Chocolate terrine for Valentine's Day

What do you expect on Valentine's Day? 

Do you get the rose from your boyfriend or husband? It is common that boys send gift or flowers to girls in the world. But it is different in Japan. 

Girls send CHOCOLATE to boys on Valentine's Day. 

Why it happen? 

Valentine's Day is came from other country. It was not popular back to 1970's in Japan. One chocolate company Tried to do marketing to sell their chocolate on Valentine's Day.  They advertised that 「It is a special day called Valentine's Day from abroad, it is a day send your heart and CHOCOLATE」 

Since then, it gets popular and popular between girls. It becomes the day girls give chocolate to boys even between friends. 

Anyway it is a chocolate day on Valentine's Day in Japan now. 

It is simple to make. And it is also gluten free. It is mouth melting texture, rich chocolate. 

I used 70% dark chocolate from Wellington Chocolate factory in Wellington. That is what a gorgeous chocolate cake for my husband!!  

I did' t add any sugar.  I thought the chocolate is sweet enough and I like bitter taste. 

Dark Chocolate Terrine 

(20cm loaf tine)

100g Unsalted butter(chopped)

200g Dark chocolate (chips or buttons or chopped)

3 Eggs (beaten)

70 cc full cream (warm)

1 Tbl Brandy (optional)

Prepare

Line the baking paper on the loaf tin. 

Preheat the oven at 180℃.

1. Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Place the butter and chocolate into the bowl. Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula until
melted and became smooth. Use low heat or stop heating, ,try no to burn the chocolate.
2. Take the bowl out from the pan. Add the beaten eggs in to the bowl, combine well with a whisk.
3. Add warmed full cream, combine well with the whisk.  Add the brandy for optional and combine well.
4. Pour over the mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Bake it at 180℃ for 20 Min's. If the center of the loaf is still rubbery, looks not cooked enough.... it doesn't matter.  The chocolate will be settle down once the loaf get coll down.
5. Cool it down on the wire rack. Place it in the fridge until it gets completely cold.
6. Cut and serve it. Warm the knife with hot tap water or boiling water. It is better way to cut the chocolate cakes.

Apple invisible cake - Gateau invisible

It is beautiful summer now in Tauranga. Lots of fruit is on season.... peach, plum, watermelon..... and apples.

I got lots of garden apples from neighbor.  I was thinking to make apple pie or apple crumble as usual. But I had look different idea for the apple baking...something using more apples, less butter....

I found recipe called Gateau invisible.... That is French apple cake.

This cake is made from lots of apples!! more than batter.
It is not rising and fluffy. The batter mixture is like the custard or pudding.
Fold the slices of apples into the batter. That process makes the layer of apples.

Apple invisible cake

6 apples weighing around 120g each

2 large eggs 

50g white sugar

70cc milk 

70g plain flour

50g melted butter

1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Icing sugar to dust on the top

Prepare
Shift plain flour.
Put baking paper on the cake tin.
Preheat oven at 180℃.

1. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and white sugar together.
2. Add milk and combine well.
3. Add shifted flour, combine well.
4. Add melted butter and vanilla, combine well.
Leave the bowl aside.
5. Peel apples, and slice thinly. It might better to use the slicer if you have one.

6. Add sliced apples into the mixture. Use a spatula and fold the apples into the mixture gently.  Try not to break the apples.

7. pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Try to make the layer of apples.
8. Bake it about 40 - 50 mins.

9. Cool it down. You can cut the cake when it get completely cooled down. It is better to leave it in the fridge at least 2 hours.
10. Dust icing sugar before serve.

Rum raisin cream cheese sandwich cookies

I think I am kind of alcoholic. I always choose rum raisin ice cream at the ice cream shop. I prefer whisky chocolate. I like to use wine or beer to cook meat.

I always keep stock of rum infused dried fruit (raisin and cranberry ) in a jar. I keep to refill dried fruit and rum after use it.

Combination of cream cheese icing with rum raisin between short bread cookies.
This is one of popular modern Japanese dessert recipe.

I made it one bite small size. I add less sugar in the filling. Because the raisin is quite sweet.
Cream melt in my mouth. Yummy cookies.

Rum raisin cream cheese sandwich cookies

Shortbread cookies

360 g Plain flour

90g White sugar

100g Butter(cold and cut into dice)

2 Eggs (beaten)

Cream cheese filling

50g Butter (soften)

200g Cream cheese (soften)

50g icing sugar

100g Rum infused dried fruit

Cookies
1. In the food processor, combine flour and sugar, add butter. Blitz it until all the butter blended with the dry ingredients.
2. Transfer it into a bowl.
Add the eggs, knead it until it becomes dough.
3. Wrap it with the plastic wrap. Place it into the fridge for 30 - 60 mins.
4. On the floured work bench, roll the dough out 5mm thick. Use your favorite cookie mold.
5. Preheat oven 180c.
Bake it 15 mins at 180c.
6. Cool it down.

Filling
1. In the stand mixer, cream butter until it becomes pale. Add cream cheese and icing sugar, cream it together.
2. Add rum raisin. Combine well with the spatula.

Once cookies get cool down, sandwich 1 table spoon of cream filling between 2 shortbread cookies.
Lightly press cookies until the filling reaches to the edge.
Put them into the airtight container, keep in the fridge.