CHOCOLATE – Hi Everyone! Introducing.... the food dept.

We are passionate creatives from the food industry.

Editor and Creative art director Anne Marie Cummins
Amazing food editor Sally Courtney
Together… We are the food dept.

We will tempt you to cook our delicious new recipes and inspire you with our beautiful food photography. Welcome to the first edition of the food dept's new online food feature – "Hot Chocolate" – and don't forget to tell us what you think. 

Cook, create + laugh
Anne Marie and Sally

Self Saucing Chocolate Puddings

Serves 4
Chocolate nirvana here we come! It's everything you expect from a chocolate pud and a whole lot more. For more

• 1 cup self raising flour
• ⅓ cup castor sugar
• 2 tablespoons Dutch cocoa
• ½ cup milk
• 40g butter, melted
• 1 free range egg, lightly beaten
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla essence
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Dutch cocoa (extra)
• 1 cup boiling water
• Double cream, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 180˚C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 4 cup ovenproof dish.

2. Sift flour, sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl.

3. Combine milk, butter, egg and vanilla in a jug and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix gently until just combined. Pour into the prepared ovenproof dish. Combine brown sugar, extra cocoa and boiling water into another jug, mix well.
4. Gently pour the sauce mixture into dish and bake for 20-25. Serve warm with a dollop cream.

food dept fact: This recipe can easily be doubled to serve 8, use an 8 cup ovenproof dish, bake for 35-40 minutes or until pudding batter is set and springs back when touched. For individual serves, divide the recipe between ¾ cup ovenproof ramekins, these will only take 15-20 minutes.   

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Hazelnut Meringues with Rich Chocolate Sauce

Makes 6  

Try these crisp meringues with a scoop of our Dark Chocolate Ice Cream. For image.

• 4 free range egg whites

• Pinch salt

• 1¼ cups caster sugar 

• 2 teaspoons cornflour 

• 1 teaspoon white vinegar 

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

• ½ cup roughly chopped hazelnuts 

• 300mls thickened cream, whipped 

• 1 quantity Rich Chocolate Sauce 

1. Preheat oven to 120˚C. (100°C fan-forced).

2. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites and salt with an electric mixer until they form soft peaks. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar a quarter at a time and beat until glossy. Add cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and beat on low until just mixed through.

3. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Using a 1 cup measure, place mixture onto baking trays to form large oval meringues. Sprinkle over hazelnuts and bake for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to cool in the oven with the door ajar. They should be crisp on the outside and marshmallowy in the centre.

4. Serve with a drizzle of Rich Chocolate Sauce.

Rich Chocolate Sauce

Makes 1½ cups

• ½ cup cream 

• 250g dark chocolate -70% cocoa, roughly chopped

1. Place cream in a saucepan over a low heat until simmering. Remove from the heat and stir through the chocolate until dissolved.

2. Serve warm with Hazelnut Meringues 

food dept fact: If the sauce is made ahead, it will set at room temperature. Gently warm again over a low heat until smooth and glossy.

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Chocolate and pistachio coated brittle with vanilla salt

Makes 1 slab 
Package this up for a great hostess gift. It should also come with a warning – you won't be able to stop at one piece! For image.

Vanilla Salt
• 1 vanilla bean
• 2 teaspoons flakey sea salt 

Brittle

• 2 cups sugar 
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons liquid glucose 
• 15g butter, melted 
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 
• 1 teaspoon, vanilla salt 
• 200g dark chocolate, melted 
• 1 cup pistachio kernals 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla salt (extra)

1. Greased a 20x30cm slice pan and set aside.
2. To make vanilla salt, cut vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrap the seeds from the pod into a bowl. Lightly rub the vanilla seeds through the salt and set aside.

3. In a saucepan dissolve sugar in water, add glucose and stir over a medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook without stirring (stirring a boiling sugar syrup will cause it to crystallize), until mixture is golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, bicarbonate of soda and vanilla salt. 

4. Pour into slice pan and allow to completely cool. Once cold remove from the pan, spread over melted chocolate and sprinkle with pistachios and vanilla salt.
5. Allow chocolate to set before breaking in to bite size pieces.

food dept facts: Vanilla salt is available from Simon Johnson’s or you can make your own. Alternately, just use flakey sea salt.  The unused vanilla pod can be placed in a container with some sugar, allow it to infuse to your own liking and you’ll have delicious vanilla sugar to use in baking. The pod can also be removed from the sugar and used to infuse custard.

