View Full Version : raw chocolate tea party invite
hello friends!
This is very short notice I know but I only joined the forum yesterday after a brilliant lesson in how to use it from Jax!
I am having a raw chocolate tea party at 3pm on Thursday 15th October (tomorrow!) at my place in Hythe Marina Village, and you would be most welcome to come! There will be a huge cake, drinks, and a chocolate 'garden,' so if that sounds exciting to you please feel free to drop in for tea!
EDITED BY JAX - PLEASE PM ME FOR DETAILS (PM IS UP AT THE TOP RIGHT)
I would be glad to welcome anyone who wants to come; particularly those I did not get to speak to at last Sunday's pot luck and who I would have liked to have invited. And for those who can't manage it due to work committments, I will probably be having another similar occasion in December if there is enough interest.
Love and thanks,
Ruth
OOOPS sorry Ruth, I should have explained that anybody around the world can see these posts as it's not a closed forum http://www.rawinuk.com/images/icons/icon11.gif
Just for your safety I've taken out your personal details http://www.rawinuk.com/images/icons/icon12.gif If anybody would like to attend Ruth's yummy Chocolate party please pm me, I'll be logged in all day and evening aprt from when we are off for Godders' tinkering!
karen @rawchocolateheaven
14-10-2009, 04:02 PM
Ruth,
I will be picking up Alfie at 2.45 then popping to collect Jax then we are coming straight over to you xx
Will be there just gone 3
Love Karen xx
haverawcake
15-10-2009, 12:24 AM
Why don't I live in Southampton anymore - all these fun things I am missing!
I can't WAIT to see this chocolate garden................OMG I've never been to a chocolate party before :bouncy: :party0006: :grindance: :870: :whoo: :party0020: :party0037: <<< is very very excited, can you tell??? http://www.rawinuk.com/images/icons/icon11.gif
karen @rawchocolateheaven
15-10-2009, 06:54 PM
Can I just make it law that everyone must have a chocolate tea party, followed by wild food forage!
LOVED IT....
the garden was a fantastic massive creation of savoury & sweet chocolate dishes all assembled to creat a work of edible art!
The cake!!!! well a centre piece all by it's self a massive creation decorated in Raspberries & edible gold!
I sooooo enjoyed the cake although I started my meal with the biggest slab, so half way through the cake I started on the chocolate falafel & brocoli & sesame sauce. followed by the seed & chocolate crackers,
then the maca fudge then the maca & goji fudge
wow...
then we found the grass & carpet underneath of spirulina & pear and wonderful other creations....
served with sea buckthorn juice
green juice
and sesame chocolate shake
this was amazing!!!
Thank you Ruth xxxx
& yeas I think it's a brilliant idea near Christmas xxxx
HAPPY BIRTHDAY:peace:
I had a great time today Ruth many many thanks for your hospitality :peace: I'll post the pics up tomorrow as we're going offline soon.
I am so glad that you enjoyed it my friends! May it be the first of many!
Thank you everyone for coming. Your birthday presence made it the best birthday ever! Ruth x
Right finally got the pics sorted out;
This was Ruth's stunning huge chocolate cake;
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v445/ShaunRydersBrainCell/Raw%20in%20UK/DSC01523.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v445/ShaunRydersBrainCell/Raw%20in%20UK/DSC01531.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v445/ShaunRydersBrainCell/Raw%20in%20UK/DSC01533.jpg
This is Ruth's amazing chocolate garden, complete with green lawn!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v445/ShaunRydersBrainCell/Raw%20in%20UK/DSC01525.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v445/ShaunRydersBrainCell/Raw%20in%20UK/DSC01529.jpg
Here's Karen's choc truffles and my made up Crunchmas pies (a bit like rice krispies cakes);
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v445/ShaunRydersBrainCell/Raw%20in%20UK/DSC01526.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v445/ShaunRydersBrainCell/Raw%20in%20UK/DSC01527.jpg
We all then went out for a walk and some foraging of seabuckthorn berries;
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v445/ShaunRydersBrainCell/Raw%20in%20UK/DSC01538.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v445/ShaunRydersBrainCell/Raw%20in%20UK/DSC01535.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v445/ShaunRydersBrainCell/Raw%20in%20UK/DSC01537.jpg
omg i will have to go into my google more often
i can't believe i missed this
my idea of heaven.
