February’s Edible (Relatively Speaking) Bits and Bobs

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Hannah

In a jumblebumble world, sometimes the best thing to do is close your eyes and focus on the little fleeting glimpse-glances of life.

And if those little fleeting glimpse-glances are food-related? All the better.

Remember when the fabulous Ricki sent me an incredible care package of deliciousness? I finally allowed myself to try the Sweets From The Earth vegan double chocolate cookies. They reminded me in a lovely nostalgic way of the cookies mum used to pack in my lunchbox, and my many-allergies-navigating grandma liked them too. Nicely crunchy and generous with the chocolate chips, they were. (It seems these cookies turn me into Yoda.)

When I was at Prahan Market with Heidi (who just got married oh my squee yay happy happy smiley love love hurah!), we were assailed by a two-faced vendor who spruiked his gluten-free goods to us when he thought we wanted them, then ranted viciously about all the gluten-avoiding fad-obsessed “liars” out there when we told him that we eat gluten.

The ranting was worth it, though, because Heidi bought the above Roasted Almond Muesli from the stall and then turned and handed the packet to me, without my ever having realised that she’d withstood the man’s evilness just to procure me this gift. Heidi, you make my heart soar. The muesli was truly wonderful, so soft and fresh. And it makes a good thick bircher with coconut flour, soy milk, and fresh blackberries too.

Um.

Did I buy these Tomato Sauce Pringles?

No comment.

Did I eat them?

No comment.

Were they good?

Oh heck no.

But at least they were vegan.

These green beans have a love that is timeless. A love that binds them together both on and beyond this earthly plane. Don’t you no never never try to break them apart, y’all. They have a love that is timeless.

The other week at gospel, I ran across the room in the break to talk to my darling Fi then, upon my return, found a mystery package waiting for me on my seat.

Inside were two bars of Lindt 85%.

Mike, thank you! I’ve been using these bars as my break-in-case-of-stress-emergency stash all week.

Oh no you don’t, Back To Nature. I’ve had enough of your hurtful games.

Except, well, I kind of do a little bit want to try the cinnamon heart cereal. And I can’t see any incorrect punctuation or grammar on that particular box, so maybe I’m allowed?

So many kinds of wrong. So very many that I’ve lost count.

(How about getting your energy from, say, an apple? With peanut butter? And sufficient sleep? Yes, I and my insomniac ways are in no position to harp on about the latter, but still. You get my point.)

Warm just-baked vanilla craisin muffins with Nuttelex (or butter), on the other hand?

So many kinds of right.

Question Time: What amazing/horrific eats have you chanced upon lately?

To Love and To Tolerate: Vosges Gingerbread Toffee Bar and Vosges Creole Bar

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Hannah

It was an absolute thrill to hear your thoughts on love (and love at first sight) in my last post. While I’m always up for zesty debates and letting others’ viewpoints show the world in a new light, I must admit it was balm to my heart to find an echo, or even a mirror, of my own thoughts about relationships in many of your words. Thank you.

Of course, anyone who pops by this blog is likely to know that one of my deepest loves is chocolate. Therefore let’s take a look at two recent potential paramours courtesy of Vosges: one that I adored and another that I, in the fine words of Lano and Woodley, tolerated.

Vosges Gingerbread Toffee Bar

I expected to worship at the alter of this chocolate. Considering how much I adore dark chocolate, gingerbread, and the toffee that appeared in the Vosges Bapchi’s Bar, this chocolate should have been a home run. A slam-dunk. A… nope, I’ve run out of sports metaphors already. Could somebody please pass me my cross-stitch?

The unfortunate reality is that I was disappointed in this Vosges Gingerbread Toffee Bar. It was admittedly quite tasty… but only if thought of as a Vosges Salted Toffee Bar.

Gingerbread, Gingerbread, wherefore art thou Gingerbread? (Off doing the hankypanky with Rosaline is my guess.)

The aroma of this chocolate was devoid of spice or toffee notes, instead coming across as straight chocolate with a hint of cedar and vanilla. The flavour of the 65% dark chocolate and toffee came through well enough, with hints of hot fudge sauce, butter, and chocolate cake all present.

Surprisingly, though, the main flavour in this chocolate was salt flakes. Which, don’t get me wrong, did manage to perk up the butter toffee nicely.

But there was no gingerbread, and my heart wanted gingerbread. My mind expected gingerbread. My soul reached for gingerbread. Instead of the advertised allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, all I got was toffee and salt. Delicious, yet disappointing. In other words, a tolerable conundrum.

