Cocoa Amore Chocolatiers based in Leicester have always been one of my go to options for beautiful handmade artisanal chocolate. I often pop in for a delicious hot chocolate with truffles and take home a couple of their finest chocolates to commemorate my visit and use them as a preferred online gifting source for my chocolate fiend family and friends. The chocolate is sourced responsibly, they work towards adhering to a sustainability policy and being a local small business, I know supporting them means we can enjoy these chocolates in the future.
You can read more about Cocoa Amore and the Truffle making workshop I did last year below…
Related Post: Truffle Making Workshop at Cocoa Amore
The very lovely people at Cocoa Amore were kind enough to gift me some chocolate of my choice (I was definitely missing my fix of going to visit instore) and as I’m not much of a baker decided to focus on some savoury recipes using chocolate.
What??? I hear you say!! I know it’s not conventional but be-lavie likes a little unconventional and you really can’t knock it till you’ve tried a chocolate savoury recipe idea.
The Savoury Chocolate Bit…
Moreish chocolate and chilli covered thick cut crinkle crisps, maybe with a cider whilst you watch the match or a handful of dark chocolate covered cashews with a G&T whilst you catch up on some Netflix. Transform yourself to the streets of Mexico with a dark chocolate veggie Chilli Con Carne, a beautiful rich, Smokey flavour to a family favourite. Then head over on the chocolate culinary tour to the Middle East, Lebanon in particular and tuck into some creamy white chocolate Baba Ghanoush with warm pitta and jewel-like pomegranate. Finally for the perfect light lunch, ever thought of a pear and spinach salad with a chocolate and balsamic vinaigrette?
Have a I convinced you yet? I do hope the photos and recipes speak for themselves…
Chilli & Chocolate Thick Cut Crisps
| INGREDIENTS Serves 4 |
|---|
| 100g Milk Chocolate |
| Packet of thick potato crisps (use thick ones as thin crisps could become soggy) |
| Chilli (Flakes for sprinkling) |
| METHOD |
|---|
| Melt the chocolate in a bowl for 1 minute (you can use a microwave)
Dip each crisp around half-way into the melted chocolate and put on a tray lined with greaseproof/baking paper Sprinkle a few chilli flakes if desired over the chocolate covered part Transfer to the fridge for about 20 minutes until the chocolate is hard to touch |
Salted Chocolate Covered Cashews
| INGREDIENTS Serves 4 |
|---|
| 128g unsalted raw cashews |
| 113g dark chocolate |
| ½ teaspoon sea salt |
| METHOD |
|---|
|
Roast the cashews on a baking sheet for around 5-7 minutes shaking in between at around 250-300°C Melt the chocolate over water in a bowl Stir the cashews straight into the bowl until evenly covered Spread the chocolate covered cashews evenly onto a foil covered baking sheet Sprinkle the sea salt over the cashews and place in the fridge to harden the chocolate. |
White Chocolate Baba Ganoush
| INGREDIENTS Serves 4 |
|---|
| 4 medium aubergines, sliced lengthways in halves |
| 8 Cloves of garlic |
| 113g fresh lemon juice |
| 227g tahini |
| 113g white chocolate melted and cooked |
| 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley |
| 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin powder |
| 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika |
| Salt & freshly milled pepper |
| Pomegranate seeds for garnish |
| Toasted Pitta bread to serve |
| METHOD |
|---|
|
Roast the garlic and aubergines under the grill in a tray until its charred all over (20 minutes for the garlic and 40 minutes for the aubergines) Peel the garlic and scoop out the flesh of the aubergines, removing the seeds In a food processor add the aubergine flesh, garlic, tahini, chocolate, half of the parsley, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and puree until smooth. Transfer to a dish and garish with the remainder |
Dark Chocolate Veggie Chilli
| INGREDIENTS Serves 4 |
|---|
| 450g Meat free soya protein mince |
| 400g Kidney beans |
| 1 large red onion finely chopped |
| 3 cloves of garlic |
| 1 red sweet pepper finely chopped and deseeded |
| 2 teaspoons hot chilli powder |
| 1 tablespoon olive oil |
| 1 teaspoon cumin |
| 1 teaspoon paprika |
| 400g tin of chopped tomatoes |
| 250ml vegetable stock |
| 25g 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate |
| To serve: Sour cream, rice, tortilla chips or jacket potatoes |
| METHOD |
|---|
| Fry the onion in a saucepan until they soften and add the pepper and further cook until they are tender Add chilli powder, cumin and paprika and stir through for about 1 minute. Put the vegetarian mince in the pan and break up with a wooden spoon cooking for around 4-5 minutes. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stock and simmer gently for 30 minutes |
Spinach & Pear Salad With Chocolate Vinaigrette
| INGREDIENTS Serves 4 |
|---|
| 28g Milk Chocolate |
| 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar |
| 2 tablespoons Olive Oil |
| 1 teaspoon honey |
| ¼ teaspoon salt |
| ¼ teaspoon fresh pepper |
| 170g fresh baby spinach |
| 1 large or 2 small pears |
| Handful of cranberries |
| 2 tablespoons sliced and toasted almonds |
| METHOD |
|---|
| Melt the chocolate in a microwave, stir until smooth and stir in the vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper Divide the spinach and top with pear slices, cranberries and almonds. Drizzle over the chocolate vinaigrette. |
Disclaimer: All chocolate used in these recipes was gifted to me by Cocoa Amore however I was under no obligation to write this post. Please note that all content including photography remains a copyright of be-lavie
- Address: Cocoa Amore. 34 Silver St, Leicester LE1 5ET
- Tel: Â 0116 262 3278
- Website: Cocoa Amore (for orders)
À bientôt
