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Additional Information
- 2kg x Featherblade of Beef. Substitute with Pork Shoulder or any other shoulder cut of meat if desired
- 1kg x White Potatoes
- 800g x White Onions
- 400g x Carrots
- 200g x Leeks
- 150g x Cacao Nibs
- 100g x White Chocolate Flakes
- 100g x 70% Chocolate Flakes
- 100g x Unsalted Butter
- 15g x Table Salt
- 1 x tablespoon Black Peppercorns
Marinading the beef
1.
Rub the featherblade with 100g cocoa nibs, a handful of salt, and marinade in the fridge for at least 12 hours. (Keep the nibs.)2.
Slice the carrots, leeks, black peppercorns and 300g white onions.3.
Bring to the boil in approx 2 litres of water, well-seasoned.4.
Add in the marinaded beef and the cocoa nibs, cover the pan and simmer on a low heat for up to 12 hours – perhaps overnight.5.
Alternatively, you can use a slow cooker..6.
Ensure you have enough water in the pan, so it does not dry out while simmering.
Making the jus
1.
After braising, remove the beef from the pot, cool and refrigerate2.
Add the 70% chocolate flakes to the pot and reduce until it has a shiny, medium-thick consistency
Making the white chocolate mash
1.
Peel, slice and boil the white potatoes.2.
Add the table salt3.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a pan and add in the white chocolate flakes.4.
When the potatoes are soft and cooked through, drain thoroughly5.
Mash the mixture, then add the chocolate butter until creamy smooth.
Plating
1.
Reheat the beef by gently cooking in the chocolate jus2.
Lay a small bed of white chocolate mash per serving and cover with beef3.
Ramekins, shot glasses or any other small dish work brilliantly
Notes to help you get the most out of your cocoa and chocolate.
Depending on the kind of cocoa you use, how much you use and how you use it, cocoa and chocolate will have a different effect on the taste and experience of your dishes. In each of our recipes, we’ll tell you how much influence it will have, in our cocoa notes:
Low – a subtle hint, playing a bass note in the harmony of flavours.
Medium – a rich interplay of cocoa with other leading ingredients.
High – cocoa starring role.
The Character of Cocoa
The flavour of cocoa and the chocolate it produces varies depending on where the cocoa is grown. Different growing regions have different personalities, each pairing well with other ingredients.
Madagascar, Vietnam
Fruit-led flavours, refreshing in the mouth – perfect with fruits, dark meats and game.
Saint Lucia, Trinidad, Java
Complex and multi-layered flavours jostling for position. Goes with pork, chicken and wines.
Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador
Roasted flavours, led by mellow notes of roasted nuts. Ideal with fish, eggs and desserts.
Demystifying Cocoa Percentages
The percentages used on chocolate labels can sometimes seem a bit confusing. A 40% milk chocolate, for example, is not made with 40% milk. The percentage always refers to the amount of cocoa used in the recipe, and the rest will either be all sugar (darks) or milk and sugar (milks/whites).
You’ll find higher percentages in dark chocolate recipes, with less in milk, and least in white. Surprisingly, one of the UK’s most famous dark chocolates contains just 39% cocoa, and its milk counterpart only 23%. That means the largest ingredient overall is sugar. We believe this is wrong. We always prefer to use more cocoa in our chocolate for an authentic and satisfying cocoa hit. We put 40 – 70% cocoa in our milk and Supermilk chocolate, and 70-100% in our dark.
Our white chocolate has a much higher cocoa percentage than average, at 36%.
Sugar only costs a tenth of the price of even the cheapest cocoa beans, so it’s no wonder that it is tempting for low – quality makers to use so much of it. But in the world of fine chocolate, deciding on whether to use, say 73% or 75% cocoa in a recipe is the chocolatier’s choice and depends on the quality, character and flavour profile of the bean harvest. In many ways, deciding the cocoa percentage is like deciding the alcohol level in a good wine.
How To Melt Your Chocolate
In a Bain-Marie (recommended)
This traditional method offers a great deal of control. Put your chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn’t actually touch the hot water (or it can burn the chocolate). Heat in the steam for about 2 minutes until fully melted, stirring occasionally.
In a Microwave
Put your chocolate in the microwave on high power for a total of 40-50 seconds, but only in 10 second bursts, stirring in between to ensure it doesn’t burn. Stop when fully melted.
Essential Cocoa Nib Know-How
Knowing how to extract the best flavours from your cocoa nibs is essential to many of our recipes. It’s easy to buy cocoa nibs these days, but they can be of variable quality. Follow our tips below to make sure you get the most flavour possible from your nibs.
Awakening your Nibs
Often your nibs will have a silver grey hue to them as they have oxidised around the outside. This is harmless, but we recommend you grind them vigorously in a pestle and mortar for 30 seconds. You’ll see the nibs turn a gorgeous mahogany brown, their amazing flavour and aroma awoken at the same time.
Soak them in Water
After awakening, the nibs may still be hard and flinty. Soak them in a little hot water (just enough to cover them) for about 20 minutes which will soften them, the soaking liquid can be set aside as a flavoursome stock.
Storing your Nibs
Just like coffee, roasted nibs should be kept in an airtight container. If you are able to source ‘just roasted’ nibs or have made your own, you can freeze them in an airtight container until needed, retaining maximum flavour.
Braised Featherblade of Beef on White Chocolate Mash canapè
Slightly more challenging than some canapè recipes, this dish requires a little skill. You’ll need some large pans and a large baking tray, and a 12-hour window to marinate the beef before cooking.
- preparation time: 15 mins
- cooking time: 12 hours (marinade) - Cook time 60 mins
- ease of preparation: Medium
