Oui oui, this recipe transports us to the hustle and bustle of Paris. Found in Parisian cafés, this famous hot chocolate is an absolute must-have this winter. For the full experience, dip a buttery croissant into your creamy hot chocolate and don’t skip on the whipped cream.

Parisian hot chocolate

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

¼ cup (60ml) full cream milk 
1½ cup (375ml) cream
1-2 tbsp (15-30ml) icing sugar
1 tsp (5ml) instant coffee
230g 70% dark chocolate, chopped 

For the topping 

½ cup (125ml) cold cream
2 tbsp (30ml) icing sugar sifted
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract 

Method 

1. For the hot chocolate, heat the milk, cream, icing sugar, coffee and chocolate over medium heat until the chocolate is melted, about 10 minutes. Stir often. 
2. For the cream topping, place the cream in a glass bowl and whisk until soft peaks, adding 1 tbsp icing sugar at a time, and whip until stiff peaks 
3. Fold in vanilla and serve with cream and your fave French pastries 

By: Lichelle May
Photography by: Zhann Solomons
Text courtesy of MyKitchen magazine

The post Parisian hot chocolate  appeared first on MyKitchen.

The soufflé is light and airy with an intense cocoa richness that melts on the tongue. The warm white chocolate pouring ganache creates a decadent contrast between bitterness and creamy sweetness in every bite. 

Dark chocolate soufflé with white chocolate sauce

Serves 8

Ingredients

¼ cup (60ml) corn flour
2 cups (500ml) full cream milk
½ cup (125ml) sugar
Pinch of salt
200g dark chocolate, chopped
100g milk chocolate, chopped
4 eggs, separated  

For the pouring ganache  

120g white chocolate
¼ cup (60ml) cream
1 vanilla pod, split in half and seeds scraped out 
¼ cup (60ml) melted butter 
¼ cup (60ml) cocoa powder  

Method

1. For the chocolate creme patisserie, place the corn flour in a small bowl and add 1/3 cup (80m1) of the milk and mix into a slurry. 
2. Heat the remaining milk, half the sugar and salt on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add chocolate and heat until melted. Set aside. 
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining sugar and egg yolks. Whisk until light and fluffy. 
4. Pour about ½ cup of the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and whisk vigorously. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot with the remaining chocolate milk mixture and mix well.
5. Heat mixture over medium heat and add the corn flour slurry, while whisking.
6. Cook until bubbling, about 10-12 minutes. 
7. Pour the mixture onto a deep plate, cover with clingfilm on the surface and refrigerate until cold.
8. For the white chocolate pouring ganache, finely chop the chocolate and heat the cream until steaming. Pour the cream over the chocolate, add vanilla seeds and stir until the chocolate is melted. Cover and set aside until needed.
9. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
10. To prepare the ramekins, brush upwards with melted butter (this encourages the souffle to rise upwards). Dust with cocoa powder and shake off excess.
11. Whip the chocolate creme patisserie and set aside. 
12. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks and gently fold through the creme patisserie using a large metal spoon. Be careful not to over work it and knock out the air. 
13. Fill the ramekins 2/3 full and bake for 10-12 minutes. 
14. Serve immediately with white chocolate pouring ganache. (Heat the pouring ganache in bursts of 10 seconds in the microwave to reheat, if needed.)

By: Lichelle May
Photography by: Zhann Solomons
Text courtesy of MyKitchen magazine

Also read: Cooking and Baking Jargon to Add to Your Vocab

The post Dark chocolate soufflé with white chocolate sauce  appeared first on MyKitchen.

We need no excuse to celebrate World Waffle Day on 25 March! These savoury and sweet waffle recipes are jam-packed with flavour and creativity and will have you asking for more after the first bite.  

Savoury caprese salad waffles  

Serves 4 // Cooking time 45 minutes 

Ingredients 

For the waffles 

1 egg
1 cup flour, sifted
1 cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp basil pesto  

For the tomatoes 

1 Tbsp oil
2 cups baby tomatoes 

To serve 

1 cup mozzarella, torn into pieces
1 avocado, sliced
½ cup fresh basil, torn
4 Tbsp basil pesto
2 Tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Method 

For the waffles 

1. Preheat a waffle iron.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the flour, milk, oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and pesto until combined.
4. Spray the preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Pour a small quantity of batter on to the hot waffle iron and cook waffles in batches until golden brown and cooked through.

For the tomatoes 

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and fry until they start to soften and blister, about 3–5 minutes.

