Celebrate the Queens Super 60 Years

Inspired by the Queens incredible 60 years we decided to create some limited edition beautifully British chocolates.
So what quintessentially British things would create great chocolate flavours?  My first thought was curry!  We experimented with curry a few years ago and it does go wonderfully with milk chocolate however we thought it may not be everyone's cup of tea and we did think we could be more British than that.

A search on the internet  revealed some typically British desserts and top of the list was Eton Mess.  Now there is a lot of mythical legend that surrounds the creation of Eton Mess.  Originally served in the 1930s at an annual cricket match that Eton plays it was a creation of strawberries and cream or even bananas and cream.  It is thought that meringue was added in the 70's.  The legend part of the story is that at one stage it was dropped on the floor, picked up and still served!  With a fabulous story like that we couldn't resist creating a strawberries, cream and meringue chocolate.

We were busy brainstorming flavours that go with dark chocolate when Earl Grey Tea came up.  I personally love Earl Grey Tea.  Tea is a very tricky flavour to bring out in chocolate.  We brewed Earl Grey Tea in cream over night and then mixed it in with dark chocolate, YUM!  Rumour has it Earl Grey Tea was developed for Earl Grey to suit the predominance of lime in his water at home.

Citrus is always a great mix with white chocolate and when I think of white chocolate I think of lemon, and what goes well with lemon - gin!  England has an interesting history surrounding Gin.  When international relations with France turned sour, England put a huge tax on imported liquor at the same time as allowing unlicensed brewing of gin, hip hip hooray it suddenly became very cheap to brew gin and there was a big demand.  Of course this had ongoing ramifications that weren't particularly pleasant but I can say it goes beautifully with white chocolate and lemon.

Celebrate Mum this Mother's Day

As April gives way to May our thoughts tend to turn to Mother’s Day.  As I was thinking about what to write about Mother’s Day I realised I have never in my life actually learnt about how Mother’s Day started.

I was pleased to find out that even though Mother’s Day as we know it has largely come from a western concept and been adopted by countries in the 20^th century, the celebration of mothers has in fact been happening for centuries.

It all started with an Antolian figure called Cybele.  Along with a number of other goddesses she was referred to as the Earth Mother or Great Mother.  According to Wikipedia, Athens evoked her as a protector and she “arrives in a lion drawn chariot to the accompaniment of wild music, wine and a disorderly following”, reflective of the modern day family?  A number of Roman and Greek festivals celebrated Cybele and could be viewed as the first Mother’s Day festivals.

Modern Day Mother’s Day around the world is a mix of Mother’s Days and International Women’s Days.  In some cultures it is highly offensive to your Mum not to mark Mother’s Day – keep that in mind boys!

Some of the more  fascinating ways Mother’s Day has come into being include the commemoration of the Battle of Coronilla in Bolivia which took place 27^th of May 1812, in this battle women fighting for the country’s independence were killed by the Spanish Army.  In Indonesia Mother’s Day is celebrated on the 22^nd of December, it was the first day of the Indonesian Women Congress in 1928.  It was attended by 30 feminist organisations from 12 cities.  In Egypt Mother’s Day was introduced by journalist Mustafa Amin in his book ‘Smiling America’.  Amin became an advocate for having a Mother’s Day after he was inspired by the story of a widowed mother who devoted her life to her son who became a doctor, married and left without showing her any gratitude.

In New Zealand we adopted the American form of Mother’s Day, we even celebrate it on the same date.  While traditions vary around the world in New Zealand, as I am sure you are all aware Mother’s Day is a time to say “Thanks Mum!” , spend some special time together and give Mum a break for the day. 

So where does chocolate fit in to Mother’s Day?  I could be scientific and say chocolate will help your Mum relax!  The release of endorphins aided by chocolate calms the mind!  Or you could have fun making Mum a cake or visiting a Devonport Chocolates store to choose a delicious gift for her.

For the love of chocolate

Have you noticed that over the last 10 years New Zealand has seen an increase in the number of gourmet chocolate producers and even the big names like Whittakers, Cadburys and Nestle seem to be bringing out more variations of chocolate.  This is because New Zealanders are embracing chocolate like never before and whether you prefer gourmet handmade chocolate or need a quick fix from your supermarket, more and more of you are enjoying chocolate.  To celebrate New Zealanders obsession with chocolate and as a continuation of her own my Mum, Stephanie Everitt was asked by Bateman Publishing to write a book on the history of chocolate in New Zealand and she spent a year researching, experimenting and cooking to produce a book with something for all chocoholics.  If you like to bake with chocolate, want to make your own delicious truffles or want to know a few tips and tricks of the trade this is a great book to add to your collection (but of course I would say that!).  This sweet little treat of a book will made a great present for Mother’s Day or try this delicious recipe below just one of the heaps that didn’t make it into the book but it is still delicious!

For the love of chocolate is available from all good book stores , Whitcoulls and Devonport Chocolates stores.

White Chocolate Macadamia Biscotti

Makes about 70 pieces

180g unsalted butter, melted & cooled

230g caster sugar

3 eggs (room temperature)

Finely grated zest of three lemons

1 teaspoon natural vanilla extra

200g Devonport Chocolates white chocolate calletts

120g macadamia nut halves

375g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius

Line two trays with baking paper

Combine melted butter, sugar, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk with a fork

Stir in the chocolate and macadamia nuts.

In another bowl sift together the flour and baking powder.

Add to the butter mixture stirring with a wooden spoon to form a soft , sticky dough.

Divide the mixture into four equal portions

Transfer each portion to a lightly floured board and shape into 5 x 20cm log

Place on the trays 8cm apart, allowing room for spreading, flatten each log slightly with your hand.

Bake, swapping trays halfway through for 30 – 35 minutes or until logs are firm to touch.

Set aside to cool on trays.

Reduce the oven temperature to 150 degrees Celsius.

Use a sharp knife to cut the 2 logs into 1cm thick slices on an angle

Spread on the trays, bake, turning them over halfway through cooking for 20 minutes or until the biscotti are crisp and beginning to colour.

Cool on the trays.

Repeat with the remaining logs.

The biscotti will keep for two weeks if stored in an airtight container.

This recipe is ideal to use for a gift.

Pack the biscotti in attractive jars, tins or boxes. Line the boxes and tins with strips of baking paper and tie with ribbon, string or raffia.