Other Foods | Chocolate Apprentice

Vibrant Vanilla

I had a colleague once, who used to dab vanilla behind her ears before teaching a class. She said it helped to keep her calm and reminded the kids of cookies, so they were happy.

I love the aroma of vanilla. I currently have five different bottles of vanilla extract, plus Tahitian vanilla beans in my pantry.

And it is such a complimentary flavour to many foods, but especially to my other favorite, and the chief subject of this blog: chocolate.

Whether in a vanilla crème or as the base of a hot fudge sundae, nothing matches the taste of really good vanilla. [Read more…]

Scotch and Chocolate Tasting – the Results

Well, it’s been a few weeks, but we were finally able to re-connect with my favorite Scotch Aficionado, Stephen, and his lovely partner Kathryn at their beautiful home, to complete our kiboshed-due-to-illness-the-first-time Scotch and Chocolate tasting.

As I’ve said before, I’ve always hated scotch. To me, it tastes like putting a burning campfire stick in your mouth. And I’ve always loved chocolate. It is deep, dark, velvety smooth: a single whiff of it causes me to salivate. How can these two seemingly incompatible substances possibly co-exist together on my taste buds? [Read more…]

Hot Chocolate Festival

I love hot chocolate.

I have declared my love in many blogs before, but I will say it again, especially as this is the perfect time of year for it, in all its brown velvety glory.

The weather here has been miserably fog-bound and “dreecht”: a Scottish word meaning that kind of cold wet that crawls up your back and chills between the shoulders – damp, dull, dismal – with only the occasional sparkle of sunshine. When the sun does come out, Vancouver takes to the streets.

[Read more…]

Scotch and Chocolate Tasting

I have a friend who swears he can get me to like scotch. I can’t stand it, although it is supposed to run in my veins, being of Scottish ancestry on both sides.

Why would I want to imbibe something that burns my throat and makes me cough? Might as well smoke.

I did visit a distillery, once. Years ago, my newly married husband and I were holidaying in the Highlands, and found ourselves with a few hours to while away, while waiting for the sun to re-appear. It was, as my cousins say “chucking it down” that day on the Isle of Skye. [Read more…]

Golden Goodies for Hanukkah

When my kids were in elementary school, I used to look forward to Hanukkah, even though I am not Jewish.

But we are fortunate to have dear friends from Isreal whose kids are the same age as ours, and every year, the wonderful Havi would go into the kids’ classrooms to tell them the Hanukkah story (she didn’t pull any punches – they got the whole story of Mattathias and the Maccabees) and to prepare a feast of potato latkes, and the most delicious jelly doughnuts I’ve ever tasted, that Hanukkah special – Sufganiyot. [Read more…]