Let's start with chocolate...

 Chocolate. Is there any other food that can evoke quite the same response from people, or conjure up such a variety of words? Sexy. Indulgent. Luxurious. Naughty. Celebratory. Unhealthy. Healthy. (Cocoa beans have around 250 nutrients that are beneficial to the human body!) When the ancient Mayans discovered the delights of cocoa over 3000 years ago, it was pre-destined to become an important part of our culture today. It is easily my favourite ingredient to eat, and the most exciting/daunting to work with. The perfect balance between art, and science. Most people aren't aware of the precision required to get great results; you can't necessarily just melt chocolate and start using it 'willy-nilly'. The 'tempering' process requires you to reach specific temperatures, within fractions of a degree, to achieve that perfect shine and satisfying crack you get from the very best quality chocolate. People devote their whole lives trying to master the art of the chocolatier, tirelessly exploring new methods and flavour combinations, and it was these people that I went in search of last month.

Paul A. Young's Brownie Mince Pies, a delicious chocolatey twist to a Christmas classic 

 The Chocolate Festival at London's Southbank is a Mecca for any serious chocoholic, and this year it was my turn to make the pilgrimage. Now in it's 9th year, it has grown to hold dozens of stalls and a decent-sized exhibition tent, with a variety of shops, suppliers, and expert chefs showing off their craft and the fruits of their labour. Names such as Valrhona, L’Artisan du Chocolat, Demarquette, and Paul A. Young, epitomise the very best in the business. Most have free samples for you to try....but they're never enough, and you soon find yourself opening your wallet to sample even more of their delights.

A variety of brownies and blondies

Centre ones are white chocolate and cherry, with salted caramel. Yum!

White chocolate with mango & passionfruit

David Muniz of 'Outsider Tart' had everybody drooling over his Chocolate Pie

One of the things I'm always keen to try is chocolate being used in savoury dishes. I'm the first person to dismiss something as 'food for food's sake', but with careful skill chocolate can be a great ingredient to enrich chilli con carne, stews, game dishes, savoury sauces, and many more. So, I was drawn to the smells coming from a certain stall offering South American dishes, and opted to try their 'Mole Poblano Wrap' - slow cooked chicken in a tomato, chilli, and chocolate sauce, served with guacamole and sour cream in a tortilla wrap. Now I have to be honest, after the amount of chocolate I had just eaten, ANYTHING I put in my mouth would have tasted of chocolate. But regardless of whether the subtle flavour was coming from the sauce inside my wrap, or the chocolate lining inside (and all around the outside) of my mouth....the combination was fantastic! The sweetness beautifully balances against the fiery chilli, and adds a wonderful depth of flavour. Like in the best savoury chocolate dishes, it isn't the primary ingredient, but is there to enhance and compliment all the existing flavours.

Chicken Mole Poblano

The finished article, with Mexican rice, guacamole, and sour cream

As if this wasn't enough chocolate for one weekend, I decided to drop by a luxury chocolate shop in Notting Hill I had heard mentioned several times, called 'Melt'. What makes this place unique is not only do they use the very best, natural ingredients, but they have an open plan shop; you can watch the chocolates being hand-made, then pick up a wooden tray and a pair of tongs, and select your own favourites to take to the till.

Melt, set in the quirky shopping area of
Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill

(image taken from www.meltchocolates.com)

They have some interesting flavour combinations, such as Peanut Butter & Raspberry Jam (a take on the peanut butter & jelly sandwich), Passion Fruit Caramel, Green Tea (an acquired taste), and something I had never come across before - Tonka Bean. Native to Central and South America, tonka beans are small black pods, with seeds inside that have a unique flavour reminiscent of vanilla, almond, cinnamon, and clove. Discovering new ingredients to play with is always something that excites me, and I will no doubt be having a play with these little gems soon.

In case all this talk about chocolate has left you feeling inspired (and hungry), I thought it would only be fair to leave you with a recipe for you to try at home. Chocolate truffles are one of the easiest things to make, and are the perfect end to a dinner party, or a hand-made gift for someone special. You don't even need to make any extra effort to give yours an interesting twist of flavour. Companies such as 'Green & Blacks' have already done the work for you; with bars such as 'Spiced Chilli', 'Ginger', and 'Espresso' - and it was with my left over bar of 'Maya Gold', and the last drops of Christmas port, that I had an idea...

My simple Mulled Port Chocolate Truffle

Mulled Port Chocolate Truffles

Adding alcohol is a great way of making a chocolate truffle more decadent. The orange, cinnamon, & nutmeg in a bar of Maya Gold is the perfect marriage with the fruity port; taking you back to those hot, steaming glasses of mulled wine over the festive period. 

This is a very basic recipe, with the fewest ingredients possible, just to get you started.

Ingredients (makes 12 truffles)

1 x 100g bar of Green & Blacks Maya Gold, broken in to small pieces

70ml Whipping cream

15g Golden caster sugar

20ml Good quality port

Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting (Have ready in a bowl for rolling the truffles in)

• Add the cream and sugar to a small saucepan, and gently bring to simmering point. 
• Take off the heat immediately, and pour over the chocolate in a mixing bowl. Stir gently until the chocolate has completely melted and you have a smooth ganache. Place in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours.
• Once set, remove from the fridge and use a teaspoon to scoop out around 12 even pieces. Place these on to a cold plate.
• Lightly dust your hands in the cocoa powder, and roll the truffles in to balls (or any other shape you wish), and place in to the bowl of cocoa powder.
• Gently roll the truffle around in the cocoa powder with a fork until fully coated.
• Repeat with the rest of the truffles. You can then store them in the bowl of cocoa powder, placed in the fridge until ready to use. Then, just lightly shake off the excess cocoa powder, and they are ready to eat. They will keep for up to a week in the fridge....but we all know that isn't going to happen.

Make sure you use a bowl large enough to be
able to move the truffles around freely in.

If you don't have any port, what other spirits/liqueurs do you have left over from Christmas? There are so many possible combinations, be creative! Just remember to reduce the amount you add to the recipe depending on the strength of your spirit/liqueur, and replace the missing quantity with cream, so that you end up with a nice, soft truffle.

What will your signature truffle flavour be?