Sunday, November 27, 2022

Chocolate -Orange Candies for You or Your Friends

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It's another fabulous recipe/ history/ cooking lesson with our own Celia Wakefield! This time, she's showing you how to make a confection treat perfect for a hostess gift, a special dinner, or, let's face it, for yourself.

 

I first had this Chocolate-Orange treat as a tart - very rich and so delicious. I was glad when Celia suggested a non-pastry version, because, I have to admit, I'm not great with pastries. Don't let the weight measurements or the fact it's candy scare you off - the only step that took any work at all was grating the orange zest, and once all the ingredients were assembled, it came together in ten minutes flat.


 

My grateful thanks to Julia, who keeps my nose down on her grindstone where the posts are concerned, for giving me the continued opportunity to work my writing skills and give you something delicious.

 

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving without too much kitchen crisis and with gratitude for all we have. The Sunday after Thanksgiving says it’s that time again, and whether you took part in Black Friday or not or however your family celebrates at this solstice time, I am sure that you recognize ‘The’ season is upon us. 

 

 

I am most grateful for my Jungle Reds community. While I don’t post often I read JRW each morning and enjoy seeing the comments. So kudos to Julia for inviting me to share some memories and recipes so many months ago. We all have our own ways of managing this season whether we put up a tree at Thanksgiving or observe the tradition of the twelve days of Christmas or perhaps no tree, but another symbol to celebrate passing the Shortest Day

 

 

I must admit that most of the celebrating done with my family isn’t based on childhood memories. However, the Christmas that we returned from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to England does stick in my memory; the family gathering at my grandparents’ house outside London with my mother’s siblings and my cousins. There were always lots of Christmas treats to eat. Picture a large dining room with space for my grandparents, three adult children and spouses plus six grandchildren gathered around the table with plenty of room.

 

However, it was the sideboard that drew my attention away from wearing my first pair of nylons (30 denier, I was 12), the cool feel on my legs, pinch of the suspender belt plus my fear that I would ladder them.  Laid out on the mirrored sideboard was a whole Stilton cheese. It was understood that no one was to touch the cheese except with express directions from my grandfather. It was his cheese! In addition, there was an oval bamboo box  with a picture on the lid of a desert oasis with a camel and rider plus the date palm: a box of dates, still on their branch and so sweet. I was almost as fascinated by the photo as I was to eat a date. Dates were only seen at Christmas. Then there was a box of Turkish delight cosily bathed in icing sugar, which got all over my velvet dress and was a clue to what I might have been eating out of turn. The spread was completed with a ham set up to be carved, accompanied by a bottle of Maderia and a Wedgwood Biscuit Barrel full of wholemeal digestive biscuits - the best to eat with the Stilton. Such deliciousness.

 

Once Victor and I were settled in the USA and Olivia had joined the family I started to build our own Christmas traditions and loved sharing with friends. I would cook a ham and pease pudding on Christmas Eve before Midnight service. On Christmas Day in the absence of a sideboard, I would greet friends with a table full of delicious nibbles before the big meal; a ham, chicken liver pate and of course smoked trout pate plus cheeses and some fruit. Then the traditional dinner, which rang the changes over the years finished with Christmas pudding, mince pies and hard sauce. Stockings had to have chocolate as well as oranges or apples and sometimes both in them, the preference was a Terrys Chocolate Orange.

 

 

Last year Victor handed me a recipe from The Guardian Weekly which intrigued me. Rachel Roddy is a food writer based in Rome.  The Dark Chocolate and Orange Tart caught Victor’s eye and he was keen for me to make it. Well, this had been the chocolate of choice for our stockings for many years so why wouldn’t I make it for him? With just the two of us in the house it did seem a lot of work, but a family celebration for Olivia and my joint birthdays gave me the push to take the leap, even though all the measurements were metric and I needed to make the tart case gluten free. 

 

This is a very rich dessert and it turned out to be surprisingly easy to make with a couple of hacks. Having eaten a small slice of the tart, we came to the conclusion that the filling was really a candy, so I have adapted the recipe to turn the dark chocolate into a sweet for holiday giving. Julia and I will only make the chocolate orange part for you but I will include the pastry recipe for anyone who loves to bake tarts.

 

Now Rachel Roddy states that the key to the choco-orange mix is vigorous beating combined with cutting the chocolate finely. My first attempt had me gathering the dark chocolate from all over the kitchen including some blocks I had bought on sale in a weak moment. The blocks were almost impossible to cut up finely; I grated, shaved, put in a clean cloth and hit with my rolling pin as well as using my heaviest knife and was pretty much beat. But to make up the quantity needed I added chocolate chips and found that they melted straight into the mascarpone mixture as you can see in the video. So just buy the best dark chocolate chips.