To serve 

1. Top each waffle with blistered tomatoes, torn mozzarella, avocado slices and basil. Drizzle with basil pesto and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za 

Also read: Avo caprese with flatbreads

Fried chicken and waffles with salted syrup 

Serves 6 // Cooking time 1 hour 20 minutes 

Ingredients 

For the salted syrup 

1 cup white sugar
2 tsp coarse salt
1½ cups water
1 tsp vanilla essence  

For the fried chicken  

4 chicken breasts, pounded flat
3 tsp salt
3 tsp white pepper
2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
3 Tbsp hot sauce
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dried origanum
1 Tbsp chilli flakes
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp garlic powder 

For the waffles 

2¼ cups flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 eggs, separated
½ cup vegetable oil
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla essence 

Method 

For the salted syrup  

1. Heat all the ingredients in a pot over medium-low. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil, without stirring, for 15 minutes, until it becomes a caramel colour

For the fried chicken 

1. Slice each chicken breast lengthwise into 3 pieces. Season with the salt and pepper.
2. Whisk the buttermilk, eggs and hot sauce together.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cayenne and origanum together.
4. Heat enough oil to deep-fry in a pot over medium-high.
5. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture and then in the buttermilk, followed by another layer of flour.
6. Deep-fry the chicken in batches until golden brown and cooked through. Set the oil aside.
7. Mix the chilli flakes, brown sugar and garlic powder together in a heat-proof bowl. Whisk through ½ cup of the oil that the chicken was fried in. Use this to baste the chicken lightly.

For the waffles 

1. Heat a waffle iron and grease lightly.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together.
3. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
4. Mix together the egg yolks, oil, milk and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Then fold in the egg whites.
5. Pour about ⅓ cup of batter into the waffle iron and cook until golden brown and crisp. Repeat until all batter is used.
6. Serve warm waffles topped with chicken and and salted syrup.

Recipe & styling: Dylan Norton
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za 

Also read: 3 yummy fried chicken recipes

Dark-chocolate waffles 

Serves 4 // Cooking time 20 minutes 

Ingredients 

1 cup oats
4 Tbsp desiccated coconut
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
4 eggs
½ cup low-fat smooth cottage cheese
1 Tbsp honey
½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup chopped dark chocolate    

Method  

1. Preheat a waffle iron to medium high.
2. Place the oats, coconut and cocoa powder in a blender and pulse until a flour forms.
3. Transfer the oat flour to a bowl and whisk in the eggs, cottage cheese, honey and baking powder.
4. Add the chocolate pieces and whisk until well combined.
5. Spray the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray.
6. Spoon the batter into the waffle iron and cook in batches for approximately 2 minutes or until dark golden brown and cooked through.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za 

Marshmallow egg waffles 

Serves 6 // Cooking time 20 minutes 

Ingredients 

For the waffles  

2 eggs
2 cups flour, sifted
1¾ cups milk
½ cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla essence
6 marshmallow eggs 

For the chocolate sauce 

1 cup water
½ cup cocoa powder
⅓ cup caster sugar
⅓ cup chopped milk chocolate 

To assemble 

2 cups mixed berries
Icing sugar, to sprinkle  

Method 

For the waffles  

1. Grease and preheat your waffle iron. Beat the eggs until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in all the ingredients, except the marshmallow eggs, and whisk until smooth.
3. Make the waffles in batches, until golden brown and cooked.
4. Press each marshmallow egg between two still-hot waffles.

For the chocolate sauce 

1. In a pot, whisk together the water, cocoa powder and caster sugar, until smooth.
2. Bring to the boil over medium. Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for 3–5 minutes, until thickened.
3. Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the chocolate, whisking until melted.
4. Serve the waffle s’mores with chocolate sauce, fresh berries and a sprinkling of icing sugar.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za 

Also read: Teriyaki chicken waffles

The post 4 Delicious waffle recipes that’ll change your life appeared first on MyKitchen.

With so many different variations available, there’s always a way to make the most out of chocolate

It’s Easter, the time of the year when shelves are brimming with all sorts of decadent treats and chocolate is always on the brain. As something that forms a part of life’s simple pleasures, chocolate is a complex ingredient. Since there are a number of different types and percentages out there, it can be quite daunting to figure out which chocolate is best for your bakes this Easter.  

To understand chocolate better, we need to know where it comes from. It all starts with the cacao tree, or more specifically the seeds found inside the cacao pods. In a nutshell, the beans are fermented, dried, roasted and then ground to form chocolate liquor. Chocolate manufacturers process this with the addition of sugars and other ingredients, such as milk powder, lecithin and vanilla, to form the glorious bars we know and love. Naturally, it would then make sense that the quality of the chocolate liquor determines the chocolate’s taste and worth.

Cracking the code
The percentages on chocolate can be a little perplexing, but it’s easier to understand than you may think – these percentages simply indicate the amount of cocoa mass (the good stuff extracted from the cacao beans) that is present in the chocolate bar. For example, a 70% slab of chocolate, also known as bittersweet chocolate, contains 70% cocoa mass and 30% sugar and other ‘stuff’.

