Chocolate masterclass No2
After Willie Harcourt-Cooze's wonderful introduction to the world of the cacao bean on This Morning, our favourite chocolate expert is back to show us that chocolate is not all about sugar and milk.
In fact, Willie's savoury offerings will show you that you can have cacao for breakfast lunch and tea.
Willie will be sharing a recipe he spoke about when he was last here, his alternative to a morning coffee called Aztec Hot Chocolate. It's a heady mix of 100% cacao, water, chilli and honey; this drink is rich and intense and not for the faint-hearted!
Turning the idea of cooking with chocolate on its head, Willie has an earthy mushroom pie with a rich gravy spiked with bitter chocolate and topped with a puff pastry lid, and if all of this seems too much we're also tasting Anna's jewel bites, the perfect Christmas gift for a chocolate lover.
Aztec hot chocolate
Serves: 6
Ingredients
90g 100% cacao finely grated450ml water1 tsp Ancho chilli powder¼ vanilla extract½ tsp honey
Method
Tip the Cacao, water, chilli and achiote powder, if using, into a saucepan
Bring to the boil stirring frequently, then lower heat and simmer gently about 5 minutes until slightly thickened
Take off the heat add the vanilla and whisk until it has a foam
Leave to cool and serve warm
Mushroom and cacao pie
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
30g dried porchini1 kg mixed mushrooms, sliced40g butter5 large garlic cloves, finely choppedsalt and pepper100ml vermouth or dry white wine2 tbsp olive oil2 large onions, diced2 fresh bay leaves10g 100% cacao1 tbsp soy saucesmall bunch of flat leave parsley, finely chopped300ml of vegetable stock
300g ready made all butter puff pastry1 beaten egg to glaze the pastry
Method
Stir the dried porcini mushrooms into hot stock and set aside. Divide the mushrooms into three batches and cook in the melted butter. Once all three batches are cooked, remove them into a large bowl.
Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof carerole dish and fry the onions until nutty brown. Pour in the stock and add the cooked mushrooms, bay leaves and the cacao.
Bring to the boil and cook gently over a low heat for 5-7 minutes
Place the filling into a pie dish and allow to cool completely
Once the filling is cold pre-heat the oven to 200C and roll out the pastry to slightly bigger than the pie dish and about ½ cm thick, cut an additional long strip of pastry wider than the pie dish, wet the rim of the pie dish and press the pastry strip down onto it. Brush the strip with a little more water, then press the pastry down onto it.
Press down firmly along the edges to seal and trim the pastry along the edge with a knife and cut a few slits in the pastry to allow steam to escape during cooking. Brush the beaten egg over the pastry lid and bake for 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up, Serve immediately.
Anna's jewel bites
One day my mum mentioned in passing how she had been making some great fruit and nut bites using cacao. I didn't think much more about it until I tasted them. They’re the best energy snack going – delicious, healthy and full of zing!
Makes: about 40
Ingredients
180g 100% cacao, roughly chopped100g walnuts, hazelnuts or Brazil nuts, roughly chopped100g sultanas or raisins, or a mixture100g crystallized ginger, roughly chopped1 tsp ground cinnamon2 tsp vanilla essence1 tbsp honey (optional)Splash of rum or cognac (optional)
Method
Line a shallow baking tin with cling film so that several centimetres hang over the sides of the tin
Melt the cacao in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Remove from the heat.
Stir the nuts, sultanas or raisins and ginger into the melted chocolate until well coated. Add the cinnamon, vanilla essence, honey and rum or cognac, if using, and stir until well combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Leave overnight in the fridge.
Grip the overhanging cling film and lift the set chocolate block out of the tin. Peel off the cling film and chop the block into bite-sized pieces. If stored in a cool place in an airtight container, these keep well for about a month.