Go nuts for chocolate

TASTE: Cocoa solids do matter, but they are not the only consideration when cooking with chocolate

DOES EVERYONE HAVE a penchant for chocolate? I don’t think I’ve met anyone who doesn’t. But flick through any good chocolate recipes and you will find stern suggestions as to what percentage of cocoa solids you should be using.

One could easily get the impression that the percentages (or total lack of them as in the case of white chocolate – which, some would argue, isn’t really chocolate at all) speak volumes about what kind of foodie you are. There are the oh-so strict “nothing less than 55 per cent for me” types of chocoholics as well as plenty who’ll only consume mass-produced cheap chocolate bars and detest anything dark.

In one of Paul Flynn's excellent cookbooks, An Irish Adventure with Food,he says if you are "overly concerned with percentages of cocoa solids, you need to find a hobby". I couldn't agree more. But in saying that, the simple rule of thumb is the higher the percentage of cocoa solids, the smaller the percentage of sugar and therefore more health benefits, but with a lot more bitterness.

Interestingly, I read about research conducted in Scotland which suggested that if you wash your few squares of dark chocolate down with a glass of milk, the proteins in the milk damage the anti-oxidants in the dark chocolate and stop them from working as effectively. So, with that in mind, no more late-night glasses of milk for me with a square of dark chocolate.

But no matter how much of a food snob you are, some cheap chocolate tastes really fantastic, in the right setting. I recently had a Twirl with a cup of coffee, in the midst of a big pre-opening, cleaning marathon. There we were: restaurant staff with fridges full of food for customers, yet nothing to eat for us workers. So someone kindly offered to do a run to the local sandwich shop just as sugar levels were reaching an all-time low. We ate basic ham, cheese and coleslaw sandwiches with crisps, coffee and chocolate bars. It was magical.

Three weeks later, however, I was back to agonising over quantities of milk to dark chocolate and busily analysing cocoa solids for a special chocolate tart, along with our executive chef. Therefore, I think it’s fair to say that there’s chocolate for every occasion and as a result it’s perfectly alright to be part chocolate nerd and part snob in your tastes.

One of the best marriages with chocolate is hazelnuts. Praline, Nutella . . . the list goes on. They just work really well and because of this, I merged about five different recipes into one until I came up with a tart that may be my new favourite chocolate tart.

The other recipe is a fun “chocolate soup” which needs the barest time in the oven. But note: it is made with raw eggs and barely cooked, so probably not good to eat if you’re very young, very old or pregnant.

Chocolate and hazelnut tart

I have also made this using rice flour instead of the regular flour which might appeal to those with food allergies or intolerances.

100g hazelnuts

150g dark muscovado sugar

120g flour

50g soft butter

300g dark chocolate

500ml cream

6 egg yolks

200g caster sugar

You’ll need a 20-centimetre tart tin with removable base.

Heat an oven to 140 degrees/gas mark one. Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for five to 10 minutes until they are lightly coloured. Let them cool down a bit and then whizz them in a food processor along with the muscovado sugar, flour and butter. Whizz until it forms a breadcrumb-like texture and then press the crumbs into the tart tin, as you would a biscuitey cheesecake base. Spread evenly, which is sometimes easier to do with a wet spatula, and then freeze or chill while you get the chocolate filling sorted.

Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. While that is melting, bring the cream just up to the boil. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until they are pale, thick and doubled in volume.

Pour the hot cream on to the melted chocolate and whisk it in. This will look scarily seized-up for a second or two, but keep whisking. Then fold the melted chocolate into the whisked egg yolks. It should become very thick and glossy as it’s mixed in and starts to cool down slightly.

Put the tart tin on to a flat baking sheet, which will be easier to transport. Pour the chocolate filling in and bake for about 45 minutes. There will be a slight wobble in the middle. This is gorgeous after it has cooled right down, served cold with a big blob of cream in to which you’ve softly whipped some vanilla extract and icing sugar.

Chocolate hot pots

Makes eight little desserts

Based on an Adam Byatt recipe with tweaked sugar quantities.

225g dark chocolate

255g butter

4 eggs

4 egg yolks

200g sugar

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until they are pale, thick and “to the ribbon”, meaning that when you swirl some of the mixture on the surface, it will keep a ribbon pattern for a few seconds.

Fold the chocolate into the egg mixture and then spoon it into ramekins or oven-proof coffee cups.

You can make these the night before you want to eat them and bake them straight from the fridge.

Bake for seven to 10 minutes at 210 degrees/gas mark six. They should be very wobbly and only just set at the rim of the cups or ramekins. Serve with a blob of ice cream.

See also itsa.ie

DOMINI RECOMMENDS:

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