{"id":3804,"date":"2011-04-19T15:53:44","date_gmt":"2011-04-19T15:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paulvallely.com\/archive\/?p=3804"},"modified":"2011-06-06T16:12:33","modified_gmt":"2011-06-06T16:12:33","slug":"choc-and-awe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paulvallely.com\/archive\/?p=3804","title":{"rendered":"Choc and awe"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is the school holidays but there is a fierce look of concentration burrowing the brow of my 11-year-old son. Yet he is not absorbed in Rome Total War on his computer or playing PS3 online with his classmates. He has a piping bag in hand and he\u2019s decorating an Easter Egg.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Welcome to Betty\u2019s, the cookery school attached to the high-class bakers and chocolatiers which make Harrogate the north\u2019s most genteel destination for afternoon tea. Not, you might imagine, an apt Easter holiday for a red-blooded boy. But you would be wrong.<\/p>\n

The one-day Easter Eggstravaganza course begins with Hot Cross Buns which brings together science, artistry, physical dough-pummelling, bowl-scraping and spoon licking in equal measure. There are five chefs to 18 pupils, half boys, half girls, aged 10-11. They teach one another.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody know what yeast is?\u201d asks Richard, the school manager \u2013 who has worked in a five star London hotel, a Yorkshire stately home and been the chef for a band of touring rock super-stars \u2013 as he sets out the ingredients.<\/p>\n

\u201cA fungus,\u201d says one boy, who was clearly paying attention in school science. \u201cWhen it breathes it gives off CO2<\/sub> and it\u2019s that gas that makes the bread rise. It feeds off the sugar and starch in the flour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do we put a pinch of salt in the chocolate sauce,\u201d asks Melissa, another demonstrator as they move onto making brownies and then smother them in homemade chocolate sauce. \u201cBecause salt makes sweet things taste sweeter,\u201d replies one of the girls.<\/p>\n

They even add a bit of folklore. \u201cWhy do we put a cross on the buns?\u201d asks Lisa, who has worked at Betty\u2019s for 25 years. \u201cBecause if it didn\u2019t have one it would just be a Hot Bun,\u201d says a boy. \u201cBecause Jesus died on a cross,\u201d says one of the girls as Lisa shows them how to work fast with the sugary paste to pipe the cross on the risen buns before the paste sets.<\/p>\n

But Easter was originally a pagan feast \u2013 Eostre was the hare-headed Saxon goddess of dawn \u2013 and today its primary fare is chocolate.<\/p>\n

The chocolate eggs at the school have been hand-moulded in Betty\u2019s craft factory across the campus by Claire Gallagher, a Member of the Academy of Chocolate. Betty\u2019s poached her from Raymond Blanc\u2019s Manoir aux Quat\u2019 Saisons, where she made the chocolates for the Queen Mother. The Harrogate firm wanted a master-chocolatier to launch a Finest range of chocolates in the tradition of Frederick Belmont, the Swiss exile who founded Betty\u2019s legendary tea-rooms over 90 years ago.<\/p>\n

On the way to meet her, while the kids are at work on their pascal masterpieces, I pass through an artisan workshop which is a Willy Wonka wonderland where taps without off-switches run continuously with dark and white chocolate.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to get your mind in a different place to taste chocolate properly,\u201d the formidable Scotswoman announces as she greets me. She sets me a test, to identify the smell from three small white pots on the table between us.<\/p>\n

The first smells of sandalwood, nutmeg. \u201cIt\u2019s mixed spice,\u201d she says. The second is citrus, lemony but sweet. \u201cOil of orange,\u201d she corrects. The third is like praline. \u201cRoasted almonds,\u201d I suggest. \u201cRoasted hazelnuts,\u201d she adjusts, \u201cbut that\u2019s not bad\u201d.<\/p>\n

Claire has studied Betty\u2019s archives and come up with a range of chocolates which recreate the nostalgic flavours and historic attention to detail of Betty\u2019s founding 1920s range. Chocolate moulds are hand-filled with best Madagascar vanilla infused into caramel, blackcurrant juice reduced to an intense jelly, or a fruity perfumed water-based ganache made from rare cocoa beans found wild in the tropical forests of Bolivia. They are then covered with rich criollo cocoa beans from Venezuela before being rolled and finished by hand.<\/p>\n