please tell me this is happening again
sounds like you had the most amazing time
thankyou Ruth for thinking this Ruth in Wonderland tea party xxx
Funnily you are in luck ani...............Ruth's planning a Christmassy type chocolate party soonish http://www.rawinuk.com/images/icons/icon12.gif
haverawcake
18-10-2009, 07:53 PM
If you plan to have your Christmas Chocolate party sometime in the school holidays we might just make it down from Cambridge. I'll promise to bring some Brownies. I have been planning to visit Southampton for a while. We home educate so school does not affect the kids but my husband is a teacher and we'd like to all make the trip as a family. And Ruth.........that raspberry cake is like nothing I have ever seen...........amazing. And Ani - it would be great to see you again too. I would also love to meet Karen and Jax.
Annette, just let us know when you could come down and we'll plan it around your holidays. Perhaps we should all submit some dates (not the edible sort) to make sure everyone who wants to could come.
I will make another mega-cake if it's wanted.
karen @rawchocolateheaven
19-10-2009, 09:50 AM
I'll make it any date other than a pot luck date!!!!:tea:
I will make another mega-cake if it's wanted.LOL who's mad enough to say no to that?? :648:
just thought i am away from 3rd Dec till 26th eeeeekkkkkk
What about a New Year party? Maybe better as the run up to Christmas can be very full for most people.
My mind is in creative free-fall at present over a potential New Year Cacao-Exploration Tea-Party! (I have considered making it an evening do, but eating loads of cacao in the evening does not make for a great night's sleep, although if people can't make it til the evening we may have to stay awake all night!)
At the moment I am brainstorming recipe ideas that arise in my mind: If I were to make everything i'm thinking about, it would not only cost an absolute fortune, but take me a month of non-stop work to prepare!
All I can say is that the last chocolate tea-party will be nothing on this one! I only knew 5 days in advance that the October day was going to happen (it was just going to be one cake with one friend) and much was improvised. This time there will be much more creativity with raw chocolate based food and drinks, and hopefully we will all be blissed out together...but not too full!
The only thing I need to ask before hand if you want to come, and if this is a valuable experience for you...one you'd relish: Would be willing to make a donation towards the cost of ingredients beforehand so that I could buy them?
As anyone who works with raw cacao and their products knows, it costs a lot!! Google raw food websites and you'll see the value of even a small amount of cacao butter; liquor; powder; coconut oil...plus raw nuts and seeds...organic fruit etc. This is pricey food! Worth it because you don't eat much at a time in ordinary life; but for a party, an expensive outlay! Using raw cacao in your diet means you really are living and eating like a King or Queen, and with a price tag to match! There is a reason why cacao became currency! It truly is worth it's weight in gold!
It would be a dream to be able to do this without asking for donations for I long to give; but raw food makes you more authentic (and sensible) plus money is really nothing on us, and shouldn't come between friends. I know that this time I won't be able to go and buy individual ingredients without your help. I am totally willing and able to put the time in to make enough gourmet food for a superb and unsual party; but in all honesty it will have to be a joint venture between us. It will not be for financial profit of any kind...only the rewards of eating this amazing food together.
How much would you pay to go for an all-you-can-eat-buffet in a raw food establishment with superfoods, algaes and lots of raw cacao? That's the donation fee I would ask because I want you to feel it is valuable. And if you have any ideas about what you want to eat, drink or do, feel free to ask!
