Apricot and Star Anise Pate de Fruit

Does anyone remember Newberry Fruits which were fruit jellies but with a liquid centre? My nan always used to eat these especially at Christmas and she'd always get them as a present. I remember when I bit into one, the sweet liquid centre would just ooze out onto my tongue and the taste was almost like having the juice of the fruit flavour trickling down my throat.

Newberry Fruits are a type of Pate de Fruit which are simply fruit jellies made of fruit puree, sugar, any other flavourings and a gelling or setting agent to help them set enough to be able to cut, normally pectin which can be found naturally in fruits like apples.

I wanted to try these jellies as an addition to my chocolates and thought of using apricot and star anise as a combination. After boiling the fruit puree with the star anise and a jar of apple sauce, I poured it in to a square pan and left it to set, although it didn't seem to set very firm. So I heated it up again and added some gelatine and left it to set again. This made it a bit firmer to handle and so I cut the pate de fruit initially into strips and then into squares.



After leaving them to dry out for a couple of hours, I then dipped them in granulated sugar






And this is how they turned out...



The apricot and star anise went really well together, however, they were too sweet for my taste. Next time I might try to modify the sweetness by adding some salt to the fruit puree.

The best chocolate moulds?

I've been fortunate in that my current job has allowed me to travel to Brussels regularly for meetings with other civil servants from the 26 other European countries. However, as well as the meetings, it sometimes allows me to do a bit of research on what other big and small name chocolatiers and chocolate houses produce.

On my most recent visit, I noticed across the street from my hotel a chocolatier with the most unusual range of chocolate moulds. Planete Chocolat, on the Rue Du Lombard, has a load of different moulds I have not seen on sale in the UK. They appear to be made of metal with the most intricate patterns. Take this first one for example...



And here are some more...



According to their website they have a museum explaining everything you want or need to know about chocolate and have regular demonstrations, tours and workshops as well as being a tea/coffee salon. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to visit while it was open, however, maybe next time...!

Chocolate Survey

After doing cakes for a number of years (and pastry wasn’t my best section in the kitchen during college!) and the great kick from doing the favours, I’m now looking at making chocolates. But before I set out too quickly and quit my job to become elbow deep in molten chocolate, I need to do some of the research to help me along.

So, I'd be grateful if you could take the following chocolate survey and leave me some comments answering the following questions:

• How often do you eat/buy chocolate?
• Where do you buy chocolate?
• Why do you buy it from there?
• Why do you buy chocolate?
• Do you buy brand name chocolates or artisan?
• What do you look for in a brand?
• If artisan what do you look for?
• Why?
• How much do you normally spend on chocolate?
• In the current credit crunch do you still buy chocolate?
• More? Less? Same?
• Have you changed brands/chocolate buying habits?

Thanks and I'll publish the results when I get them.

The Start of Something New

">Ever since I finished the favours for Katie and Ash’s wedding, I’ve had an urge to start creating my own chocolates and confections. Believe me it was a lot of hard work to create but was well worth seeing the finished product with the different flavours in their different coloured foils, the favour boxes with their gold inscription, the little inlay cards describing what was in each of the coloured shiny wrappings.

There were four different flavours - raspberry, mango, nut and mukhwas. The raspberry and mango flavours were fruit puree based ganaches – the raspberry with plain chocolate and the mango with white chocolate. The nut based centre was based on a recipe from the American chocolatier, Andrew Garrison Schotts from his book “Making Fine Chocolates” which included a home-made praline.

I can hear you saying – “Ok, Ok but what was that last one?” The last one was a cream based ganache which was infused with a couple of teaspoons of Mukhwas. If you’ve ever been into a good authentic Indian restaurant you might have seen small dishes of seeds on the counter which people eat after the meal to aid digestion and to freshen the breath. You can get Mukhwas on the internet or they also sell it in Tesco in the world food section – if your local Tesco has one.

Even better, if you’re lucky enough to live near or to visit Tooting in South London, there’s a shop that sells a whole range of Mukhwas which you can try before you buy. This chocolate was a unique flavour but one that went down well for those who tasted it.

Where did it all start?

So you’re asking yourself, how come a civil servant wants to be a confectioner? Well, I haven’t always been a civil servant. It started a long, long time ago when I was about 9 or 10 at primary school when we first made chocolate chip cookies in class; the excitement and feeling of satisfaction that I had made these cookies, I think, planted the seed that I wanted to be a chef.

For many years I grew up telling everyone I was going to be a chef de cuisine and finally just before leaving school at the tender age of 16, I got a letter through the post saying I’d been given a place on the professional chefs course at Westminster College. I couldn’t believe it!

After three years of training (and a few months towards the end of almost quitting the course) I qualified with my City and Guilds 706 1 and 2 and the Westminster College diploma. I then spent a few months in the industry but then decided, at that time, it didn’t pay that well and the hours were really unsociable so I decided to change focus. I did something I said I would hate when I was a kid – to work in an office. But 23 years later….!

In between times, I’ve been on a few sugarcraft courses and made quite a few celebration cakes for family and friends. My latest main celebration cake was for Katie and Ash, for when they got married. I'll be uploading photos of other cakes I've made over the years and future ones that await being made!!