Vosges Creole Bar

Now this, my friends, is a chocolate worth dreaming of marrying. A chocolate worth doodling love hearts in your notebook for. A chocolate worth slipping into bed in your prettiest nightie in anticipation of cuddling.

The Vosges Creole Bar, made with 72% Sao Thome dark chocolate, cacao nibs, and New Orleans-style chicory coffee, is my new chocolate boyfriend. (I should admit that I’m very fickle with my chocolate boyfriends. You could even say I’m a man-eater when it comes to chocolate boyfriends.)

Deep dark chocolate with slight raspberry and burnt caramel notes, thrumming with the gorgeous taste of chicory coffee and intense woodsy smoky cacao nibs. Molasses, golden syrup, brazil nuts, rich and everlasting flavours lingering through and beyond the moment when the chocolate melts away on your tongue.

I think I need some alone time with this chocolate.

Question Time: Have you ever been to New Orleans? I hope to eventually show you a bit of my visit in 2007, if I ever get around to continuing my Time Warp series. Mmm, prepackaged slightly-stale sweet potato pie memories…

Sesame Cacao Nib Meringue Bites of Wonderment

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Hannah

I’ve heard that when you meet the right person, you know.

I’d like to think that love could be that simple. That there could just be a feeling deep inside, a yearning mixed with a sense of completeness, that announces you’ve found an anchor and to to hold on for dear life in case the world starts spinning.

The thing is, I don’t know if I can entirely believe in that. I think, for some people, love might come easily, but for others it’s something you need to teach yourself to accept. Perhaps even to want. But what do I know?

I’ve never really been in love.

I don’t feel broken because of that. I think I’m supposed to feel less-than, for being single, but I don’t. I’m happy to keep pottering along, staying open to the idea of suddenly being suffused with butterflies (if I’m ever wearing colours bright enough to attract them).

I do, however, know that I love these Sesame Cacao Nib Meringue Bites.

I loved them from the moment inspiration struck for a sweet-airy-crispy-dissolving treat studded with rich intense cacao nibs and nutty fragrant sesame seeds.

I loved them even more when they surpassed my every taste-expectation. I’m not ashamed to admit I ate all 33 in the space of three days. (That’s only eleven each day…)

I also loved that many of my meringue bites looked like cute little animals. See the first photo in this post? Rhinoceros. See the photo just above this paragraph? I’m not sure what that creature is, but I do know that he’s looking at me and smiling.

Question Time: What has made you smile today?

Sesame and Cacao Nib Meringue Bites of Joy

Adapted from my Mini Chai Meringues
Makes about 30 little bites

2 egg whites, room temperature
pinch salt
1/2 cup (110g) caster (superfine) sugar
2 tbs cacao nibs
2 tbs sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 120°C (250°F), and line two baking trays with baking paper.
Place egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer, and beat on high speed until soft peaks form.
Gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, ensuring the sugar is dissolved before adding the next spoonful. Keep beating until all sugar is incorporated and mixture is glossy. Add the cacao nibs and sesame seeds and beat briefly until just mixed through.
Using two teaspoons, quenelle or scoop the meringue onto the lined baking trays. I made about 30 small meringue bites out of the mixture.
Bake for one hour, then turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven for another two hours. Store in an airtight container.

Submitted to Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love.

Sneaky Green Berry Smoothie for Wild Hiking Maidens

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Hannah

When the going gets tough, the tough get hiking.

Also known as: I have a new favourite part of my day.

Also known as: The Black Legging Wild Maidens Have Adventures.

Jenni and I have been temporarily joined at work by E.Moonbeams, a fine lady of comparable age and enthusiasm for stress-relieving-five-minute-dance-parties. This has proven wondrous for all our souls, not least because E.Moonbeams has initiated lunchtime hikes up the Nature Reserve behind our building.

These hikes are glorious. Our first adventure led me to post the following status update on Facebook: Forty-five minutes of gallivanting, whooping, dancing, running, flailing limbs, and getting lost in the Nature Reserve with Jeniqua and E.Moonbeams should be a mandatory part of every work day.

The next day we chose to bush-bash, and PEOPLE WE FOUND A BLACKBERRY PATCH.

