Conching is a process of intermittent heating and stirring the cocoa mass, allowing the unpleasant flavours to evaporate and coating the solid cocoa particles with cocoa butter. It is the main factor that determines the quality (and the price) of chocolate.

An alternative way of killing lobsters and/or shrimp is to immerse them in fresh water. Their respiratory system can't handle the lack of salinity and they die quietly in an hour or so. I don't know if this is any less cruel, but the process seems as if they just go to sleep, as there is no threshing about, they just go limp.

<<Lobsters should be killed with a knife driven along its spine and into its brain, doing anything else is frankly very cruel.>>

Yes, I knew that, but frankly, it seemed crueler than the alternatives.

Thanks, nukesafe - that sounds workable, though I may never try my luck with a live lobster again.

Thanks, traveller1959, for the info on conching - the things I don't know!

I used to go to China fairly often for work, and we were often served some startling dishes at official banquets.

Once a container of a prawn-like crustacean was brought to the table live, and dumped into a punchbowl of something with a high alcohol content. The poor beasts leapt in the air, and hiccuped a few times, before succumbing to enebriation.

Another time we were served a Chinese version of sushi. A large whole fish was brought to the table, and a waiter began to cut slices and pass them to the guests on individual plates. At a certain point, the fish flapped his tail, and only then I realized they were slicing up a live fish.

A much more benign banquet was offered to us once, when the officials accompanying us realized we wouldn't get back to Beijing in time for the dinner that had been planned. One of the officials called the main office, and was told to proceed to a provincial prefecture, which would be told to expect us (three Chinese government big shots and three "foreign guests"). I can only imagine the consternation in this rural prefecture. An hour later we arrived, were warmly welcomed, and served a delicious many-course banquet based entirely on eggs! I suppose they raided every henhouse in the prefect.

Here's another good way to cook a whole fish. The method is called <i>in cartaccio</i>. It's especially good with branzino (sea bass) orata (porgy) and similar moist salt-water fishes.

Remove the scales and the innards of the fish. Cut off the fins. You can remove the head, but, if not, at least remove the lungs(?) (those accordion-like things behind the gills) and the eyes. You can also remove the tail if you remove the head.

Rub olive oil, salt, and pepper in the cavity of the fish. Put in each cavity: a sprig of rosemary, some fresh sage leaves, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, a few juniper berries, and optionally a few red pepper flakes. (I prefer without the red pepper, because it overpowers the delicate flavour of the fish). Sprinkle salt and drizzle olive oil on the outside.

Lay the fish diagonally on a square of cooking parchment that's been lightly oiled with olive oil. Fold inward the points of the paper above the head and below the tail of the fish. Wrap the paper around the fish. Bake at medium heat until done, which depends on the size of the fish.

You could use aluminium foil if you can't find baking paper, but it should be very well greased to prevent the skin from sticking to it. Waxed paper might fall apart from the moisture of the fish.

By the way, we now see a lot of farmed branzino in the market. It's nowhere near as good as wild branzino.

I've only seen farmed branzino in the States.

Another chocolate dessert, even richer than the mousse: ganache. Very easy to prepare and most rewarding:

Ingredients
400 grams dark chocolate (high quality)
100 ml cream
80 ml dark rum (high quality)
20 g butter

Method
Put all ingredients in a dish and microwave until chocolate is melted (do not bring to cook).
Stir until matter is smooth.
Fill in small glass bowls, chocolate cups or paper cups.
Chill in a refrigerator.
Eat straight or use it as a filling or frosting for cakes.

In France, they also spread the ganache on a pie crust. If it is just a layer with a smooth surface they call it "tarte au chocolat". If it is a big lump of ganache on a pie crust with irregular spikes which naturally form if you manipulate it with a fork then it is called "hérisson" (hedgehog). Many patisseries sell it.

http://www.boulangerie-patisserie-lo...isserie/01.jpg

Here is a more refined recipe for hérissons with three layers:

the pie crust
an almond paste
and a most simple ganache

It is in French, but it translates easily:

https://lesgourmandisesdemarie.wordp...ttes-herisson/

Whole fish:

I have read quite a few reports here on this forum of Americans who traveled to Europe and were kind of shocked that they were served whole fish.

Well, we can add a bit to that feeling.

