Riche - Authentique Chocolat Belge

Those of you who have been visiting me regularly may have realised by now that I'm not a coffee drinker, but do know my way around a good hot chocolate. Having drunk so many and made many more I have become very fussy as to what I will accept and how I like it made. So much so that my husband at times has almost begged me not to order one as we both know I will be disappointed. He wont even offer to make me one at home now, so specific is my 'formula' that only I can make it right.

Which was why a return visit to Riche in Mt Hawthorn was high on my list of priorities during a recent family visit to Western Australia. Knowing how much I liked a good hot chocolate my sister had taken us there on a previous visit a year ago. I was relieved to find Riche where I had left it and apparently doing a roaring trade.

There are nine basic chocolates to choose from. There is also tea, coffee and cold drinks, but I didn't give them a second glance.
Beginning at the top and working down:

Inca Recipe - Ebony Liquor 99.4% cocoa infused with honey

Sao Thome 85% - the chocolate drink of my choice read like this from the menu: A rare dark chocolate that combines a subtle fruitiness with a richly varied assortment of aromas and remarkably fine hint of vanilla bourbon. As you can see from the picture above it is served with a small whisk so that all the chocolate can be melted into the hot milk. It was wonderful.

Bolivia 72% - hints of roasted peanuts

Ecuador 71% - hints of white grape

Peru 64% - wild berry

Costa Rica 64% - almond

Santo Domingo 55% - fruity and spicy

Venezuela 43% - caramel and nutty

You could also have your choice of chocolate mixed with liqueurs such as Sambuca, Vodka, Cointreau and Napoleon Brandy. These, too, had wonderful and exotic names as well as a full description on the table menu and the menu board.

They also serve coffee in beautiful cups, and all chocolates purchased in the store are packaged in their own carry bags.

The store owners are from Belgium and import these truffles as well as make their own.
All the cabinets and the floor are beautiful timber and it is a wonderful place to take a break and fortify oneself for more shopping.

Riche serves morning and afternoon teas, with a small selection of beautiful cakes as well as lunch from a small but typically French lunch menu.

Riche Authentique Chocolat Belge

Shop 3/148

Scarborough Beach Rd (cnr Flinders St)

Mt Hawthorn

(08) 9201 0099

mmm... Chocolate

Compare and contrast... words that make many a student roll their eyes. Compare and contrast the writing styles of... Compare and contrast the foreign policies of... You get my drift. Well here we go again. Compare and contrast these chocolate cake recipes; chocolate fudge brownies, a recipe I cut from the Family Circle magazine years ago and the No Fuss Fudge Cake, a recent find on the Simple Savings website.

Can you tell from looking at them (probably not because I’m still learning to take good food photos) which is higher in cost and calories? You can’t and you can’t even taste the difference. The Chocolate Fudge Brownies are a traditional brownie recipe, making a solid but fudgey block that is easily cut into squares and eaten for afternoon tea or into larger pieces and served warm with chocolate sauce and cream for dessert.
The No Fuss Fudge Cake is the one you make when you haven’t had time to shop; the cupboard is empty and visitors are due. It contains no eggs, no milk, no butter and no chocolate. I now make it in a loaf tin which makes it easier to cut for school lunches, or in muffin cases.

Both are wonderful and delicious. The fudge cake recipe produces a high quality cake but is very easy on the pocket. I make it at least once a week and I’ve had no complaints from my boys.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies
250g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
150g unsalted butter (I always use salted because that’s what I have)
175g (3/4cup) caster sugar
3 eggs, whisked (or just dropped in as it is quicker)
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence*
150g walnuts, roughly chopped (I leave these out as none of us like nuts in sweet food)
75g (1/2 cup) plain flour, sifted (or not)

Pre heat oven to 160C and line a 20cm square cake tin
Place the chocolate and butter – m/wave is the easiest. Zap in short bursts and stir regularly. Cool slightly
Add sugar, eggs and vanilla to the chocolate and stir until well combined
Stir in flour and walnuts or other ingredients that you might be using
Pour into pan and bake 35 – 40mins until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Cool in pan

No Fuss Fudge Cake
1 1/2 cups plain flour

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla essence*

1 tablespoon white vinegar

6 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon bicarb soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 180 C and line a 20cm tin with paper
Put the flour, sugar, cocoa and bicarb and salt in a bowl
Combine vanilla, vinegar, oil and water, add to bowl
Mix with beaters until smooth. You can use a bowl and spoon if preferred
Pour into the tin and bake 35 to 40 minutes
Cool for 10 minutes then remove from the tin
Ice with your preferred icing.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie

No Fuss Fudge Cake

* You’ll notice in the pictures of ingredients, the bottle of Vodka, or what looks like a bottle of Vodka. It is my vanilla extract. It was once a bottle of Vodka, but I added two cut vanilla beans and shake it regularly. Any alcohol comes off during the cooking process and I use it in all recipes that require vanilla.