Some might say the best food to come out of Yorkshire, the classic British Yorkshire Pudding is often enjoyed across the United Kingdom, alongside a traditional Sunday lunch.

Celebrated on the first Sunday of February every year, British Yorkshire Pudding Day is a day people put that extra bit of effort in and enjoy a delicious Yorkshire Pud with their lunch.

The savory pudding has been part of British culture for hundreds of years, created from eggs, flour and milk and cooked at higher temperatures, giving them a puffy, dished appearance.

Crispiness, the size and the shape of a Yorkshire pudding varies depending on the cook – some like them smaller, some like them to be slightly crispy, others like them to be soft and fluffy.

Usually they are served as part of a meal, with gravy – although it’s not unheard of for people to combine sausages and Yorkshire puddings, with gravy – creating a meal in itself. This writer likes his puds nice and crispy, creating a “gravy reservoir” – delicious!

Popularity of the Northern delicacy has spread internationally, with the United States celebrating their own Yorkshire Pudding day every October.

In 2018 some online recipes called for adding maple syrup or jam to a Yorkshire pudding, breaking the mould of them typically being known as a savoury meal food, rather than a dessert.

Yorkshire Pudding Variations:

There’s also been many variations created in recent years, too. Including:

• Yorkshire Pudding Pizza: Large puddings as a pizza base, with the tomato base, cheese and pepperoni toppings on top.
• Yorkshire Pudding Sandwich: A filling is placed inside, and the pudding is folded in half, creating a “sandwich”.
• Yorkshire Pudding Wrap: Essentially the beef, vegetables and gravy from a Sunday lunch put inside a big Yorkshire pudding and rolled up into a wrap.
• Yorkshire Pudding Doughnuts: Glazed in icing and sprinkled in cinnamon, and eaten as a sweet treat.
• Yorkshire Pudding Dessert: Combined with ice cream and golden syrup. Yes, really!

One thing we can all agree on, though, is they’re very tasty. Enjoy some with your next Sunday lunch, perhaps even try mixing it up and trying some of the wierd and wonderful versions above!

One thing that makes them taste even more delicious is creating your own. They’re simple to make, and creating your own favourite Yorkshire Puds style is a vital life skill.

Classic Yorkshire Pudding Recipe (makes 12 puddings)

You’ll need:

• – Muffin/Cupcake Tin with 12 compartments
• – Vegetable Oil, Sunflower Oil or Beef Drippings
• – 2 large eggs
• – 100g plain flour
• – 100ml milk

Let’s get started:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 225°C or 425°F
• 2. Add a small amount of your oil/beef dripping to each of the 12 compartments in the tray
• 3. Place the tray in the oven for 15 minutes to pre-heat it
• 4. Whilst that heats up: beat the eggs, flour, milk and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a jug until mixture is smooth
• 5. Remove the tray from the oven and immediately pour the mixture into the hot tray (this part is crucial!)
• 6. Put the tray back in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, keep your eye on the puddings as they rise!
• 7. When golden and slightly crispy, remove from the oven and enjoy!

#YorkshirePuddingDay

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Make your business the cream of the crepe with our help this Pancake Day.

The event that signifies the traditional start of Lent shows no signs of slowing down, as we gorge on batter-based goodness for yet another year.

With more and more people looking to indulge their sweet (and sometimes savoury) tooth, a crepe maker can create cash without too much effort.

As part of our dedication to the catering professional, we’ve got some offers on a range of pancake-making equipment – including bulk batter mixes – to help you take advantage of this excellent yearly opportunity.

Crepes are growing in popularity too, the continental sweet snack is finding it’s way on to the high street with street vendors cropping up all over the country.

Fairs, fetes and festivals see mobile crepe makers making Nutella filling snacks for the hungry masses.

Talking figures, pancakes and crepes offer a great markup, meaning should you wish to serve sweet or savoury batter-based snacks then you could see a tidy profit for little real-world effort.

A powerful and affordable crepe maker could pay for itself as a sweet continental dessert option.

The best thing about a crepe maker is just how easy they are to use.

One dollop of batter on the hot flat surface – which is non-stick for easy – spread and then turn after a few short minutes.

