chocolate

chocolate lovers trying out the diverse flavours of regional chocolate

Okay readers, you know I like chocolate and I like it dark and not too sweet.  That's not to say I won't devour an Easter egg made of compound chocolate, or some other over the top gooey product if thrust in front of me.
I am fascinated by how a cacao bean becomes such a delectable treat after it has been processed.  Those Aztecs/Mayans- I am never sure who-surely were on to a good thing when they first picked up the big pod full of beans and decided to ferment, dry, roast, grind and press them into chocolate heaven.  Well, once they thought of adding a bit of sugar to the mixture anyway.  I suggest googling it to check out photos of the weird pods and beans.
So, Mr Pickings and I headed out on a most beautiful Queensland day last weekend to trendy Paddington,  to check out the incredible Antiques Centre, my fave St Vinnies full of bargains, and Monty's chocolate shop (about which I have blogged before).
Steve the owner was hosting a chocolate tasting with Peter from Cravve chocolates.  They had a range of different chocolates to try, sourced mainly from the Pacific region, all with incredibly diverse flavour accents depending on where they come from.

a table full of regional chocolate

Peter kindly answered a few of my chocolatey questions:
How did you arrive at the name Cravve for your business?

we were formerly byron tea & cocoa but on moving to burleigh felt a name change was due to something not as demographic and defined our philosophy in a single word over time we drifted to crave but for trademark reasons use a 'vv'

What led you into making chocolate and when did you start?

i've spent a lifetime in food and worked with chocolate off and on over the years around 2000 started in drinking chocolate with a origin range which has grown to couverture drinking choc which led to couverture dark chocolate

How did you source your beans? 

mainly through industry contacts made over the years who put me in touch with growers & grower groups across the Pacific

Do you roast and process them into chocolate yourself?

yes, we have the beans harvested and dried shipped to us then we sort- roast- winnow-refine and finally conche the cocoa into chocolate over a 3-4 day period

Do you still love chocolate? J(I assume you did/do)

yes but only dark origin cacaos, i don't have much interest in pretty lolly chocolate.

Steve and Peter in front of Monty's

Weekend away

Last weekend Mr Pickings and I took a quick break into northern NSW.   The weather was glorious, and it was so nice to get out of town.   We went to the Tweed Art Gallery on the way down to Brunswick Heads.  They have a marvellous exhibition on at the moment- After Afghanistan by Ben Quilty.  It is incredibly moving, and I thoroughly recommend a trip to see it.

We continued on down the coast to Brunswick heads where we were staying the night.  It is such a pretty and quiet little town;  thank goodness the local council does not allow large developments or multi storey buildings.   It has the feel that Byron Bay used to have many years ago-  a country town with interesting locals and a relaxed laidback lifestyle. 

There are wonderful little shops and cafes down there.  I had a very enjoyable time browsing in the marvellous shop Fabulous Mrs Fox.  A must-visit if you are in the area!

I bought a strange and funky wooden-handled implement from Argentina I was told, which apparently is to help in cutting equal portions of pizza!  They have many weird and wonderful items in the shop.  

They also have a famous cat!  She is a very beautiful and very calm and friendly Abyssinian brought from Argentina by the owner.  She reminded me of the famous Streetcat Bob who is also a calm and happy cat well known all over the world. 

You really can't go past a trip to this lovely region of NSW!

Stanthorpe break

Mr. Pickings and I took a short break to Stanthorpe for a long weekend.  It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago so we were on our usual annual trip there.  It was amazingly warm this time and we didn't even need the fire on all the time.   The stars are so clear and close, and we always see satellites  going over and planes in the distance and shooting stars.  It is very lovely tho a teeny bit scary. It is extremely dark and silent where we stay- an old farmhouse- and I am afraid my vivid imagination goes into overdrive about serial killers leaping out of the bushes. :)).  As usual we bought heaps of local products, and ate a lot !

We went to a lovely cafe- Jersey Girls cafe- which is part of the Granite Belt Dairy.   They use local produce, their own or their neighbours and make hearty honest fare. If dear readers you are in the area do stop off for a bite or buy some lovely cheese made with milk from the jersey girls! Jersey Girls Website

My lunch- bangers and mash- all produced locally.  Their butcher is in- house.

Mum and joey in the pouch just outside our cottage.  The rabbit proof fence below amazes me every time I see it.  No rabbits in Qld till you get south of this fence. We did see rabbits on the southern side.

Rose and violet truffles

Can there be anything more decadent than these?

monty's chocolates Brisbane CBD

I spoke to Steve from Monty's Chocolates today about his fabulous chocolate shop(s).  The original store is in Paddington and he has expanded to Spring Hill and the CBD.  If you love really good chocolate this is the place to come.   I tried a cup of the insanely good hot chocolate made with couverture chocolate;  oh boy!  It was so good and I can taste it now.  Silky smooth and deliciously decadent. I also tried a beautiful geranium truffle which is still reverberating on my tastebuds.  As Steve said- when you go away you will still be thinking about that taste -and he was so right.
Steve said his aim is to provide best quality products with fantastic flavour and excellent service.  Two lovely older ladies were in the shop today and they couldn't resist telling me how bloody wonderful they thought the hot chocolate was.   To die for as one of the ladies said!
All in all well worth a trip into one of the stores to check out the gorgeous truffles, drinks etc.

Monty's interior

Inside Monty's

De Buyer iron pan

Today I have been seasoning my new De Buyer crepe pan.  Such a good price and apparently the French love using them.  I have rinsed it and heated up a small amount of oil till smoking point then wiped out with kitchen paper. Now all ready to make delish crepes!

Black pearl epicure

Had a fun time this morning at Black Pearl.   I could spend a lot of time and money here.