Casa Rosales

Casa Rosales

Monday 16 July 2012

The call of chocolate


Well, we've been here for almost two years and in that time, I've made lots and lots of things - jams, sauces, chutneys - but very few chocolates.  I am feeling rather frustrated about this, even though it's the height of summer and I would be unlikely to be making chocolates in the UK at this time of year. (Too much rain...chocolate is no friend of humidity!)

I am thinking very seriously about the possibility of setting up in a little shop here in Alcala la Real. It's a busy, bustling town and whilst there is nothing up-market about it, I feel sure there is enough footfall on the streets to encourage a few folk into a shop that offers unique, delicious and well-priced chocolates. Does this sound enough like a marketing strategy to proceed? 

Anyway, I'm going all chocolatey and need to post a few more photos of 'some I made earlier'. 

Easter 2009 and I went all 'SPLATTY'.  My 'SPLATTY' eggs were milk, white or dark chocolate hollow eggs which I filled with a range of different centres, then closed up with a SPLAT of contrasting chocolate. 

They went down a storm. I include here the fillings I made - perhaps you could give me ideas of what you would like inside your SPLATTY egg!




Apricot Splatties – a white chocolate ganache (double cream and white chocolate) mixed with apricot preserve and brandy, piped into a hollow egg and decorated with a SPLAT and a sprinkling of nuts. White or dark eggs





Raspberry Splatties – a white chocolate ganache mixed with raspberry preserve (no pips!) and raspberry liqueur, piped into hollow eggs and decorated with a SPLAT and a dusting of freeze-dried raspberries – White or dark eggs





Orange Splatties – (my personal favourite) 
a white ganache, with zest of orange, mixed peel and cointreau, piped into hollow eggs and decorated with a SPLAT and a teeny piece of orange peel. Dark eggs 

Shown here with cherry liqueur hearts.






Rum Splatties – a dark ganache with rum and the occasional tipsy raisin, piped into milk and dark hollow eggs, decorated with a contrasting SPLAT!



Caramel Splatties – dulce de leche caramel piped into hollow milk and white eggs and decorated with a contrasting SPLAT

Shown here with caramel snails...




I also made: 

Lemon and ginger truffles - a dark ganache with lemon oil, lemon zest and hot spicy crystallised ginger pieces - dipped in white chocolate and finished with a gold transfer pattern.

Honey truffles - a rich milk chocolate ganache with natural honey, hand- dipped in milk chocolate.







Chilli taste bombs! A dark ganache with a sprinkling of chilli flakes, hand dipped in dark chocolate and finished off with a fantastic transfer that indicates the explosion of flavour about to hit you!







The following pictures were taken at a craft fair I did at the National Mining Museum in Wakefield in 2009 where I sold a lot of hand made Easter Eggs and my lovely moulded chocolate bunnies - the moulds I got from my grandpa that hark back to the 1950s. I can't wait to get started again.






  




OK - it's not the same as making them but I've enjoyed digging out these old photos.

One day..one day soon.

15 comments:

  1. Very soon, I hope...and I just noticed your Taylor Made page.
    Here, in the land of the cocoa bean, the commercial chocolate is not bad...but the artisan stuff is a total rip off both of the consumer and of the indiginous people from whom the conmen tell you they get their supplies.
    Not to speak of the con 'how to make chocolate' visits offered to tourists....

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    1. The land of the cocoa bean - what a wonderful ring has that sentence.
      I agree there's a lot of hype and rubbish around artisan chocolates - and lots of ripping off going on. Promise I will keep my values once I'm famous.
      Axxx

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  2. When we take our school to France we always visit a well known chocolate factory with shops at Berck and Le Touquet. The tour is a case of squeeze 'em in, give a quick pat talk, give then a chocolate and then herd them into the shop. It hasn't always been like this.

    Your chocolates look delicious and incredibly time consuming. I suppose it is this, together with the high quality chocolate and fillings that makes them stand out.

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    1. I've just discovered there's a chocolate factory on the coast - Mijas - who sound to be doing quite well. They invite people in and offer tasters and hands on. I might have to give them a visit one day.

      It's not a five minute job, making chocolates but I find the concentration it takes quite soothing and relaxing. And I always use good quality ingredients - can't go wrong! Axxx

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  3. You are sooooo bad for me. In the absence of your drool worthy chocs I now have to have some Green and Blacks! And I am supposed to be on a diet!!

    Go for it with the shop :D

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    1. Seriously, Annie, chocolate is GOOOOD for you! I am never so happy as when I'm making chocolates. But strangely, I cannot stand chocolate ice-cream and am not that keen on chocolate cake either. It has to be aroun 60 or 65% cacoa and that does it for me. Green and Blacks are OK...enjoy. Axx

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  4. Set up a new business immediately, and make sure you have a mail order section.....not sure how you post chocolates in hot places, but there must be a way. They look wonderful Annie. My attempts are very feeble ( tasty though....) in comparison, and I must admit, I have made no chocolates in France. It feels like a winter in Hebden Bridge occupation to me.Jxxxx

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    1. I suspect I'd do better in Hebden Bridge with my chocolates than here, to be honest, though that's not enough of a reason to head off back to the UK. Until the end of the summer, we'll be doing a lot of thinking but as we're off to the north for a few weeks, we can't really do much else. There's a little place on the coast and I think we might pop down and ask them how things are going and whether they'll share any supplier information - they're too small and too far away for us to be competition in any way.
      And when I do set up, it would be foolish not to do mail order - though may be not the most cost effective way to eat chocolate...Axxx

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    2. It would be worth it for your chocolates Annie. x

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  5. Cherry splatties please
    Celia x

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    1. Excellent choice, Celia - in plain chocolate, I hope, with a white SPLAT! Axxx

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  6. I say "go for it." They look beautiful...and have made my mouth water! One of each, please ;)

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    1. Thank you Elizabeth. One of each is a very good choice! Axxx

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  7. A Raspberry Splattie (or ten) please............. Oh my word, how wonderful this all sounds and I love the "Taylor made" labelling.

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    1. I have to admit, the Raspberry Splatties are a personal favourite. I am working up to some chocolating this autumn. Axx

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