The Edinburgh Reporter October 2021

17
Juliet’s food diary
PÃO DE DEUS
If you fancy some more wholesome Halloween treats
you could try this recipe for Pão de Deus - bread of
God. Legend has it that in Portugal this was given to
warm hearted people who knocked on your door on
Halloween, offering to pray for your dead loved ones.
So if any trick or treaters come a beggin’, simply
throw them one of these and demand a Lord’s Prayer
from them. If they’re guising, do give them the usual
Haribos and Cadbury’s Heroes.
Juliet and The Oyster
Man
Goodbye to
the summer
Mixing it with a magic pairing of chocolate and whisky
A HIGHLIGHT of the last days of
summer was a visit to the Scotch Malt
Whisky Society’s (SMWS) annual garden
party in the magical setting of Queen
Street Gardens. You don’t have to be a
member to attend this and for the amount
of exceedingly special malts they had on
offer, at £55 a ticket you’d certainly get
your tipples worth.
The SMWS put on a splendid barbeque
and there were also some fabulous
charcuterie platters from Bacco on
Dundas Street and smoked fish boxes
from Belhaven Smokehouse. I also
befriended The Oyster Man, who is
available for all your private party needs. I
opted for a freshly shucked oyster with a
spray of Talisker. Sensational!
@theoystermanevents.
In anticipation of their imminent
opening at the new St James Quarter, the
Alchemist Bar sent me a couple of their
fabulous cocktails to try, along with their
hugely inspiring cocktail book. Their
Smokey Old Fashioned was a hit for me.
Mixology is definitely going to involve
some theatre and drama here, so I advise
you to book early. @thealchemistuk
October also hosts UK Chocolate Week
(14-19) and I was thrilled to try some
samples of Pacari Chocolate. UK
Managing Director, Juan Andres
Santelices, has spent 25 years working in
ethical and sustainable trade. Pacari
Chocolate, he tells me, is”‘tree to bar”
meaning the cacao is grown and processed
in the region it comes from, meaning 50%
of the value stays where it’s made, whereas
with Fair Trade chocolate the growers only
retain 6-8%.
Not only does this ensure excellent
quality control but it brings jobs and
prosperity to each region. “If a daughter of
a farmer wants to go into production
engineering,” Juan explained, “there’s no
need for her to emigrate abroad, she can
do that in Ecuador.”
Throughout lockdown Juan has been
hosting virtual tastings but is keen,
restrictions allowing, to do more inperson
events and based in Edinburgh. He
is available for birthdays, hen dos or just
about any party.
Having worked with the SMWS and
others to do chocolate and drinks
pairings, he certainly brings knowledge
and flair to a product that’s clearly his
absolute dedication.
Juliet Lawrence Wilson
To book tastings and purchase some of
these delectable goods visit
Pacarichocolates.uk
• 100ml warm milk
• 100ml room
temperature water
• 1 sachet dried yeast
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon rum
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
extract
• Zest of one lemon
• 275g plain flour
• 20g white sugar
• 20g golden sugar
• 20g butter
• Pinch of salt
For the coconut crust:
• 75g grated coconut
• 50g sugar
• 1 beaten egg
• Icing sugar to dust
In a large bowl add the milk, water, 1 tablespoon of
the white sugar and yeast. Mix well and allow to
stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, rum, vanilla,
remaining sugar, lemon zest and half the flour. Beat
well with a whisk or eclectic mixer for a few minutes
until the mixture is thick and creamy with plenty of
encouraging bubbles on the surface.
Add the rest of the flour and salt and incorporate
with a wooden spoon. Tip the dough onto a lightly
floured surface and knead in the butter. This will feel
more like pushing a paste around at first. Continue
kneading for 10 minutes until the dough is still very
sticky but elastic. If it doesn’t reach this texture,
gradually knead in more flour until it does. You’ll
need to scrape the dough off the surface you’re
kneading on. Grease a large bowl and allow the
dough to rest in it, covered with a cloth for 1 hour in
a warm place.
In the meantime, take half your beaten egg and
sugar and mix well with the coconut to form the
topping. With well-oiled hands form the dough into
10 balls and place on a greased baking tray. Brush
with the rest of the beaten egg and cover loosely and
allow to rest again for 45 minutes. Pre heat the oven
to 180C - 350F. Top each ball with the coconut
mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden
brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack, dust with icing
sugar and store in an airtight container for up to
three days. A kind of Portuguese scone. Mini versions
of these are lovely for a party canapé, simply cut
down baking time to 10-12 mins.