority of the work still done by hand. The Warehouse is separated into different areas with its own nut room. All the nuts are roasted, Ground, Pressed & caramelised & packaged in this room. There was an amazing aroma coming from this room reminding me of my trip to New York for new years.
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| Nut Grinder |
Next the Freeze drying operation....
There is a fundamental difference between freeze drying and conventional drying.
With freeze drying the moisture is removed by utilizing freezing in
conjunction with pressure whereas conventional drying removes moisture by the application of
heat, in essence cooking the moisture out and thus altering the chemical and physical attributes
of the product. Due to this key difference freeze dried products retain all of the original flavour,
colour, antioxidants and essential oils.
By freeze drying common everyday ingredients and changing their form we give chefs the
opportunity to experiment with texture and intense flavour thereby giving them the tools required
to create sensational dishes that push the boundaries.
How it all works...
Freeze drying uses a process known as lyophilization to lower the temperature of the product
to below freezing and then a high pressure vacuum is applied to extract the water in the form
of a vapour. In this way the water inside the ingredient changes straight from a solid to a gas
in a process known as sublimation.
All SOSA freeze dried products are 100% natural with no additives or preservatives. The only exception
to this is the addition of maltodextrin to some of the liquids to aid in the drying. The quality
of freeze dried products is inextricably linked to the quality of the raw ingredients.
Freeze dried products have an extensive array of applications due to their intense flavour,
colour and texture.
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| The Freeze drying Machine in operation. |
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| What a Dry Stores.... |
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| Demonstration kitchen from a distance. |
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| Close up it has just about everything you could wish for in terms of Ingredients & equipment. Probably the only thing missing was a Pacco jet. |
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| The Library area & yes more sosa ingredients. |
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| Machine to produce the purée & compounds. Evaporating off the water at low temperatures with pressure keeping maximum flavour and Colour oft the natural product. |
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| Flavour room. The Essential oils being decanted in to bottles by hand.. |
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| Each bottle being individually filled, weighed by hand. |
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| SOSA Demo in Action in the Test kitchen. After been Pastry Chef for the last 17 yeas. Using SOSA products for the last 9 years, Trained in Both London & Barcelona on the Latest products. I am now Chef consultant for the Home Chocolate Factory (UK SOSA Importer), Woods food services & T & J Fine Foods. Where you will receive my full information support. There will be a selection of SOSA recipes making an appearance on this blog, Along with up to date information on products and demonstrations featured on our SOSA Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/SOSA-Ingredients-for-Modern-Gastronomy-UK/267952115242 For Further information on SOSA products: On Line Catalogue http://www.sosa.cat/ UK SOSA Importer & Supplier.: http://www.homechocolatefactory.com/ Other UK Dry stores companies that now stock SOSA products: http://www.tandjfinefoods.com/ http://www.woodsfoodservice.co.uk/ |
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
My Chocolate Shoes made a hit at The Made It Market
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| Silver Wave |
Hand Made Chocolate Shoes
My Hand Made Chocolate Shoes made there first appearance at the Christmas Made-it Market Guild Hall in Cambridge on the 27th November. I only received my moulds the day before so stayed up all night creating a collection Just for fun. Like a child on Christmas morning I couldn't wait to Play.
Took them along as display only slotted in amongst my Large milk chocolate Santa's, Christmas Trees, & other goodies.
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| Chocolate Orange |
Since then Its been shoe crazy Goodbye Santa Hello Shoes.
Each Shoe is Made from either Belgian Milk, White or an Organic 65% Dark chocolate from Peru giving a real chocolate kick.
Its then Decorated with Edible paints & glitter to give each shoe its own identity.
Even Come Flavoured (my take on Terry's chocolate orange). Strawberry milk chocolate seems to have been a popular request garnished with chocolate holly.
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| Gold Stiletto |
Postal in time for Valentines
Well watch this space. I should be fully postal operational in time for Valentines if you want to treat that Special Lady in your life. I mean What could be nicer Every women loves shoes & Chocolate!
Getting Married???
