Chocolate Peppermint Crisp Ice Cream Cake

Is Chocolate and Peppermint THE power couple of the dessert world? 
Why yes, yes I think they are! Just look at how good they look together - they were clearly just mint to be! (#sorrynotsorry) 

I have an odd relationship with mint chocolate. It was not something I always loved but what I do remember, is that during the holidays after my sister and I would go to bed, my mom would sneak out a box of those thin mint chocolates when she thought the coast was clear. The fact that the grown-ups were devouring chocolate when I was trying to fall asleep to the sound of wrappers crinkling, elevated those mint chocolates to lust-worthy status. You know, you always want what you can't have!

Don't worry, I've made up for the amount of mint chocolate I missed out on as a kid though - probably 3 times over - which brings me to my latest flavour combination. This ice cream cake is so retro it would be embarrassing if not for the fact that it tastes so darn good! I know frosted mint leaves are so 70's but there's a reason why they've been around so long! When you add that beautiful thin veil of the best sugar you can find onto fresh mint (I used the unrefined Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar), the crisp crystallized leaves add a sweet crunch to the ice cream that's just perfection with the dark chocolate sauce!



The ice cream itself is the real deal - none of that fake mint flavouring here please! It's rich, creamy and made with mint from that bush that's been taking over your garden and just keeps growing back (don't worry, we all have one!). Layered with homemade bitter chocolate biscuits (which is hands-down the biscuit recipe I make the most) and topped with dark chocolate, this is the kind of decadent deliciousness that I imagined the grown-ups were devouring while I was trying to fall asleep - except it doesn't involve wrappers, so you're safe!

Chocolate Peppermint Crisp Ice Cream Cake
Serves 8-10

Chocolate Biscuits
100g butter, softened
50g Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar
100g self-raising flour
25g cocoa powder

Mint No-Churn Ice Cream
1 x 400g tin condensed milk (Make your own with my recipe here - I made mine using the Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar) 
Handful fresh mint leaves* (about 12g)
500ml cream, whipped
50g chopped peppermint crisp bar

Ice Cap Chocolate Sauce
1 cup good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
3 tbsp coconut oil (use unflavored if you like)

Frosted Mint Leaves
Handful fresh mint leaves
1 egg white, beaten
1/2 cup Natura Golden Caster Sugar

Chopped peppermint crisp, to decorate

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius conventional (or 160 degrees celcius for fan-forced). Line a cookie sheet with baking paper. 
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients to form a soft dough then shape into a log on a lightly floured surface, wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
Once chilled, cut the dough into 1/4cm thick discs and place on the lined baking tray, leaving enough space for the cookies to spread. 
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies are cooked through but still soft. 
Allow to cool completely. 

For the ice cream, place the condensed milk in a blender and add the mint leaves. Blend until smooth. Pour into the whipped cream and fold through gently. Lastly, fold in the chopped peppermint crisp.

Prepare 20cm springform cake tin by lining the outside with cling wrap.
To assemble the ice cream cake, arrange a layer of the biscuits in the bottom of the cake tin then pour 1/2 the ice cream mix over the top, add another layer of cookies, the rest of the ice cream and finish with a final layer of cookies then place in the freezer until firm. Pour any leftover ice cream in a seperate container and freeze until firm. 

To make the frosted mint leaves, brush the leaves with a thin layer of egg white then toss in the caster sugar. Place on a cooling rack and allow to dry for 3-4 hours.  

Unmould the ice cream cake by dipping briefly in room temperature tap water then loosening the bottom. Place on a cake stand then top with scoops of the leftover ice cream, drizzle with the chocolate sauce and decorate with chopped peppermint crisp and the frosted mint leaves. 

*Tip: To get a bright green colour, blanch the mint leaves in hot water briefly then refresh in ice water and drain well. 

 Disclaimer: This post has been created in collaboration with Natura Sugars who produce a range of really special sugars that are unrefined and made according to traditional Mauritian sugar-making techniques. The sugars are non-GM, non-irradiated and unbleached with no preservatives, colourants or syrups added which basically means they are pure, natural and packed with flavour!  They're available from Spar, Checkers and Pick 'n Pay stores. 

Paris: A Chocolate and Pastry Tour

“‘Ave you been to zee Eiffel Tow-er yet?” the shop assistant behind the pastry counter asked me, while wrapping up the rather large collection of toffees and pralines I’d assembled - I’d just told her that it was my first time in Paris. “Nope,” I replied, “I only have a few days in the city and there are quite a few other places I’d rather visit”. She looked utterly horrified - although to her credit she tried very hard to hide it. Well, I’m sorry that I’d rather eat my bodyweight in macarons, eclairs, croissants and baguettes than waste an entire day looking at a metal structure (which I’ll remind you, CAN’T be eaten!). Luckily, after clarifying that I was on my very own pastry and chocolate tour of Paris, her face lit up and she hurriedly scribbled down her list of favourite pastry shops in Paris. It was, I’d later find out, the best advice I’d ever received!

