Tag Archives: E.TeacherLord

Pana Chocolate Coconut + Goji: Raw and Organic Dark Chocolate

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I’ve mentioned before that Australia’s raw chocolate scene is, at least in my experience, disappointing. Chalky grainy textures, sour undeveloped cacao flavours, and general misery are all things I’ve been subjected to by raw chocolate in my home country.

However, everything changed when my brother gave me a bar of Pana Chocolate* Coconut + Goji, a raw and organic chocolate handmade in Melbourne, Australia.

* Since receiving this chocolate, the company has changed its name from Conscious Chocolate to Pana Chocolate.

Pana Chocolate Coconut + Goji Raw Organic Dark Chocolate

Pana Chocolate Coconut + Goji Raw Organic Dark Chocolate

Before I go any further, might I please squeak out “adorable!” in a girly voice? I love Pana Chocolate’s packaging. I have no idea what the creature on the left is supposed to be (a vampire yeti, perhaps?) but look! He’s so friendly with the flowers and the giving! Aw!

Pana Chocolate Coconut + Goji Raw Organic Dark Chocolate

Oh, come now Pana. This is too much. Smiling little ghost-men, love hearts, *and* chocolate that is raw, organic, handmade, low GI, dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free and made from cacao butter, agave nectar, cacao powder, coconut oil, wild carob, cinnamon, goji berries, coconut flakes, and Himalayan crystal salt? I can’t resist. I can’t resist you.

Pana Chocolate Coconut + Goji Raw Organic Dark Chocolate

Leaning close to this thick dark chocolate I took a deep breath, and quickly found myself smiling over a deeply rich aroma with notes of warm brownies and brownie batter, coconut rough, and the faintest hint of something fruity.

I took a bite. Oh, the texture! Like fudge, like silken buttery rich firm fudge melting in my mouth, with absolutely none of the graininess that often plagues raw chocolate.

Pana Chocolate Coconut + Goji Raw Organic Dark Chocolate

The generous long shards of coconut lent not only crunch but also a tropical undertone to the chocolate, and for the first time in my life I found myself loving goji berries. The red jewelled berries were so soft, so plump, and so lightly fruity without being too sweet. The chocolate itself was better than I’d even hoped, offering up whispers of woodsy smoke and tobacco alongside coconut sugar, palm sugar, fudgy brownies, and a tangy edge from the raw cacao. This bar was utterly rich, silky, and oh-so-satisfying.

Trust my brother to find a way for me to love Australian raw chocolate.

After all, he’s always taken care of me.

Hannah and her brother, Yorba Linda, Orange County

Rutherglen Part Two: Poffertjes, Pets, and Pie

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After a long day of road trippin’, taking over a submarine Titanic-style, finding that antibiotics and wine are indeed a potent combination, and playing board games into the night, my family and I began the second day of our Rutherglen weekend at the Pfeiffer Wines Winter Farmers Market.

Pfeiffer Wines Winter Farmers MarketFirst stop: coffee, luscious nectar of the gods. Once suitably caffeinated, E.TeacherLord, A.DazzlingLady, my parents, and I explored the market, coming away with locally-produced honey (Blue Gum and Iron Bark for me), tapenade, olive oils, apples, and chardonnay jelly.

Second stop: poffertjes, mini maple-syrup drizzled pancakes of pixies.

poffertjes with maple syrupAlas, even with the magical powers of Pfeiffer’s poffertjes (pfoffertjes?) to fuel us, we were unable to find either turtles or bunyips in the river from our vantage point on Sunday Creek Bridge. And thus, with heavy hearts, we began our winery tour.

At 10am.

Sometimes being on holidays is awesome.

Stanton and KilleenOne of the lovely wineries we visited was Stanton and Killeen Wines, which my superstarmagicfriend Lizzi had recommended we visit. She knows the winery’s owners, and even played a part in naming one of its resident Winery Kitties.

Stanton and Killeen Wines CatThis may not be the Lizzi-named cat, but it was nevertheless perhaps the most gorgeous and friendly cat I’ve ever met. I spent a goodly few minutes plotting to kidnap this Winery Kitty under my jacket by throwing a bottle of wine into the fire to create an explosion-distraction, but then I remembered that I don’t do criminality.

Corowa Whisky and ChocolateWhat I do do, though, is stand as if I’m about to do the Charleston. I do this whilst visiting the Corowa Whisky and Chocolate Factory, which is housed in an old flour mill. And which itself housed several goats. (But no baby sheep! No baby sheep, A.DazzlingLady! Where were the baby sheep?)

Hannah with Lemon Meringue Pie at Parker Pies, RutherglenFor lunch, we headed to Rutherglen’s famous Parker Pies, which is known for its emu, kangaroo, buffalo, coconut curry, Indian-spiced, and all-kinds-of-fancy-flavoured gourmet pies. However, as you can see, I found myself pulled by invisible glittering threads away from the savoury pastries and towards the dessert section of the café.

