[Sca-cooks] Chocolate (was Corn Bread)

[Gwynydd Of Culloden]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Selene

> I admit freely to taking the tablets themselves and noshing on
> them when no other
> chocolate is available.  First the crunch of sugar grains and the
> fire of cinnamon,
> then the smoothness of dark chocolate.  Mmmm, excuse me...


Any chance that anyone here makes these themself and haves a redaction they
might like to post?  They sound wonderful (I loooove dark chocolate to begin
with)!  The confectioner in me would really like to make them to sell the
next time I have a stall at an event (having taken on board the fact that
they are, in fact, out of period ... but they have better credentials than
my Turkish Delight and I sell that anyway *smile*.)

Now, if no-one has an actual redaction, I would still like to have a go at
making them - oh dear, Gwynydd is thinking of redacting her own recipe ...
noooo! - so, I wonder if anyone can answer a couple of questions:

1) What is 'Achiote'?
2) If I used pre-powdered cocoa (given that I am not sure that I can even
get cocoa beans), how would I get the paste - the addition of cocoa butter
(if one can even buy this commercially in Tasmania) or something like it,
perhaps?
3) Is granulated white sugar appropriate for the sweetened version?  Or
should I be looking at something else?
4) Can someone explain this sentence please?  It has me rather confused.
'You must Searse all the Ingredients, but onely the Cacao; and if you take
the shell from the Cacao, it is the better; and when you shall find
it to be well beaten, & incorporated (which you shall know by the
shortness of it)'

Gwynydd