But let me back up a bit: fellow South Africans, I don’t need to tell you what our poor old rand is worth against the Euro for you to know that traveling to Paris can be pricey. But, that doesn't mean you can't experience the city! I managed to clean France out of it’s pastry, on a budget, and here’s how I did it:

The view from the tiny little apartment we rented in Le Marais

#1: Rent an apartment with a kitchenette in an up-and-coming area

An apartment is not nearly as expensive as a hotel and makes you feel like you’re living like a true Parisian. I stayed in Le Marais (in the 3rd arrondissement) which is a vibey, young area within walking distance of some really good pastry shops and restaurants. From Le Marais, it’s a short train or bus ride to every pastry shop you need to visit.

#2: Avoid eating out in restaurants

Be warned: dining out in Paris is NOT as affordable as it is here in South Africa. A simple 1 course bistro meal for 2 and bottle of cheap wine will easily set you back €100 (do the math - if you dare!). Eat in and you’ll save heaps of cash (or be able to spend more on chocolate and buttery delicious flaky things). Having a kitchenette meant that for a week we happily lived off the gorgeous baguettes, cheese, pate’s and were able to cook simple meals from the beautiful produce we found at the markets. If you must eat out, tuck into the much more affordable street food! [Speaking of street food - check out the interview WebJet did with me on my favourite street food of all time here.

#3: Order and drink your coffee at the bar - always!

You WILL be charged for sitting down and enjoying the view - don’t say I didn’t warn you! Same goes for pastries. Don’t be tempted to sit down in the pastry shop and enjoy the atmosphere - they will charge you for the air you are breathing and the fact they have to wash your plate. Instead, take your pastry to go and enjoy it on the streets of Paris!

#4: Pack your stretchy pants, people - you’re going to need them!

The best way to experience the Paris pastry/chocolate scene is to walk everywhere - that way you’re far more likely to stumble upon hidden gems and obviously there’s also the added benefit of walking off all that butter you’re consuming! While I went to Paris with a few places I wanted to visit plotted on a Google map, we ended up walking FOR DAYS! When you add up all the ‘it’s just a 5 minute walk away’s and you’re visiting 8 shops a day..? The kilometers are too much to comprehend. But hey, I’ve always said the only time I exercise is if cake is waiting for me at the finishing line, and look at that - I stuck to my word!

So you want to hear about THE BEST thing I ate on my trip?! Of course you do! 

(Just promise not to hate me for it!) 

Merveilleux 

What the heck are Merveilleux, you ask? They are light-as-air meringues sandwiched together with more light-as-air flavoured whipped cream and then 'cos that's not enough the entire thing is covered in more cream and rolled in chocolate shavings or crushed up meringue. Side note: I NEVER queue for food - but this? This was worth queuing for. These are no ordinary meringues, people! It tastes like you're biting into a ridiculously delicious cloud that evaporates onto your tongue leaving nothing but happiness behind - and you can quote me on that! 

VISIT Au Merveilleux

24 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 75004 Paris, France

auxmerveilleux.com

TIP Grab a box of the mini mixed flavours - Spiced biscuit, Coffee, Dark Chocolate, Cherry and Almond-Hazelnut - then stroll over to the Seine, grab a seat along the banks of the river and waft into a delirious creamy coma. 

Marveilleux are best enjoyed on the banks of the Seine! 

Here’s a list of all the other incredible things that contributed to me no longer fitting into my jeans:

Best Baguette

Now let’s just get this straight, even the baguettes at corner shops in Paris are amazing - none of that airy poofy tasteless 'bread' we get here. So this baguette? It was so good butter would ruin it! Tip: when there’s a sign like this outside a bakery (Translation: Best Baguette in Paris 2015)? You know it’s good!

VISIT Huré (Winner of the Best Baguette in Paris 2015)

18 Rue Rambuteau, 75003 Paris, France

Best Croissant

With it's trademark chocolate swirls (how do they even DO that?!), perfect flakes and oozy chocolate praline filling it's no surprise it won Best Croissant in Paris last year!

VISIT Laurent Duchene

238 Rue de la Convention, 75015 Paris, France

http://www.laurentduchene.com/

Best Marshmallow

Marshmallows are big in Paris and by far the most delicious one I had was a Salted Butter Caramel Marshmallow from Pain de Sucre - butter IN a marshmallow?! I can't even.