 

There are two other important tools which will make success here much easier. A scale with grams as well as ounces, and an instant thermometer. So many recipes are being published with the metric measurement system now, and a scale is an inexpensive purchase if you enjoy baking. I offer 2 different measurements for each ingredient, including cups, where I can make that work. 

 

Chocolate orange treats

 

Ingredients: 

 

300g   Mascarpone = 1 1/3 cups approximately. I did transfer the weighed amount to a cup measure but of course one does get air bubbles so measure by weight if possible 

40g.   Superfine sugar = 3 Tbsp sugar(put the same amount of granulated in a small food processor and whirl to get fine sugar)

Grated zest of 2 oranges. Organic is preferred so that the skin is unwaxed or treated.

400g.   Dark chocolate = 2 1/2 cups, chopped finer if necessary but not when using chips

80g   Unsalted butter, diced = approximately 3/4 stick of butter. Buy the best butter you can! Kerrigold is good, as is Kates of Maine

100ml  whole milk = 4 oz. In my case, not having whole milk, I used 3oz 2% milk with 1+ oz heavy cream, making 4+ oz, giving me a little extra in case of need.

  

Equipment:

 

-   Scale is preferred for accurate measuring 

-   Fine grater if not using chocolate chips

-   Small food processor, if needed to make superfine sugar

-   Instant thermometer

Electric hand beater

Silicone spatula

Cupcake papers

Small spoon or ice cream scoop

 

Method:

 

In a saucepan warm the mascarpone with the sugar and orange zest and stir to incorporate until almost boiling 190F+ on the instant thermometer. This is the only tricky step as the mix needs to be warm enough to melt the chocolate and I found that an instant thermometer took my worries out.

(I used a larger pan than is probably needed as the chocolate and butter melt down)

Remove pan from heat, immediately add chocolate and diced butter, then BEAT VIGOROUSLY till smooth.

Add the milk to the pan and beat it in. If the mix seizes beat again while adding a LITTLE more milk.

Pour into your baked tart case or into tiny cupcake papers and chill.

 

Decorating tiny cupcakes is a challenge but if I were competing on the GBBS I would use gold leaf!

 

Tart case:

If you want to make this as a tart, and  it is a great holiday dessert, here is Rachel’s tart recipe.

Ingredients:

120g cold unsalted butter, diced

250g all purpose flour or Almond flour if GF is desired

100g confectioners sugar (different from superfine sugar)

Grated zest of 1 organic orange

2 egg yolks

Cold water if needed

 

Method:

Rub butter pieces into the flour to resemble breadcrumbs.

Mix in the sugar and orange zest.

Add egg yolks and gently gather the mixture together adding cold water if necessary to create the dough mix.

Wrap and chill for at least an hour.

 

Roll the pastry out between wax paper or parchment which makes it easier to move.

Spray a pant with a removable bottom with baking spray, then carefully either slide the pastry into the pan or put the pan on top of the pastry and invert, then press carefully into the sides. Rest for an hour.

 

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Remove from fridge and prick pastry all over, then line with wax paper, add beans or weights and bake for 15 minutes approximately. I like to remove the weights etc before it is completely baked to add a little color. Remove when golden brown and cool. 

 

Pour in the chocolate orange filling and decorate with thin strips of candied orange peel. 

Serve with whipped cream or fruit.

41 comments:

  1. Oh, yum . . . dark chocolate is my favorite and this sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us, Celia . . . .

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    1. Goo'day everyone, it's Celia - I'm commenting on Joan's comments as I need to tell you all that there are two videos but their order seems to have been reversed in the blog and I think they may both be under the same name! (quiet laughter in stalls). Other than than, I used mini cupcake cups and chose silver ones to be pretty. I hope if any of you try the tart you will email me - wakefieldpro at gmail etc. I also apologize for being late on the comments. There was a need for domestic godessing around our house after the family hordes left yesterday. However the 24 hours together were just so special. There's nothing likesqueezy hugs from huge from huge guys who tower over one. Just the best - Whatever Google likes to think, I am NOT Anon - Celia

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    2. Joan, thank you and I hope your Thanksgiving, a small one I believe was peaceful and delicious. - Celia

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  2. What a delight, Celia and Julia! An instant-thermometer is on my Christmas list, so maybe I'll make these for New Year's.

    Questions: Those are mini-cupcake papers, yes, not full sized? Do the candies get hard? Do they need to be kept refrigerated after the first hour of chilling? (And was the first video supposed to be different from the second? They seem to be the same.)

