The First Truffle

I’m 11 years old. I’m in the kitchen, melting butter and fetching icing sugar from the top shelf. I cut a bar of chocolate into small pieces, just as it says in the instructions, and put them carefully in to the pot of melted butter. I feel like I’m in a science lab, combining different elements, working with various equipments and anticipating the result. I’ve been told that you can make your own chocolate balls (not yet learned the word truffle), that this is how it’s done. I blend all the ingredients together, pour the mixture into a small glass lasagna pan and place it in the fridge. Now I have to wait.

I take my dog for a walk down by the ocean. He likes wading in the water, never seams to mind how cold it is. Then we take the shortcut home, through the small forest and over the hill. It’s been over 45 minutes, its time to check on my batch. I ceremoniously put on my Snoopy apron and retrieve the pan from the fridge. I take a teaspoon and scoop out a piece that I place in my cocoa coated hands. With slow and careful movements, I roll the chocolate between my small palms. It’s a bit stickier than I anticipated, but it works! I manage to roll a perfectly round chocolate ball! I could scream with joy, but I know that mother is studying in the living room, not to be disturbed. My batch yields over 20 mini chocolate balls. They are supposed to be tossed in shredded coconut, but all I have is oats. That will do. I cautiously sprinkle oats over the truffles and place them on a small oval platter. It’s time to make some tea.

I no longer have the Snoopy apron and my hair is a bit shorter, but I still have the same sense of wonder when I bake. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new or old recipe. I never quite know how things will turn out, what it will taste like.

I’ve tried various truffle recipes over the years, they are all good. Some require more skills than others, but most of them are fairly basic. Let’s start with a simple one.

Terrific Truffles

240 g dark chocolate

120 g butter

2 egg yolks

120 g icing sugar

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

50 ml whipping cream (or half and half)

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Obviously you need a heat resistant bowl, not the wafer thin china kind. Once the chocolate has melted, add butter cut into cubes. Slowly stir until its all blended. Remove the bowl from the heat. Add egg yolks and sift in icing sugar and salt. Keep stirring. Then you add whipping cream and vanilla. The batch should be thick and glossy. In other words, quite tempting.

Put the preparation in the fridge for at least an hour. Its ready when you can form small balls in the palm of your hand without making a total mess. You can also pour the mix directly into little chocolate moulds. I have rose and heart shaped ones. Another option is to put the chilled truffle-mix in an icing bag and create rosettes and stars. One batch, many options.

Once you have created a multitude of truffle shapes, put them back into the fridge for a little while. You can stop right there, or you can take the extra step of rolling them in cocoa powder, shredded coconut, slivered almonds, milk chocolate shavings, use whatever you have on hand. In a pinch, you can even use plain old oats.

Happy baking!

F is for Frosting

Frosting is tricky, or it can be. Burnt chocolate, grainy texture, overpowering butter flavour, not enough to cover the top and the side of the cake, the whole experience can leave you quite deflated. You might get the frosting right, but your cake could still end up lap-sided and unsightly. Is it any wonder that so many people simply buy cakes and leave the baking to the professionals? How many times have I butchered a layer-cake by cutting the layers uneven, messing up the serving platter with dripping frosting and fingerprints, and utterly failing to smooth out the top coat of the cake? Endless times I tell you, endless. But I never gave up. I always knew it was possible to create an inviting, tall, proud and perfect layer-cake. Yet all the recipes I tried always left out those helpful hints that would make this dream a reality. I guess the census is that if you are brave enough to try a recipe that requires more than your average cooking skills, you already know everything there is to know. No point being helpful or anything, just leave the baker guessing and frustrated.

The thing is, it's not that difficult. After all, we are  not entering a small town baking contest or trying out for a French pastry school (even though I would love to!) I simply want to bake a cake that doesn’t look like it belongs in the stage production of Rent.  

Of course, most people are thrilled beyond recognition whenever they are served anything home made, (you made that from scratch???), but don’t let this kind of admiration and enthusiasm slow you down. Aim higher, raise the bar, you can bake a cake and decorate it too. But before we get started, read and treasure the following tricks I’ve picked up along the way. 

Baking pan: Guess what? It turns out that the pan measurements they recommend in the recipes does matter. And here is why: If your baking pan is too big, the cake will not get as tall, and it can easily over-cook. A dry, thin, layer cake is just not worth it. And if the pan is too small, well, then the batter will overflow. So measure your pan.