VISIT Pain de Sucre

14 Rue Rambuteau, 75003 Paris, France

patisseriepaindesucre.com

Macarons are still big in Paris and fill every pastry shop window!

Best Macarons

Oh dear, this might start a civil war! I had two amazing macarons during my trip. The first was from the famous Pierre Hermé (aka the god of Macarons) who was arguably the first pastry chef to create the fussy, difficult-to-recreate perfect macaron as we know it today. I had a white truffle (as in the funghi) macaron that blew my face off. It was AMA-ZING! *sigh*

VISIT Pierre Hermé Paris

18 Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 75004 Paris, France

pierreherme.com

The second macaron came at the suggestion of the Meert pastry assistant - remember the one who I so deeply offended with my Eiffel Tower comment?! - she claimed that Pâtisserie Viennoise is the place to go to taste what the macaron was before it became the refined, multi-coloured, multi-flavoured pastry it is today. And she was right! The two macarons couldn't be more different; the one heavy, nutty and substantial - the other light and airy. But try them both and you can decide which is your favourite. For the sake of peace I'll keep my opinion to myself ;) 

VISIT Pâtisserie Viennoise

8 Rue de l'École de Médecine, 75006 Paris, France

TIP Order an espresso with your macaron (they're big!) to cut the sweetness.

Best Authentic Patisserie

While the shop assistant at Meert was horrified I had no love for the Eiffel Tower, the list she gave me of pastry shops to visit was the cherry on top of stumbling upon this quaint, picturesque boutique. Meert is a 250 year old shop specializing in pastries, chocolates, sweets, caramels and it's famous gaufre (thin buttery waffles sandwiched together with various fillings). I felt like I'd walked into an old French movie and when she tied my package of sweet goodies with an old-fashioned ribbon I thought I would die!

VISIT Meert Paris Saint-Germain des Prés

3 Rue Jacques Callot, 75006 Paris, France

meert.fr

Best Chocolate

While we boast 3 bean-to-bar chocolate makers here in Cape Town, Paris has just one - famed Parisian chef Alain Ducasse now makes his own chocolate and my word is it good! After selling a kidney, I left with a dark 75% bar with a chopped pistachio filling that altered my life figuratively and literally (mostly because I'm still living off salticrax to pay it off!)

VISIT Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse

40 Rue de la Roquette, 75011 Paris, France

lechocolat-alainducasse.com

Remember those pick 'n mixes we had in supermarkets? This is one dedicated solely to the most delicious handmade chocolate bon-bons of your LIFE! And while you pile kilos of chocolate into bags, you can marvel at the intricate chocolate sculptures that adorn the shop. 

VISIT Maison Georges Larnicol

132 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris, France

chocolaterielarnicol.fr

Yes, that is a waterfall of chocolate!

And if you still have a kidney to spare:

Michael Cluizel

201 Rue Saint Honoré, 75001 Paris, France

cluizel.com

Maison Pierre Marcolini

89 Rue de Seine, 75006 Paris, France

marcolini.com

Patrick Roger

108 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris, France

patrickroger.com

Best Eclairs

Eclairs have been the new macaron in Paris for a few years now (the trend should hit South Africa any day now) so they are everywhere! My favourite was actually the eclair's less trendy cousin, the choux. Odette Paris is the place to go for the best version - buy a few then pick a park bench in the Square René Viviani nearby and gaze at Notre Dome in the distance. 

VISIT Odette Paris

77 Rue Galande, 75005 Paris, France

odette-paris.com

My other favourite is L’Eclair de Genie who have managed to turn an oblong pastry eclair into a tiny edible work of art. The flavours are punchy and the glazes totally lickable! After selling my remaining kidney, I managed to buy two and when the shop assistant told us to "Wait 15 minutes before you eat them", we thought he said 'Walk for 15 km before you eat them" (French accents!) and so we marched an absurdly far distance before stumbling upon - I mean we didn't MEAN to, it just kind of... happened! And that's how we ended up sitting on the grass, devouring the delicious eclairs, under the... Eiffel Tower. 

VISIT L’Eclair de Genie 

32 Rue Notre Dame des Victoires, 75002 Paris, France

leclairdegenie.com

Ready to jump on a plane and eat your way through Paris already?! Head over to https://www.webjet.co.za/ to book cheap flights, accommodation and car hire!

 This post has been created in collaboration with WebJet.co.za, an online travel agent offering you a total travel solution to help you plan your ultimate trip!

