Peruvian Gold

Chulucanas 70

Not wanting to start this post on a downer...but our bodies have just made it through January and we're now talking about chocolate and 50 shades of something, blah, blah, blah. 

Many of you will understand and recognise this never ending

nightmare, that we find ourselves in. Throughout January you will have religiously attended many exhaustive, hot and sweaty sessions at the local gym and consumed vast quantities of stomach stripping detoxing 'green juices' in a never ending futile attempt to rejuvenate, replenish and miraculously turn that Christmas Pudding shaped stomach into something representing a washboard. 

Unfortunately, come February everything and everybody is plotting against us and as soon as we have shed those few pounds our bodies are thrown into the next retail battleground that is Valentine's Day. Even the government is getting in on the act deciding it is a good time to slap our lardy arses and cut benefits to the plumpy dumpies amongst us. Where can we find salvation? Could this spell the end for chocolate? Uh, no I don't think so. Not when it comes to tasting such delicious and possibly 'healthy' offerings from the likes of Willies Cacao.

Two Squares of Peruvian Gold 80g

Willie Harcourt-Cooze founder of Willies Cacao and real life Willy Wonka has not been seen on our tv screens for several years when he was last seen running naked down that Exeter country lane. There is nothing he doesn't know about chocolate and he will go to great lengths to bring us delicious and flavoursome chocolate without the necessity of adding processed sugar or other additives. 

Chulucanas 70 is described as instant gratification... how appropriate. 

Made from single origin Criollo beans this chocolate has distinctive notes of raisins and plums. For a 70% dark chocolate it melts quickly in the mouth giving up it's citrus flavours with additional plum and liquorice. This is a beautifully balanced piece of chocolate and if anybody thinks dark chocolate is bitter then you have to try this bar.  

The word Chulucanas actually comes from a town in the Piura region of Peru. The town of Chulucanas is apparently famous for its black and white pottery and ceramic characters. 

This bar is priced at £2.99 and you can buy online by following the link here.

Milk of the Gods - Willie's Cacao

I hope everybody is enjoying the Diamond Jubilee!  The Queen must be exhausted all that hand waving, trumpet fanfares, speeches and meals to consume! Hats off to the 12 choir members or should that be drowned rats who continued undaunted, through rain, rain and even more rain. They remained at their posts, smiling some even crying, risking pneumonia, trench foot and running make-up, to belt out song after song at Sunday's Thames pageant. One of the twelve was even berrated by her mother for putting her hood up on national TV! Talk about keeping up appearances. They should all receive a medal as far as I'm concerned. Didn't anybody in the BBC consider it might rain? Where was Plan B? Rule, Britannia!

Before trying Milk of the Gods from Willie's Cacao why not make some Food of the Gods! A quick and easy brunch recipe....

Portebello Mushrooms and Poached Eggs on Toast

Ingredients:

3 Large Portebello Mushrooms
6 tbsp olive oil
1 knob of butter
Several Sprigs of Thyme
Salt and Pepper
3 Whole Eggs
Vinegar
3 Slices of toast (I used Granary)

Method:

1. Line your grill pan with foil.
2. Prepare the mushrooms wiping them gently with a piece of damp kitchen roll.
3. Rub the olive oil over all surfaces of the mushrooms.
4. Season each mushroom well with salt and pepper and sprinkle with thyme leaves.
5. Grill on a medium heat for 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally until the juices start to flow. Use the butter to stop them drying out.
6. Meanwhile prepare the poached eggs. To a pan containing an inch and a half of boiling water add a splash of vinegar and 1/4 tspn of salt.
7. Break the eggs gently into a shallow bowl. Just before adding the eggs to the pan stir the boiling water vigoursly to create a whirlpool effect - this will help to keep the whites surrounding the yolks.
8. Bring the water back to the boil and turn to simmer very gently and cook for 4-5 minutes to your own personal taste.
9. Place the mushrooms on warmed plates and top each with a poached egg. Serve with hot buttered toast and a further twist of black pepper. Yum!

