I think we’ve gone to chocolate heaven with Nostalgic Delights

This week is UK Chocolate Week, celebrating all things sweet, divine and…well chocolatey. Chocolate week – organised by the founders of ‘Salon du Chocolat’ – aims to encourage chocolate fans (aka everybody) to enjoy their chocolate treats ethically by supporting independent artisan chocolatiers and cocoa farmers and paying a fair price.

So put the diet on hold this week (summer’s over guys!) and feel good about buying ethically sourced chocolate by trying out one of these mouth-watering recipes from William Curley’s new book Nostalgic Delights. Taking the sweet comfort food from your childhood and adding a decadent twist, Nostalgic Delights lets you yourself become an artisan chocolatier (or pâtissier) that will have you dipping in again and again (and again) for just one more!

Fudge Bar – Makes 24 bars

• 500g tempered dark (bittersweet) chocolate
• Edible gold leaf, to decorate

For the fudge:

• 350ml double (heavy) cream
• 100g sea salt butter
• 550g demerara sugar
• 200g golden (light corn) syrup
• 1 vanilla pod (bean), split and scraped

You will also need:

11 x 37cm metal frame
Dipping fork

1. Put the metal frame on a baking tray lined with a non-stick baking mat.
2. Put the cream, butter, sugar, golden (light corn) syrup, vanilla seeds and scraped pod (bean) in a large saucepan and cook, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, until it reduces in volume and becomes thick and pale in colour. Continue to cook until it reaches 118°C.
3. Take the saucepan off the heat and beat the fudge until it has thickened and lost its shine. Carefully remove the vanilla pod (bean) and pour the mixture into the prepared frame. Leave to set for about 3–4 hours in a cool, dry area.
4. When completely set, remove the fudge from the frame and cut into 1.5 x 11cm sticks.
5. Line a baking tray (sheet) with silicone (baking) paper.
6. Temper the chocolate. Use a dipping fork to dip each bar in tempered chocolate and carefully place them on the prepared tray.
7. Decorate with gold leaf to finish. Leave to set in a cool, dry area for 1–2 hours.

These will keep for 1 month stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry area.

Hazelnut Rochers – Makes 80 chocolates

For the Praline Ganache:

• 320ml whipping (pouring) cream
• 1 vanilla pod (bean), split and scraped
• 40g invert sugar
• 300g Gianduja chocolate, finely chopped
• 160g dark (bittersweet) chocolate finely chopped
• 55g unsalted butter, softened

For the Nutty Chocolate:

• 500g tempered milk chocolate
• 250g roasted nibbed almonds

To finish:

• 100g whole roasted hazelnuts
• 200g feuillantine wafer, crushed
• Edible gold leaf

You will also need:

Piping (pastry) bag
12mm nozzle (tip)
Dipping fork

First, make the Praline Ganache:

1. Put the cream in a saucepan and scrape in the seeds from the split vanilla pod (bean).
2. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.
3. Strain the infused cream into a clean saucepan, add the invert sugar and bring to the boil.
4. Put the chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl. Pour the boiled cream over the chocolate and mix until emulsified and a ganache consistency is formed.
5. Add the softened butter and mix well until fully incorporated. Leave to set at room temperature for about 1–2 hours.

To assemble:

1. Put the Praline Ganache in a piping (pastry) bag fitted with a 12mm nozzle (tip).
2. Pipe small bulbs of the ganache onto a silicone-lined tray
3. Put a whole roasted hazelnut onto each bulb of ganache
4. Pipe a larger bulb of ganache on top of each hazelnut and leave to set for 1 hour in a cool, dry area.

Next, make the Nutty Chocolate:

Temper the milk chocolate and add the nibbed almonds. If the chocolate thickens, warm it slightly.

To finish:

1. Roll each bulb into a sphere and coat in feuillantine wafer.
2. Use a dipping fork to dip each prepared chocolate sphere into the Nutty Chocolate
3. Place each chocolate on a silicone-lined tray to set for 1–2 hours in a cool, dry area.
4. Decorate with gold leaf to finish.

These chocolates will keep for 1 week stored in an airtight container.

Image credit to Kevin Summers

Written by Katy Asbury

In Nostalgic Delights, award-winning chocolatier William Curley aims to recreate childhood memories and times gone, taking classic recipes and modernising them with his own, unique creations.

Order your copy here