Chocoholly

Chocoholly cooking with chocolate

The Aztecs started the trend many years back and we are
now rediscovering the joys of cooking with chocolate.
The word chocolate comes from the Aztec word xocolatl which means
bitter water because they made a drink from the crushed up cocoa beans
and certainly didn’t add sugar.
The Mexican dish Mole (moh-ley) usually involves smoked chillies and chocolate
to produce a sauce that accompanies meat.
The fruity tones and complexity of flavours within chocolate are
rather like wine and vary according to the origins and type of bean.
Single estate chocolates are becoming more popular nowadays and
have very distinctive flavours.


Whether you are cooking a chilli or a chocolate mouse here are 5 tips:

1. Quality not quantity, buy the best you can afford . For savoury dishes use cocoa or a chocolate with a high cocoa content (over70%).
   
   
2. Chocolate keeps for a year if wrapped, in an airtight container and stored in a cool dry place (not fridge).
   
   
3. Chocolate goes well with strong flavours like venison and other Game . Try adding a tablespoon of cocoa to a chilli.
   
   
4. Melt chocolate in a bain marie over simmering water, the smaller the pieces are, the faster it will melt.. If you must you can use a microwave, but you must check and stir it every minute as its easily burnt.
   
   
5. You can add a small amount of vegetable oil to thin down melted chocolate, but do not add water as this will make it clumpy and hard.