Why not have a Princes Shoe made for the table filled with my home made fudge or truffles, Now that's taking wedding favours to a new level.
CHRISTMAS COLLECTIONS
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| solid chocolate Christmas trees |
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| Large Milk Chocolate Santa |
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| Santa, Xmas tree & Snow men chocolate lollipops |
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| Ginger Bread House |
Dark chocolate may be healthier than fruit juices for a healthy heart: study
Dark chocolate may be healthier than fruit juices for a healthy heart: study
Forget fruit juices- chocolate could be an even better way to boost your health, new research shows.
Dark chocolate and cocoa have more anti-oxidant capacity than fruit juice, according to a study released Sunday in the Chemistry Central Journal.
Chocolate products also have more heart-healthy flavanols and polyphenol, the study found. The good news doesn't apply to hot cocoa mix, which is processed.
"When looking for a sweet snack, a square of dark chocolate might, in fact, be your healthiest choice," said Suzanne Steinbaum, a cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.
She wasn't surprised by the findings, noting the anti-oxidants keep arteries in tip-top shape and help prevent heart disease.
The study, conducted by the Hershey Co., compared cocoa powder and products with fruit-based powders and juices. Cocoa came out ahead on the anti-oxidant scale over blueberry, cranberry and pomegranate powder.
The differences between pomegranate juice and dark chocolate weren't significant, researchers found.
Still, dark chocolate trumped other juices in the anti-oxidant test.
"Cocao seeds should be considered a 'superfruit' and products derived from cocao seed extracts, such as natural cocoa powder and dark chocolate, as 'superfoods,'" the researchers said.
Dark chocolate long has been touted for its health benefits, including lowering blood pressure.
But chocolate milk fans, beware: The health perks don't necessarily extend to this childhood staple.
klucadamo@nydailynews.com
On this note
Chocolate Should And Can Be Part Of Your Daily Diet
Before you run to grab the closest piece of chocolate and stuff it into your mouth, take a look at the ingredients and if sugar, hydrogenated oil or anything else that sounds like a synthetic substance is listed in the ingredients, put that chocolate down! There are health benefits in that chocolate you were about to devour but it was also packaged with a bunch of unhealthy attributes that just aren’t worth consuming unless done in moderation. Fear not, there are ways you can enjoy Chocolate on a regular basis that not only tastes great but also has excellent health benefits without all the negatives.If you didn’t know already, the Chocolate we are familiar with comes from Cocoa, in the form of beans. What’s news to me is that Cocoa is actually a fruit, yes you read that right. Cocoa Beans come from the fruit of the Cacao Tree (pronounced “ka-Cow”) which grows in the rainforests of South America. The Cocoa Bean is technically a nut or seed but is commonly referred to as a bean. Dried Cocoa Beans are called Cocoa Nibs which you can find in Organic Markets and some traditional Grocery Stores. Cocoa Butter is a fatty substance derived from the fruit of the Cocoa Tree. Cocoa Butter is commonly used when making chocolate but the traditional color, flavor and the greatest health benefits come from the Cocoa Bean. A dark chocolate bar is made from Cocoa Powder mixed with Cocoa Butter and Sugar. A piece of dark chocolate with little to no sugar is an excellent option for consuming chocolate with health benefits without all the negatives. Although, I am personally not a fan of that type of dark chocolate. To me it’s like eating a fat free version of a snack that I love, just not the same.
Before I get into how to consume chocolate daily, I need to cover what the health benefits of chocolate are and why they are so important to your health.
Health Benefits of Chocolate:
- Raw Cocoa has the highest antioxidant value of all the natural foods on our planet.
- Cocoa Powder has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times the amount in green tea.
- Recent studies have shown a link between the Flavanols in Cocoa and Cardiovascular Health, reducing the risks of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes.
- Cocoa contains anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties.
- It is also a good source of calcium, manganese, sulphur, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, potassium and some B vitamins.
- A high content level of sulfur is also in Cocoa. Sulfur has numerous health benefits including detoxifying the liver, supporting healthy functioning of the pancreas and helping to build strong nails, hair and beautiful skin.