Standing around a blackberry patch in matching black leggings and New Balance sneakers, picking glossy sun-soaked blackberries from the brambles and letting the sweetness burst on our tongues, all while eight kangaroos watched us from nearby, thrumming their paws along their chests in what looked to be a secret kangaroo code, the sun beating down on our shoulders and arms… it was perfect.

Yes, I leaped around singing “KAN-ga-ROO-la-ROO-la-ROOOOOOO”. Yes, I had earlier started krumping halfway through changing from business skirt to leggings in my office, forgetting for a moment that I have a full-length window looking out onto the street and that passersby could see me. And yes, when we Black Legging Wild Maidens returned from our gallivant, the IT guy had arrived to fix Jeniqua’s computer and he must have thought we’d erroneously wandered in looking for a sunburn-friendly yoga studio. But I digress.

Apparently, the area we found our berries in is subject to chemical spraying. Therefore I’ve probably been poisoned and will likely sprout a third arm tomorrow. You know what, though? A third arm is all the better to make smoothies with. (Best. Segue. Ever.)

No real recipe today, folks. Simply a list of ingredients that create a gorgeous and sneakily green smoothie perfect for a post-hike-stress-relief-post-work afternoon.

Frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, Mango Chobani yoghurt, zucchini, soy milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon.

Perfect, with or without leggings (are not pants!) and third arms.

Question Time: How do you bring jazziness into your workdays when times feel tough?

She Chocolates: Alchemy Truffles and Decadent Dates

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Hannah

What you’re getting today is something quite rare in the Wayfaring Chocolate universe.

Truffles.

Not the pig-foraged kind (that will come later), but the chocolate kind. You see, I’m a chocolate-bar girl, not a ganache-enrobed-in-chocolate girl. That said, when someone gives me truffles, I’m more than happy to do some nibbling and give credit where credit is due. (For example, Camille’s fabulous praliné truffles or Colefax Chocolates.)

The truffles in this post were handcrafted by She Chocolat, a chocolaterie and restaurant in New Zealand. My lovely blog-friend Vaala came across She Chocolat after one of her epic adventures across New Zealand’s amazing landscape (one day I will return to visit you, O Kiwi Land), and not only did she think of me, but she actually returned to the shop days later purely to buy me these truffles. Thank you, Vaala. I wish I could have shared these with you (in a world where they were vegan and you were here).

Vaala sent me three of She Chocolat’s Alchemy Truffles, the first of which was the Lavender truffle you see above. It had a silky dark chocolate ganache subtly flavoured with lavender, and was truly lovely. (I’m wary around floral chocolates, as when done badly they tend to taste rather offensively like potpourri mixed with cat lady.)

Next up was the Velvetine truffle, described by She Chocolat as a “sensual butter truffle encased in a milk shell with organic salt crystals”.

First, what is this “sensual butter” they speak of, and second, where can I get some?Unfortunately, the Velvetine truffle was everything that makes me ambivalent about truffles. Devoid of any strong chocolate flavours, it was instead just sweet and oily (okay, okay, “sensually buttery”). Even the salt didn’t help. Maybe if it had been sensual salt?

Happily, the Lime and Black Pepper truffle was far better. I love all things zingy and spicy and dark chocolate-y, so this had a good chance of getting a tick in my heart.

And get a tick in my heart it did. More like this, please.

Decadence and Medjool dates? Vaala, you know me well. She Chocolat describes its Decadent Dates as (in the singular; grammar nerd represent!) “a fresh organic Medjool date hand stuffed with a gianduja filling and coated in the finest Belgian chocolate.”

Gooey sweet sweet sweet gooey chocolate-y chewy sweet creamy gorgeous glossy shining sweet sweet caramel-date sweetness. Just look at that, will you? A Medjool date utterly full of ganache, covered in a thin shattering layer of chocolate.

To be completely honest, I’ll admit that both my parents and I found these creations a bit overwhelmingly sweet, and in need of a darker chocolate coating. But then again, what doesn’t taste better with a dark chocolate coating? I bet I’d be more enticing if I had a dark chocolate coating. Exactly.

My friend Jenni loved the date I gave her, though, so my parents’ and my view isn’t the only one out there. Moreover, you can’t deny the gorgeousness of these treats.

Thank you so much, Vaala. You’ve brought sweetness of so many kinds to my life, both through and beyond your chocolate-y generosity.

Question Time: Do you prefer blocks of chocolate, chocolate truffles, or chocolate desserts?

Wayfaring Chocolate

adventures in chocolate, travel, cooking, and living

Monthly Archives: February 2012