The Crew Report

24
galley gourmet
chocoholics anonymous!
Jono Starmer, provisioning adviser to consultants MatrixLloyd, and one of the best known chefs in
the yachting industry, presents the sixth in his series, designed to get the mouth watering.
Hello everyone, my name’s Jono and I’m a Chocoholic.
It’s okay though, I’ve come to terms with my problem
and understand that there are many others like me.
If you’re one of these people, maybe I can give you more
information regarding your condition. In no way will it help you
kick your habit, though, as the power of chocolate is too strong!
Scientists have found that humans were already hooked on the
stuff over 2,500 years ago.
The Aztecs and Mayans were the first to harvest cacao beans,
which we use to make chocolate. They used them to make a
foamy drink called xocoatl, from which the word chocolate was
derived. It comes from two ancient Mexican Indian words, xoco
(pronounced choco) meaning foam and atl meaning water.
The drinking of xocoatl was thought to give power and wisdom
to those who drank it. Because of this, it was only given to tribal
chieftains. They used to drink it from solid gold goblets and even
used the beans as currency. To them, money really did grow on
trees. The botanical name for the cacao bean is Theobrama Cacao,
which literally means food of the gods!
For many years after its introduction to Europe in the 16th
Century, drinking chocolate was still a very bitter and grainy drink,
probably not so different from the Aztec original. Later, two clever
Swiss chemists named Rodolphe Lindt and Henri Nestlé
developed a grinding method called conching. This smooth result
enhanced both the texture and flavour of chocolate, making it
ever more popular. These men’s names are, of course, now
synonymous with chocolate to this very day.
In 1657 the first Chocolate House (like a Coffee House, rather
than a house made of chocolate) was opened in London. The
making of chocolate by conching was a very costly procedure, so
the drink was only for Society’s élite. So, again, for many years it
remained a mysterious product for the common man. This is not,
of course, the case nowadays my fellow Chocoholics! By 2000, the
annual world consumption was an average of 600,000 tons of the
glorious stuff and still rising! Let’s take comfort knowing that
we’re not alone and it’s okay to indulge in one of life’s finest
and well-established luxuries.
It’s been scientifically proven that the consumption of chocolate
is not bad for us at all. Researchers have found that people who
eat chocolate three times a month can add one year to their lives!
This is due to the high amount of anti-oxidants it contains. There
are more anti-oxidants in high quality Swiss chocolate than a
portion of broccoli! Imagine if you eat it three times a day!
Scientists have also found that the consumption of chocolate
THE CREW REPORT
stimulates a mild ‘marijuana-like’ effect (whatever that’s like). It is
however, a harmless euphoria that helps to reduce stress! Perfect
for a hard-working yachtie.
Here’s a recipe for a drink to give to your guests after a hard day
playing on the toys. It’s a spicy, hot chocolate drink, which I think
the Aztecs and Mayans would have approved of. I normally drink it
after going to a CA meeting to cheer me up! Enjoy!
Please don’t feel guilty drinking this. Enjoy the feeling – it may
even bring you health and wisdom while doing so.
Images courtesy of Bigstockimages.com
chocolate power
Serves 4
1/2 litre full-fat milk
2 bars (16 oz or 226 g) good-quality
chocolate (minimum 60% cocoa solids)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla pod
1 fresh bird’s-eye chilli (split and seeds removed)
1 whole nutmeg.
> Place the cinnamon sticks, vanilla pod and chilli
in a thick-bottomed pan;
> Add the milk and slowly bring to the boil;
> Simmer for five minutes;
> Leave to stand for half an hour to let the flavours
of the spices infuse with the milk;
> Remove the spices (don’t throw them away, they
can be rinsed and dried for further use);
> Put a small cup of the milk aside for a frothy topping
as you would for a cappuccino;
> Bring the flavoured milk back to a simmer and add
the chocolate in pieces;
> Stir with a wooden spoon until it has dissolved completely;
> Pour into four good-sized mugs;
> Add a frothy topping made with the set aside milk;
> Add some freshly grated nutmeg;
> For pure indulgence you can add a shot of whiskey, rum,
brandy or Amaretto.
keep it clean!
CARING FOR WOOD FLOORS
“I have just started working as a stew on a 30-m yacht
with a stunning wooden floor with inlaid marquetry in
the saloon. Can you give me any tips on how best to
care for this type of flooring?” John Tomlinson from
AAA Rotostatic Riviera Dealership offers some help
with this much-encountered problem.
The cleaning and maintenance tips provided on this page apply
to wood floors sealed and finished with a clear protective coating
such as polyurethane or factory pre-finished UV coatings.
General cleaning of wood floors is recommended once every 1 to 2
weeks. However, floors subject to heavy traffic, such as your yacht’s
saloon, should be cleaned on a more frequent basis. For easy, safe
maintenance of your wood floor, we recommend a Hardwood Floor
Cleaning Kit, which contains a specially designed mop, a gallon of
hardwood floor cleaner, and a washable terry cloth mop cover.
Follow These Instructions...
1) Vacuum or Sweep
Always vacuum or sweep to remove dirt and any grit prior to
cleaning your wood floors.
2) Spray
Lightly mist a 6’ x 6’ area of your wood floor, or directly mist the
terry cloth mop cover.
3) Wipe
Using a back and forth motion, clean the floor surface with your
mop or clean terry cloth. Finish one area before moving on to the
next. The mop’s low profile and easy-to-manoeuvre swivel head makes
it the perfect cleaning tool for the hard-to-reach areas such as under
furniture and cabinets, around doors, or in tight corners. When the
terry cloth cover becomes soiled, replace it with a clean one.
Continued use of excessively soiled covers may cause streaking. Most
of the terry cloths in today’s market are reusable; simply wash and dry
them as you would any towel. When a spill occurs, soak up the bulk of
the liquid promptly. Mist the affected area with the hardwood floor
cleaner, and clean with your mop or a clean, soft cloth.
Keep your floor clean! What ruins the surface of wood floors
and any other flooring material is the grit that people track in
under their feet. No grit, no damage!
• Blot up spills immediately;
• Use an untreated mop to dust mop floors;
• Whenever possible, use doormats and walk-off mats.
This will keep dirt and grit off the floor.
Do Not Use the Following on Your Wood Floors:
• Powder Cleansers or soft cream cleansers (i.e. Soft Scrub);
• Mould Removers (Tilex, X14 etc.) or disinfectants (Lysol);
• Furniture Polish (Pledge, Endust);
ROTO STATIC is currently the largest Canadian upholstery and carpet
cleaning company, represented on the French Riviera by AAA Roto Static
French Riviera, which caters to yachts (moored or at anchor) in carpet,
upholstery and tapestry cleaning. www.rotostatic.com
Image supplied by David East Yachting
B ETWEEN L AND
AND S EA
We present to you Vilanova Grand Marina, the first
marina on the Mediterranean to be conceived and
designed exclusively to dock super and megayachts.
Here at Vilanova Grand Marina you can choose from
76 moorings available for craft between 20 and 60
metres in length, and rely on a 30,000 square-metre
technical area equipped with the latest technology and
a Travelift hoist to lift more than 800 tonnes. We also
offer you a service so exclusive that, in addition to our
Hospitality Desk at your entire disposal and open
24 hours a day, we provide you with your own personal
contact person to handle all your arrangements.
Discover Vilanova Grand Marina. And welcome aboard.
Mooring sales information: T. +34 93 810 56 11
info@vilanovagrandmarina.com