Chocolate Porn

In 2000 when I visited Spain for the first time, I was in a small cafe somewhere and had chocolate in a cup... there is no other way to describe it. It wasn't hot chocolate or cocoa... it was as if someone had melted a whole candy bar and kept it liquid and served it up. It was an amazing experience. When I went back in 2002 I searched and found this amazing drink/dessert again. And found actually that some breakfast places served it with sweet and cinnamon churros.

This explanation is from a Spanish portal site I saw recently

"Hay Churros"
If you spot a sign in Spain saying 'Hay Churros' at breakfast time go in and ask for 'Chocolate y Churros por favor'. What will arrive is the thickest cup of hot chocolate you have ever seen with a plate of deep fried 'fritters'. You eat this by dipping the churros in the chocolate (this is perhaps not for weight watchers).

you can find a recipe here

So when we went to Barcelona last week I was eager to show my friend Terri this dream in a cup. After visiting the Sagrada Familia, the cathedral built by Gaudi, we meandered up the lovely old streets. We found a pastry shop with streetside tables and ordered a cup to share. Terri immediately dubbed the cup full of hot pudding like chocolate "Chocolate Porn" which is a pretty apt name... It really does spoil you for regular old hot cocoa.... The Cup we had was from a menu of different types. I chose the merangue one which had little dollops of crystalized eggwhites and sugar sprinkled on top. I definately do not want to wait years again to have this treat. So I will be trying the recipe at home, now that I have found one!

Here's to Chocolate Porn!

Traditional Fish Stew in Copenhagen

My Husband and a friend and I just returned from a short trip to Barcelona Spain for a political conference. Due to some crazy travel agent named Shazad (don't ask) we had to get to Spain via a one night stay over in Denmark. We got in to the very nice Copenhagen airport in the afternoon and then checked into the Hilton connected to the terminal. It is quite easy to get a train from the airport to downtown Copenhagen and so we decided to go in search of food adventures. It was a bit brisk and windy, but the city was lovely at dusk. We walked past the famous Tivoli gardens/park, currently closed until closer to Christmas... And then down through a main tourist and shopping area. Getting jet laggy, a bit cold and quite hungry We made our way to famous Nyhavn Street (pronounced New Hown), with it's canal to the sea. Found a cozy little place with friendly if a bit odd staff. And I had some fantastic fish stew. Served with cheese, crispy bread slices, and a spicy mustard sauce. We had main dishes after- but this stew is what I will really remember. Kind of a mix of flavors like a creamy bouillabaisse. Very warming on a chilly Denmark night.

Another Blog thing quiz... what kind of candy are you?

this is mine, click the link at the bottom and find out yours.
*Lauren

Snickers

Nutty and gooey - you always satisfy.

What Kind of Candy Are You?

Local Roasting

There is a wonderful tiny coffee bean shop near the train station where I live in nakameguro. They have terrific beans, lots of choices and they roast them for you while you wait.

The best part is it is by no means some big commercial affair. It is a small older Japanese couple. On our last visit the Man who runs the place told us that he has been in this business all his life as his father was a coffee trader too. The wife was so funny, when we asked what kind of coffee she liked- she said Oh- I am not the coffee person it is all him, and so we said "well, what do you like to drink?" She answered quite promptly "BEER!"

when asked "What Kind?" The answer came back just as fast... "All Kinds!"

So the fella, roasted us some fine beans. He roasts and prepares the beans based on what kind of coffee making devise you are using. In our case, we are a bit old fashioned. Chris makes espresso in a little stove top brewer like This one!

So we got a nice dark roast and they poured some lovely coffee for us to try while the roasting was going on. Very nice folks. We will definitely go back there!
They even sell fair trade coffee.

Sleepy update on our DINE FOR AMERICA event

Well, I wanted to post before bed to say that thanks to our guests, and thanks to the owners of the restaurant where I am director- that agreed and supported the idea. Fujimamas was successful in our efforts to host a Dine For America event, and raised about 800.00 dollars USA to send to hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors, struggling to put their lives back together in the aftermath.

Being in Japan, and with the dateline and all those time zones, we were one of the first restaurants to hold our event. Some 17,000 restaurants are signed up all across the USA and in various countries around the world. You still have time to go out and make a reservation at a local restaurant check for your favorites at Dine For America

thanks to everyone who came out to eat at fujimamas tonight, and all the encouragement. If you did not get a chance to go to an event you can still support the effort by donating directly to the Dine For America campaign page