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Hot Cocoa Chanel

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If, like me, you’ve had a lifelong love affair with Paris, you’ll have strolled down the rue de Rivoli on more than one occasion. Afterall, it runs parallel to the Tuileries Gardens, runs right past the entrance to the Louvre, and is home to Angelina, one of the most famous cafés in Paris. It’s true, unfortunately, that the long queues, state of the bathrooms and exit through the gift shop has rendered Angelina an unmistakable tourist trap in the last few decades, but it nevertheless remains a charming piece of the city’s enchanting puzzle.

Back in the day, Angelina was frequented by the cream of the Parisian intellectual and artistic scene. Coco Chanel was often spotted in the Belle Époque-style tearoom, enjoying an indulgent cup of hot cocoa L’Africain, which has since become world famous. I only recently rediscovered this little (or not so little) guilty pleasure, and as if the sheer chocolatey indulgence weren’t enough, I made a batch of my own homemade Tim Tams. Talk about death by chocolate!    

HOT COCOA CHANEL

TIME: 20 minutes | SERVES: 2

INGREDIENTS

375 ml full cream milk

125 ml Nestlé Cream

30 ml icing sugar

200 g dark 70 % chocolate, chopped

250 ml Nestlé Whipping Cream, placed in the fridge overnight

METHOD

Place the milk, cream and icing sugar in a saucepan on medium heat and whisk until small bubbles appear. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until melted. Place back on a low heat if needed for the chocolate to melt completely.

Take the whipping cream out of the fridge, shake vigorously and pour into a mixing bowl. Whisk until stiff peaks form, then pipe the cream onto a small serving plate and serve with the hot chocolate.

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE TIM TAMS 

TIME: 1 hour | MAKES: 15

INGREDIENTS

for the cookie dough

115 g (125 ml) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

15 ml canola oil

140 g (170 ml) caster sugar

5 ml vanilla extract

1 ml salt

1 egg

30 g (65 ml) corn flour

50 g (125 ml) cocoa

175 g (315 ml) cake flour

for the  filling

115 g (125 ml) soft unsalted butter

125 g (240 ml) icing sugar

30 ml cocoa

30 ml hot chocolate powder

for the chocolate coating

200 g 60 % chocolate, broken in pieces

15 ml coconut oil

METHOD

for the cookie dough

Heat your oven to 180 °C. Place the butter, oil, sugar, vanilla and salt in the mixing bowl fitted with the flat beater. Mix until smooth, making sure not to over-beat, as this will incorporate air into the dough, which may lead to spreading. Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Add the cornstarch, cocoa powder and a third of the flour and mix. Continue adding flour until the dough gathers itself into a ball and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Take the dough out of the bowl and wrap with baking paper. Let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Roll the dough between two sheets of paper about 3 mm thick. Cut out rectangles of about 3 mm x 6,5 cm. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and place in the oven. Bake for 9 minutes, take out and let it cool.

for the filling

Place the butter in the mixing bowl fitted with the flat beater. Cream the butter until soft and smooth. Sieve the icing sugar, cocoa and half the hot chocolate powder into the butter and mix until smooth. Add the rest of the hot chocolate powder and stir through. Spread a heaped teaspoon of filling onto half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies, then place in the fridge to chill while preparing the coating.

for the chocolate coating

Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a bowl. Place the bowl on top of a saucepan with simmering water. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Leave until the chocolate is melted. Carefully dip the chilled cookie into the chocolate and place it on a lined baking tray. Chill in the fridge. Garnish with edible gold leaf.

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