You may have also stumbled upon semi-sweet chocolate in some recipes – this has a 55% cocoa content. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the percentage of cocoa, the less sugar the bar will contain, and the more bitter or intense the chocolate will be.  White-, milk- and dark chocolate contain different amounts of fat and sugar because of their different cocoa percentages. This means that they react, melt and reset differently, so are not easily interchangeable in recipes where chocolate is the star ingredient. When used as a mix-in, like in a chocolate-chip cookie recipe, then you can really go crazy with it!

Couverture or compound?

Couverture chocolate
Couverture chocolate, such as Lindt or bean-to-bar chocolate, has  a velvety melt-in-your-mouth texture, glossy finish and snaps when broken into pieces. It’s a superior level of chocolate with the best flavour and quality. However, it can be a bit more temperamental than everyday ‘eating’ chocolate. This is because it requires tempering, a process where the chocolate is heated and cooled to specific temperatures, in order to achieve its sheen and snap. If incorrectly tempered, the chocolate can form a white residue on its surface known as ‘bloom’. Although unsightly, it’s absolutely safe to use. Tempering is only required when making moulded chocolates, truffles and other dipped candies, not for day-to-day baking. 

Compound chocolate
This is the cheapest, lowest-quality chocolate one can get in terms of ‘chocolate purity’, although it’s still delicious and enjoyed by many. Remember when we were talking about that valuable chocolate liquor? In compound chocolate, the liquor
is replaced with cocoa powder and vegetable oil is used instead of cocoa butter. Along with higher levels of sugar and emulsifiers, the substitutions make the chocolate more affordable, but the lack of quality cacao mass gives it a dull appearance, soft texture and lack of a snap. Unlike couverture chocolate, compound chocolate doesn’t need tempering and can simply be melted and used straight away. An exception is chocolate chips, which have been specifically designed to hold their pointed shape when baked and not melt – bear this in mind when you’re planning your next chocolatey bake-a-thon.

Time to bake
So what chocolate should you actually be using? This is entirely up to you, your budget and the recipe that you’re preparing. Couverture chocolate will have the best flavour and is ideal to use  in recipes where the chocolate flavour really shines (think chocolate mousse, chocolate fondant and ganache) –try to buy at least 55%. Although compound chocolate, like Cadbury’s Bournville, generally works really well for these kinds of recipes, too. Go for compound chocolates when baking foods with lots of other competing ingredients and flavours. Chunks of compound chocolate work better than couverture when mixed into batters and biscuits, as they hold their form better at higher temperatures.

Try it yourself

Magic shell for ice cream
Melt together 1 cup chopped chocolate with 2 tbsp coconut oil. Pour the cooled sauce over the ice cream and watch it miraculously harden into a crisp shell.

Easy chocolate truffles
Melt together ½ cup cream and 250 g finely chopped chocolate of choice. Cover and refrigerate until firm. Shape into balls and roll in chopped nuts, cocoa powder or chocolate sprinkles. Makes 12. 

Words by Kirsty Buchanan

Hop into the Easter fun with this cute and playful Easter Bunny Cookie Stack dessert.

The post The Chocolate Chronicles appeared first on MyKitchen.

Fun, easy, kid-friendly and totally scrumptious is what these Peppermint Crisp tart cones are! But they have to set, so plan ahead!

SERVES  6 // COOK TIME 1 hour 30 min

INGREDIENTS
6 sugar cones
100 g dark chocolate, melted
2 cups cream
360 g tin caramel
150 g Peppermint Crisp, chopped

METHOD
1. Dip the edges of the cones in the melted chocolate. Place them upside down to set.
2. Heat ⅓ cup cream (do not boil). Mix it with the remaining melted chocolate. Pour a little into the bottom of each cone, then place in the freezer for a few minutes to set.
3. Whip remaining cream until stiff peaks form. Divide between 2 bowls.
4. Place caramel in a separate bowl and whisk lightly to loosen. Set aside ¼ caramel for layering.
5. Fold ¾ caramel and ½ chopped Peppermint Crisp into 1 bowl of cream. Place in a piping bag.
6. Place other bowl of cream in another piping bag.
7. Fill the cones halfway with the Peppermint Crisp mixture, add a dollop of caramel, then fill all the way. Place in the freezer to set for at least 1 hour, but less than 24 hours (or they will be soggy).
8. Finish by topping each cone with remaining whipped cream and Peppermint Crisp.

Recipes & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Andreas Eiselen

Not a fan of spending long hours in the kitchen? Save time and energy with this no-churn cherry swirl ice cream – the perfect no-fuss dessert!

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