Lemon Meringue Pie at Parker Pies, RutherglenMmmm, sky-high lemon meringue pie.

You were so very sugary.

Lemon Meringue Pie ar Parker Pies, RutherglenSo very very sugary. I could have made a pillow of your glossy meringue.

But, instead, I ate you, and then hopped back in the car for more winery escapades.

Next up: Grandmother Willow, Pub Food, and the Trip Home.

Delirious Unicorns, Serious Desserts, and Floating

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So, here’s the thing. I’m exhausted. But we’re all exhausted sometimes. So we keep going, because it’s the only option, and eventually breathing becomes easier again.

After the craziness of last week, I hoped this week would be calmer. Instead, there have been extensive meetings and a twelve hour workday that involved getting to work early, flying to Melbourne at midday, running a consultation until 8pm, then getting four hours sleep before flying back to Canberra the next morning and going straight to the office where the phone was already ringing for me the instant I stepped through the door.

That night, I went to gospel, and when I sang I felt like I was inside my voice but my voice was not connected to my body and I was spinning, floating. When I drove home, I kept getting distracted by the unicorns that were pulling my car-chariot down Northbourne Avenue. They had glittering tails, and they were real. I swear, for a few moments, they were there and they were real.

Hannah and Dad at Sage, CanberraI take dessert seriously.

Also, I’d like to say that when a person has had four hours of sleep and everyone is saying that they saw the Transit of Venus and You Have To See The Transit Of Venus It’s Now Or Never You Won’t Be Here The Next Time Venus Transits You Have To See The Transit Of Venus, that person can’t be blamed for going outside and looking directly at the sun. I just wanted to see the Transit of Venus. I didn’t expect it to hurt so much.

When I think of everything that must be done in the next few weeks, my chest feels tight.

Hannah concentrating on dessert at Sage, CanberraVery seriously.

But even when I’m sitting in my car crying for absolutely no reason except that I can’t seem to stop, life is beautiful. Because Alinta crafted me a beautiful birthday card and Fiona sends me texts about sunshine and Lisa creates sparkles in my soul with her emails and, in Melbourne, my brother came to visit me in my swanky hotel room and we lay on the floor side-by-side talkingtalkingtalking and these were the highlights of my week.

Another highlight was the video about the baby pig and the oatmeal, because it’s too much. It’s too much. I can’t even cope right now. It’s too much.

Hannah concentrating super hard on dessertVery, very seriously. (I had no idea, but Mum took six photos of me with this dessert. In each one, my head gets closer to the plate. She laughed a lot.)

I think I need to go watch the baby pig video again, and then curl up in bed to read.

After feeding my unicorns, of course. They eat only Sturt’s Desert Roses picked under the light of a new moon whilst Simon and Garfunkel’s The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) plays from an old-school boombox.

Hannah out.

The Boathouse By The Lake: My Grandparents’ 60th Wedding Anniversary, Serenaded

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Grandma and Grandpa at The Boathouse By The LakeAlmost a year ago (I have a somewhat tenuous relationship with time on this blog), my grandparents celebrated sixty gorgeous years of marriage and togetherness. Sixty years spanning multiple states and houses, sixty years that have taken them from the days of fresh milk dropped off at the door by a man with a horse and cart to today’s world in which a myriad different soy milks can be ordered over the Internet.

Sixty years, three children, three grand-children, laughter, tears, games of Cribbage and Five Hundred, dinners, lunches, breakfasts, and, above all, love.

E.TeacherLord and Hannah singing at The Boathouse by the Lake, CanberraMy parents, brother, uncle, aunt, cousin, and I joined Grandma and Grandpa at The Boathouse By The Lake (previously reviewed here) to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.

As our anniversary gift, E.TeacherLord and I secretly planned two pieces to perform at the restaurant. To this end, we all arrived smack-bang on opening time, hoping that the vast formal dining would therefore be empty. We didn’t want to make a ruckus, you see.

E.TeacherLord and Hannah singing at The Boathouse by the Lake, CanberraAlas, there were three other groups already seated, but each very kindly encouraged us to go ahead when I dashed over to politely ask if my brother and I could play some music for a few minutes.

And that is how E.TeacherLord and I came to serenade our grandparents, immediate family, quite a few strangers, and some rather attractive waitstaff in the middle of one of Canberra’s fanciest restaurants, performing Moon River and Taylor Swift’s Love Story then, after calls for an encore, With A Little Help From My Friends.

Truffle Bread at The Boathouse by the Lake, CanberraFood time now! (No segue for you.) Ooh, let’s call these candle-lit photos “blurrily romantic in the spirit of a 60th wedding anniversary”, yes?

