CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE

Anyone who knows me or even follows me on facebook or twitter will know that I love 2 things: Coffee and Chocolate!!


So a few weeks ago I received this very cool parcel in the post... I mean who doesn't like receiving parcels (mail is so cool) and when my parcel happened to be a box filled with chocolate I just knew my year was off to a GREAT start!!!


My parcel was from America - how cool.
These guys in Santa Barbara in America had read my blog and thought it was worthy of sending me some chocolate to try out. (Thank you)

So the first thing I made was chocolate mousse - YUM! then I made chocolate cream brulee.
Of course I ate handfuls of chocolate inbetween.

Wanting to share with you my love for all things chocolate here is the recipe for chocolate creme brulee. - you're welcome ;) 

CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE

INGREDIENTS
250ml cream
250ml full cream milk
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
6 large egg yolks
50grams to 100grams of 70% dark chocolate (dependent on how chocolatey you want it)

METHOD
1) in a small saucepan put the cream and milk. Slowly bring to the boil - just before it boils over -remove from stove top.
2) in a bowl/jug mix together the egg yolks and sugar.
3) allow the cream/ milk mixture to cool slightly before pouring into the eggs and sugar - stir while adding the milk and cream mixture.
4) place it into the pot again and slowly heat while stirring, allow the egg in the mixture to thicken with out splitting / scrambling.
5) once thickened slightly - take off the heat and add the chocolate. keep adding the chocolate until desired taste is reached.
6) pour into ramekins or tea cups.
5) place the cups in an oven proof dish (deep roasting tray or bakeware)  and place boiling water half way up the outsides of the cups/ramekins and place in the oven of 160 degrees celcius
6) bake for 10 - 20 min and remove from oven when there is a set layer on top of the mixture when you tilt  the custard -it ripples or moves a bit from underneath the thickish milk skin

let it cool then place in the fridge for a minimum of 2-3 hours
they can be kept in the fridge covered for 3 or 4 days

*As a traditional creme brulee has burn sugar on top - take out and sprinkle castor sugar on top and caramelise with a chefs blow torch or put under the grill of the oven but watch CAREFULLY as it will burn very easily .....
I didn't do this as I loved the baked chocolate custards so much, I ate them as they were straight from the fridge!

They are chocolatey and delicious.

They do have such pretty wrappers!

 
MORE INFO

I contacted the guys from Santa Barbara by email to say thanks and ask them where their chocolate is made etc... here was there response:
  
"So glad you like the chocolates! So to answer your question, Jason (founder and master chocolatier), his family started in the chocolate business over 100 years ago in Prague, Czech Republic. They continue to manufacture in Europe and Jason imports from them. We also do some light manufacturing locally for our finished goods."

Look them up on the web:

Website: www.santabarbarachocolate.com

email: info@santabarbarachocolate.com

twitter: @santabarbchoc

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Santa-Barbara-Chocolate/135977801132

Thanks so much to the guys over at Santa Barbara Chocolate :) you started my year off to a good start!