Ok, that's lunch sorted! Now it's time to taste some milk chocolate from Willie's Cacao.  

Rio Caribe 44

Milk of the Gods - A 44% milk chocolate from the Hacienda San Agustin estate near the Rio Caribe, cocoa butter from Barlovento (Spanish for windward), sugar cane from Guadeloupe and British Organic milk. Perfect ingredients indeed.

This single estate chocolate gives off a distinctive caramel and malty aroma which continues through as you bite into your first chunk. The sweetness from the sugar cane is there but it is not overpowering and it doesn't leave that nasty caustic feeling on the back of your throat that you might get with some milk chocolates.  I found that the cocoa flavour was fairly subtle probably because it is being masked by caramel and a 'condensed milk' flavour which is very pleasant and comforting.  Overall a very tasty bar of milk chocolate, 8/10. £1.90 for a 50g Single Square, buy here from the Chocolate Trading Company.

Luscious Orange - Cuban 65

Philip, c'mon your turn to wave and then you Mark...
c'mon Anne even the corgis can manage this!

If this picture doesn't get you in the mood to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee then perhaps there is no hope for you. The old Sea Containers building by Blackfriars bridge is due to be raised to the ground and replaced by a brand new hotel, to be precise, a Mondrian Hotel.  I imagine this is one of the grandest construction hoarding's ever seen in London and perhaps this is going to be the start of a new trend.  More pictures of Royals and perhaps Prime Ministers will be appearing all over the capital peering down from on high. Shrouding buildings before they are reduced to rubble, much like their parliamentary careers, makes a great statement. Personally, I don't mind looking at Royalty but pictures of David and Nick might be a bit too much! Okay enough flag waving lets enjoy some chocolate.....

Baracoa 65 - Cuban

Well, we can't grow cocoa beans in the UK. However, Willie's Cacao is just one of a handful of people that actually make chocolate from scratch in the UK. In fact he even has his own plantation in Venezuela. I believe the lovely Hugo Chavez still allows him to take the beans out of the country. Over the past few months I've tasted several single squares from Willie and I hope Luscious Orange which by the way is not a description of a new phone tariff, lives up to the other offerings. The Baracoan beans (Trinitario) are found in the eastern tip of Cuba and have a delicate honey flavour. 


The tobacco aroma is good, no mention of Cuban cigar though, but a good powerful beginning.  Considering there is only 0.1% of orange oil listed in the ingredients it is fairly pungent and may be overpowering for some people. Mixed with the bitter and slightly rough chocolate producing an almost 'blood orange' taste in the mouth, with a hint of sweetness which is probably the honey. The fruity orange, leaves a slightly bitter feeling on the back of the throat. More zingy than luscious perhaps but this chocolate has plenty of character! The texture is slightly grainy but it melts easily providing plenty of chocolate saliva, so to speak.

Certainly, a very distinctive, robust, bitter orange flavour which stands out on its own and maybe a bit too much orange for some peoples liking. Overall a very enjoyable chocolate. £1.80 for a 50g single square. Good to taste some dark Cuban, no crisis here, 8/10. To buy on line follow the link.

EL BLANCO - Willie's Cacao

Special Bank Holiday offer!  Yes, I know I'm spoiling you with a review of El Blanco, Willies latest 50g chocolate bar combined with a blueberry muffin recipe that incorporates said chocolate.

Going off on a slight tangent I visited the Olympic Park a couple of days ago to catch up with my fellow GameMakers who are helping in more ways than you can imagine.  I'm hopefully going to be speeding down the ORN/PRN in a new BMW! Fingers crossed I pass my test in a few weeks time.  Having seen the size of the Olympic Park I'm now wondering if they've actually made it big enough!  Yikes, Stratford is going to be one busy place in a few weeks. Anyway back to chocolate.....