- Cocoa contains Tryptophan, best known for making you tired after eating Turkey, which makes the neurotransmitter Serotonin. Serotonin makes us happy and contains many other health benefits.
- The brain also benefits from the consumption of chocolate because it contains neurotransmitters such as dopamine, phenylethylamine (PEA), anandamide and MAO Inhibitors.
- Consuming dark chocolate has been indicated to increase your sensitivity to insulin, a protective affect against diabetes. Eating sugar with chocolate obviously negates these benefits.
- Dark chocolate can also help you lose weight because Cocoa contains appetite-suppressant properties.
- Cocoa Butter in its natural form is fattening but with all the right fats, heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, oleic acid. Also found in Olive Oil and is believed to raise the level of “good” cholesterol, High Density Lipid (HDL) Cholesterol.
- (HDL) Cholesterol.
The best way to eat chocolate regularly, in my opinion, is to mix it with foods that are also beneficial to your health. Just to be clear, the three forms of chocolate that should be consumed regularly are raw and unprocessed Cocoa Powder, Cocoa Nibs and Dark Chocolate with little to no sugar. Even though I recommend that you eat these healthy forms of chocolate daily, anything eaten at unnaturally high quantities is never a good idea and let’s face it, I am not a doctor. Ok, now that I can’t be sued let's get into how you can consume these forms of chocolate without being completely grossed out.
Methods of Consumption:
- My favorite way to indulge in healthy chocolate is to blend it into a smoothie. Add some Cocoa Powder or Cocoa Nibs and blend it with some fruit and Almond Milk, delicious!
- Some people eat Cocoa Nibs raw, I think you need to be hardcore to do that.
- You can melt healthy dark chocolate just like any other chocolate and eat it with healthy snacks, fondue anyone?
- You can also eat a small square of dark chocolate per day, with little to no sugar. Again not my cup of tea but you might like it.
- The best suggestion I can give is to search for recipes that contain one of the healthy forms of chocolate and find something you can enjoy eating regularly.
- Try one of my 65% Organic Dark Chocolate spoons made into a hot chocolate.
Now go out there and enjoy this wonderful fruit, I just think that sounds funny, that can be so beneficial to your health and make sure everyone knows what you now know about Chocolate.
Monday, 14 February 2011
Valentines Chocolate
Where are the best places in the world to spend Valentine's Day?
The strangest new location has to be your own driveway or garage, providing that you like chocolate, and providing that your Valentine has just bought you a $28,780 "chocolate" car.
Just in time for the Valentine's Day market, Mercedes Benz unveiled its chocolate-themed Smart car in Tokyo last month. The chocolate brown car features lots of patterns that look like bars of chocolate, and even the dashboard appears as if it might melt off on your hands.
Never mind that it would be $28,775 cheaper to say I love you with a box of actual chocolates.
Non of these Hollow sorry efforts Like what's available in some of the leading supermarkets this year. Want to spend a little more have your Vase Filled with hand made Truffles & solid chocolate mini hearts hand wrapped in pink & red foils to add a little colour.
An interesting but delicious array of flavoured truffles on offer everything from Bay leaf Ganache encased in a crisp milk chocolate shell, Coffee cream swirls, Soft Salted Caramels, Organic Dark chocolate & lime to Pistachio in White chocolate.
Want something a little more personal?
Have your own Message Piped on to a large solid chocolate Heart. Want your chocolate Flavoured go with Orange, Lime or strawberry.
Or send a chocolate Text through the post
Gift wrapped with your own short Message Piped
in chocolate, what better way to tell some one I love you!
Want something a little more simple, Less quirky....
We do a 6 or 12 box of hand made chocolates. Either choose from my chocolate selection or ask about my Design your own chocolate.
What ever you choose to send this year, I hope its from Chocolate Shells http://www.facebook.com/chocolateshells
Please join me next week for the launch of my Easter collection!
Have your say Please feel free to leave your Ideas on on my facebook page. Where you can send me a Private message to place your order.
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