Chocolate communion. Friends and raw cacoa = bliss
My mind is in creative free-fall at present over a potential New Year Cacao-Exploration Tea-Party! (I have considered making it an evening do, but eating loads of cacao in the evening does not make for a great night's sleep, although if people can't make it til the evening we may have to stay awake all night!)
LOL I think I'm a bit weird :noidea: I just don't get it, I'm more chilled and rested with cacao, but I was the same with coffee, everybody says they are buzzing on caffeine yet it relaxes me and makes me cosy, snug and ready for a snooze :bored: The only time I can definitely say that cacao has perked me up is with Karen's Super Bar, everything else just actually makes me relax...........I must be one stressed out monkey! http://www.rawinuk.com/images/icons/icon11.gif
Anyway back to the Tea Party, how about charging for a Chocolate Tea Party Ticket Ruth, and going along the lines of the Mad Hatter's Chocolatey Party? http://www.rawinuk.com/images/icons/icon10.gif I'm not sure what you've got in mind, but I'm sure people would pay around £5?? :noidea: Oh hang on you said 'all you can eat' didn't you - so maybe a bit more?? Mind you one slice of that last cake and I was pretty stuffed!!!
You're reading my thoughts! I've even considered making edible tickets Jax....don't think they'd last long!
You are the only person I've met who doesn't get stimulated by cacao! Although all food seems to stimulate me somehow.
You mentioned that cake! I used to think that Raw Living's cakes were overpriced until I started making them myself. In fact they are very reasonably priced considering what goes in to them and the whole, lengthy process of making them! The cake I made last time cost over 30 pounds and used (wait for it) a WHOLE BOTTLE of organic virgin olive oil...not to mention all the other ingredients in massive quantities.: At least 10 pounds worth of cashew nuts...
I actually think there are more enjoyable cakes to be eaten (I love my lighter, more creamy textured layered cakes) as it was too dense for me. As Karen said, 'a chocolate bomb!'
You are the only person I've met who doesn't get stimulated by cacao! Although all food seems to stimulate me somehow.
See I told you I was weird http://www.rawinuk.com/images/icons/icon11.gif And I know it's not down to all the painkillers that I'm taking at the mo, because I was like it before them. I think, if I remember rightly, I did once meet one other person that said they too didn't feel that caffeine 'woke them up', apart from that I've never heard anyone say it. When I was at work, everybody would be mad on coffee saying they needed it to keep them going or perk them up (and I have to say that Godders still swears that it does the same for him), but I dared not to have any because I'd get too relaxed and tired and not want to work!! Although whenever I was mega stressed I would have one to calm down.
Having said that I just thought of another incidence where I was on my own, when I was at college a group did an experiment on on the effects of music on people. They played classical music to people and their heart rates went down and felt relaxed, then they played house music and their heart rates rose and they became jittery. Guess who was the only one to be the other way round :rolleyes2: I've always found that classical, blues and jazz music stresses me out, yet punk, rock, club, drum and bass chills me to da bone! :party0007:
karen @rawchocolateheaven
06-11-2009, 10:32 PM
I reckon if people offer over a fiver it should be ok? depends on numbers...if you only get a couple of people I would expect them to pay a bit more...you've still got to fork out the money and you can't buy single portions of anything!!!
aim for lots of people....I'd be happy to pay a tenner, I realise not everyone would be able to pay that much but if it helps someone who can only pay a fiver ....then the balance should go some way to helping you afford to be Chef for all of us....
the gift you are offering is amazing food.....created with passion & love...and the nearest restaurant (apart from me) is Brighton some 60 miles away....your worth every penny xxx
P.S count Me, Hubby, Son, Mum, Brother, possibily Dad in (if evening count all of us...school time just count us 3) thats the first £60
Thank you so much for saying that, and you know I was embarressed about admitting I couldn't afford it on my own...but from you that means much because you are such a wonderfully passionate raw chef and chocolatier and could assuredly create much more professional food than me! But I can't wait to be able to make some fantastic things for anyone who wants to come!
My glass sheet for tempered cacao making arrives next week...hurray!!!