Pour on some sauce or add a few fillings and serve.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy (with a bit of sugar please).

If you are thinking of hosting a Pancake Day party or bonanza, then make sure you check out our specialist sale page dedicated to all things Mardis Gras.

Shop Now

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Easily one of the most anticipated food days in our office calendar, National Pizza Day celebrates all things pizza.

And because we are all closet Italians, we want to give you that little bit extra if you were thinking of investing in a quality Cuppone oven from our online catalogue.

A range of our most popular pizza-making accessories are available at 10% off the RRP with any qualifying Cuppone oven purchase.

We do our utmost to ensure we are one of the cheapest catering equipment suppliers on the market, with Cuppone being one of our most discounted brands available.

Our selection of pizza-making accessories are all designed to withstand usage in even the busiest of takeaway restaurants.

Like anything, if you invest in poor quality extras, you’ll likely end up with poor quality results.

A cheap pizza paddle could easily break, bend and even melt (if made from plastic), a poor quality scraper might damage other utensils and even your pizza oven.

It stands to reason that you should really invest in options designed for high-usage environments that are built to last.

So should you be in the market for a brand new Cuppone pizza oven, then you’ll be pleased to hear that we are offering this extra little icing on the cake.

Shop Now

If you want to know more about the day and get involved with the goings-on nationwide, then you should also check out the official National Pizza Day website, which allows you to sign up as a partner, giving your guests the ability to get a discount on their next pizza!

You can find the official National Pizza Day website here: www.nationalpizzaday.co.uk

The post National Pizza Day 2018 appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

Happy World Food Day!  A celebration of the way we are fed all over the globe.

The event is the brainchild of the United Nations, instantly elevating the stature of this yearly appointment beyond simply just another ‘food day’.

Hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the 16th of October is the very day this arm of the UN was founded, so this event commemorates this inception.

150 countries worldwide are said to participate, making this one of the most active events in the UN yearly calendar.

The aim is to raise awareness of the pressure, plight and pre-conception of hunger around the globe and help progress towards what the organisers are calling #ZeroHunger.

We’ve decided to come up with 5 facts that you might not have known about our food here in the United Kingdom.

1. 48% of all food in the United Kingdom is imported.

As an island nation with a moderate climate, we don’t have the ideal weather conditions to grow every item seen on the supermarket shelves.

It’s quite an obvious statement that we are importers, but just short of half of all the food consumed and stocked in the UK has come from overseas.

The threat of Climate Change means that many of the countries that we source our produce from could be under threat from all manner of both man-made and naturally occurring problems.

If we are to keep importing our favourite foods, then we have a duty to protect the world’s growing regions from these new threats.

2. The UK exports over £20 billion of food and drink per year

The Food and Drink Federation reports that the UK exports an estimated £20 billion pound worth of produce per year, and the biggest export in terms of monetary value is Whisky.

Whisky provides over £4,095 million to the UK in revenue – that’s just over a fifth of the entire income!

Chocolate is the next biggest with a total value of £663 million in 2016.

3. 71% of land in the UK is used for farming

A staggering amount of land in the UK is utilised for farming, but even more staggering is that only 1% of that is used for horticultural crops such as fruit and vegetables.

19% of all land is used for crops such as wheat and barley – we really are a nation of farmers!

4. As a nation, we are 76% self-sufficient in producing homegrown food

Whilst we have a diverse and broad-ranging number of native crops, we are becoming increasingly reliant on the rest of the world to fill the gaps in our own food production.

Changing tastes and attitudes to food, plus the demand for more exotic produce means that we have moved away from more traditional crops and farming methods.

5. 970 million dozen eggs are laid every year in the UK

That’s eleven billion seven hundred sixty million eggs.

Imagine the size of the omelette you could make with that!

The post World Food Day: 5 facts about British food you didn’t know appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

National Chocolate Week is a celebration of all things cocoa from the 9-15th October that culminates in the Chocolate Show, which runs from the 13-15th October at Olympia National Hall, London.

And with hundreds of events expected throughout the week from the UK’s top chocolatiers and chocolate companie and even bars, restaurants are getting involved.