The above just-baked bread roll was heady with truffle, and blew my mind. This was the first time I really understood the truffle thing. Scrumptious.

Oysters Natural at The Boathouse by the Lake, CanberraI’m an oysters natural devotee, but acquiesced to have three of my nine Coffin Bay oysters served as per the menu, with Jamon Iberico, balsamic, goats cheese, and semi-dried tomatoes. Not bad, Boathouse, not bad.

Scallops and blood pudding at The Boathouse by the Lake, CanberraMy brother started with the Seared Hervey Bay scallops on cauliflower puree with black pudding, red onion jam and pinenut brittle, baby leaf salad. He generously let me try this and, golly, the flavours popped.

Crab and Caviar Tian at The Boathouse by the Lake, CanberraNext up for me was the Alaskan King crab, fennel, basil and Yarra Valley salmon caviar tian, with tropical lobster and cognac bisque. Who says Canberra has to suffer for being landlocked with only an algae-infested man-made lake for water?

Of course, with ten people at the table each having three courses, there was more deliciousness involved here than I can show you. So let’s skip ahead to the best part: dessert.

Creme Brulee at The Boathouse by the Lake, CanberraI had a silky crème brulee topped with shavings of chocolate, served with poached cherries and almond bread. Mmm, almond bread.

macarons and mousse at The Boathouse by the Lake, CanberraMy grandpa’s chocolate mousse with macarons and cherry nougat appealed strongly to my inner snack-fiend. My grandpa gave me his nougat. I love him.

Chocolate fondant at The Boathouse by the Lake, CanberraWhen I saw the pistachio ice cream and pashmak belonging to my brother’s molten chocolate fondant, I experienced what is commonly known as “envy” but which I call “aren’t you a lovely brother for letting me have your fairy floss”.

And then I spotted spun toffee across the table and realised that life isn’t fair.

Spun toffee at The Boathouse by the Lake, CanberraHappy 60th Anniversary, Grandma and Grandpa. You are wonderful and all things good. Thank you for helping me believe in love.

Mast Brothers Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs

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It always feels right to me that Mast Brothers Chocolate has the name that it does, for almost every Mast Brothers Chocolate bar that I’ve tried and reviewed has come to me courtesy of my spectacular brother, E.TeacherLord (excuse me for a moment: ain’t no thang; add a drop of lavender to your milk, leave town with an orange, and pretend you’re laughing at it; DON’T CALL ME FRANKLY).

Hey look! It’s my brother and me, many moons ago. I wish we still wore matching beanies.

But you’re not here to see photos of my face. You’re here for chocolate.

Mast Brothers Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs

Mast Brothers Dark Chocolate + Cocoa NibsIt seems that, in the Brooklyn-based world of the Mast Brothers, 72% dark chocolate + cocoa nibs = complicated knots. Here is what this packaging makes me think of: nooses, sinister things, convicts, ships, science, snakes, scurvy, rope burn, rope burn during evil P.E. in high school, jester hat, laughter.

Laughter is good. So is:

Mast Brothers Dark Chocolate + Cocoa NibsThe shiny, the shiny! Magpie Hannah likes the shiny very much, very much.

The cocoa beans for this bar were grown in Madagascar, and then “roasted, cracked, winnowed, stone-ground and aged in Brooklyn”.

Just so you know, if I have a daughter in the next year (hah! A likely story), I’m going to call her Winnow.

Mast Brothers Dark Chocolate + Cocoa NibsWhere was I? Oh yes. This bar is made of only three ingredients: cocoa beans, cane sugar, and cocoa nibs, all of which are organic. When I finally stopped pondering the names of my future children (hah! the names of my future pet lemurs, more likely), I took a moment to breathe in the aroma of this chocolate and was astonished at the scent of red wine that hit me, followed by some raspberry and maybe a little port.

Mast Brothers Dark Chocolate + Cocoa NibsThis 72% dark chocolate with cocoa nibs was a slow starter in terms of flavour, beginning with little then slowly showing a hint of earth, smoke, wood, and brown sugar. Then, just towards the end, the chocolate burst into delicious notes of clotted cream, dark cocoa, and a bit of pear and burnt caramel. The roasted nibs on top contributed an intense charcoal chocolatiness, as they’re wont to do.

The sweetness is very restrained in this bar, and as a result the nuances of the chocolate come to the fore. As I finished my little plateful, I wondered if I could get away with telling you I tasted melted butter, pumpernickel bread, red wine, and molasses.

Or maybe I should just say this was a rather fine, though slow-to-develop, specimen of brotherly chocolatey goodness.

Question Time: If you have a brother, what’s the best present he’s given you lately? If you don’t have a brother, then why is the sky blue?