Did you know that we also eat the cheeks of the fish? - The bits are tiny but very delicious, especially trout cheeks.

Look here (the second picture):

http://www.zurquelle.de/speisekarte/...ranchieren.htm

So, when you invite guests for dinner next time, serve them a whole fish. And then show them how to eat the cheeks!

oh yes, fish cheeks, like the nuggets of meat that you find underneath the carcass of a chicken or other fowl. some of the best bits.

Beef cheeks, too. Yum. Love them cheeks!

I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but try to get hold of Elizabeth David's books, like French Provincial Cooking. Apart from the recipes and background information, they're a great read in themselves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_David#Books

absolutely, Patrick. My copy of French Provincial Cooking is falling to bits.

Another recipe with anchovis - maybe the ultimate anchovi dish:

Pissaladière - a kind of pizza which is very popular along the Côte d'Azur. Here is a very traditional recipe from the former restaurant Le Fournil in Mougins:

Cut 3 very large onions in strips and sear them in olive oil until soft but not brown. Add garlic, thyme and 6 anchovis and cook until anchovis dissolve. Add half a teaspoon sugar, half a teaspoon vinegar (preferably balsamico), half a teaspoon mustard, a tube anchovi paste, salt and pepper and let cook for a few more minutes.

Then spread the onion preparation on a yeast dough. Lay a geometrical pattern of black olives and more anchovis on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with olive oil.

Pissaladière is best when eaten lukewarm. Along the Côte d'Azur it is sold in every patisserie, in many charcuteries and from street stands as a snack. It is mandatory to have a glass of rosé with it.

The name comes from pissalat, the provencal word for anchovi paste.

Here are a few pictures how it looks (the recipe provided on the website is, however, not authentic, as pissaladiere must not contain tomatoes):
http://cookdiary.net/pissaladiere/

Seems that this thread has become a little lame after it had started lively. Well, I will continue to post and see what happens.

No more anchovi recipes, but since anchovis are often used for meat dishes (like meatballs Königsberg style or vitello tonnato) I may write that the combination of fish and meat is quite common in European cuisine. Here a few examples.

Angler-fish is very tasty but has very firm flesh which easily gets tough when overcooked. So, you can treat it like venison or tournedos: wrap it in bacon. I cut the fillets from the bone and cut them into medaillons. These I wrap in smoked bacon (I prefer Black Forest bacon, because it is has a distinctive taste of fir smoke) and tie them together with a yarn.

Then I sear them for just a few minutes medium-rare, the inner flesh should still be somewhat glassy. Very delicious.

BTW, tournedos are filet mignon wrapped in bacon. If you put a piece of foie gras (or liver paté) on top and sprinkle with truffles, you call them "Tournedos Rossini", named to honour the famous composer by Casimir Moisson, the chef of restaurant Maison dorée in Paris who invented this dish.

More fish and meat combinations will follow soon.

Very helpful thread, and especially thanks to traveller1959 and bvlenci. I will try that Pissaladière recipe soon as I'm treading pizza dough right now.

May I request an authentic duck recipe please? Any kind of it will do, thank you. I like canard confit very much.

"will try that Pissaladière recipe soon as I'm treading pizza dough right now".
Real pissaladière is not made with pizza dough but with bread dough that you order from the baker.

Then maybe an authentic recipe for the bread dough, please?
Is it much different from a pizza dough (minus the olive oil added, of course)?
It wouldn't be fun if I just buy the bread dough ^^

"Is it much different from a pizza dough (minus the olive oil added, of course)?"
No, the main difference is the olive oil. Maybe the yeast if you are buying a ready to make pizza pack.
Knead the bread dough with olive oil and leave it to rise for 1 to 2 hours. IMO 3 onions are not enough. I usually use 2 lbs so that the onion layer is thick and keeps the bread dough moist. Pissala is almost impossible to find now. The anchovy paste the now sell as "pissala" has little to do with the real thing.
My mother's family is from Nice .. :-))

Thank you Pvoyageuse, I'll try that. I made my pizza dough with yeast and not from a ready-to-made pack. Talking about authentic pizza dough ;)

Can I use canned anchovies?

"Can I use canned anchovies?"
Yes, If you can't find anchoviez in brine (I make my own). Be careful with the salt though, canned anchovies are usually very salted.