We thought we’d weigh-in and give you a couple of our favourite classy chocolate recipes to help you celebrate all things chocolate in style. These recipes are on us ;)…

Before we lay some sumptious deluxe chocolate recipes on you, let’s take a look at the history of the event in a little closer detail.

History

Chocolate Week is organised by Sylive Douce and Francois Jeantet, founders and organisers of the Salon du Chocolat around the world which includes the Chocolate Show in London.

This year marks the fourth year of the show, which has grown in size and stature since it’s inception in 2012.

The fifth iteration of the event will see 20,000 chocoholics descend on London’s Olympia to see the best of the UK’s chocolate companies exhibiting alongside a whole host of international brands.

Aiming to promote the intricate fine flavours of chocolate, working with cocoa farmers and us as consumers to achieve a fair price for the farmers efforts.

By hosting a large event at the end of the week, the organisers are able to host the best of the industry under one roof, and in-turn help encourage change within the industry.

Our sister company – Caffe Society – supports similar efforts with Fairtrade coffee and Rainforest Alliance blends that not only help the farmers and growers achieve a fair price, promote ethical growing methods but also gives us consumers the best products that the world can offer.

But what about these chocolate recipes you wanted? Coming right up!

Ultimate Indulgence Brownies

Brownies are a halfway house between cake, fudge and a chocolate bar. Incredibly simple to make, and even easier to eat! This recipe is one of the best sweet treats if you want to whip up something special, but don’t have the time!

Ingredients

• 200g butter
• 400g plain chocolate
• 225g light muscovado sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 150g pecan nuts, chopped
• 25g cocoa powder
• 75g self-raising flour
• 3 eggs, beaten

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 1700°C.
2. Grease and line a deep, square 20cm baking tin.
3. Melt the butter and chocolate gently in a bain-marie, then remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, nuts, vanilla extract, sifted cocoa powder and flour and eggs.
4. Pour the mixture into the tin, level and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes.
5. The brownies should be set on the surface but soft and gooey in the centre.
6. Leave to cool for two hours then turn out and cut into squares.
7. Enjoy!

Chocolatey Bread Pudding

A photo posted by GG Karas (@gkinali) on Oct 1, 2016 at 11:19am PDT

This author was under the impression that Bread Pudding was an almost exclusively-British bread dessert, but bread-based puddings are popular all over the world it seems!

A great way to use up stale bread or bread that is not quite perfect for that sandwich you were planning on serving, combining a classic dessert with cocoa improves it in so many ways.

We’ve added a baguette to our recipe for a little taste of the continent to your bready goodness…

Ingredients

• 200g French stick, cut into chunks
• 100g milk chocolate, in small chunks
• 500g vanilla custard (shop bought or homemade)
• 150ml milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
• 50g walnuts, chopped
• 50g plain chocolate, in small chunks

Method

1. Place the milk chocolate, custard and milk into a pan and heat gently, stirring occasionally until the chocolate has melted then beat in the egg.
2. Add the chunks of baguette into a large bowl and pour the chocolate custard mixture over the bread.
3. Mix thoroughly, cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
5. Put the chocolate bread mixture into a buttered ovenproof dish and bake for about 30 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the Demerara over the top, followed by the walnuts and plain chocolate chunks.
7. Bake for another 30 minutes.
8. Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar and drizzled with cream.

Are these recipes enough to satiate your lust for all things chocolate? If not then please visit Chocolate Week to find out more at: www.chocolateweek.co.uk

The post National Chocolate Week: Chocolate Heaven appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

National Curry Week is a celebration of one of our great nation’s favourite dishes.

Some 23 million people, just under half of the population, eat curry in the United Kingdom every year and those behind the Curry Week forecast that the average Brit will spend nearly £34,000 on traditional subcontinental cooking in their lifetime.

From proper Indian restaurant fare to the now traditional pub curry, we are just mad for curry here in Blighty.

Celebrating well over 200 years of curry in the United Kingdom, the organisers of National Curry Week help give one of our national dishes the attention it thoroughly deserves.

So not only does National Curry Week help raise awareness of the various dishes and tastes that we can experience in the humble curry, it also helps raise money for the Curry Tree Charitable fund amongst other national and international charities.