Cutting the cake into layers: This part was always my downfall. How to cut the cake without reducing it to a ground zero zone with crumbs and uneven layers all over the kitchen counter? I tried a longer and sharper knife. I tried making a small insert along the side of the cake so I would know where to match up the layers again. I tried eyeballing it, good luck with my eye sight. The truth is, I was not getting anywhere. Sometimes I would get it right, sometimes not, there was just no telling. I needed an airtight technique, something I could always trust.   

Then one day I read about the ruler, and the power of patience. You take an ordinary ruler and carefully make little marks all around the cake, 1” or 2” high or however thick you want the layers to be. Then when you get ready to cut the cake, you will without a shadow of a doubt cut the layers 100% even, just follow the marks. What used to be the hair-pulling experience is now a faultless Zen moment. So easy, so simple, so brilliant.

Another advice, be realistic. If the recipe says to cut the cake into three layers, but your cake didn’t rise that much, be happy with only two. Sliver thin layers only fall apart anyways.

Frosting tools: A frosting knife and an icing bag, go out and get them. With one big swoosh the frosting knife will spread the frosting perfectly even and smooth. No spatula or regular knife could ever measure up. The icing bag, the fantastic icing bag will become your best friend. Do you want to make rosettes along the edge of the cake, draw an art deco pattern in the middle, or how about a nice border along the side? Try doing that with a spoon or some other medieval tool. Equipped with a frosting bag there are is no end to how pretty and professional your cake will look. It’s all about those finishing touches.

So what is the point of all of this? The point is to make you see that making a great cake, a layer-cake, is not only easy, it’s great fun. Once you get the hang of it nothing can stop you. You will find yourself making all kinds of patterns, experimenting with different frosting techniques, whipping up cakes and decorating them in no time.

Life is too short to eat tasteless (store bought), unattractive (home made with no skills), cakes, so get baking.

The recipe I have in mind today is from my dearest grandmother. She only makes it for birthdays or very special occasions. If I see this cake on the dessert table, I know its a particular important day. The cake is not very fancy, it doesn’t require any mystical ingredients or delicate equipment, but it is your classic, rich, timeless chocolate layer-cake.

 Grandma Inger’s Chocolate Cake

6 eggs

200g sugar                                                      Frosting

125g chocolate                                               120g butter

3 tablespoon butter                                         200g chocolate

120g flour                                                       400g icing sugar

1 tablespoon cocoa                                         A pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 175ºC and line a 12” round baking pan with non-stick baking paper. Don’t worry about greasing or lining the side of the pan. You actually want the cake to stick to the side. This will prevent your cake from falling down after rising. My mother thought me that.

Beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until it has at least tripled in size, and the colour has transformed from pale yellow to almost white. This could take a while, so in the meantime melt chocolate and butter over low heat. While that is slowly melting, whisk together flour, cocoa and baking powder.

After the chocolate mixture has cooled down to room temperature, alternate between adding this mixture and the flour mixture to the foamy egg batch. Stir in between, it must all be evenly blended.   

Lovely, now pour your batter into the cake pan and bake for 45 minutes. As always, rotate the pan after 20 minutes, and check if its done after 30. Just insert a needle, or something similar, in the middle of the cake and see how it comes out. If its covered in drippy batter, the cake clearly needs to remain in the oven. If the needle is coated with moist crumbs, remove the cake from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Leave it there for 10-15 minutes. Then take a small, sharp, knife and run it along the sides of the pan to release the cake. Turn the cake up side down, either by letting it rest in your hand or on a platter, and remove the bottom of the pan along with the baking paper. Put the cake back on the cooling rack and let it cool down for another 30 minutes or so.

I always like to make the frosting while the cake is baking. Then the frosting has time to set and cool down for when the cake is ready.

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. When melted, add eggs and alt and stir until its all incorporated and blended. Add the icing sugar, a little at a time.  Whisk carefully until your frosting is smooth and shiny. (If for some reason you frosting is more dull than shiny, you can always add a tiny bit of milk or whipping cream. Another helpful hint they don’t tell you in the recipe books.)

Here is a confession. I always have a bit of extra chocolate or some whipping cream on hand when making this kind of cake. Why? Because I know there is a real chance of running out of frosting. In order to stretch my batch, I can melt more chocolate or whip up some cream and mix it in with the left-over frosting. Either way, the result is often that it looks like I’ve made 2 or 3 different frostings, quite impressive. There is a dark frosting for the layers, then a lighter frosting for the outside of the cake. The trick is always to make your mistakes look intentional. I learned that when sewing, but it also applies to baking.