It would be impossible to pig your way through a box of these. They are so rich that I was unable even to finish half a dozen. They are flavours as intense and complex as those of a fine wine, lingering long on the palate.<\/p>\n

Back at the cookery school the young pupils have finished decorating their eggs. The girl next to my son has written \u201cHappy Easter Mum\u201d on hers. My boy has inscribed SPQR in yellow icing on the side of his, along with a Roman legionary eagle. They move onto the final creation of the day, smothering with chocolate the hand-formed balls of brownie they\u2019d made earlier.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Later, at tea in Betty\u2019s caf\u00e9, overlooking Harrogate\u2019s famous white-and-pink blossomed Stray, Thomas reviews the day. \u201cAt first I thought they might be superior and bossy, showing off their speed and skill, and then say \u2018we\u2019ve got a machine to do it for you\u2019,\u201d he said, ordering a Chocolate Tasting Selection of macaroon, brownie and truffle with a miniature hot chocolate drink, clearly not having had enough of the stuff during the five-hour session.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they did everything slowly like we would, and showed us how to be precise so that things don\u2019t go awry, and then let us get on with it. But they would come to give help if you needed it. When the girl next to me forgot to put in her shortening in the Hot Cross Buns they came and helped her fix it. There was much more intricacy and delicacy than I expected. The hardest thing was the piping; it spurted out everywhere if you weren\u2019t careful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marks out of 10? \u201cEleven,\u201d he said, without hesitation. \u201cI\u2019d like to come again.\u201d Betty\u2019s runs kids courses at Christmas and Halloween. One of those? Or Fun Family Food or Healthy Eating? \u201cNo,\u201d he said, wrinkling his nose at the thought. \u201cBut they run one called Chocolate Treats. \u00a0One of the chefs told us: \u2018You can never have too much chocolate\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Details of the courses are at www.bettyscookeryschool.co.uk<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chocolate Cake Truffles <\/strong><\/p>\n

Makes 8<\/p>\n

175\u00b0C (fan assisted)<\/em><\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n

30g cocoa powder<\/p>\n

60g salted butter<\/p>\n

1 egg<\/p>\n

60g caster sugar<\/p>\n

25g plain flour<\/p>\n

\u00bc tsp baking powder<\/p>\n

Coating<\/strong><\/p>\n

50g milk chocolate<\/p>\n

50g dark chocolate<\/p>\n

Method<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Place the butter into a small pan and melt gently.<\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0Place the cocoa in a small glass bowl and pour over the melted butter. <\/li>\n
  3. Ensure the two ingredients are well combined and set aside.<\/li>\n
  4. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and sugar together\u00a0 Using a whisk until light and creamy. <\/li>\n
  5. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the eggs and sugar and combine .<\/li>\n
  6. Fold in the plain flour and baking powder to the mixture.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n


    <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Pour into the baking tray and cook in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Once baked leave\u00a0 to cool.<\/li>\n
    2. To decorate<\/em> \u2013 Melt the milk and dark chocolate in a\u00a0 bowl over a tall pan of boiling water taking\u00a0 care not to let the water come into direct contact with\u00a0 the chocolate. <\/li>\n
    3. Using your hands scoop a small amount of the mix\u00a0 roll into a 6 balls. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n


      <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Put the chocolate cake balls onto a cooling wire\u00a0 and spoon over the melted chocolate.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n


        <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Sprinkle with edible glitter or sparkles place into the fridge to set.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

          PHOTOGRAPHS BY TONY BARYHOLOMEW mail@bartpics.co.uk
          \n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n

          <\/a><\/p>\n

          \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          It is the school holidays but there is a fierce look of concentration burrowing the brow of my 11-year-old son. Yet he is not absorbed in Rome Total War on his computer or playing PS3 online with his classmates. He has a piping bag in hand and he\u2019s decorating an Easter Egg. Welcome to Betty\u2019s, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-food"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulvallely.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulvallely.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulvallely.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulvallely.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulvallely.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3804"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/paulvallely.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3890,"href":"https:\/\/paulvallely.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804\/revisions\/3890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulvallely.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulvallely.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulvallely.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}