2017 is set to be a landmark year for the event as National Curry Week celebrates turning 20! So from the 9th to the 15th October you need to get out and enjoy the finest dishes known to man!

20 years of National Curry Week have helped raise money for a wide number of charities, with supermarkets teaming up with the event organisers to become the official sponsors of the entire week.

Started in 1997 to promote the cuisine, during this week curry lovers can get out and visit their local curry houses, with many staging special events and challenges for diners to take on and get involved with.

A photo posted by Maunika Gowardhan (@cookinacurry) on Oct 10, 2016 at 2:48am PDT

Of course, we absolutely love curry, and for us, there is just nothing better than going to our local curry house. But as catering equipment suppliers we also understand that to make good curry you do need great quality utensils!

That’s why our range of Kahari dishes, balti dishes, cast iron sizzlers and rice steamers can make the process of curry making that little bit easier.

If you are mad about making curry then you’ll likely benefit from our range of exquisite cooking utensils and serving options to give your food the showstopping ‘wow factor’ that it deserves.

And with over a third of the country eating curry regularly, there is a great deal of scope to tighten your menu and really enhance your spicy and not-so-spicy options.

Be sure to join in the festivities as the aim is to make the 20th iteration second-to-naan!

For more information please visit: www.nationalcurryweek.co.uk

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Tackling our literal mountains of food waste is becoming one of the biggest challenges that faces our food service industry, but innovative thinking and businesses are cropping up all the time to help tackle this major talking point.

Zero Waste Week is a UK-based scheme that hopes to increase the awareness of our rubbish-creating ways. But to put things into context, we’re some way behind our European neighbours in Norway.

The nation aims to cut food waste per capita by 50% before 2030, and taking that challenge head-on is one of the world’s first ‘food-waste supermarkets’.

This Norwegian ‘food waste supermarket’ offers food past its ‘best before’ dates but at major discounts.

Best Før supermarket in the Norwegian capital of Oslo is giving eagle-eyed bargain hunters the chance to make major savings but on food that other businesses have been unable to shift.

Whilst food safety procedures and protocols help protect customers and diners, some are enforced as a way of ensuring that produce (and therefore money) is not wasted buying the raw materials that would otherwise expire before they can be used in common recipes.

In 2015 the UN agreed to cut our per capita food waste in half by 2030, but Norway has pledged to be much more ambitious than that.

And if supermarkets are unwilling to buy products and produce that is within 10 days or so of expiry, then enterprises such as Best Før offer a unique business direction and great savings for cash-conscious consumers.

“Most supermarkets won’t buy products that are within 10 days or so of their expiry date – it often has to be wasted,” Best Før’s co-owner, Naeeh Ahmed explained to the Guardian.

“We thought, ‘Why don’t we make a place that has that kind of product, that will be beneficial to every party: the consumer, the supplier, and us. A win-win for everybody.”

Zero Waste Week 2017

With similar aims as Best Før, Zero Waste Week was started almost a decade ago in 2008 as a way of raising awareness of the environmental (as well as financial) impact that our current waste levels are having.

Almost exclusively online, the aim is to help reduce, reuse and recycle many of the common household items and food that we would otherwise send to landfill.

If the Norwegians can do it, then so can we!

By signing up to the Zero Waste newsletter you can get tips throughout the week on how to increase the lifespan of a plethora of commonly disposed items.

One of the most commonly discarded things in any home is food that has passed its ‘use-by’ date.

Often our food has been given this as a guide to the when the dish or food will taste it’s very best, but as long as we don’t leave things for months after this date, they are more than safe to eat.

So don’t chuck it away! Get it in the oven or used in a stew, it’ll save you money and even help save the planet.

Get Involved

If you would like to get involved, download the information pack for businesses right here!

Or alternatively visit: www.zerowasteweek.co.uk to learn more.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/17/how-norway-is-selling-out-of-date-food-to-help-tackle-waste

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One of the biggest national food days in the calendar – and there are a lot! – National Burger Day has been the pinnacle of precision pattie celebration for a number of years.

From the minds of London online publication, Mr Hyde, the event aims to celebrate the very best of the beef on offer around the country.

