Monday 1 June 2015

Mocha Choca 'Lette Blah Blah

Fanny starts Part 21 with a riddle, of sorts, to tease the subject we will be tackling together next. She says it's like the ones you will find in crackers at parties. 'What is it that is so fraught with problems for home cooks yet almost everyone adores?' Fanny asks. What could the answer to this mystery be? Fanny doesn't keep us guessing for too long thankfully, the answer is, of course, Chocolate! She ponders another riddle too, this time involving men at buffet parties who declare 'I'm not really fond of sweet things and hardly ever eat them' but then come 'roaring back' for thirds when a chocolate pudding is plonked on the table. The third riddle for me is why on earth has Fanny decided to begin a partwork choc full of sweet cacao with, erm, a Mocha Chocolate Soufflé Omelette? Is it to teach those pesky men a lesson?

Fanny Cradock Chocolate Omelette

Fanny does love her sweet omelettes, but I've yet to find anyone else who does, and I've yet to be converted myself. They just seem so wrong, a complex culinary conundrum, but Fanny keeps right at them. Together we've already made mincemeat versions for Christmas, jam ones for everyday puddings and I may have glossed over an apple one once. Don't shout at me. Something about them just turns my stomach. There, I've said it. I love omelettes, with cheese or mushrooms, maybe an onion or even from time to time a tomato if I'm feeling crazy. But I've never come to the end of a meal and thought 'if only I had a coffee flavoured chocolate omelette to finish off this feast I'd be happy', have you?

Fanny Cradock Chocolate Omelette

Fanny uses chocolate chips in all her chocolate recipes. She says they are an excellent alternative for the housewife to proper chocolate 'couverture' which was only available wholesale when Fanny was writing. She says the proper stuff is somewhat beyond the average housekeeping budget's strained resources at any rate. As a result of this quandary, she embraces the chips, only if they are treated well. Apparently they respond to kindness, are otherwise fairly easy going and merely resent being overheated. This is fatal. If you do, your finished chocolate masterpieces will be sad and grey looking, like those chocolate figurines you've probably seen in south facing, unprotected sweetshop windows during hot weather. It's a very specific comparison. No dilemma really, just be kind.

Fanny Cradock Chocolate Omelette

To avoid any sad and grey complications, Fanny recommends that chocolate chips are softened in a bowl placed in a low oven with the door slightly ajar. Then beat the 'living daylights' out of them. To make it Mocha, Fanny simply adds a tablespoon or two of coffee. The final piece of this puzzling pudding is the omelette itself. No escaping it. While a dry pan is heating on a very low flame, the egg yolks are stirred into the softened mocha choc mix and the egg whites are whipped to a very stiff peak. They are then blended together. It makes a kind of mousse-like concoction, all ready to be cooked. Whether you want to or not.

Fanny Cradock Chocolate Omelette

Fanny adds a walnut of butter to the pan, turns up the heat a fraction and swirls the butter to coat the entire surface. In goes the mixture. Fanny is adamant that you should not touch it until you see big bubbles breaking on the surface. Then, and only then, do you slide a spatula underneath and fold the omelette into thirds like a letter, and out on to a waiting plate. Serve with pride, and a dusting of icing sugar as ever. It is still soft in the middle of course, as with all of Fannys' omelettes, served 'baveuse'. What a treat - a moist, slightly undercooked, puffed up, sweet, chocolatey, eggy omelette. It tastes unmysteriously like it sounds, but does have a brain-teasing consistency somewhere between a swiss roll and mousse. I don't think Fanny needs to worry herself with any more riddles, the enigmatic menfolk won't be returning for seconds, never mind thirds.

Fanny Cradock Chocolate Omelette

I'm linking up this lovely Omelette to the Simply Eggcellent bloggers link up for June hosted by Dom from Belleau Kitchen - it's important to share the weird and wonderful ways of Fanny Cradock...

18 comments:

  1. it's just the most peculiar thing ever isn't it? I get it, I do... but it's just so odd. I'm sure Fanny would love that we all find this so bizarre! Thanks so much for such and unusual entry to Simply Eggcellent x

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    1. Bizarre is the word, I do hope Fanny would be pleased... One day, I promise, I will enter a 'normal' type of thing to Simply Eggcellent, I bet you never thought you'd get things like this when you started it! Thanks...

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  2. Hmmmmm, wonder what Choclette would make of these? ;) but I would be game and give these a go, you know my sweet tooth!

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    1. You might like it, I just can't get the thought that it's an omelette out my mind!

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  3. Interesting!! I'm not a massive omelette fan but I would be tempted to give this a go. I'm off to buy some chocolate chips now...

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    1. Make sure you treat them kindly! Let me know what you reckon!

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  4. Hmm... I'm dubious about sweet omelettes generally, but that one definitely looks weird! You are brave to try it.

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    1. Unfortunately Fanny is so fond of them I fear there are more nasties lurking around the corner...

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    2. I'm waiting for the inevitable, where Fanny shows us how to make the perfect cheese-filled baked apple.

      She DIDN'T, did she?

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    3. Not cheese no, but she does do a baked Apple stuffed with Chicken Livers... Thankfully I will never know what that is like!

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  5. I've never had a sweet omelette and have to say this doesn't look too bad considering that it involves Fanny and eggs. I think the chocolate helps make it look more appealing!

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    1. Let me know if you give it a go, maybe a sweet omelette rival is on the way!

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  6. Oh my that looks funny but YUMMY! Good old Fanny does it again :)

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    1. She never let's us down! Do you fancy it? Maybe just me...

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  7. I've never tried a sweet omelette before, I reckon the chocolate might tempt me tho :-) Thanks for sharing another of Fanny's culinary delights.

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    1. I'm surprised how many people are fancying it! Let me know if you give it a whirl and what you think! Thanks...

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  8. It looks like a really light and airy chocolate cake roll. I know it's an omelette, but it looks so good anyway!

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    1. Maybe I should think of it like that, thinking of it as an omelette just doesn't work for me! Thanks...

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