By Editor1SYS | May 10, 2011 0 Comments

Thorntons is the leading British chocolate and confectionery company, first launched in 1911 by travelling confectioner Joseph William Thornton. Shortly after opening, the company was run by his twin sons Norman and Stanley. Today Thornton employs more than 4000 staff.

To mark it’s centenary this prestigious company is launching a range of commemorative products as part of their Chocolate Jubilee. 

Throughout the year chocoholics can marvel at the following blocks, bags and boxes: 

Chocolate Blocks in classic British flavours of Cloudy lemonade, Bakewell Tart and English Rose, retailing at £1.75.

Bags of Thornton favourites such as Rosy Apples and Chocolate Éclairs, retailing at 100 pence. 

Or how about the centenary Special Edition box RRP £35 which offers 100 of Thorntons heritage and modern recipe chocolates? 

For the elite there’s the centenary Wonder Box RRP £100. This huge presentation box displays two trays of chocolates, the first made with ingredients and flavourings exactly as they would have been one hundred years ago. The other tray offers up modern confectionery. In keeping with themed celebrations one hundred of these boxes will be on general sale throughout the year.

 

 

All the confectionery is handmade. But the delight doesn’t stop there. Thorntons’ Master chocolatier Keith Hardman together with *Global Brands has produced the beverage Thorntons Chocolate Liqueur. This drink is made with quality cocoa from West Africa, vodka and cream.

 

 

The result is a very easy on the palate, deliciously smooth and velvety experience which is perfect as part of a **cocktail, over ice or any way you choose to drink it. Before you rush out for one of these 70cl bottles, its 17% ABV content means you won’ see it in any of Thorntons’ six hundred 600 stores as the company don’t possess an alcohol licence. You can however buy a bottle at Asda and other retailers for around £13.

 

For a full range of celebration and regular products including delicious ice cream visitwww.thorntons.co.uk   

 

*Global Brands are a leading UK drinks manufacturer formed in 1997 that now export to more than 30 countries. See www.globalbrands.co.uk for more information 

 

**TV chef Gino D’Acampo has also produced mouthwatering cocktails based using the Thorntons Chocolate Liqueur as a base.

 

Thorntons Chocolate Liqueur trifle with crushed pistachio nuts

Serves 4

 

Ingredients: 4 tablespoons of drinking chocolate powder

200ml semi skimmed milk

10 tablespoons of Thorntons chocolate liqueur

60g pistachio nuts, shelled and roughly chopped

300ml double cream

250g tub of mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons of caster sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

20 Savoiardi (sponge fingers)

Cocoa powder for decoration

 

Preparation: Melt the chocolate in a medium size saucepan with the milk. Stir occasionally; pour into a bowl, add in 6 tablespoons of chocolate liqueur and leave to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Add in the mascarpone, sugar and vanilla extract and whisk for a further 10 seconds until all combined. Finally gently fold in the remaining chocolate liqueur and the pistachio nuts.

Make sure you have 4 dessert glasses, approx 8cm diameter and 6cm deep.

Dip 8 sponge fingers into the chocolate milk for 2 seconds on each side and place 2 fingers on the base of each dessert glasses. (Break the biscuits to make sure that the bottom of the glass is covered)

 

Divide half of the mascarpone cream between the glasses over the chocolate biscuits.

 

Dip the remaining biscuits in the chocolate and this time place 3 fingers over the cream in each glass.

 

Finish by smothering the remaining cream over the sponge fingers. Cover each glass with cling film and chill for 1 hour.

Before serving, remove the cling film and sprinkle the top with cocoa powder.

 

Paradiso di cioccolato – Hot chocolate liqueur fondants stuffed with chocolate truffles

Serves- 6

 

Ingredients: 195g good quality dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solid

90g caster sugar

100g salted butter, room temperature

2 eggs, separated

40g ground almonds

40g corn flour

3 tablespoons Thorntons chocolate liqueur

6 good quality chocolate truffles

Icing sugar for decoration

 

Preparation: First of all, finely grate approx 50g of the chocolate on a plate.

 

Rub 50g of the butter all over the inside of 6 tall dariole moulds, dust well with the grated chocolate, shake any excess and set aside on a baking tray.

 

Melt the remaining chocolate plus any left over from the previous job in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.

 

Once ready, beat in the ground almond, corn flour and egg yolks.

 

In a separate large clean dry bowl, whisk the egg white until soft peaks forms. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar.

 

Fold the meringue mixture and the Chocolate liqueur into the melted chocolate.

 

Gently spoon half of the mixture into the moulds, place a chocolate truffle on top then continue to fill the moulds leaving approx 1/2 cm from the top.

 

Bake the fondants in the middle of a preheated oven at 180 for 12-15 minutes until risen and slightly wobbly.

 

Turn the fondants out onto 6 serving plates and dust with icing sugar all over. Make sure that you serve them hot.

 

 

Some chocolatey facts courtesy of Wikipaedia

 

 

1.Chocolate is made from the fermentation of cocoa beans which are the seeds of pods growing on the cocoa tree. The cocoa tree is common to Africa, the Caribbean and Central/Southern America

 

 

2. Roughly two thirds of the world’s chocolate comes from West Africa.

 

 

3. Eating dark chocolate has been linked to reduction in cholesterol levels in adults