Now, get out your ruler and make small, but visible, marks all around your cake. If you are cutting it in 3 layers, you can make marks for both cuts at the same time. Cut your cake by following the marks, and put your layers carefully down on separate plates. First you put a blob of frosting on the bottom layer of the cake. With your icing knife spread the frosting evenly. If your frosting isn’t even, the cake will end up uneven, so it’s important to get this right from the beginning. Then you take the second layer of the cake and place it on top of the frosting. Spread frosting on this layer as well. At last, place the top of the cake on that layer of frosting, and now we move on to the decorating part.

To coat the top, place a blob of frosting in the middle of the cake and spread it (with your frosting knife of course) out to the edges. You might spill some over the edge, let it be. Then spread a thing layer of frosting all around the side of the cake. Put the cake in the fridge for 10 minutes. Once the frosting is set it will be easier to add the second coat, and it will also prevent crumbs from getting into the mix. Apply the second coat of frosting to top and side. Like before, coat the top first, then the side. Take your time, no point in rushing it. As you will notice, a ridge will form along the edge where the top and the side meet. Hold the icing knife at an angle and smooth the ridge towards the centre. Easy does it. Rotate the cake and repeat until the ridge is gone.

Put the remainder for the frosting in an icing bag (with the star nozzle in place), and make little flowers along the edge of the cake. You might want to practice on a plate first.

See! That wasn’t so hard! It just takes time, but its not difficult. Who’s the Domestic Goddess now?

Coca-Cola Cake

We all need a friend from the South, a good friend. Someone who can tell us cute anecdotes from the filming of Gone with the Wind (1,400 candidates were interviewed for the role of Scarlett O’Hara), who can say y’all without sounding like a idiot, and who has a treasure box full of rich and mouth-watering recipes. I’m talking recipes so sinful that they would terrify and haunt the low-carb, non-fat, soy-addicted inhabitants of the West Coast. Deep fried okra, lemon meringue pie, skillet cornbread, pecan-peach cobbler, and rosemary catfish, just to mention a few.

It was after lunch, and I was sulking at my desk. I awoke from my depressed slumber when all of a sudden my friend  rushed in to the office. Her ponytail was askew, she was wearing my favourite Terminator t-shirt and carried an oversized baking pan. This could only be good. To my surprise she put the pan down on my desk and whipped out a giant bread knife. “I heard you only got ice cream, so I baked us this cake.” She was right. I had only gotten ice cream.  We were all supposed to get cake on our birthdays, but the management had decided we were too busy to get me a cake this year. Instead I was given a tiny little ice cream. Emphasis on tiny, and not even chocolate flavoured. “The cake is still warm, so the frosting might be a bit runny.” Frosting! Cake! Chocolate cake! I was so happy. Only a true Southern friend would comprehend the importance of getting a birthday cake, and that no miniscule ice cream could ever replace it. I helped myself to a giant piece, and soon my other colleagues were gathered around, longingly awaiting their share. Not only did we love the cake, but we were so very thrilled to have our own secret cake party. I guess there is something to forbidden fruit, or cake for that matter. And the cake, the cake was the famous Cracker Barrel Chocolate Coca Cola Cake.  Never heard of it? Neither had I, but it only took me one bite to make me realize I’d been missing out. Ever since that birthday I have been stuck on this cake like white on rice.

When you feel ready to embrace you inner Southern girl, or boy, follow the recipe below.

Coca Cola Chocolate Cake

Finally a recipe for the metric readers!                                                           

225 g butter

3 tablespoon cocoa

50 g melted dark chocolate

2 dl coca cola (isn’t this fun!)

2 big eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4.5 dl sugar

1 dl buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking powder

4.5 dl flour

Frosting:

100 g butter

50 g melted dark chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons coca cola

500 g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 170ºC and line a baking pan (approximately 20x30 cm) with baking paper.

Melt butter and chocolate together, then add cocoa and coca cola and give it a good stir. (It might fizz and bubble a bit, just like a magic potion.) Whisk together eggs and vanilla, add sugar and buttermilk. Then you stir inn flour and baking powder. Add all of this to the butter/coca cola mixture and give it a good stir. 

This batter will be on the thin side, it’s not a hefty thing that you have to scrape out of the baking bowl with force and determination. I’m just mentioning it, just in case you feel tempted to add more flour. Don’t.