    Thank you, too, for your Christmas memories. We also only had dates at Christmas. My mother would stuff each with half a walnut and then roll in powdered sugar.

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    1. Edith, one day we will meet, possibly in a kitchen as I am in awe of your recipes from your books. I do have a soft spot for the Indiana series. Yes, mini cupcake papers and yes, thank you, they do need refrigeration. Julia took some to friends on Thanksgiving so we will ask her what she thinks their life out of the cold might be. There are two vids, promise - Celia

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  3. CELIA: Thanks for sharing your memories and another recipe! I remember getting a Terry's Chocolate Orange for Christmas. This year's Terry's orange is already 3/4 eaten.

    Me, I prefer making the tart over the candies.

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    1. You're most welcome Grace, I know you are a great cook too. I find that I get impatient with pastry making though I know that taking the time always means a better product. I try to treat it as meditation time! - Celia

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  4. Enticing recipe, Celia. As always, thank you for sharing!

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    1. You're most welcome Judy - enjoy your holidays - Celia

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  5. Happy Christmas, Celia! I remember the Terry's oranges from England. My daughters will be here for Christmas, so we'll try your orange chocolate recipe in addition to baking our way through the Washington Post Christmas cookie recipes.

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    1. Thanks Margaret, and a very Happy Christmas to you and your family. I didn't grow up with a cookie bake tradition but I did try to do iced sugar cookies with my daughter and friends and this went on to the G'sons who are much too big and important to engage in that sort of thing now! If you choose to make them as candy it's really quick and easy. Good luck - Celia

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    2. A nice addition to Grandma's microwave fudge from the Georgia Tech cookbook.

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  6. That looks wonderful! Thank you for sharing the recipe. This will be good to add to Christmas boxes for relatives.
    My mother also used to do the dates stuffed with pecan halves. When my children were young I discovered Terry’s chocolate oranges and they were delighted to get them for Hanukkah.

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    1. Thank you Ann, I hope you enjoy this. I did suggest on my Facebook post this morning that if one was celebrating Hanukkah, that a Terry's Choc Orange a day would be a great gift! However this recipe is smaller and a quick fix - Celia

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  7. Yumm I love dark chocolate with orange. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Celia and your memories. We always had Terry's dark chocolate oranges in our stockings as well.

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    1. You're so welcome Gillian. Having the opportunity to share early memories here coupled with food may not be up in the Proust stratosphere but it is most rewarding - Celia

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  8. I do like those chocolate oranges. I may attempt making the candies for friend gifts. I think I may even have some Christmas print small cupcake papers in the pantry from making mini cheesecakes a different year.

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    1. Wow Brenda - mini cheesecakes in those tiny papers. I had difficulty in just pouring or spooning the chocolate in. I am in awe of your skills - Celia

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  9. Celia, thank you for sharing your memories and recipes with us. Oranges and chocolate were always part of our Christmases when I was growing up, so this recipe will be a great way to build on that tradition. And I love the way you cook--figuring it out as you go! No whole milk? Then improvise!

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    1. Oh you're so welcome Flora, as I said to Brenda, I love sharing with my JRW's. I'm hoping that this recipe will add a lot of joy to everyone's holidays as while faced with a whole Terrys Chocolate Orange can seem a little piggy if one eats it instantly; offered a tiny cupcake, well yes thank you I think I might - Celia

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  10. Wonderful, Celia! Thank you for showing us how to do the chocolates. I thoroughly enjoy listening to the conversation while you and Julia are working. Worth the price of admission right there!

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    1. Agreed, Judi. I love the videos these two make for us!

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    2. Thank you Judi and Amanda. I feel so blessed to have Julia in our life, she was a rock during the pandemic and we have such fun together. Her little dogs seem to think that I provide the best treats and tear out of her car, around the side of the house and up on to the deck barking loudly to be let in, so much love is always welcome. As for the videos, Julia is so good and getting me talking on any part that I had missed. Such fun - Celia

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  11. Thank you, Celia - your directions are always wonderfully clear, and I do adore chocolate and orange. This is first cousin (in taste) to chocolate covered orange rind I make for family every Christmas. Candy-making season is upon us! (I can tell because I had to order myself a fruitcake.)

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    1. You're welcome as ever Hallie, and for putting up with me! I would love to know how you make your chocolate orange rind as I haven't had much success there and I adore it. Now fruit cake, I used to make a Christmas cake when we were first married but when I found that I was eating 9/10 of it I decided to face the fact that I needed to stop making them. English fruit cakes come in various iterations but Christmas cake, dark and moist with brandy, covered with marzipan and iced with royal icing and little Christmas figures. Sighs! - Celia

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  12. Thanks for the recipe, Celia! I don’t do much in the kitchen anymore, but if anyone wants to give this treat to me for Christmas, I’ll gratefully accept it!

