Spec me a Chocolate Related Gift

Antar Bolaeisk

Antar Bolaeisk

Antar Bolaeisk

Soldato
Joined
19 Dec 2006
Posts
9,262
Location
Saudi Arabia né Donegal
Howdy,

I'm getting a present for someone who is just taking up making chocolate as a hobby and I was thinking of getting them someting towards this for their birthday. Maybe a "how to" guide to the making of chocolate or something like that. Does anyone here have any recomendations as I've not got a clue.

Thanks in advance,
Antar.
 
Green and Blacks do a great book called cooking with chocolate. I got it free when buying two bars of Green and Blacks from the supermarket just before xmas. Not sure if the deal is still going on though. It's £15 normally so a great deal.

Or howabout some of Willie Harcourt-Cooze's special cooking cacao? He also has a book out on cooking with chocolate. His Channel 4 series was pretty crazy, all about him making chocolate from his plantation in Venezuela.
 
If they're that in to chocolate the best present you can get them is proper chocolate. Most people consider rubbish like Lindt to be 'good chocolate' and, I must say, have no idea.

90% of the chocolate in the world is made from a bean that was chosen purely for its ability to grow fast and be hardy (forastero) - it is the instant coffee of the chocolate world. If you go in to the specialist and they don't know what bean a bar's from then just walk out (has happened to me more than once with places purporting to know what they're talking about). If a bar's made from the Criollo bean then you're normally on to a good bar though try to get some Trinitario as well as they might prefer their chocolate to be fruitier. Get them some decent bars so they can understand about the different beans and they'll thank you for it. The following regularly win awards and are available to buy in the UK:
Amedei Chuao
Amedei Porcelana
Michel Cluizel - 1er Cru de Plantation Vila Gracinda

I have no idea if there are any specialists in northern island that would stock these so if you don't want to buy online look out for single-origin bars and my personal preference is for a Madagascan or Columbian bar. Expect to pay around £5 a bar (though Amedei is now £7.50 a bar from where I get it from :( ). Well well worth it as you savour it and it thus lasts much longer than 'normal' chocolate.
 
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Any places selling the better stuff that are a bit more reasonable when it comes to delivery? I resent paying ~£4 standard charge for something that only weighs 100g.
 
yeah its a bit expensive just for 100gm

I tend to buy a lot, enough to last a few months at least so I don't have to waste too much on deliveries
 
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