Beef burgers always taste better when you’ve bagged a bargain though, and so because it’s National Burger Day, you can get 20% off burgers at over 1,000 venues around the UK only on August 24th.

Not content with offering this stellar offer to the entire nation, the creative crew at Mr Hyde host their very own Burger Bonanza at London’s Hawker House.

Over 3,000 Mr Hyde readers and Djs, a whole host of catering trucks, whiskey merchants and craft beer carts will be present to help seal the beef in style.

From large chains to independent burger bars and fast-food joints, the dedicated NBD website includes a burger bar finder to help you find the nearest place to get a discount bite of beef.

Nationwide chains such including Ed’s Easy Diner, Handmade Burger Co., Gourmet Burger Kitchen, MeatLiquor and more have put the meat where their mouth is, and will honour all vouchers obtained from the official National Burger Day website.

Perfectly placed just before the August Bank Holiday weekend, you could quite easily turn this meat and bun event into an integral part of your Bank Holiday blowout.

Five years after being launched, the event has grown every single year, and 2017 looks set to be the biggest yet.

We know that the British public can be a sceptical bunch, the first thing we thought was: “Where is the nearest place offering the dicount to me?”

But feast your eyes on this map of the sheer number of locations signed up to honour the 20% offer:

For businesses up and down the country, this is a great time to really let your beef patties shine, and with our superb range of accessories, equipment and advice we will help your burger business go to the next level.

Check out our superb range of hamburger preparation, cooking and serving options by clicking here. Our range includes burger presses, for that perfect patty every time, smooth and ribbed grills to sear to perfection. Bun toasters for perfect burger buns without hassle and of course paper wrapping, boxes and cartons to help serve in style.

To obtain a voucher and for more information about the follow the link in the Tweet below or visit: www.nationalburgerday.co.uk

20% off the greatest burgers nationwide #NationalBurgerDay https://t.co/EPyfQMxCMY pic.twitter.com/IyjjmRTIjS

— Mr Hyde (@Mr_Hyde) August 18, 2017

For more information on our hamburger cooking products please call 01977 687 665 to speak to a friendly member of our team and they will offer expert advice on all things burger.

The post National Burger Day 2017: The Best of the Beef appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

From the 14th to the 20th August is the official Afternoon Tea Week 2017, meaning you have the perfect excuse for having a scone every single day!

For us, the best way to enjoy that quintessential British treat is with raspberry jam and the essential clotted cream.

When making scones we’ve found that the trick is to handle the dough as gently as possible for the softest, lightest result.

Afternoon Tea was introduced to the UK by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford around the 1840s.

It’s rumoured that she complained of “having that sinking feeling” often around the time it was usual for people to take only two main meals a day, breakfast, and dinner at around 8 o’clock in the evening.

The solution for the Duchess was a pot a tea and a light snack, taken privately in her boudoir during the afternoon.

Proud of herself, she soon invited friends for “tea and a walk in the fields.” Other social hostesses took to the idea and before long fashionable society was sipping tea and nibbling sandwiches in the middle of the afternoon.

Other social hostesses took to the idea and before long fashionable society was sipping tea and nibbling sandwiches in the middle of the afternoon.

For the tea rooms, coffee shops, hotels and country homes around the United Kingdom this is big business.

Especially when you consider that some 165 million cups of tea are drunk each and every day across Britain.

Serving supple and sumptuous scones could be a method of increasing revenue, or simply a great way to get customers parting with that little extra cash.

Plus, fresh scones are always tastier!

Ingredients (makes 12):

• 450g self-raising flour
• 100g butter, cold and cut in cubes
• 50g caster sugar
• 100g sultanas (optional)
• 200ml semi-skimmed milk
• 3 eggs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C and lightly flour a baking tray.
2. Use your fingers or a food processor to work the butter into the flour and sugar until the mixture takes on the consistency of breadcrumbs.
3. Add the sultanas at this point, if you’re using them.
4. Whisk two of the eggs into the milk then use a butter knife to stir into the dry ingredients until they come together to form a soft dough.
5. Tip the dough onto a floured surface, bring together with your hands and roll or pat into a 2.5cm layer.
6. Use a crimped scone cutter to cut out 12 shapes and place on the baking tray.
7. Beat the remaining egg lightly and brush over the tops of the scones as a glaze.
8. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the scones are risen and golden brown on top.
9. Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving as part of afternoon tea with finger sandwiches and iced fancies ideally eaten in the garden!