You are right, the costing depends on numbers and I feel that a donation of about 10 pounds (or whatever people can manage under that) is necessary. But maybe not every time, who knows! Maybe in the future I may be flush with ready creative cash and afford to treat you!
Of course I could always do a smaller menu..and will do if few people want to come.
If I was going to eat out I would consider 10 pounds (my pound symbol isn't working!) extraordinarily cheap for a chocolate feast, more so because it will be raw cacao and laced with superfoods! Although like you I know the price of ingredients where as yet the majority don't. Do you think they would be shocked at how much we spend!!! Do you think they would still be interested or go back to eating 'normal' cooked chocolate mass produced?
Until we can scale up production of raw chocolate products (and if you truly love cacao you will want to make it in small amounts with personal interaction!) they will either be more pricey than we are used to paying for a treat, or the producers will be doing it for the love of it and not to make any money. It will never be a competetive market with cooked bars and cakes for that reason.
I have always wanted to pay you more for your chocolate because I know that you will not be making any proift at all, and if you tweaked the ingredient list even slightly would easily be making a loss.
One day I would love to attend a raw culinary course with much time spent on desserts! Or perhaps a raw chocolatier course...does that exsist? I always wanted to do a grand tour of chocolate houses across Europe!! Twas before I became raw and it was a dream I indulged in regularly! My ancestors in my mother's line were all master bakers and I think I have the genentic need to create desserts and sweet things; even though most of the time I don't need to eat them!
If anyone knows of any raw cacao courses going do let me know. Either that or you and I Karen will have to start one! You have the cheffing skills for my ideas!
LOL there certainly are some out there already Ruth ;) Link here (http://www.rawinuk.com/showthread.php?t=293)
Thanks for that Jax, even though the link isn't working!
Hm I've just tried it and it's working fine for me :noidea:
I would like to set a date for the next raw Chocolate party/feast so that people can factor it in to their Christmas celebrations. I need to know rough numbers so that I can start planning what and how much of it to make. My mind is buzzing with ideas for you!
I know that many of us have a very busy run up to Christmas... so what about the week after the big day? Maybe late afternoon/evening of Wednesday 30th? A few days to spend at home with family then off to a cacao extravaganza!
I like looking forward to celebrating in the 12 days of Christmas rather than in the first half of the month, and it would be something to look forward to after all the other work-parties/get-togethers/carol concerts/nativity plays etc are over. We will partake of a jolly cacao jolt to get us into the New year!
Let me know what you think. Ruth x
I think that's fine with me thanks Ruth ;)
Carrot Top
09-11-2009, 10:13 PM
Just read thru all this whole thread to get up to speed on the latest about your proposed raw chocolate feast over the Christmas period. I'd certainly be up for it and willing to pay £10 upfront towards ingredients, but can't say for certain yet that I will be free on 30th Dec as I haven't sorted my dates for Christmas family visits (none of them are local!). I know you need to get an idea of definite numbers, so this doesn't help you that much....
Because I have asked for a donation towards the cost of ingredients I wanted to let you know roughly what I am planning, so that you can be totally assured that it will be worth paying to come, and that you have been given a good return for your investment in potential cacao-bliss!
This is a menu for 30+ guests. It may change due to availability of fresh ingredients over Christmas week and my creative drive throughout December. Obviously if less people come I will not make everything here; but if we have more enthusiasts wanting to come I will have some extra treats ready-made in the freezer.
If there are any leftovers on the table or in the freezer they will be auctioned off!!
Proposed menu for feast (for it's hardly a tea-party this time!)
Chocolate tortillas with various fillings and sauces including lime/coconut sour cream and chocolate drizzle
Christmas crispbreads with cacaod-up cheese and pesto
Jewelled tabouli with mint-cacao dressing
Edible fruit bouquet with various fruity decorations
Dark cherry brownies
Stained-glass hearts
Mincemeat slice with golden drizzle
Caramel bars
Superfood squashy squares
Orange, cacao and clementine trifle (worth coming just for this!)
