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December 2010

Advent Calendar December 17th

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A Calorie Free* Squidgy Chocolate Log

This is a cake that has no flour in it – so it’s extremely light and moist and perfect for anyone with gluten allergies. It’s also a bit wicked, with its chocolate mousse and whipped cream filling! During the rolling up, the cake will crack, but this is quite normal and looks most attractive.

Many thanks to Delia Smith for this one, I’ve cooked it year after year and it never fails.

Serves 8 (but you won’t want to share)

Ingredients
6 large eggs, separated
5 oz (150 g) caster sugar
2 oz (50 g) cocoa powder

For the filling:
8 oz (225 g) dark chocolate (70-75% cocoa solids), broken into small pieces
2 large eggs, separated
8 fl oz (225 ml) double cream

To finish:
icing sugar

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).
Equipment

You will also need a tin 30 x 20 x 2.5cm / 12 x 8 x 1 inch, oiled and the base lined with baking parchment

MethodBegin by making the chocolate filling. Break the chocolate in pieces into a basin and add 100ml/4fl oz warm water. Now place the basin over a saucepan of barely simmering water and wait for the chocolate to melt. After that, remove from the heat and beat it with a wooden spoon until smooth. Next beat the egg yolks, first on their own, then into the warm chocolate mixture. Let it cool a bit then whisk the egg whites till stiff and fold them into the chocolate mixture. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Meanwhile you can get on with the cake. First place the egg yolks in a basin and whisk until they start to thicken, then add the caster sugar and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens slightly – but be careful not to get it too thick. Now sift the cocoa powder into the egg yolk mixture and whisk them together, then, using a clean whisk and bowl, whisk the egg whites to the soft peak stage. Next carefully cut and fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture – gently and thoroughly – then pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake the cake on the centre shelf for 20-25 minutes until springy and puffy. When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven but leave it in the cake tin to cool (it will shrink quite a bit as it cools but don’t worry, that’s normal).

Then when the cake is quite cold, turn it out on to an oblong of baking parchment which has been liberally dusted with icing sugar. Peel away the cake tin lining paper from the bottom of the cake (which is now facing upwards), then spread the chocolate mousse filling over the cake. Next whip the cream softly and spread it over the chocolate filling. Now with the shortest end nearest you, roll the cake away from you, using the parchment to help you to make a log shape. This will serve eight people and, although it’s unlikely that there will be any left, you can cover any remaining cake with an upturned basin and keep it in the refrigerator. As an alternative, an 11 oz tin of sweetened chestnut purée (crème de marrons) can replace the chocolate mousse.

*Calorie free?  Well if you can’t believe in miracles at Christmas there’s no hope for you!

A busy week from pianists to Diversity at Plymouth Pavilions with EVT in between!

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And then there are weeks when I’ve done so much I don’t know where to start. Saturday was particularly crowed, the day started with my youngest son taking part in the St Austell Music and Speech festival, he was competing in the Grades 1  piano section and once again overcame his nerves to do us proud. This annual event always seems to have low attendance figures and yet the standard of performances throughout the week is always excellent. It’s a great opportunity to hear stunning music at close quarters for a £1 entry fee. So my thanks as ever go to the organisers of this event and to his piano teacher Rachael Mitchell.

Having dashed out we then sprinted over to rugby practice at Lankelly Fowey, again another bunch of incredible volunteers who run the most friendly, welcoming supportive club around. Unfortunately due to bad weather the following day’s match against St Austell had to be called off, funny matches are often cancelled but never training! As soon as that was finished my youngest son was whisked away to a birthday party at Retallack Lodges to go on the Flow rider. It’s hard to explain the flow rider unless you see it but try to imagine an upside down wave on a trampoline. So whilst he went off to defy the laws of physics, Steve and I scooped up our disgruntled eldest son and dashed over to Meva to set things up for EV Thompson who was coming to the shop to sign copies of his latest book “Beyond the Storm.”
As usual, he arrived on time and was promptly inundated by friendly fans and we had a great afternoon. He’s a lovely man and I enjoy meeting him every time. I’d also like to say thank you to all the people that chose to buy his book from us, we appreciate the support that you give us and it’s always nice to meet new customers.
Of course that wasn’t then end of the day as Mevagissey switched on their Christmas lights and it was a wonderful event with a lantern parade and stunning light puppets all marching to the beat of a Celtic samba band. So yet more thanks to the committee who despite really challenging conditions this year but on a memorable event. And whilst we’re thanking people, thank you for everyone who is still shopping in Mevagissey, almost all of us are open for business and it can be lonely if people think the village is still closed for business.