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Best ever fudge brownies with sour cherries and white chocolate chunks

Image Makes 16 pieces 

Delicious white chocolate chunks balanced by the burst of sour cherries in these Best Ever Brownies. Substitute the cherries and white chocolate with your favourite dried fruit or nut and chocolate combination.

• 200g butter, roughly diced 

• 150g dark chocolate – 70% cocoa, roughly chopped 

• 3 free range eggs, lightly beaten 

• 1½ cups brown sugar 

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence 

• 1 cup plain flour 

• ½ cup dried sour cherries 

• 100g good quality white chocolate, cut into chunks

1. Preheat oven to 180˚C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line a 20cm square cake pan.

2. Combine butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over a low heat and stir until butter and chocolate have melted. Set aside and allow to cool. 
3. Combine eggs, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl and add cooled chocolate mixture. 
4. Place flour and cherries in a bowl. Add chocolate mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into the pan and evenly place over the white chocolate chunks. 
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cooked when tested. Allow to cool completely in the tin. Remove and cut into 16 pieces.

food dept fact: For an even ‘fudgier’ brownie, reduce the cooking time by 5-10 minutes, experiment until you find ‘fudginess’ you like.

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Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Mousse Icing

Serves 10–12  

This is the ulimate chocolate layer cake, it's super dense and moist, but not too sweet. For image.

• 1¼ cups Dutch cocoa  

• 3 cups plain flour 

• 2½ cups caster sugar
• 3 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda 

• 1½ teaspoons baking powder 

• 3 free range eggs 

• 1½ cups water 

• 1½ cups buttermilk 

• 200g butter, melted 

• 1 teaspoon, pure vanilla extract 

• 1 quantity Chocolate mousse icing 

• Dutch Cocoa, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 180˚C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line 2 x 20cm deep round cake pans. 

2. In a bowl, sift cocoa, flour and combine with sugar, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low to combine. 
3. In a large jug, combine eggs, water, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla essence. With the mixer on low gradually pour in the liquid ingredients and continue to beat for 2 minutes.

4. Divide the mixture evenly between the 2 cake pans and bake for 50-55 minutes or until cooked when tested. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pans.
5. Turn the cakes out and allow to cool completely. Using a serrated knife, trim the top of the cakes and then cut each cake evenly into 2 layers. Divide the Chocolate Mousse Icing evenly between the layers and top of the cake. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.

food dept fact: This recipe is also great for cupcakes, it makes approximately 24 good size cupcakes.

Chocolate mousse icing

Makes 3 cups 

• 250g unsalted butter softened

• 200g dark chocolate – 70% cocoa, melted and allowed to cool 

• 300ml thickened cream 

• 2 tablespoons caster sugar 

1. Beat butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, add chocolate and continue to beat for 2 minutes.
2. In another bowl beat cream and caster sugar until soft peaks form. Add cream to the chocolate mixture and beat for a further 2 minutes.

food dept fact: For best results use the icing at room temperature as soon as it has been made. Icing can be refrigerated or frozen for later use. Allow it to come back to room temperature and beat again until smooth.

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Makes 1½ litres  

A luscious velvety ice cream perfect on its own or with your favourite dessert.

• 2 cups milk 

• 600ml cup cream 

• 400g dark chocolate - 70% cocoa, roughly chopped

• 1 cup caster sugar

• 8 free range egg yolks 

1. Combine milk and cream in a saucepan over a low heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted, allow to cool.  

2. Combine the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until pale and creamy. Gradually whisk in the chocolate and cream mixture to make a chocolate custard. Return the chocolate custard mixture to the saucepan and stir over a low heat until slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the custard to boil or it will curdle.

3. Chill the custard and then churn in an ice-cream churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.

4. Place into a freezer container and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
 
Rum and raisin icecream, Soak 1 cup of raisins in 1/3 cup dark rum overnight until raisins are plumped. Combine with the chocolate custard in the ice cream churn and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

 food dept facts: If you don’t have an ice cream churn, freeze the custard in a freezer container until firm. Break up the ice cream and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Return to the freezer container and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.

Chocolate kahlua shots

Makes 6 shots

An instant chocolate quick fix, doubles as the perfect after dinner drink or dessert.

• 100g dark bittersweet chocolate - 80% cocoa 

• ½ cup Kahlua 

• 300ml cream 

1. Cut the chocolate across the block into thick shards and divide evenly between 6 heatproof shot glasses. Pour 1 tablespoon of Kahlua into each glass. Place cream in a small saucepan and heat on low until simmering.

2. Pour approximately 2 tablespoons of hot cream into each glass and serve immediately with a small spoon.

the food dept fact: Substitute the Kahlua for your favourite liqueur.

Recipes: Sally Courtney