Maddalena Delli's Blog

Posted by Maddalena Delli

In January 2009, Demarquette Fine Chocolates (based in Chelsea, London), will be launching a unique limited edition collection of 6 freshly hand-made ganache chocolates flavoured with speciality peppers and salts. World-famous salts and peppers are infused in British cream which is blended and enrobed with the world's highest quality chocolate from highly acclaimed Valrhona.

I'm not sure how I feel about this... Mind you, pepper sounds fine! I love all sorts of spiced chocolate, my favorite being nutmeg. And by the way, have you ever tried freshly ground pepper in your espresso coffee? It's a bang on a grey winter afternoon!

But, uhm... SALT?!?! Salty chocolate??? I mean, I'm equipped with a well trained set of adventurous taste buds and I'm an avid liquorice eater, but hard as I try, I've never grown to acquire the taste for salty liquorice. Will salty chocolate prove to be any different? I'll have to give it a try I guess...

However, here is the full list of flavored chocolates in the forthcoming Demarquette collection:

• Hawaiian Black Volcano salt - Known for its detoxifying effects from activated charcoal, the salt is evaporated with purified black lava rock which adds minerals.

• Australian Pink Salt Flakes - Harvested from an Australian river fed by water coming from the snowy Australian mountains, these delicate pink salt flakes add extraordinary zest to the flavour.

• Fleur de Sel - Often regarded as the world's finest salt with an extraordinary texture. The "Salt Flower" blossoms on the surface of French salt ponds where only the top layer of delicate crystals is hand-harvested.

• Szechuan Pepper - native to the Szechwan province of China, it is not actually of the pepper family, but the dried berry of a tree of the rue family. The flavour is mildly peppery with hints of citrus.

• Brazilian Pink Pepper - Another delicate but piquant spice which is not related to pepper. These small, pink, berry-like fruits from a tropical Brazilian tree have a mild, aromatic, sweet flavour with a subtle sharpness.

• Tasmanian Bush Pepper - Peppery leaves and fruits of the Tasmanian wild pepper bush complement the chocolate with a woody pepper zing, rich berry and a hint of green tea.

Well, if nothing else, there's a fine lesson in specialty salt and pepper varieties for my foodie readers!

Posted by Maddalena Delli

The British Vegetarian Society just announce the winners of its 2008 Awards. Lists of award-winning eateries are a steady favorite among my foodie readers, so I thought I'd pass on the news...

Best UK Independent Restaurant for Vegetarian Food

Joint winners:

• Dandelion & Burdock, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire
• The Waiting Room, Stockton on Tees, County Durham

Others shortlisted:

• Canteen - Cardiff
• Demuths - Bath
• Relish - Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire

Best UK Independent Pub for Vegetarian Food

Winner :

• The Red Lion, Great Bricett, Suffolk

Others shortlisted:

• The George - Brighton
• 78 - Glasgow

Other awards include Best Vegetarian Ready-made Dessert (Marks & Spencer Melty Middle Chocolate Dessert) and Best Vegetarian Beauty Product (Halo Light Moisturising Cream).

The Awards are in their eighth year and promote best practice among caterers, manufacturers and retailers, and highlight the importance of integrity in the vegetarian marketplace.

The nominations for the awards were voted for through the charity’s website and members’ magazine. Nominations were reviewed by a panel of judges and mystery diners visited venues.

Posted by Maddalena Delli

Create some spooky treats for your Hallowe’en party with Kellogg's Rice Krispie Ghosts! To celebrate Halloween, Kellogg's has created a spooky new recipe for parents and children to try together. Rice Krispie Ghosts are perfect for Halloween party treats.

• ½ tbsp butter or margarine
• 110g / 4 oz white marshmallows
• 90g / 3 oz Kellogg’s Rice Krispies
• 50g / 2 oz desiccated coconut
• Decoration (dried cranberries, currants or blueberries or Kellogg’s Honey Loops for eyes and mouth)

Method (15 – 20 minutes preparation time plus extra for decoration)

1. Melt butter or margarine in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat
2. Add Kellogg's Rice Krispies (or Ricicles) and stir until well coated
3. While mixture is still warm, shape with wet or greased hands into any desired design (see craft suggestions) and roll or press coconut onto surface
4. Attach decorations of choice using a little melted chocolate or prepared icing. If cut, most dried fruit will stick without needing to do this
5. To make flat ghost shapes, flatten mixture onto a greased 33 x 20cm swiss roll baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper, using a greased spatula. The quantity will fill half the tray
6. Depending on required size, cut mixture into squares or rectangles prior to cutting out ghost shapes which can then be bent into required shapes
7. To make 3D ghosts, cone shapes can be made by cutting out triangles and folding round.

This fun and easy Hallowe’en reciped is reproduce by permission from Kellogg's U.K., where other Halloween baking recipies include Frosties Toffee Apples and Coco Pops Bats.

Posted by Maddalena Delli

Different niches in the trade claim it to their specialty, and even at Suite101 the topic has moved between different sections a few times. Have your say in our poll!

So, just what is Culinary Travel anyway? I was discussing this with a well-travelled friend a few days ago, and it set me thinking. Different sectors in the tourism business try to pull culinary travel towards their niche.

Even here at Suite101, the topic has moved to and fro between the Food & Drink and the Outdoor & Recreation sections a few times, confirming it's a fishy affair to label. So I've decided to start a poll and ask how you see it.

Here are five options (as many as the system allows) to choose from: do you associate Culinary Travel with Luxury Travel, Green Travel, Adventure Travel, Slow Travel or Educational Travel?

Cast your vote!

Posted by Maddalena Delli

On 12 August the grouse hunting season begins in the UK, and gourmet food suppliers compete to get the first game shot from Scotland to the tables of London restaurants.

I'm just back from a short vacation on the Italian Riviera (more about that soon), and find my inbox flooded with press releases from various UK sources, all mentioning the Glorious 12th. Intrigued and puzzled, I rush to check the meaning of the phrase.

I'm not sure how this may have escaped me till now (especialy since I've spent in the British Isles most Augusts over the past two decades!) but it refers to the date -- 12th August of course -- when the grouse shooting season begins.

Apparently, there is always substantial competition among gourmet food suppliers -- including Harrods' legendary Food Halls -- to get the first birds shot in the Scottish estates to the tables of restaurants in London and other major cities throughout the United Kingdom.

So, your humble foodie reporter is now one piece of information wiser, and just wanted to share the titbit.

Sorry I'm 24 hours late alerting you for this year's big event... but at least anyone who cares for the taste of feathered game (not me, I'm afraid) now has 364 days to look forward to the next Glorious Twelfth!