Pour (with ease and grace) the batter in to the baking pan and bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through, in case you have one of those temperamental ovens that don’t cook things evenly.

When done baking, take it out of the oven, but leave the cake in the pan.

While the cake is baking away, make the frosting.

Melt butter and chocolate over low heat. When melted, add cocoa, coca cola and vanilla. Then you add the icing sugar and stir until its all nice and even.

When the cake has cooled down for perhaps 15-20 minutes, pour the frosting over it while its still in the pan. Most cake recipes require that you cool down the cake first, and then you deal with the frosting and the decorating part. However, by doing it this way the frosting seals in the moisture and ensures that the cake remains, well, moist. In addition this will allow some of the frosting to seep into the cake. Devine.

Put the cake in the fridge until the frosting has firmed up, then its ready to be enjoyed and eaten.  Or, if its an emergency, like it was on my birthday, serve it right away. Just warn your guests that it might get a bit messy.

Bella Biscoctus

How we relate to food, and who eats what when, has changes a lot over the centuries. Queen Elizabeth 1st  drank strong, dark ale, for breakfast (no protein shake for this monarch), George W. Bush banned broccoli from the White House, and biscotti used to be the staple food for the Roman Legion. Not because this dry cookie went so well with their flask of latte, but because it had a long storage life. Still has. Biscotti is Italian for “baked twice”, and that is exactly what you do. First you bake it as a loaf, and then you slice it up and bake it again. It’s delicious, scrumptious, and you can tweak the recipe to add almost any flavour you like. Guess which one I adore the most?

Chocolate-Honey-Lavender Biscotti

You didn’t expect that! You thought it would be a pure chocolate galore fest. But no, I like to use other flavours as well. After I discovered lavender sugar at Waitrose, I’ve been looking for any excuse to use it. It’s great for shortbread, but that is another recipe. Now on to our Roman treats.

Note: if you don’t have lavender sugar, just add some dried lavender blossoms.

2 ¼ cups white flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup lavender sugar 

3 large eggs

3 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoon pine nuts

½ cup toasted almond flakes

½ vanilla extract

100 g dark chocolate

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put on your apron and your Dean Martin CD, and let the baking begin.

Whisk together all the dry stuff except for the sugar, and set aside. This includes the nuts and the almonds as well.

In a big bowl, whisk together the sugar and the eggs. Then you stir in the honey and vanilla. Sprinkle the dry ingredients into the bowl, and fold the two mixes together until just combined. This batter may appear sticky, but resist the temptation to add more flour. We want a light and crisp result, not dense and heavy.

Put the dough on the table and divide it in half.  Put the halves on a lined baking tray, and quickly shape the dough into loafs. Make sure your hands are coated with flour; it will help with the stickiness. Or, use a rubber spatula. In either case, you want the lovely loafs to be approximately 12 x 2 inches each. 

Put the tray in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until they appear golden and begin to crack at the top.

Take the tray out of the oven and let the loafs cool for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 325. When the 10 minutes are up, use a wide metal spatula to transfer the loafs on to a cutting board. With a serrated knife cut both loafs diagonally into thin slices. They should be thinner than a slice of bread, but wider than a cracker. One time I forgot to slice diagonally and just sliced away in a straight line. The biscotti ended up looking so plain and dull; the diagonal cut really adds something. Anyways.

Lay the slices on a baking tray and bake for 7 minutes. Turn them over and bake for another 7 minutes. When done baking, transfer them to a wire wrack and let them cool.

Melt dark chocolate and pour it into an icing bag. A plain zip-lock back will also do. Cut a tiny slit in one corner of the bag so the chocolate will come out in a thin line.

Create a zigzag pattern on each biscotti, or draw any pattern you prefer. This one is just so easy, and quick to do with this many cookies.

If you can handle the wait, don’t eat the biscotti until the chocolate has hardened. If you can’t wait, don’t burn yourself on the hot chocolate.

Biscotti can be stored in an airtight container for about a month, but I seriously don’t think there will be a need for that.

I like cheese and I like cake

I am not very athletic, to put it mildly. I love walking, swimming, biking, and I always take the stairs instead of the elevator. It’s just that the concept of dressing up in spandex in order to sweat in public is totally lost on me.

My PE teacher wrote in my school report: “Inger is fonder of making flower crowns than participating in running and team-sports.” You bet.

However, when I read that the Greek athletes were served cheesecake during the very first Olympic Games back in 776 B.C, I suddenly found myself motivated to throw a disk or two.

