Chef's Diary

Ingredients

8 oz dark semisweet chocolate                      2/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar                                                     1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract                              4 tablespoons sour cream

3 tablespoons of rum                                      4 eggs
4 heaped tablespoons of all-purpose flour     4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

 Ingredients for Icing

2/3 cup 35% cream
9 oz semisweet chocolate

 Technique

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a circular 10 inch cake tin with non-stick paper and grease the tin. Melt chocolate with butter over hot water. Beat the eggs with sugar and then mix with flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and vanilla extract. Fold in sour cream, melted butter, chocolate and rum. Bake for approximately 40 to 50 minutes. Leave to cool. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. Remove from fridge and apply icing.

Icing

Heat 2/3 cup 35% cream in a sauce pan. Remove from heat, and add 9 oz of finely chopped dark semisweet chocolate. Stir until you achieve a smooth consistency. Let cool and thicken.  Ice away!

Ingredients

4 raw jumbo shrimp

2 mangoes

2 papayas

Sweet chili sauce

1/2 tsp olive oil

4 small springs parsley

4 cherry tomatoes

Pink peppercorns

Dressing

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon rice wine

salt & pepper

Julienne the mangoes and papaya and set aside. Rub the sweet chili sauce on each of the jumbo shrimps. Add olive oil to pan and sear the shrimp on medium heat for about two minutes on each side. Combine the sesame oil, rice wine and salt and pepper. Arrange the julienned fruit on plate and sprinkle with dressing. Place hot shrimp in center and garnish with parsley, cherry tomato (cut into a rosette) and a few peppercorns. Serve immediately.

Grilled Mango, Charred Tomato and Papaya Salsa

1/2 cup grilled mango                                1 ½ lime jus

¼ cup charred tomato                                ¼ tsp sesame oil

¼ cup diced papaya                                     Salt and pepper

1 tbsp chopped cilantro                               1 tsp honey

1tsp chopped ginger

1tbsp-toasted sesames

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Grill mango in a cast iron skillet on medium heat with a touch of olive oil for 2-3 minutes.  Remove the mango from the skillet and add the remaining olive oil.  Sautee sliced tomatoes in the skillet until charred.   Clean and peal the papaya.  Dice the mango, tomatoes and papaya.  Place into a mixing bowl with ginger, cilantro, sesame seeds, lime jus, salt and pepper, honey, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.  Mix lightly.

Latin Spiced Tilapia

2x 6-7 oz fresh Tilapia

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp Latin spice

Preheat a cast iron pan to medium high. Rub the Latin spice on fresh tilapia. Add olive oil to the pan.  Gently place the spiced tilapia.  Let it sear for three minutes allowing the crust to form.  Using a spatula, flip the fish over and let it sear on the other side.  After 3-5 minutes your fish should be cooked through.  Remove from heat, add salsa and serve.