Smokin'
Getting the kitchen fire going last week wasn't a such a good idea. The kitchen was cold, so was I and of course my ever-sensitive chocolate doesn't enjoy a chill in the air either. Well, start up the fire of course, that'll warm things up... within half an hour I had every door and window open to allow the smoke to billow out, along with every smidgen of heat that was in the house before I started.
So how do I warm the cockles of my heart after that? I sent out an SOS to find a Tasmanian Rum to make an Eggnog chocolate, Lark Island Rum was the answer and I am pretty happy with the result. 
Eggnog IslandsI experimented with Seven Sheds Melomel. David and I couldn't decide on whether it was a success or not, so off I went to look for objective opinions. The results of my mini-survey were 50-50, but while I was at the Cygnet Market today I had an idea... I went to Salamanca yesterday and picked up some Ashbolt Elderberry Concentrate, which comes with the recommendation, "With gin or vodka", ("red flag to a bull" should be written in brackets). Thoroughly enjoyable.... So, next choc of the bench will be a pepperberry ganache with elderberry gel.