EL BLANCO - Venezuelan 00 - White Chocolate - Single Square
I was surprised to find a white chocolate in Willie's new collection of 'Single Squares' but apparently he decided to make El Blanco because some of his favourite desserts rely on white chocolate.  Well, this morning I've made some blueberry muffins and thrown in a few chunks of the chocolate. They've have just come out of the oven, recipe to follow in next post.  More about that in a minute....................As usual Willies packaging does not disappoint and I like the simple but effective 'gaucho' style font.  From what I've read, Willie has received some ribbing from his compatriots for introducing a white bar.  Well, as they say in the ads this is not just any white chocolate!  The first thing that strikes you about this chocoalte is its colour, almost an off white as though a piece of milk chocolate has found its way into the mix.  In comparison to other white chocolates it is not as bright.

The chocolate includes natural Venezuelan cocao butter, sugar cane from Guadeloupe and British milk. What, no Vanilla! The aroma is also striking as there are hints of tobacco in the mix which is unexpected.  The chocolate itself melts easily on the tongue, a slight grainy texture, not overly sweet with a delicious explosion of butterscotch creaminess!  There is nothing astringent about this chocolate and the fact that vanilla is not featured is good news.  Very enjoyable, 9/10!  El Blanco Squares will be in the shops soon retailing at £1.80 for a 50g bar. 

Why not take up Willie's special offer, spend over £10 on his online shop and you will receive a free bar of El Blanco. Offer ends midnight Bank Holiday Monday. Enjoy!
Blueberry and White Chocolate Muffin recipe to follow.....

Kailahun 70 - Ginger Lime - Willie's Cacao

Willie Harcourt-Cooze aka The Chocolate Man or possibly The Naked Chocolate Man if you can remember his program from a few years ago when he was seen running down a country lane in his birthday suit!  Perhaps, more presenters should follow his lead!  Willie has inspired many people around the world to alter their confectionery eating habits espeically here in the UK.  He has encouraged and gently cajolled us Brits into ditching  traditional English chocolate favourites in the hope that we might try something a little different for a change.  It is an amazing fact that English people are stereotypically boring when it comes to trying different foods, yet we have in this past decade become a country brimming over new foodie innovations. Being in the chocolate business myself I've noticed at farmers markets that I attend, more and more children are enjoying dark chocolate.  Hallelujah!  There are still the odd one or two children that decide dark chocolate is not for them and project the contents all over their long suffering parents. But, I'm encouraged to report that tastes they are a changing.

As you will have noticed this particular dark chocolate is from Sierra Leone and to be more exact from the Kailahun District in the Eastern Province.  Sierra Leone, in West Africa, is probably best know for the long running civil war which it has only just emerged from after a decade. Since then the country has experienced substantial economic growth and potentially if peace continues no doubt the tourist industry will develop with time. Its main exports are diamonds, coffee and cocoa. Enter Willie Harcourt-Cooze!

The Chocolate: A 70% dark chocolate from Sierra Leon. According to Willie the rich terrain in which this cocoa is produced provides a unique depth of flavour. The aroma is rich and intense and I'm already liking this chocolate. There is a hint of ginger at the back just trying to get through. A loud snap as the first chunk is broken exposing shiny nibblets of crystallised ginger. I like to let the chocolate melt in your mouth as this allows the flavours to develop. The lime is not overpowering and just leaves a little tang.

I would like to taste this chocolate on its own as the ginger and lime make it difficult to experience those unique flavours. However, the chocolate works really well and the whole slab is well balanced in terms of flavours with a slightly sweet finish with a bit of heat from the ginger. I assume the cocoa beans are from Trinitario stock?

Kailahun 70

Overall a delicious slab of chocolate and certainly well put together. Priced at £1.80(50g) this is very reasonable for such a delicious piece of chocolate. I could eat it all day definately one to try. 8/10. Click here to buy now!