I asked a friend if he liked cheesecake and got the reply: “Well, I like cheese and I like cake.” With that line of logic in mind we move on to my next recipe; chocolate cheese cake. Yes, I do like chocolate and I do like cheese. 

This cake is very easy to make, and it looks really impressive. People will think you have attended some advanced cake-decorating class, when in fact all you did was swirl some melted chocolate about with a soup spoon. You’ll see what I mean, just follow the recipe below.

Chocolate Cheese Cake

You need:

225 g Digestive biscuits (or shortbread, chocolate chip cookies, graham cracker... Up to you really)

100 g melted butter

750 g cream cheese

¼ cup sour cream

3 eggs

1 ¼ cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

75g dark melted chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350.

Throw the biscuits in a food processor and pour in the melted butter. Pulse until blended. If you don’t have a food processor, don’t despair. Crush up the biscuits and put them inside a sealed, clear bag. Get out a rolling pin and roll it over the bag until you have fine crumbs. Put this in a bowl and stir in the melted butter. See, easy, just how our grandmothers used to do it.

Butter the bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan, and empty in the crumb/butter mix. Press until it’s an even layer. Bake for about 13 minutes, or until the sides start to brown. Pre-baking the crust will prevent it from becoming soggy when you pour the batter over it.

Place cream cheese in a bowl of an electric mixer and beat with medium speed until the cheese starts to look smooth. Stop the machine, scrap the mixer blade and the side of the bowl, and then restart the mixer. Repeat this a few times. There is a reason for this repetitive instruction, namely a silky smooth batter. Ever tried a lumpy cheese cake? No thank you. So mix and scrape, mix and scrape until all lumps are far gone. Once you have added the eggs it’s too late, so it’s now or never. Once smooth, you gradually add the sugar. Then add vanilla and one egg at a time.

Now, take out one cup of this every so lovely batter and set aside. Pour the remaining batter over the pre-baked crust.  

Melt chocolate and mix it in with the reserved batter. It looks really lovely, and tastes good too. Pour the chocolate batter on top of the plain batter, about 1inch from the pan edge. This doesn’t look like very much. Simply a regular cheesecake with a chocolate ring, big deal. But wait a minute, get out your soup spoon and be prepared to be amazed. 

Are you ready? Drag your spoon through the 2 batters in order to make a beautiful, marbled effect. Scoop the spoon back and forth, in circles, straight lines; you decide what kind of pattern you want. Just don’t go so berserk that you totally blend the 2 batters together. It will still taste incredible, just not look as nice. Isn’t it pretty? 

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 and bake the cake for about 50-60 minutes or until  it shows signs of puffing around the edges. Just keep an eye on it. If you overbake the cake, the eggs in the batter can coagulate too much and will pull the cake apart. In other words, your cake will crack and mess up your marble design.

When done baking, remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the edges to release the cake from the pan. This little step will prevent the cake from cracking during the cooling down process. These cheese cakes are temperamental beings, but as long as we handle them correctly, all will be fine. Place the cake on a cooling rack and put a large, inverted, mixing bowl over it. Don’t ask. After an hour of the inverted bowl treatment, put the cake in the fridge for at least 2 hours. A cheesecake that is not chilled properly will not hold its shape when sliced. So hold your horses a little longer, be patient. 

Here is a hot fact for you to ponder while you wait for your cake to cool down:

Because chocolate’s melting point is just below your body-temperature, it does in fact melt in your mouth. This raises your brain activity and heart rate more intensely then when you kiss passionately. Not only that, it lasts four times longer. 

Whomever said that chocolate is bad for your obviously didn't like kissing either. 

These are a few of my favourite things

There are days when you simply don’t have the time to bake. Or maybe you have plenty of time, but you ran out of flour (again?), and you don’t fancy going to the store. On these occasions it’s imperative to have a box of your favourite chocolate on hand. No preparations, no baking time and no cleaning up. There is just a pretty bow and a golden wrapper between you and your scrumptious truffle.  

I used to be crazy about Maltesers, Flakes, Lion Bars, Snickers and Bounty. That was until I discovered a tiny chocolate store in York where a single truffle cost the same as a Party Pack of Twix. But the quality matched the price, each piece was sensational. I was a poor student at the time, but wisely started to buy a small tray of truffles instead of dinner, or lunch for that matter.  The truffles would be arranged on my finest saucer and I would savour them, one by one, in a manner that could rival Hercule Poirot’s elegant dining rituals. My chocolate based diet caused me to rapidly lose weight, an unpredictable bonus, and I could finally squeeze into my French Connection silk pants.

