Orang u tang

Orang u tang umami

Orange and chocolate themed kitchen

As a cross between red and yellow, nothing quite says "fun loving" like orange. Some people say that subconsciously, the colour orange makes us feel more sociable, and also stimulates our appetite. Orange Chicken, anyone? How about tangerines, kumquats, canteloupe melon, carrots, apricots,or sweet potato ?-but wait for it chocolate and orange-YES

I love the combination of dark chocolate with the tang of orange. My name for it is orang u tang.Recent research has shown how our senses perceive food in a different way depending on the characteristics of the container from which we eat and drink.Hot chocolate apparently tastes better in an orange coloured cup than in a white or red one.Results revealed that the flavour of hot chocolate served in orange or cream coloured cups was better for the tasting volunteers.I decided to put it to the test.I baked a simple chocolate orange cake,tasted it on its own, then tasted it served on a plate of juicy slice oranges - RESULT. Take two tasted mouth watering more delicious.

A simple chocolate orange cake

serves 6
Having just made two batches of marmalade, I needed to find a use for what was left on the larder shelf from last year.This experiment was just the ticket.A Nigella cake that is fool-proof, so easy to make,cheap on ingredients (all important in this day and age) and even better,it can be served either as a pudding or just devoured in front of the television.

125g unsalted butter

100g dark chocolate,broken into pieces

300g good thin-cut marmalade

150g caster sugar

pinch of salt

2 large eggs, beaten

150g self-raising flour

20cm spring form tin buttered and floured

Pre-heat the oven to 180C /gas mark 4.
Put the butter in a heavy-based saucepan and put over alow heat to melt.When it´s nearly melted,stir in the chocolate.Leave for a moment to begin softening,then take the pan off the heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the butter and chocolate are smooth and melted.Next add the marmalade,sugar,salt and eggs.Stir again with your wooden spoon and when all is pretty well amalgamated,beat in the flour bit by bit.Put into your prepared tin  and bake for about 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean but moist.Cool in a the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out.

In addition, this research could encourage chefs, caterers and even the packaging industry to think more about the colour of crockery and packaging. As the researcher explains, "it is a case of experimenting to understand how the container itself affects the perceptions that the consumers have on the product."

In other cases, it has been demonstrated that strawberries appear to be sweeter and have a more intense flavour when served on a white plate compared to a black plate.