My Visit to a Cocoa Farm in Tanzania

 You’re going to eat so much chocolate, they said. Make sure to pack your stretchy pants, they said... It was about 2 hours into the (ridiculously bumpy) drive to the small (very rural) cocoa-growing village of Kyela in Tanzania when I realized that the likelihood of me devouring my bodyweight in chocolate on this trip was rapidly decreasing. This realization, however, did not dampen my excitement. Visiting a cocoa farm has been number one on my bucket list since I got my first sweet tooth and I desperately wanted, nay, needed to know how I could grow my very own chocolate tree back home in 

Cape Town. Permanent chocolate stash for life, anyone? 

Hills upon hills of cocoa trees, tea and bananas roll into the distance in the Kyela region in Tanzania

“Is that a cocoa tree? What about that one? And that one?” I asked my driver, whilst being completely aware of the fact that I was being an annoying tourist. I just knew he would go home that night and tell all his friends the hilarious story about the day he met the chocoholic who didn’t know what a cocoa tree looked like!  

Tanzanian women drying cocoa beans in the sun outside their homes.

It was only after we drove past the third mud house in the village that I realized the plastic sheets of what I thought were hundreds of pebbles spread out in front of each home, were, in fact, cocoa beans drying in the midday sun. And the shade that a group of kiddies were playing under, was cast by cocoa trees.

A little Tanzanian girl playing outside her house in the shade of a cocoa tree.

I was in chocolate heaven! So why was everyone just walking past those cocoa beans? The chocolate, it was just lying there, crying out to be gobbled up! I imagined falling into the cocoa beans face-first, devouring them all and then collapsing in a chocolate coma. Aaaaaah bliss!

A cocoa tree - in all it's oddness - the cocoa pods grow, bizarrely, straight out the tree trunk!

Cocoa trees grow here like weeds, sprouting up from the red-clay soil wherever the beans are dropped. In this area, every household has cocoa trees growing outside their door. I mean, there were cocoa trees growing wild outside my hotel! Totally casual. Not only do the trees produce cocoa beans which the families sell, but I spotted more than a few locals taking an afternoon nap under the cocoa tree growing in their front yard. Having a cocoa tree in my front yard sounds like an excellent idea - no wait, two trees! I’ll put up a hammock, lie in it and day dream about… chocolate, duh!

'Oh I think I'll just park my bicycle right here, under this cocoa tree growing in my backyard!'

Daydreaming however, is far from the minds of the cocoa farmers I visited. While the trees pop up everywhere, it’s still seriously hard work, which is ironic considering how easily I can polish off a slab of chocolate. Unlike most other plants where the fruit is ready for harvest at more or less the same time, a cocoa tree is constantly producing pods and they all ripen at different times. This means weekly and often daily harvesting. It’s a 3-4 year wait before a cocoa tree produces cocoa pods and after 10 years, the tree has to be replaced; so planting new seedlings happens regularly to ensure a steady supply of chocolate for me - er, I mean, the world.

The cocoa pods turn from green to yellow, orange and are finally ripe when they turn a deep red colour. 

The farmers thought I was kidding when I explained that it was the first time I’d seen a cocoa tree but this only fueled their enthusiasm in showing me their cocoa plantations. Like most farmers, they are fiercely passionate about what they do - about as passionate as I am about chocolate! 

Cocoa farmers from the WACOTA business group - they are all third generation cocoa farmers.

The cocoa pods bizarrely grow straight out of the tree trunk and when I cracked one open, I discovered a sticky white pulp holding all the beans together inside. The farmers call this sticky stuff ‘cocoa ice cream.’ “Yes, finally!” I thought, “I’m going to eat chocolate!” Total let down. No chocolatey goodness; it tastes more like a pear and a pineapple had a baby. I mean, it’s a delicious baby. But not the same chocolatey-deliciousness that I was craving.

Sticky, sweet, fruity wet cocoa beans before they are fermented. 

The wet cocoa beans are collected and packed into large wooden crates lined with banana leaves where they are naturally fermented for six days in fermentation rooms (it’s a long wait but it’s a crucial step in making great chocolate). On the seventh day, the thousands of beans are scattered onto bamboo mats to catch a tan in the Tanzanian sun and dry out. Again the falling-face-first-into-the-cocoa-bean-dream! The lack of chocolate was definitely getting to me.

The wet cocoa beans are fermented in crates lined with banana leaves to develop the chocolate flavour. 

I’m not sure where or how we got the idea that chocolate is actually made on a cocoa farm. Perhaps it’s because we think of a cocoa farm like a wine estate, where the grapes are grown, harvested and fermented into wine in the same place. This couldn’t be further from the truth and the farmers literally packed up laughing when I explained this to them. Mainly because you can’t even buy a chocolate bar in Kyela. The corner shops don’t stock chocolate; it is considered an expensive luxury that no one can afford. In fact, most of the cocoa farmers I visited, have never even tasted chocolate.