Toady my diet is a bit more balanced, but I will always prioritise truffles over a boring meal. Food should be fun, enjoyed, inspire all the 5 senses and leave you uplifted and satisfied.

Here is a list of my top ten current vices:

Neuhaus- I will forever be grateful for the talented Mr Jean Neuhaus. Back in 1912, when working for his grandfather’s chocolate-house, he created the first bite-sized filled chocolate and named it praline. There is a man after my own heart. Can you imagine a world prior to pralines? So pale, so primitive, so pointless. What I adore about Neuhaus is the fact that 150 years after they opened up their first shop in Brussels, they still only use the freshest and finest ingredients. No shortcuts and no cheap solutions. Not the usual “maximum shelf-life at a minimum cost” that so many a Crèeateur Chocolatier have fallen prey to over the years. It’s no wonder Neuhaus is the official supplier to the Royal Court of Belgium. 

Lindt- Like all good chocolate, a box of Lindt has the power to save the day, regardless of how bleak it starts out.

I had just moved in to a new apartment and was quite daunted by all the rooms, the amount of space, and my lack of things to fill it with. A dear friend was coming over for tea, and I remembered that I had absolutely nothing in the fridge. OK, I had 2 beets and a carton of milk, but that’s not exactly the makings for a feast. At least I had unpacked my grandmother’s old china; we would drink our tea and starve in style. My friend arrived, and the blessed darling gave me a 3 layered box of Lindt truffles as a housewarming gift. I brewed a big pot of PJ-tips and forgot all about the beets.

Krokanrull- Khrokhanruhhl, as we like to call it, is a chocolate very close and dear to my heart. This chocolate stands for the very finest that friendship and joyfulness has to offer.

It was your regular girl-night in. Glasses filled with Blue Nun, Sophie B Hawkins on repeat, and lots and lots of giggles. All of a sudden the doorbell rang. We looked out the window, and by the front door stood a guy from our class. We refused to let him in, but instead lowered down a basked and charmed him into going to the nearest 7-Eleven to get us some chocolate. Within 5 minutes our basket was full, and it did indeed contain a few Krokanrulls. Ever since that night this milky, crunchy, chocolate has been our signature treat.

This was back in High-school, but my Krokanrull friends are still some of the most important people in my life. They continue to surprise, impress and delight me. No chocolate, before or after, has represented a finer group of women. 

Guylian- Another Belgian classic, with a twist. Guylian is the producer of mouth-watering pralines shaped like little sea-shells. You have to wonder, who came up with that cute idea? Guy and Liliane, the chocolate loving lovebirds, did. When they got married back in 1960, they combined their names to Guylian and started producing pralines and truffles. First they only sold them to the local shops and stores, but it didn’t take long before the rest of the world discovered their talent. Ah, to be young and make pralines with your husband. What a dream.

Niederegger- with Love, since 1806. I was having lunch with some Royal Protection Officers (long story) and while they eagerly inspected the selection of sandwiches the Palace kitchen had prepared for them, I had my eyes fixed on some shiny wrappers. They looked so delicate, so inviting, so incredible tempting. Fortunately I was raised well, so instead of plunging for the chocolate, I bravely took a cheese sandwich and some cherry tomatoes, just to give off the impression that here was a girl with a good upbringing and healthy manners. Of course it was just a matter of time before I casually helped myself to one of the small pieces. It was worth the wait. Soft-melting nougat on the outside, marzipan with a hint of rose-flavour in the middle. I was transfixed. I looked down at the wrapper; it had the word Niederegger written on it. I should have guessed, nothing I had ever heard of before. Was this brand only sold to royalties? If so, I’d better take another piece, I might never get this chance again.

Since then I have discovered that Niederegger is sold in plenty of places, and you don’t need a title or a castle to buy them. I simply hadn’t noticed them before, or maybe the unpronounceable name had kept me away. In either case, next time you see one, don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t walk past this treasure, make sure you buy some. 

Rapunzel I used to have freakishly long hair and would now and then be referred to as “Her with the hair” or simply “Rapunzel.” The Rapunzel I’m taking about in this case has nothing to do with tall towers, long braids or pining princes. However, it has everything to do with organic pure chocolate, fair-trade, and of course Switzerland. Who else than the Swiss would be the proud producers of the world’s first 100% organic chocolate available globally? There are all kinds of Rapunzel bars, but the milk chocolate one with nut truffle créme is my number one darling. I would easily grow my hair long again if it meant that a prince carrying some of these chocolate bars would climb up to my chamber.

