When I started writing this blog post my social media students had just completed their blogging assignment which prompted me to look at my own blog. At the time (April) I had literally not blogged in over 3 months- shocking, atrocious and not a very good example to set. It's just been extremely busy with studying patisserie at Silwood. The course is part time (2 mornings a week) but as most of you who have worked or studied part-time know, you end up putting way more hours in. Class starts at 7:30am and ends around 1pm. Just like working in a kitchen we don't really have a break, so its a full on 6 hour day! The prep work before each prac is very time consuming and consists of studying for a weekly test, shopping and sourcing ingredients, weighing them up and then packing everything. Not to mention the costings and production schedules which we need to put together so that we know what order we need to make everything in. In our Fridays Pracs we can make up to 5 things at a time so we need to plan our processes pretty carefully. Who thought Pastry could be so stressful? This may be a bit naive but I always pictured myself in a Julia Child type scenario, wearing my red lipstick and pretty apron, singing along to the radio whilst whipping up whimsical treats to melt the hearts of those I love so dearly. (Okay, so I kind of knew this would not be the case but I really wanted to believe it). The kitchen environment is generally a high stress environment- not sure why it has to be this way but I've come to accept that it's just the way that it is!

We're half way through term 2 and exams are looming ahead, and I've learnt to make all kinds of pastries, cakes, puddings, breads and confectionary. One of the easiest and most simple desserts we've made is Mousse Au Chocolat Basque (Basque Chocolate Mousse) which I thought I would share with you. Its easy, simple, rich and super delicious. This dessert is probably one of my best presentations out of all of my pracs, mostly because it was so early on in the year and I reckon I nailed it with my modern interpretation of this traditional dessert.

Mousse Au Chocolat Basque (Silwood recipe)

(Makes 4-6 small pots)

160 g dark chocolate (below 50% cocoa)
5ml instant coffee dissolved in 1tsp boiling water
10 g butter
10 ml liquid
Pinch of salt
2 eggs separated
Chantilly cream (to garnish)

Method
Melt 160g chocolate chips with 5ml coffee (dissolved in 5ml hot water), 10ml sherry and pinch of salt over warm Baine marie. Remove from heat and beat in the 2 egg yolks one at a time. Allow to cool and thicken.Whisk the egg whites until soft peak stage and stir in 1/3 into chocolate. Then fold in the remainder. Pour into mousse jars/dishes.

To Garnish Make chantilly cream by whipping 250ml whipping cream to soft peak stage and fold in a few drops of vanilla essence and sifted icing sugar to taste. Fill piping bag and pipe or spoon on top. Top with chocolate chards or grated chocolate and serve immediately. Double the recipe to make 8 -10 pots.

Food and fun times from Oviedo to Barcelona. July 2014

In August last year I was luckily enough to visit Basque country (a unique part of Northern Spain and France). It was a very good friend Natalie's wedding in Oviedo, her moms home town. A handful of us (Lisa, Ali, Steve, Sam and myself) decided to make a road trip of it. Soon after the wedding we made our way to San Sebastian in Basque Country via The Guggenheim in Bilboa and 2 nights in the rural mountains of Cantabria where we stayed in a quaint B&B called Casona de Quintana .

We eventually made it to San Sebastian with both Steve and our car intact. Here we literally ate ourselves into a a coma. San Sebastian is the food capital of modern and molecular cooking. Whilst known for their molecular cooking their traditional Pinxtos ( Norths version of tapas) it is an important aspect of daily life in basque country. In fact Parte Vieja (The Old Town) has more bars per square metre than anywhere else in the world. There are so many different types of Pinxtos bars- day and nights spots, coffee bars, noisy bars, foodie bars that have put San Sebastian on the map and more traditional Pinxtos bars laden with Pinxtos and people spilling out on the streets. As a tourist you generally visit a couple of bars a night for dinner. Nights in San Sebastián start late and go until the wee hours making it very different and exciting social eating experience. Do yourself a favour if you are planing to go to Spain- visit the North for the experience of the food. This is something you have to experience for yourself if you are ever afforded the opportunity.

After San Sebastian we treated ourselves to one night at Casa de San Martin in the Pyrenees via Pamplona and then made our way to Barcelona for 3 nights. Naturally I fell in Love with Barcelona- a vibrant city filled with art, historic sights, awesome people and again fantastic food. Below are a few memories shared with awesome friends on the trip! If you have any questions about Spain and where to go or stay , please just leave a comment :-) Spain is my most favourite European holiday destination, if not in the world.

Happy holiday dreaming and happy eating!

The crazies we travelled and ate with...