P: What are you doing for your birthday?
J: Nothing. All my friends have babies and I can't think of anything baby-friendly to do.
P: Really? I could do a dinner for you if you like. Totally baby friendly.
J: Don't worry, I'll try to think of something.
P: I'd like to do it, if you'd like...
Somewhere in the deep, dark annals of my mind, an idea started to form.
J and I are fans of a show on the ABC - Willie's Chocolate Revolution, featuring an Englishman's frenzied pursuit of chocolate production perfection. Willie bounces around the world, visiting his cacao bean farm, producers, and building his own factory, all the time maintaining a manic pace and an incredible enthusiasm for his product - Willie's world-class cacao and chocolate.
Possibly the oddest thing about Willie is the way his pronounces Cacao -
I've heard it said Ca-K-O, but Willie rhymes it with KAPOW! and says it with the same inflection as Batman, mid-battle with an evil villain. KA-BANG, POW, PUNCH, CACAO! Willie says that his cacao can be grated onto food to provide a new dimension of flavour and that there are many health benefits, including improved mood and energy levels and he has written a few gorgeous looking cookbooks...
Anyhow, we had talked about Willie and whether his chocolate and cacao could live up to the hype created. So for J's birthday dinner, I decided to cook a three course cacao extravaganza to fully investigate Willie's Cacao and meal ideas. And so our CACAO odyssey began.
Step 1: GET CACAO
I wrote to Willie's company to find who stocked the product local to Melbourne. It was already too late to order it on line:
They responded promptly - Jones the Grocer at Chadstone.
Chadstone is a long way from me, but close to J who had gone there the day before and looked at the cacao area and not found Willie's product.
DISASTER
Were we thwarted at the first step?
Yes - for about a week, things looked hopeless.I considered using someone else's product but then pretty much lost interest in the whole idea.
THEN...
I stumbled upon Cacao Nation in Sydney Road, Brunswick.I wondered into the shop, and perused the shelves, seeing cacao nibs, emergency chocolate supplies and then a light shone down from heaven and I found the holy grail - a whole shelf of Willie's products. I may have cheered out loud, attracting the attention of the owner who enthused over Willie's product. Cacao and a chocolate block in hand, I skipped home to look for recipe ideas.
Step 2: MENU PLANNING
I wrote on Willie's facebook wall:
P: Hello! I want to do a 3 course dinner featuring your cacao for a good friend who loves your show - what menu would you guys suggest?
Willie's Cacao Ooh, how about the Porchini mushroom risotto, then wild duck with chocolate & orange sauce, finished by the classic chocolate & espresso mousse?
Post your photos here too!
I don't have the Chocolate Bible book, but these recipes were available on line. After looking through otherwise Willie recipes available on line, I swapped the mousse for the cloud forest chocolate cake - because it was a birthday party and thus a cake is required...
Starters: Porchini Mushroom Risotto
http://www.ocado.com/webshop/recipe/willie-s-chocolate-factory-porcini-and-chocolate-risotto/2523
- Using standard button mushrooms instead of dried
http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/journal/2005/6/2/new-world-kitchen-a-piece-of-meat.html
- J was tasked with getting a duck from China town (I couldn't face cooking up duck with fat splattering everywhere) and I made the sauce
- Served with green beans
Come to think of it - this was also a gluten-free dinner party...
Step 3: THE BIG DAY
On the big day - Cooking started early, with the plan to reheat savoury dishes when guests arrived:
1. CAKE - I mixed up the cake per the instructions and placed it in the oven in a lined tin.
THEN $H!!!!!!T
DISASTER STRUCK AGAIN.
The base of the tin must not have been fully attached and in the heat of the oven, the mix started to ooze everywhere. ARGH - I pulled it out and piffed the remaining mix back into the mixing bowl, with cake mix also slopping onto the bench, floor and me. I got another, smaller tin ready, and put this into the oven, whilst trying to placate a crying baby who woke up mid rescue attempt.DISASTER STRUCK AGAIN.
2. EMAILED PROGRESS REPORT to J:
Chocolate covered cake.
Chocolate covered kitchen.
Chocolate covered baby.
Situation Normal.
3. CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE SAUCE:
I hadn't read the recipe through before starting and had a minor heart attack at the +40 minute cooking time - but all went well - a strange sauce for a wild duck...
4. RISOTTO:
I considered adding wine to stock to add flavour but decided against it after smelling richness of grated cacao...
***
In the interests of science, I consumed a lot of the cake batter splatter from around the kitchen and ended up experiencing first hand the energy giving effects of excessive cacao consumption. With a young baby and broken sleep, I normally need (though don't often get) an afternoon siesta. On the big day, I housecleaned faster than a locomotive, and lept through the school garden clean up in a single bound.
Step 4: CONSUME CONSUME CONSUME
The meal began after the arrival of the guest of honour J, who was delayed by her incredible boss at her really wonderful workplace.
STARTERS: MUSHROOM RISOTTO
The smell as the cacao heated through was incredible and the taste sublime.
Very different to the Jamie Oliver type risotto I normally make - I recommend it highly.
MAINS: DUCK WITH AN ORANGE AND CHOCOLATE SAUCE
Duck and chocolate combined? Wouldn't richness upon richness be too much?
No, it was again incredible and beyond words to describe. If I'd stepped on the scales this morning, I could possibly have provided some scary numbers. Serving this with lightly steamed green beans was a good idea - the freshness and crunch was a good juxtaposition to the delicious ooze of the duck and sauce combined.
DESSERT: CHOCOLATE CLOUD CAKE
HEAVEN.
I thought the batter was lovely, but it was nothing in comparison to the finished product.
It was a very dense, mud like cake, gluten-free, moist and not too sweet.
I now pronounce this the BEST CAKE EVER.
Overall, the party decided that Willie has definitely created something amazing, though eating 3 courses of cacao based meals was very heavy going. I considered handing in the towel after mains but was urged on by my fellow diners. It is something we would only do on special occasions, with a limit to maybe twice a year.
I'd definitely recommend having a cacao dinner party - for us, it was memorable, hugely good fun and an introduction into a new and surprising flavour in cooking.
Some left over cacao is sitting in my cupboard, calling to me:
Eat me in a plum and chocolate sauce over a roasted kangaroo fillet...
Hmmmmmmmmmm...
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