BOOK REVIEW! Hotel Chocolat - Morning to Midnight

I came across Hotel Chocolat in Arndale, Manchester, and was delighted to taste a number of diverse chocolate goodies which ranged from simple salted caramel puddles or buttons to delicate strawberry champagne truffles. Coming to think of it, walking through the shop alone was a mouthwatering affair. 

Hotel Chocolat are the only cocoa growers in England, and boy do they know what they're doing. I found myself oogling a wide spectrum of items such as huge chocolate slabs, enrobed fruit (cherries, sultanas, mango and orange, to name a few), choco smudge spreads (classic chocolate, caramel or peanut) and luxuriously prepared box sets which included a selection of different truffles, nutty pralines and more. I wanted them all. I want them all. All minus the boozy ones. 

Hotel Chocolat was kind enough to present me with a complimentary copy of their 'Hotel Chocolat - Morning to Midnight: A book of chocolate recipes for the whole day and night'.  A new book. A new chocolate book. Needless to say, I was over the moon. 

This sizeable book is composed of diverse chocolate related recipes from host of cookery writers such as Mary Berry, Anna Del Conte, Jeremy Lee and Joanna Farrow to mention a few. 'Morning to Midnight' begins with an introductory chapter which discusses different 'basics' such as 'Getting to Know Chocolate', 'Types of Chocolate', 'How to Taste Chocolate' and 'Working with Chocolate'. 

Recipes in 'Morning to Midnight' literally span the time between dawn and dusk. By this I mean that a section is dedicated to each of the following: breakfast, elevenses, lunch (chocolate pasta, anyone?) and teatime. 

The book is a treasure trove for those who may be tempted to use chocolate in innovative ways. 

Hotel Chocolat products can be purchased in any of their shops as well as directly off their website, and, whilst some items do indeed seem to be on the pricey side, the quality and presentation is of the highest level. I'm itching to go back! 

Had you heard of Hotel Chocolat? Or even better, have you ever tasted any Hotel Chocolat chocolate? Let me know in the comments!

Renewed thanks to Hotel Chocolat. 

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

I found a pink Spode 'Camilla' teacup and saucer in Oxfam - what a steal! Silly silly person who decided to part with it. That said, lucky lucky me.

Ingredients for the frosting:

• 100g cream cheese 
• 100g unsalted butter 
• 250g icing sugar 
• seeds of 1/4 vanilla pod 
• food colouring (optional) 

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

• 100g unsalted butter 
• 100g caster sugar 
• pinch of salt 
• seeds of 1/4 vanilla pod 
• 2 eggs 
• 100g self-raising flour 

Ingredients for the sugar syrup:

• 75ml water 
• 75ml caster sugar 
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 

Method for the frosting:

1. Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer,  beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
2. Place the unsalted butter, icing sugar and vanilla pod seeds into another mixing bowl and cream until very pale and fluffy. This may take a few minutes.
3. Slowly add the cream cheese into the fluffy butter mixture and beat on a medium-high speed until combined. 
4. Add food colouring and beat for another minute or so, until homogeneous. Note that this is entirely optional. (I used a few drops of lilac colouring).
5. Move the frosting into the refrigerator.

Method for the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, salt and the vanilla pod seeds until very pale and fluffy.
3. In another bowl, beat the eggs lightly and slowly begin to add them to the butter mixture whilst beating quickly. If the mixture starts to curdle or separate, stop adding the egg and beat in 2-3 tbsp of flour in order to rebind your mixture.
4. Once all the egg has been incorporated, sift the flour into your mixing bowl and fold the batter until just combined. This will ensure light and fluffy cupcakes. 
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cupcake liners until 2/3 full and bake for around 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cupcake emerges dry. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and leave them to rest for around 10 minutes.

Method for the sugar syrup:

1. Place the water, sugar and vanilla extract in a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. Simmer until all the sugar crystals have dissolved.
3. Set aside and leave to cool slightly. 

Putting all the yumness together:

1. Using a toothpick or skewer, poke a number of holes (say, 3 or 4) into each cupcake and then use a pastry brush to soak the top of each cupcake with the sugar syrup.
2. Leave to cool completely.
3. Frost as you prefer! - I used a small offset spatula.
4. Decorate if you wish. - I used small star sprinkles. 
5. Prepare a cup of tea and enjoy!

* As in Peggy Porschen's 'Boutique Baking: Delectable Cakes, Cupcakes and Teatime Treats'. I have nothing but words of praise for this book! - Click here for a book review. 