    When I read your post, I remembered that my dad’s parents always had dates at Christmas, along with other goodies. I didn’t like them when I was a child, but I do like them now. I can’t remember the last time I had any…

    DebRo

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    1. You're most welcome DebRo, perhaps you could invite a friend and make them together. I wish I could mail you some. Thinking of supply chain issues which have dominated the news as well as our lives over the past year I guess that dates were imported by ship and rail so that would have added to their scarcity back when. - Celia

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  13. This is so lovely, and so inspirational! And it looks incredible. And, sadly, this is the closest I am going to get to making that concoction, which looks like it takes an incredible amount of time. But I so enjoy your recipes, do you have the best cooking voice ever!
    And we always got Droste’s chocolate apples. Which were absolutely coveted, the kind that you would whap on the side of the table in the sections would break apart. I wonder if those still exist?
    Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone, and thank you so much for this!

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    1. Hank you're most welcome. Thank you and the others for putting up with me, this has been and in such a great community particularly over the past three years. Not to mention all the clever ideas you launched to keep us connected during the pandemic and after too. I think Droste's chocolate apples are still around, I wonder if they were not the forerunners for Terry's which was English and I think Droste's is Dutch. As Julia said, the only time consuming part of the recipe is grating the oranges and I always do extra zest. The rest is 5 -10 minutes tops. You could make them for your newsroom gang - Celia

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  14. Luscious-sounding chocolate treat, Celia. Thank you for the stories, the recipe and the video! Yes to the gold leaf to bling up the chocolates for a gift. So lovely.

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    1. Oh Amanda, thanks so much for all your support, I'll have to go and source gold leaf - Celia

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  15. That looks delicious, Celia! But too rich for me I'm afraid. I'm glad you had a lovely Thanksgiving.

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  16. Celia and Julia, you two are always a treat in the food you bring us. Chocolate-orange candy would definitely be something I can see myself sitting down with, plus coffee and a book. I'm not sure I'm up to making it, but we'll see. I tend to go a bit simpler, or I did when I made any candy. I would make a simple chocolate fudge (the one on the marshmallow fluff jar) when the kids were growing up, something we would set out for Santa. Santa did enjoy it, too. It was always gone the next morning. Watching you and Julia make the chocolate-orange candy, Celia (and that is always so enjoyable), I was thinking of the chocolate icing I make for my chocolate-cherry cake. It's simple, too, with cocoa, butter, milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. But, it is so delicious, I often wonder about making a candy out of it. I got the recipe from a friend's mother years ago when I was desperate for a perfect chocolate icing.

    And, I want to say how much I enjoy your stories from your past, too, Celia. In talking about your grandfather's cheese, it made me think about my father and his love for cheese. The best stories are those that connect personally with us. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season, Celia, and thank you for being here today.

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    1. Kathy, thank you so much for your very thoughtful comments. First a very happy holiday season to you and your family. Santa always did well in our house too! Julia and I are delighted to be fun to watch. Cooking should be fun to watch, I think that's why the GBBO has done so well, they make it such fun to watch despite the pressure on the contestants. It sounds to me as if you are a really good baker. I love sitting down to exchange reminiscences. - Celia

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  17. Pat, thank you our family came up on Friday and we had great time with an eclectic menu of leftovers, sushi and then younger G'son (almost 18) and I concocted a turkey biryani which was popular too. I do understand about richness. In my case my age is letting me down a little. As you have probably guessed I do love to eat but have had to be more adult about my choices over the past year of so. I hope you have a very happy holiday season however you celebrate. - Celia

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  18. Celia, thank you so much for sharing your labors with us! Dark chocolate - orange is my absolute most favorite flavor combination and Terry's are always in our stockings. This year I bought them in Ireland and shipped them home :) I can't wait to try making this when the plethora of orange trees in my area have all of my neighbors foisting their oranges on me! Yay!

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    1. So so welcome Jenn and I am drooling at the idea of free oranges. You can’t imagine what I paid for organic in my supermarket. Perhaps you could ship some to Julia and me! Haha. - Celia

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  19. Celia, I love your stories even more than your fabulous recipes! And now I am inspired to try making these delicious-sounding chocolate orange candies for Christmas gifts!

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  20. What a compliment coming from you Debs as I can’t wait for your latest as I am quite in Love with the family and friends along with your view of London. Just wish we could go together sometime. Enjoy the ChocO’s - Celia

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