Sunday was a true day of rest. Tuesday however saw us carefully bombing up to Bristol to wave goodbye to my sister as she prepared to sail across the Atlantic. Thank you to both of the boys’ schools for knowing that there are more important things in life than attendance figures and thank you to the meteorological gods for giving us such an amazing display of hoar frost as we travelled up country. The highlight must have been hitting -10 at Okehampton.
Wednesday found us jumping up and down to three rappers at Plymouth Pavilions who were warming the crowd up for Diversity, the dance act that won Britain’s Got Talent last year. It was amazing, I went with friends and 7 boys ranging from 8 – 11 who loved it even more than we did. So there we are, a properly busy week and thanks to everyone who made it a great one.

https://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/news/Author-signs-shoppers-bookshop/article-3002403-detail/article.html

Advent Calendar December 15th

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A Freebie!

Do you know Project Gutenburg https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page It’s an incredible project that was stared in 1992 that basical aims to make all copyright free texts available to all.  They’ve now taken the logical step forward and are making all their free online books available for free downloads.

Want the complete works of Jane Austen for your laptop or kindle? Go ahead! Dickens, the Koran, Noddy, knock youself out.

Merry Christmas

Advent Calendar December 14th

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A Funny!

The new Built-in Orderly Organised Knowledge device (‘BOOK’ )
The BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It’s so easy to use even a child can operate it. Just lift its protective cover! Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere – even sitting in an armchair by the fire – yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disk.

Here’s how it works… Each BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. These pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs in half.

Experts are divided on the prospects for further increases in information density; for now BOOKs with more information simply use more pages. this make them thicker and harder to carry, and has drawn some criticism from the mobile computing crowd. Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet.

The BOOK never crashes and never needs rebooting, though like other display devices it can become unusable if dropped overboard. The ‘browse’ feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward as you wish. Many come with an ‘ index’ feature, which pinpoints the exact location of any selected information for instant retrieval. An optional ‘BOOKmark’ accessory allows you to open the BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session – even if the BOOK has been closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus a single BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous bookmarkers can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number of sheets in the BOOK.

You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an optional programming tool, the Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus (PENCILS). Portable, durable, and affordable, the BOOK is being hailed as the educational and entertainment wave of the future. The BOOK’s appeal seems so certain that thousands of content creators have committed to the platform. Look for a flood of new titles soon.

Advent Calendar December 12th

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A Tip.

Amazon is a great site for reviews of a title.  If you are not certain if you will enjoy a book or if it covers the things you are interested in then check the public reviews.  Often reviewers are free with their opinions and suggestions for alternative or better choices.  Like all things it’s subjective but it’s a great start.

Then go and buy the book from an independant 😉

Advent Calendar December 11th

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And behind today’s door?

Free UK postage! So don’t worry if you hit the streets today and come home empty handed.  We’ve got lots of interesting items in the shop; revolutionary Russian pamphlets, learn to knit, latest whodunnits and so on, a happy cornucopia of goodies. Save your petrol, save the car park fee, put the kettle on and have a good old browse.  We’ll even light the fire for you.

https://www.hurleybooks.co.uk/

Advent Calendar December 10th

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 Now we know that things can fall behind at Christmas so for all of you who haven’t got around to doing your Christmas cards yet here’s a stunning collection of cards and we’ve taken one shinny pound off.  In our shop they are £6.99 but you can have them for £5.99.  These packs of 10 really are glorious cards and even if you’ve been super efficient I’d buy these now for next year…and be even more super efficient.

https://www.hurleybooks.co.uk/

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