Fixin’ it Up

Hello again everyone and happy white day! I know I’m technically a day late for japan’s most chocolate-themed holiday but that’s just how my schedule panned out. And don’t worry, I’ve got the goods:

Boom Sauce’s Fix Up D’Heat chocolate and the trinidadian-style hot sauce from which it gets its name. Based on an old family recipe.

Today, I’m going to start with that sauce, so that I really know what I’m looking for when I taste it in the chocolate. So it only makes sense to take a closer look at its bottle:

Continue reading

Scavenged Sweetness

Hello again, everyone. I feel like we’ve had a lot of red chilli lately, don’t you?

We’ve seen an impressive array of heats and flavours, this year, don’t get me wrong, but I still think that it’s time for something a bit different. Something that isn’t another red chilli. Or even another sauce.

So, instead, I’d like to bring you another item from Foraged Fire. Because, while we’ve seen the company before, Tim’s products are all completely unique and this Dulce de Leche is no exception:

He could have gone ahead and used generic red chillies for this argentinian-style, caramel spread and it’d’ve still been quite the talking point. But no, this sweet treat uses mexican pasillas and a chinese five spice blend, for something truly multicultural and, honestly, quite baffling.

I have no idea what to expect from the seemingly unrelated influences at play here. Yet, knowing Foraged Fire, I have faith that it’ll all make sense as soon as I get stuck in.

Continue reading

Cool Chocolates

Hey there everyone, it’s just gone easter but, today, I’d like to look at some chocolate anyway. A couple of bars from a creator we know well but haven’t previously seen any snacks from.

Yes, this week, I’m taking a look at Daddy Cool’s new chocolate line:

CoolChocs

Both white, this time around, but one with cranberries and a hint of habanero, while the other is clearly caramelised, making it the only chilli product of its kind. Both put their flavours first on the label but, on closer inspection of the chocolate, their peppers are also quite hard to miss:

CoolBars

Those spots of orange and red look like very generous hints to me. Yet flip them over and we can see that Daddy Cool’s have been just as generous with the fruit and fudge.

CoolBases

These chocolates are going to be fiery, certainly, but I expect that they’ll also be just as full of flavour.

Continue reading

Caramelised Chocolate

Hey folks, it’s white day again. My favourite japanese chocolate-crafting holiday!

Plus, unlike in previous years, twenty-twenty’s white day falls on a saturday. A recipe day.

So, this time around, I’m going to be a little self-indulgent. I’m going to combine three things that I adore – Chocolate, chilli and slow roasting – in order to make some simple yet delicious, ginger and naga-flavoured, salted, caramelised white chocolates.

WChocDone

And I’m going to hope against hope that some of you feel like following suit. Since, despite the ease with which you can whip these rich, sweet, earthy, almost-nutty and entirely decadent treats up, simplicity does not equal speed.

Caramelisation doesn’t occur quickly and my chocolates do have a two hour cooking time. Their flavour is well worth that commitment, of course, but I could still see it putting a few people off.

Continue reading

High-Class Crisps

Hey folks! It’s been a long time since πŸ’€my last restaurant reviewπŸ’€ but, today, I’m coming to you from all the way out in london’s trendy soho district to feature the craziest establishment that I’ve ever seen.

HipShop

HipChips – A sit down or take away restaurant dedicated to providing the most gourmet version imaginable of a dish that I call “chips and dips”. But no, there aren’t any wide fries here. Every slice of potato is a wafer-thin crisp with a tonne of crunch.

It’s not usually a complex or well-balanced meal but it’s a darn good snack and I’m ever so curious to see what they’ve done to improve it. To spice it up, if you will.

And alright, they’ve provided a free lunch to entice me in but, honestly, I doubt I could have stayed away anyway. It’s just such a wild idea for an eatery!

Continue reading