Makes 10-12 large cupcakes. 

BOOK REVIEW! Boutique Baking: Delectable Cakes, Cupcakes and Teatime Treats - Peggy Porschen

I received Peggy Porschen's 'Boutique Baking' a few hours before one of my final exams in Philosophy and immediately noticed that keeping myself from pouring over it for hours at a go was going to require all the self-control that I could muster. I kept it close by and kept on revising. I sat for the exam. I came home. And then I almost literally devoured the book. In Maltese we would say 'kiltu' (which literally means that I 'ate' the book).

I like the look of 'Boutique Baking'. Everyone likes the look of 'Boutique Baking'. The cover itself (illustrated by Carol Gillott) is quite different to that of other cookbooks and the bottom part of the front cover that features the tables, chairs, teacups, teapots, cupcakes and a little dog reminds me of something that Beatrix Potter might have illustrated. 

Anyway, 'Boutique Baking' and I were destined to become best friends. Forever friends. Look at the pictures below. The photography inside is superb and the 'props' that Porschen uses in each photo fit perfectly. Every 'setup' is picture perfect as each dessert and its mode of presentation, be it a cake stand or a candy jar, for instance, is coordinated beautifully with teacups, saucers, flower arrangements and a backdrop that compliments all that is set against it.  

Porschen's divides 'Boutique Baking' into 'Sweet Treats', 'Beautiful Biscuits', 'Cupcake Heaven', 'Luscious Layer Cakes', 'Classic Cakes & Bakes', 'Delicious Drinks and 'The Icing on the Cake' and, whilst I usually like the look of a select few recipes in each book that I pick up, I want to bake almost every sweet treat that Porschen has included. Each dessert that I've tried out so far both looks and tastes absolutely divine. My favourites are the Neapolitan Marble Cake, the Chocolate Crunch Cake and the Vanilla Cupcakes - and I'm extremely tempted to bake either the Creamy Caramel Cake or the Sticky Toffee Cupcakes tonight. Please don't suggest that I bake both, as I would, were it not for the awkward looks of others. 

As the book is made up of almost 200 pages and costs only 20 GPB, I'd recommend Porschen's 'Boutique Baking' to any reader who enjoys pretty, yet makeable, desserts. 

Pink Vanilla Marshmallows

YES! You can make marshmallows! 

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 tsp unflavoured gelatine powder
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup glucose syrup (divided)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup icing sugar

Method:

1. Prepare by bringing all ingredients and measuring cups onto your working surface. Read the method to get a clear idea about the order of things because when mallowing everything pretty much happens at once. 
2. Dust your 8"/8" tin with some of the icing sugar.
3. Add the gelatine to the cold water and leave to sit for 5 minutes. 
4. Place the sugar, half the glucose syrup (1/4 cup), water and salt in a small pan, clip on your sugar thermometer and turn the heat onto high. Stir occasionally.
5. In the meantime, pour the remaining glucose syrup (1/4 cup) into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. 
6. Microwave the gelatine on high for around 30 seconds (until completely melted) and pour into the mixer bowl. Set the mixer to low and keep it running.
7. When the syrup reaches 115 °C, slowly pour the syrup into the mixing bowl. 
8. Increase the speed to medium and whisk for 5 minutes. 
9. Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk for 5 more minutes.
10. Finally, whisk on the highest setting for 2 minutes. The mallow will now be completely opaque, fluffy and tripled in size.
11. Pour it into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to level it out. 
12. Sift icing sugar evenly on top and leave to set overnight. 
13. Use a knife to loosen the mallow from the sides of the tin and invert the mallow slab onto a coated work surface. Cut into whatever size pieces you wish (using either a knife or a pizza cutter for squares) and dip the sticky edges into icing sugar. 

I chose to make pink marshmallows but feel free to tint yours with any mallowy colour you  might prefer. You could also layer a number of colours into the same tin. I've done it and it's pretty straightforward. Working quickly, simply divide the vanilla mallow into two (or three) bowls and add the desired colour to each. When filling up the tin, level each layer with an offset spatula before adding the next to ensure straight and even stripes when cutting the mallow slab into bite size marshmallows later on.   

* As in 'Marshmallow Madness' by Shauna Sever. Note that the original recipe calls for light corn syrup and cornstarch or potato starch but I have substituted these for glucose syrup and icing sugar and the former are impossible to come across where I live. Click here for a mallow related book review and don't forget to join me on Facebook!