There is something sort of magical about a chocolate bar.  It is difficult to put your finger on what exactly it is.  They are like a self contained dessert that can be enjoyed at anytime of day.  There are numerous varieties so there is one for every persons taste.  They are sold in a myriad of different sizes to exactly match your appetite (I’m not sure what is so fun about a ‘fun sized bar’ as all I can see is small).  Proliferation of these bricks of confectionary can be attributed to convenience, they are everywhere you look when out at the shops including on supermarket shelves, at the point of sale and even in vending machines.

So what is it we like so much about these gems?  Well the sugar hit is always a plus.  Most importantly is the sense of indulgence.  There is no functional reason for a chocolate bar.  I am pretty sure they have no nutritional value except accounting for 200% of your recommended daily intake of fats and sugars.  When I bite into my favourite chocolate bar there is some nostalgia too.  I think of other times I have enjoyed the exact same treat.  Like Roald Dahl’s Wonka bar we all want for the bliss of finding a golden ticket each time we unwrap a bar.

These tarts were inspired by the Chocolate Ganache Tarts in the Bourke Street Bakery cookbook.  I love Cherry Ripe chocolate bars so I have included some of its essential ingredients of cherries, coconut and most importantly dark chocolate.  These do take a while to cook but they are very indulgent and will bring a smile to anybody’s face.

Food blogging is a strange beast.  First comes an obsession (if you weren’t obsessed with food it would be a hard game to play), then comes the idea.  Mine was to start a cooking blog where I could share all my crazy creations.  I would never have guessed anybody would be so interested or I would enjoy it this much.  Unfortunately over the last few weeks I have been a little lax in my posting, the other parts of my life needed attention.  As a result of my inattention Cafe Campana is in some need of some TLC or at least a little post from me.

A few weeks ago I was invited to the product launch for Table of Plenty’s range of dukkah.  As a fairly new blogger on the scene I had not been to an event such as this and had no idea what to expect.  I approached the city in the pouring rain and eventually found the restaurant Souk in the City.  Dukkah was the star of the evening with its creator Kate.  As we chatted through the evening about dukkah, Table of Plenty, Food blogging and food in general I realised how uniting food can be.

As I look back at great events through my life food is always prominent.  You eat with family, you take your special someone to dinner, you share good times with the guys over a beer and chips and of course there are feasts, balls, parties and weddings that always feature food.  It is deeply ingrained in society.  And in this case I was sharing dinner with a group of people I had never met but shared a enthusiasm for food.

Kate spoke with passion about her range of dukkah.  From its humble inception through to product development, sourcing ingredients to marketing.  Definitely a fascinating insight into a different aspect of food.  Indeed this cycle is very creative and comes from the heart.  Passion such as this is refreshing in the current climate of supermarket super profits, mass produced tasteless foodstuffs and an the obesity epidemic.

I was keen to capture this passion and excitement in a Cafe Campana original dish.  After much thought I decided to use the dukkah as a crumb for fish.  I paired this with some Moroccan inspired cous cous.  This is exceedingly easy to make and could be cooked mid-week as a great break from routine.  It will definitely turn some heads and bring smiles to friends and family.

Mark dinned at Souk in the City as a guest of Table of Plenty and Mark Communications.  Dukkah was provided by Table of Plenty

NB: Don’t ask about the tomato sauce around the couscous.  It was purely for visual effect, taste wasn’t the best .

I am not very good at using up all the ingredients in my fridge.  As a result there are always bits and pieces of all sorts of things just lying around.  Occasionally I get motivated enough to find a recipe to finish off the scraps.  Other times I leave things in there until they mutate into something that represents a monster from Loch Ness.

I had a few cobs of corn left over in my crisper so I decided to invent something.  After reading a recipe for sweet corn velouté I saw they made a stock out of corn.  This seemed like a cool concept so I decided to make some risotto that I eventually transformed into arancini balls.  I coated half the corn risotto in bread crumbs and the other crumbed with polenta (corn rice balls covered in corn felt like a good idea).  The polenta ones were much more crispy and golden.

Call me a girl but deep frying freaks me out a bit.  So much so that I have never attempted it at home.  Today I would overcome this kitchen fear.  It was way easier than I expected and best of all no burns.

Overall I was very pleased with my ricey treats.  I think they could be improved by having a small piece of prawn or bocconcini in the middle.  These could be prepared and reheated as party finger food.

This morning I woke up early, brewed myself a coffee and proceeded to catch up on episodes of MasterChef and Iron Chef from last week.  At some point in my viewing I had an urge to eat.  I was sitting where I sit now writing and thinking predictably about food.  Like a flash it comes to me.  “I have an idea,” said Mark.  It was decided I would cook banana bread.  And I wanted it now!  So my challenge began.  I would have some fresh banana bread in my paws in 90 minutes time.  The race was on.  Below is a summary of my progress.

I take a few quick photos and I dig in and I’m satisfied.  The result was very moist and very bananary (yes I did just make that word up).  Remember it’s okay to eat junk food if you cook it yourself.

With the World Cup over you would think it was time to return to normal sleeping patterns.  However, this is not the case.  Each year in the month of July the Tour de France cycling race is on.  This race involves 21 sleepless nights on my part watching 198 guys on bikes riding between 170 and 220 kilometres a day, at speeds up to 100 kilometres an hour all in pursuit of the converted Maillot Journe (or yellow jersey in English).  These cyclists are crazy and although they wear tightly fitting lycra and shave their legs they are the toughest sportsmen on the planet.  You will never look at a football player the same again.  Cycling is indeed a real tough guy sport.

You may ask why I speak of a cycling race on a cooking blog.  Firstly it is in France and French people love good food.  Secondly each night on SBS’s TdF coverage of the race they have a small 5 minute segment hosted by renowned chef Gabriel Gaté called Taste le Tour.  Each day he describes some of the foods of the region they are cycling through.  I call it late night food porn.  Even if you have no interest in the race it is well worth watching.

For this post I have cooked one of his dishes from last years tour Osso Buco.  I know you are saying isn’t that an Italian Dish? And indeed it is.  Last year the Tour rode a day predominantly on Italian soil, hence an Italian dish was featured.  This dish exceeded my expectations and I will be cooking it again.  The gremolata really lifts the flavour and makes it special so don’t think of omitting it.