Dried cocoa beans ready to be shipped off to chocolate-makers around the world.

I left the farms with a greater appreciation for the hard work that goes into making my favourite treat and vowed to bring a massive stash of chocolate back with me on my next trip for the farmers. I imagined us all laughing and feasting on ridiculous amounts of chocolate, while sitting under the cocoa trees… As we drove the bumpy road out of cocoa country past the cocoa beans spread out in the sun outside every home and the children playing under the cocoa trees, I realized that I still had one big question on my mind, how on earth am I going to grow a chocolate tree in my front yard?

I'm in a cocoa treeeee!

Note: This story originally appeared in Mango Juice Magazine. 
Grab a copy of Food and Home Entertaining's February issue for a more in-depth article about the cocoa farmers, their stories and how the chocolate we buy affects them.  

Tin Roof Cheesecake

Sometimes, our favourite foods have really weird names. Case in point: Tin roof ice cream. Who the heck decided that chocolate + peanuts = tin roof?! I mean, I'm bad at math but seriously? Apparently someone thought that the sound peanuts made when they fall out of the tin (obviously back in the day when plastic didn't exist), made them think of rain on a tin roof. Dunno about you, but peanuts rolling out of a tin sounds like dinnertime to me. 
And speaking of dinnertime - CHEESECAKE! 

You know why I love cheesecake? 

Because it's both cheese and cake. (Hey, you asked) And because I love it so much, I 

shall cover it in all sorts of delicious and wondrous things! 

Tin roof ice cream was a favourite of mine as a kid - and I'm pretty sure we all have our childhood memories of the flavour so this cheesecake is packed with peanut and chocolate nostalgia which basically means it's oozing chocolate sauce and crammed full of  chocolate-coated peanuts. Did I mention the toffee sauce? 

Because I always go next-level, I do it for you, really I do, I've added a toffee sauce to the Tin Roof rif, which seriously, SHOULD have been there all along! What's ice cream without a toffee ripple? Boring that's what. My legendary toffee sauce is made with the Natura Sugars Soft Brown Sugar. It looks like beach sand - and yes, I want to put my toes in it and wiggle them around which is totally inappropriate, but, come on, I know you're thinking it too! I also want to put it in just about everything. It's got this creamy fudgy flavour that makes mindblowing toffee sauce (as well as biscuits, chelsea buns and anything else that you want to taste like a toffee flavour bomb). 

I'm thinking this would be a pretty spectacular Christmas dessert but kudos to you if you can wait that long! Heck, why not just make it this weekend for no other reason than you want to shove your face in it. I'm here to tell you that's totally okay. But if you do choose to share it, remember when someone asks you, 'What flavour is that deliciously incredible-looking cheesecake?!" your answer should be: 'The Kate Tin Roof'.

Tin Roof Fridge Cheesecake

Serves 10-12

250g chocolate biscuits

75g melted butter

Toffee sauce

4 tbsp Natura Soft Brown Sugar

40g extra butter

4 tbsp cream

Chocolate sauce

4 tbsp cream

100g milk chocolate, chopped

Cheesecake

3 tsp gelatine

60ml water

500g full fat cream cheese

110g Natura Soft Brown Sugar

250ml cream, whipped

60g chocolate coated peanuts

60g peanut-nougat chocolate bar, chopped

Place chocolate biscuits and butter in a food processor and process until fine. Press into the bottom of a lined 20cm springform cake tin. Refrigerate until set.

Make the sauce by placing the sugar in a small saucepan and heat until melted and caramelized. Add the butter and cream and swirl to form a sauce.

Heat the cream and chocolate until melted and smooth.

To make the cheesecake: sprinkle the gelatine over the water and allow it to soak up all the water. Melt over gently simmering water until dissolved then allow to cool slightly.

Beat the cream cheese and caster sugar together until smooth then stir in the gelatine. Fold in the whipped cream, peanuts and chopped chocolate bar.

Pour half the cheese mixture into the prepared tin, drizzle 1/3 the butterscotch sauce, 1/3 the chocolate sauce. Top with remaining cream cheese mixture and sauces, leaving 1/3 of the sauces for the top. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.  

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Natura Sugars who produce a range of really special sugars that are unrefined and made according to traditional Mauritian sugar-making techniques. The sugars are non-GM, non-irradiated and unbleached with no preservatives, colourants or syrups added which basically means they are pure, natural and packed with flavour!  They're available from Spar, Checkers and Pick 'n Pay stores.