JCI UK

Love Your Leftovers: 4 Ways to Get Creative with Chocolate

Posted By admin |07 Jul 2019

As part of JCI UK's Love Your Leftovers campaign, we're on the lookout for creative recipe ideas.

Mark Simpson, chocolate maker and founder of Oh My Ganache, regularly experiments with surprising yet delicious ingredients. His cocoa creations include bee pollen, sweet potato and Henderson's Relish.

We asked Mark if he had any tips for incorporating chocolate into other dishes; you can read his fantastic suggestions below.

"Food wastage is a big concern and there is so much of it in the world.

With a little thought you can find many uses for your leftovers, from creating dishes that stretch your range and palette, to prepping meals that give you more time for the things that are important to you.

Working in the chocolate industry, I (unsurprisingly!) never seem to have many leftovers, but here are a few ideas for your spare chocolate."

-Mark Simpson, chocolate maker and founder of Oh My Ganache

1) Sprinkles

If you finely chop chocolate, the sprinkles can be added to all sorts of things. I personally love adding them to my oats and porridge; this tastes great hot or cold.

I also add them to yoghurt for a nice light dessert, which can be enjoyed on its own or combined with fruit of your choice. Seasonal fruit always works well and if you don't mind a bit of foraging this can be very economical.

Thirdly, chocolate sprinkles make a great addition to protein or highly indulgent shakes. You can add them with the other ingredients or stir them in once blended.

In all instances they add depth and a great texture to your dish.

Stack of dark, milk and white chocolate pieces

2) Cheesecake

I don’t claim to be a baker, but sometimes if I get an idea I just have to have a go to see how it turns out.

You can add chocolate to your cheesecake base or top (or both, if you're feeling indulgent). I experimented with melted white chocolate and Quark for a topping; for this you would need quite a bit of chocolate. Once melted, add the Quark, cream or soft cheese and combine. For the base, the pieces need to be finely chopped.

Desiccated coconut stirred into melted white chocolate with a knife

3) Truffles & Drizzles

The next 2 suggestions come from ganache; thicker for the truffles and thinner for the drizzles.

You can use the traditional method with cream or play around with other liquids. Just heat the liquid and pour over the chocolate, whisking as you go.

5) Game

My last tip is a bit out there, but works really well. Dark chocolate is a great addition to game and also adds an extra dimension to sauces, chilli con carne and many other meat dishes. Combine with ingredients like peppercorns, cranberries or juniper for game, or your favourite spices for other dishes.