Chocolate bomb with lime mousse
Christmas cake with florentine topping
'The Countryside in Winter' layered cake ( if I get this right it will be amazing!)
Various biscuits, chocolates and petit fours
Various sauces and caramels to drizzle
Drinks to be decided.
Oh my word Ruth that sounds immense!!! :bouncy: <<< am very excited!! Oh and I'm looking forward to your uncookbook :p:p
I am wondering whether to change the date of this as a few people can't make Wednesday 29th but could the weekend. What do you think? Could we take it into January..perhaps Sunday Jan the 3rd at 5pm? Please get back to me if you can come on that date. I have made my first tempered chocolate truffles today and they are sublime..melt in the mouth...better texture than cooked gianduja even! Can't wait to share them with you!
karen @rawchocolateheaven
15-11-2009, 05:26 PM
Hi Ruth
Jan 3 is a pot luck, I think it's a brilliant idea to have a tea party in the evening....maybe instead of the pot luck? an opportunity to celabrate Raw in anothers lovely home....the gift you are doing is amazing and I intend to move everything on whatever day you decide!!!
We can have a simple pot luck and then come over to you for tea..I always manage to eat a normal tea after every pot luck so great for me....or it gives anyone who can't come to the tea party an continuted opportunity to eat & meet Raw fooders xxx
When do you need the money? As it seems to be in the school holidays & I have just asked the boys and they said they will come so there is 7 of us xxxx (if dad comes or 6 otherwise)
Thank you Karen! I hoped the Sunday would be a better day for it would be great if as many people can come as would like to. I forgot about the pot luck being on that date, but as you say, people could either have a day of it or come here instead in the evening for a different type of sweet feast! (well...hopefully!)
I actually have started to make things today (thank Heaven for freezers!) so any donations from people who know they can come would be very useful, thank you. I have just put in an order for all the chocolate making ingredients to start with! Exciting!
I don't know how I've done it but after dreaming the recipe for soft mango truffles covered in white choc with lime-coconut crumble topping (I kid you not..best and most vivid dream I've had. If you want one come to the party..) I have managed to make raw marzipan today, and I wasn't even trying, it was one of those culinary accidents. Also made the most gorgeous truffles I've ever tasted!! I can hardly believe my hands had anything to do with them! I can only say that I would pay a pound at least for one of these: the texture is amazing and they melt in your mouth in the matter of a moment. I just cannot wait to give these to people. I have also demo-ed the trifle and it is heaven in a bowl, so yes, drop everything and come and join me. This is what I eat every day!! (just kidding)
haverawcake
16-11-2009, 12:40 AM
Hi Ruth
I'd be really keen to come down for it and meet you all. It would be a great opportunity to meet you all in Southampton. I think it would need to be 29th/ 30th/1st or around then for us though - DH has to go back to work on 4th so we would really want to travel back home on 2nd but we'd be flexible with dates from around 29th to 1st December. We could travel down to Southampton on 28th (we have family commitments on 27th). It would be a good opportunity for us to come to the area for a few days as we have other people to visit too. By the way Ruth, how did you temper the chocolate while keeping it raw?
Annette
haverawcake
16-11-2009, 11:49 AM
I have impulsively booked somewhere for us to stay near Southampton from 29th Dec to Jan 2nd so we'd love to meet up with you sometime over those few days. I can cancel but we would love to come. Of course if the chocolate tea party is then, even better.
Hi Annette,
Funnily enough I have just come to the site to send you a message asking if you were free to come...I've had you on my mind all morning! It's exciting to hear that you are planning to meet our growing group of raw foodie enthusiasts. It will be lovely to meet you and share some experiences!
The chocolate feast is now going to be on Sunday 3rd January at 5pm and it sounds like you won't be able to make it, I am sorry. However there is no reason why we can't meet up whist you are here and share some wonderful chocolate (and other food) I do really look forward to meeting you.