Mozart Kugeln- I know, this is a really weird name for a chocolate. Not to mention the wrapper. A demure portrait of Mozart? Once you get over the immediate strangeness and your curiosity takes over, you will be treated to some of the finest chocolate in the world.

In 1994, music columnist for the New York times, Alex Ross could reveal that: “researchers [Rauscher and Shawn] have determined that listening to Mozart actually makes you smarter.” I think it’s safe to assume that eating a Mozart Kugeln or two makes you more intelligent as well.

The creator of this genius treat, Reber, is a family owned business dating back almost 140 years and Mozart Kugeln brought them fame and glory. They are after all “exquisitely filled with pistachio marzipan, almond and hazelnut nougat. Enrobed with delicious milk and plain chocolate.”

I love the use of the word enrobe. Would you mind being enrobed in chocolate? Have a bite. 

Hmmm- The trouble is, I have no idea what this chocolate is called, but I know I used to go nuts over it. My friend’s father was a world-travelling business man, and he always returned from his trips bringing dolls, perfume and chocolate. Sure we loved Fazer, After Eight and all the other classics, but there was one (what was the name again?) that stood out from the crowd. It was a beautiful red tin, packed with shiny, oval-shaped chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. I recall the sound it made when you removed the lid, the scent that wafted up as you reached for your first piece.

I have never been able to find this tin again, and believe me, I have looked. Maybe it went out of production. Or maybe some things are never meant to be found again, making them even more precious. After all, it was Ibsen who said: Eternally owned is only that which is lost.

Walters: This one is a life saver. Maybe it’s because the wrapper has a picture of a man that looks like the Dalai Lama. Or maybe it’s because Walters is produced in Norway with milk from happy cows. In the land of Fjords and Trolls all the cows do indeed get a summer vacation and have cute names like Dagros, Lilja and Bruna. Happy cows produce great milk for chocolate, and great chocolate is what you need when you have had a near death experience.

My friend and I had just started to cross the street when we heard the frightening sound of screeching breaks and we saw a black car speeding towards us. We only had seconds to react, but we completely froze. Just stood there, certain we were going to die. My friend got hit, and I helplessly watched her roll on the ground. Fortunately she got away with only a few scratches, but we were really shook up.

There was only one thing to do. Head on home, open a bottle of champagne and divulge an entire bar of Walters. To life! To all good things! To friendship!

And to maybe learning a few kung-fu tricks so that the next time a car is headed my way, I’ll roll away like a ninja fighter and not just stand there and wait for death to get me.   

Caffarel: I have saved the Italian one for last. Eccellenza since 1826. I can easily picture the lovely Medici daughters nibbling on these hazelnut treats, carefully removing their scented gloves as they are about to unwrap yet another truffle. This is not only chocolate, it’s delicate art. A tasteful box, elegant script, gold wrapper, and a chocolate that leaves you feeling like you have reincarnated as one of the cherubs floating on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.That’s the effect a chocolate containing the exquisite Piedmont hazelnuts and made according to the original recipe will have on you. 

I take my off for the chocolate producers that in 1869 were appointed suppliers to the King of Italy. Italy no longer has a king, but luckily we still have Caffarel.  

 "All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." 

My Favourite Vegetable

One quiet morning, back in my Marry Poppins days, I was having breakfast with one of the little girls I was looking after. She took a big gulp of her milk, leaned over the table, and said to me intriguingly: “My dad has a saggy butt!” Now see, how do you reply to such a comment? I don’t mean reply; the word I’m looking for is recover. No one needs to know this kind of information, certainly not an innocent outsider such as myself.

What should be shared, on the other hand, is how a zucchini became a vital ingredient in the realm of chocolate muffins. I know what you are thinking. A zucchini/chocolate combo? Really? Really.  Listen, we are not talking just any kind of muffin here. This is a muffin so de-lovely that Cole Porter would have written a song about it had he ever tasted one.