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World Chocolate Day is held every year on the 7th July, this date being rumoured as the date in which chocolate was introduced to Europe over 465 years ago.

In that time chocolate has taken over, it’s everywhere. But not always where you’d expect it — sometimes you’ll even find it in everyday dishes that can truly change the way you experience your favourite food.

To celebrate the cocoa-holiday, we’ve collated five of our favourite everyday chocolate recipes that aren’t simply desserts and deserve to be tasted by chocoholics all over the World.

5. Chilli con Carne – with chocolate

Yes, the spicy taste of chilli somehow makes a great chilli taste even better, we think it’s due to the nature of dark chocolate.

The bitterness helps take the edge off the spicy dish without destroying or overpowering the taste.

Milk chocolate isn’t advised, the sugar content can make this traditionally spicy dish too sweet.

A video posted by Jennifer Ward (@jen__ward) on Jun 13, 2016 at 6:10am PDT

Ingredients

• tbsp olive oil
• red onion, finely chopped
• red peppers, deseeded and sliced
• hot chilli powder
• cumin
• paprika
• beef mince 5% fat
• passata with onion and garlic
• beef stock, made with 1 beef stock cube
• tin red kidney beans in water, drained and thoroughly rinsed
• squares (20g) dark chocolate (or any other chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids)
• half fat crème fraîche

Method

1. Heat up the oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped onion. Cook for around 2-3 minutes until the onion begins to soften and add the peppers. Cook this mixture for another 3-4 minutes until the peppers just start to become tender.
2. Add the chilli powder, cumin and paprika to the pan and stir through, cooking for approximately a minute. Add the 500g minced beef to the pan and move around, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the beef has browned all over.
3. Pour in the passata and stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Heat the chocolate in a microwave for around 30 seconds or until melted. Add this to the chilli mixture, along with the beans. Alternatively, you can add the solid pieces of chocolate straight to the chilli. Stir to combine, then simmer for another 15 minutes until the mixture has thickened slightly.
5. Meanwhile, prepare some long grain rice and serve with the chilli once prepared.

PLEASE NOTE: Adding any more than 20g of dark chocolate could overpower the chilli, so add more sparingly!

4. Chicken with Mole Poblano sauce

Contrary to the name, no moles are needed to make this chicken dish, instead, chocolate is used to help make a rich sauce that is complemented by fresh coriander.

As with many recipes that utilise chocolate, the combination of sweet, spicy and richness make for a winning taste.

A post shared by Pepitos (@pepitosderby) on Jun 28, 2017 at 5:46am PDT

An authentic Mexican dish, but with a chocolate twist, the mole sauce can be made in a whole number of ways. Mole Poblano is one of the variations made with chocolate.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons corn oil or coconut oil
• 8 whole chicken legs with thighs attached
• 2 cups (4.8 dl) hot salsa (Mexican or Tex-Mex)
• 1 cup (2.4 dl) chicken broth
• 1 sweet pepper, chopped
• 6 sun dried tomatoes, soaked in hot water
• 4 tablespoons raisins
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 corn tortilla
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 oz (60 g) bittersweet chocolate
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Method

1. Cook the chicken legs in corn oil or coconut oil if you prefer.
2. In a blender mix salsa or tomatoes, sweet pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, raisins, peanut butter, tortilla, chicken broth, salt and spices, and puree on high speed.
3. Heat the sauce, add chocolate and mix well.
4. Add more salt or spices as needed.
5. Cook the chicken legs in the sauce at low heat until tender, approximately one hour.
6. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on the chicken, and serve with rice and a salad.

3. Cocoa rubbed baby back ribs

The influx of barbecue restaurants and Texas-BBQ inspired menus up and down the country means most will know their way around slow cooked short ribs.

