Barcelona Souvenirs

Hi, everyone!

Today I’m going to show you some souvenirs that my mom brought me from Barcelona, when she was there in November So let’s share!

There were tree souvenirs. All very good!

1) A bar of dark chocolate mixed with varied nuts (walnuts, almonds and pine nuts)

2) A sealed wooden box of turrón de alicante.

3) A metallic box with beautiful drawings filled with 4 different types of chocolate ( White, 32%, 50%, 70%)

1) It was a simple craft chocolate with beautiful nuts. Amazing!

2) This is a very traditional spanish candy. It’s very hard and sweet. It’s made mostly of toasted almonds mixed in egg whites and honey. You have to watch for your teeth, but you can’t just simply go to Spain and not try it. I didn’t get a shot before it was gone, so here is only the box. Use your imagination or Google to see it.

3) The last one is a box with different types of chocolate. This means how much cocoa there is. Of course the sweeter one is the white and the one with the stronger taste is the 70%. This is a good thing to have at home, when you want to do a chocolate taste with your friends. Besides you have all choices for every preferences. It’s a good product. But of course when it comes to chocolate I still have to pick Lindt, Guylian or Godiva. The best!

Hope you enjoyed. Have you ever bought traditional sweets from another country? Write your opinions or questions on the comment box below.  🙂

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words

Rolled Cake with Chocolate Filling

Hi, everyone!

 

Today I bring you, one of my favourite recipes of all time. One that as always made an appearance in every special occasion with my family. One that was taught to  me by my great-grandmother. I didn’t really have a specific name for it, so I searched it online and finally found the right name: Rolled Cake.

But the way that I do, has definitely fewer calories. All because I don’t use any butter!!! Hurray!!

It’s all fluffy and light and then you have the chocolate inside, which is just amazing. I don’t even have words to begin to tell you how delicious and easy to make it is. Easy to make the batter, a bit harder to roll…

 

When I first tried out, I told my mother, that if this was just it, for her to expect one every week. Of course I have the rule that I can only make a dessert, when the previous one has already been entirely eaten. I understand, it’s an efective way for us not to throw good food away. But the conclusion, is that you are going to love it! Really!

Whether to share with friends or just to have it for yourself, in a quiet afternoon with the beautiful Spring days right ahead, it’s just going to be memorable.

So, the recipe which is what everyone came for, is…

Ingredients:

6 eggs

170 gr of plain-flour

250 gr of sugar

6 dessert spoons of milk

25 gr of butter (this is optional, it’s just so the chocolate will feel more “silky”)

175 gr of chocolate (you can use more or less. It’s up to you, but this is enough)

Preparation:

1. Beat the eggs with the sugar, till they are a very soft yellow creamy mix. (I don’t know what machine you use, but as for Kenwood, you have to use the whisk or else it won’t work)

2. Involve the flour bit by bit. (and check the bottom of the bowl for sugar that wasn’t well mixed)

3. Put the batter in a very wide rectangular cake pan (So it’s just a thin layer), previous covered with parchment paper and then bake it in the oven at 180 ºC for 20-30 min.

4. In a small bowl break the chocolate and add the milk and butter, then put it in the microwave for 15 seconds. (You’ll have to do this more than once, and always stirring with a spoon, so it won’t burn in the bottom. It’s much quicker than a bain-marie, but it’s up to you to choose wich technique you will use).

5. Place the baked cake in a wet kitchen cloth and then add the filling on top. (but just until 2/3 or else when you start to roll, it’ll spill)

6. Roll very carefully and slowly, and don’t apply to much pressure. If it breaks (which don’t worry, it’s normal in the first times. It happened to me) turn that side down and use for presentation the better one.

Serve!

Hope you enjoy and tell me how it went or any questions you might have in the comment box below. 

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words

Chocolate Mousse

Hello, everyone  and welcome to 2013!

For the first post of the year the mood should be the same that I had for the first day of the year. Easy, lazy things to do, but that will still count as amazing. People say that how you start it’s how it’s going to be. Well, I started with chocolate mousse, which is the ultimate easy dessert to do.

And the way that I do it, I bet that it has fewer calories than most recipes. And you still have the same flavour, the same fluffy texture and everything else.

And how I do this? Well, no cream from the start and I use only dark chocolate (preferably one just for culinary purposes or over 70% cacao).

Also the topping shown on the photos is crumbs of amaretti cookies, just a little sparkle and texture.

Ingredients:

250 gr of dark chocolate

8 eggs (egg whites and egg yolks separated)

Preparation:

1. In a bain-marie heat the chocolate until it melts.
2. Meanwhile beat the egg whites until they form soft picks and mix the egg yolks with a fork in a separate bowl.
3. After taking the chocolate from the heat, let it cool a bit (so the eggs won’t cook when added)
4. In the chocolate bowl add a small amount of  the egg whites and mix and then of the egg yolks. Repeat the process while looking to the bottom of the bowl, so you can see if everything is being well mixed.

Once that is done, you can start eating it right away (like I prefer) or place it in the fridge so it sets (about 2 hours). Serve!

Hope you enjoy and tell me how it went or any questions you might have in the comment box below. 

Also have a good 2013!

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language
And next year’s words await another voice.”
― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words

Chocolate Heaven

Hi, everyone!

What does chocolate heaven means for you? A fountain dripping chocolate, a mountain of dark chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips and fruit kebabs covered. Well, whatever is, I’m probably going to make you change your mind or add a new one to your list.

Chocolate is one of those things that you completely love or completely hate. For example, I’m not completely hooked on it and I do agree with the sentence that everything consumed excessively hurts, but a small square once in a while does not. Furthermore chocolate is an anti-depressive and always makes us feel better.

So this cake is the ultimate dessert to please even the most difficult of crowds. It seems the most ordinary cake from the outside, but once you crack the top you will find a luxury soft sticky filling that remembers me of a delicious mousse.

 

Ingredients:

250 gr of dark culinary chocolate

6 eggs

45 gr all-purpose flour

150 gr of butter

180 gr sugar

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat the oven at 200ºC.

2. Boil the chocolate in a bain marie and once all it’s almost  melted add the sugar and the butter to make a soft, glossy and dark mixture.

3. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.

4. Beat the egg yolks with a fork and then add to the previous mixture quickly so the eggs won’t spoil.

5. Beat the egg whites till they form soft picks and then involve in to the chocolate mix.

6. Pour it to a round (or whatever shape you want) cake pan, previously covered with vegetable parchment (butter paper) and then bake it in the oven at 200ºC for 12-14 min!

Serve! 🙂

From the very different photos, you might think that there is two very different cakes. Well, you are wrong. The last 2 photos were taken as soon as the cake got out of the oven while the first 3 were taken the very next day. What happens is that the chocolate starts to set even though it never looses is sticky feeling after a few hours.

My advice for you is that: If you were to make this cake for a family party, which is great, you can serve it as shown in the last pictures, but in the other hand if you were to make this, let’s say, for a small get together/5 o’clock tea with friends I would say that the small slices are lovely and very easy to do. With a simple glass just cut the normal cake into small round slices as you would do if you were making cookies with the dough and then just put in small plates (I used coffee plates).

Hope that you have fun trying and let me know how they were, also if you have any questions, just ask!

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words