I have only just started to temper chocolate, although have been making raw chocolate for a couple of years now. I have wanted to learn how to temper for a while now but didn't know you could do it with raw cacao. Karen shared some information from the renegade health show with me (demos are on youtube or from the renegade health show website) and she can possibly explain it better than I.
I temper mine on a glass sheet; Karen uses her marble table top. It's just a case of cooling the chocolate down by spreading it out on the cool surface and playing with it (!) until you can see and feel that it has changed to a more glassy, shiny and smooth finish, signifiying that the cacao has formed the distinctive crystalline structure that you want. My tempered chocolate tastes totally different from anything else I have made so far. It has real quality; and that professional smooth finish with the wonderful snap! I am brimful of ideas now!
There will be some here (lots as Karen makes it too) for you all to try when you come: and hopefully we can inspire one another with our recipes!
haverawcake
16-11-2009, 05:59 PM
Hi Ruth
That sounds great. It would be lovely to meet you - maybe we can get some other people together too - perhaps a raw food new year meet or something. My question about tempering raw chocolate is about keeping it at a low enough temperature throughout the process to still call it raw. I have tempered it using usual tempering instructions and find I need to heat it more than I would like to. I still haven't been through my drawers to find the red velvet hot pants - I'll put it on my list of things to do.
Annette
Hi Annette,
I suppose I just melt the cacao butter and liquor together super slowly, never hotter than tepid. I am sure this would still be entitled to be called raw.
A new year meet sounds good!
haverawcake
17-11-2009, 06:16 AM
Hi Ruth
Thanks for that. I looked into this in detail before and found that the cacao butter needed to melt to over 40 degrees (I think it was something like 42 degrees) to melt down all of the different types of crystals. I did experiment with it and it did make better chocolate but I did not put recipes on my website as I could not see how to do it without melting the cacao butter to such high temperatures. I guess it must be possible as people do it. I also wonder if melting cacao butter to just over 40 degrees is really detrimental to health since it is such a stable fat and is not going to become a trans-fat just from being gently heated in that way. But an interesting discussion point.
Regards coming to Southampton, we have changed our plans and have decided to come at Easter instead. Hopefully we can arrange some kind of raw food meet for then and we can also manage to visit all of the friends there we want to see. We might even take the kids to the Isle of Wight too - not been there for years.
Annette
Looking forward to Easter then. Thank you. I'm sure we can organise a wonderful Easter-time pot luck!
karen @rawchocolateheaven
18-11-2009, 11:47 PM
On the subject of tempering Cacao or reaching melting point so the cacao can be "worked", I have sucessfully done food demos whereby I have grated the cacao then used my hands only to get the cacao to do what I need, from making cake cases (favorite, as it proves you don't need any expensive equipment) to individual truffles or chocolates.
I regularly temp probe when making cacao and I must say I get the worst temperature fluctuations in the Vita Prep! the lowest temps are when I melt the cacao's in a double pan, (bain maire) and then hand work the cacao I get temps lower than 40 at all times, and that is tempering Raw!
The very worst time was when I tried to process (what I call) a double batch I checked the temp in the Vita mix and had hit the mid 60's clearly I had cooked the chocolate!!! I sold it explaining what had happened, many people didn't notice the difference....the difference is in the knowledge!
I also work in a completely unheated room (my kitchen) so the cacao cools rapidly on my stone surfaces! I'm often left with a aching arm when trying to beat the cacao smooth!!! LOL
haverawcake
19-11-2009, 08:11 PM
Thanks for that Karen and Ruth - can't wait to meet you all at Easter to discuss al this and more. I know it is far in advance but if you plan a date (as long as it is in the Easter holidays) I will book the campsite. I can't keep my secret much longer as I am rather excited about my new mobile kitchen come cult classic travel accessory which we should have in a few weeks (called an Eriba Troll if anyone is interested).
Annette
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