Sticky-sweet barbecue ribs are obviously popular, so the addition of chocolate shouldn’t come as a great surprise — except for the taste.

Source: wholesomesweet.com

Traditional ribs — but definitely not how you expect them.

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₃ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¹⁄₂ cup light brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. ancho chili powder
• 2 tbsp. kosher salt
• 2 tbsp. granulated onion
• 1 tbsp. granulated garlic
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 tbsp. dried mustard
• 2 tsp. dried ginger
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• 2 racks (3 lb.) pork baby back ribs

Method

1. Mix the cocoa powder and spices together in a bowl until well mixed.
2. Coat and rub a generous helping of the spice mixture onto the ribs. Wrap in foil or cellophane and leave in a fridge overnight.
3. Around 3 hours before planning to serve the ribs, take them out of the fridge and allow them to settle to room temperature.
4. If cooking in an oven, preheat to 450°C and transfer ribs to a baking tray or sheet with a wire rack. Cook curved side up first until brown then flip and cook for a further 15-20 minutes.
5. Follow same procedure if cooking on a barbecue — plus you get the added bonus of that lovely charred taste and texture.

2. Olive oil and sea salt chocolate toasties

Nutella toasted sandwiches are another secret we’d like to share before we delve into this amazing recipe — courtesy of BBC Good Food.

And if you’ve ever tried chocolate with a hint of sea salt, you’ll know just how strangely amazing it actually is — especially with bitter dark chocolate — for some reason it just adds another flavour dimension!

Well, this amazing toastie-treat could be top of your lunchtime priority list this weekend.

Source: magazine.foxnews.com

Ingredients

• 2.75oz/75g milk or bittersweet (dark) chocolate, broken into squares
• 4 slices good-quality crusty bread or white sourdough
• Salt, for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

1. Split the chocolate pieces between two slices of bread and sprinkle with salt, then sandwich with the remaining two slices of bread.
2. Put a skillet (frying pan) big enough to fit both sandwiches on to a medium heat, then brush the top of the sandwiches with plenty of olive oil.
3. Put the sandwiches, in the pan, oil-side down, and fry for about 2–3 minutes until golden.
4. Brush the unoiled bread with oil then flip the sandwich over. Fry again for another two minutes, or until the chocolate is oozing, then serve immediately.

Tip: Try serving this with fresh orange segments on the side for added freshness.

1. Pistachio and triple-chocolate brownies

Yeah, we may have said this was ‘alternative recipes’ earlier on, but honestly, this recipe is just too good not to share — I’ve personally had them at least three times in the last six months — honestly amazing.

It would be rude not to include a lovely stodgy brownie recipe on World Chocolate Day and it makes an amazing treat with a cup of tea or coffee.

A photo posted by Stephanie Parr (@rabbitlover87) on Apr 26, 2014 at 3:41pm PDT

Ingredients

• 180g (3⁄4 cup, plus 2 tsp) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 150g (1 cup) good-quality dark (bittersweet) chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• 100g (2/3 cup) good-quality milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 200g (1 cup) soft light brown sugar
• 100g (1⁄2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
• 90g (2/3 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 40g (1⁄2 cup) cocoa powder
• 50g (1/3 cup) good-quality white chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• 50g (2 oz) pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
2. Lightly grease and line a 20cm x 20cm (8in x 8in) baking tin with baking paper.
3. Melt the butter, dark chocolate and 50g (1⁄3 cup) of the milk chocolate in a medium-size bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
4. As soon as the chocolate and butter have melted, remove the bowl from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
5. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and sugars together until thickened and pale – this should take up to five minutes. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg and sugar and gently fold through until just combined.
6. Sift over the flour and cocoa powder and fold these through until just combined.
7. Finally, carefully fold in the remaining milk chocolate, the white chocolate and the pistachios until they are well distributed through the mixture.
8. Spoon the brownie mix into the prepared tin and use the back of a spoon to smooth it out. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the brownie has a crisp, sugary crust and is just set. Leave the brownie in its tin, placed on a wire rack to cool. The brownies are delicious served warm but will keep in an airtight container for up to three days. Brownies tend to go stale more quickly if cut in advance of serving, so cut these into squares just before eating.

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