I was bestowed one of these treasures, many, many, years ago, when I was having afternoon-tea with my Fairy God Mother. As always she had brought with her a variety of scrumptious treats. On my kitchen table was a small feast of raspberries, cinnamon swirls and a tray of truffles.  Then she pulled out a giant muffin from a brown bakery bag and declared: “This is your favourite vegetable!” I looked at her, then at the object in her hand, clearly not getting it. “It’s a chocolate-zucchini muffin!” she explained. Hmm, I reluctantly took a small, timid, bite, prepared to spit it out if needed. Before I knew it I had taken another bite, bigger this time, then another. Oh my, it was a taste sensation. The combination of the rich flavours and the heavenly texture was to die for. And had I done just that, died I mean, I would have insisted on bringing this muffin to the grave with me. Just in case it turns out that we can bring physical objects with us when crossing over the threshold to the after-life.  

I couldn’t believe it, the muffin didn't have the faintest hint of vegetable, and yet I knew a brave little zucchini was in there somehow. Why had this baking secret been kept from me? I felt left out, yet strangely happy to finally be introduced to the inner sanctum where the worlds of chocolate and vegetables seamlessly unite.

Ok, naturally the zucchini was not the only trick this muffin had up its sleeve. It was clearly made from-top quality cocoa, organic flour, and let’s not overlook the generous amount of x-large chocolate chips that adorned the top and created a crunchy seal. In addition, my newfound friend wasn’t overly sweet. Some wise baker had held back on the sugar ratio in order to let all the other flavours come forward. Did I detect a hint of vanilla?

Now, if you live in proximity to the Ashland Co-op, consider yourself lucky. There you can purchase this muffin every day of the week. Helpful hint: make sure to get there it in the morning when the baked goods are fresh out of the oven. 

If you and the Co-op are separated by an ocean or two, you have no choice but to make the muffins yourself. The following recipe is the one I have found to be the most true to the original master.

Just for the record, I’m not a big muffin fan. The ones you buy at the store or at coffee houses like Starbucks are too sweet, too boring and totally lacking in character. The ones you make yourself are often too though, some are sponge-like, some are not even worth eating. You are left to wonder how simple things like milk, flour, eggs and butter could end up so bad. This is why we only use top quality ingredients. Even if, for some strange reason, the finished result doesn’t come out the way we hoped, it will still taste delicious.  How cares if the muffins didn’t rise properly? Splash on some whipped cream and call it a day.

Chocolate-Zucchini Muffins

Best served on a quiet Sunday morning, 
with a big cup of tea or coffee.

2 eggs

125 g sugar

7 tablespoons melted butter

125 g milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

250 g flour

125 g cocoa

50 g finely chopped chocolate

1 zucchini, peeled and finely grated

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1. Turn the oven on to 350 °F (or 177 °C) and grease your muffin tray with melted butter. (So you use some of the melted butter for the tray, some for the batter)

2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until it starts to look pale yellow. Gradually add the rest of the melted butter and keep whisking.  Add milk and vanilla and whisk some more. Whisk, whisk, whisk, such a fun word.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Then add 2/3 of the chopped chocolate and salt. Whisk everything together until well combined. In this setting “well combined” is used to make sure that the baking soda and baking powder is evenly distributed throughout this dry mix. If not, some of you muffins will rise, some will remain flat, and a few will be stuck in the middle not knowing what to do.

4. Now, the ingredients of the hour, the zucchini. Take your grader in one hand, the newly peeled zucchini in the other, and grade away. If you have one of those 3 or 4 sided graders, use the fine side. If the zucchini is grated too coarsely, like a carrot, the pieces will bee too heavy for our delicate batter.

Take the grated pulp and toss it in with the flour mixture. Stir until evenly combined.

5. Now we are done with the whisking part. Let the folding begin. Make a well in the bowl with the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix and fold gently, and slowly, with a rubber spatula. Do not overmix. I repeat, to not overmix. If you do, your muffins will become too though.  So keep your folding to a minimum, no more than 25-30 seconds.

6. Use a large spoon and divide the batter evenly among the greased muffin cups. My muffin tray holds 12 muffins, but your tray might hold 9 or 15 muffin cups. In any case, fill the cups with batter until ¾ full. If one or more cups are left empty, fill those with hot water. This will ensure that the muffins are evenly baked. Take the rest of the chopped chocolate and sprinkle on top before you put the tray in the oven.

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes. As always, the baking time depends on your oven. After 10 minutes, rotate the pan. When done baking, put the tray on a cooling rack and let it rest there for 5 minutes. Then gently remove the muffins from the cups and put them on the cooling rack. Muffins are easiest to remove when still quite warm, so don’t wait too long.  If they don’t just pop out, use a small knife and carefully lift them out of their cozy cups. 

It is widely believed that chocolate consumption releases a chemical into your body very similar to what is produced when you are in love. What are you waiting for?