Latest news with #FixDessert
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Celebrity chef Matt Preston reveals how to get the viral Dubai chocolate much cheaper as retailers sell a small bar for up to $29
Celebrity chef Matt Preston has recreated a TikTok viral dessert for a fraction of the price. The cooking connoisseur, 63, who rose to fame as a judge on MasterChef Australia, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share his version of Dubai chocolate, a sweet treat that is trending on social media. The indulgent dish, which is, in simple terms, a chocolate bar wrapped around a crispy pistachio filling, was dreamed up by Dubai local and Fix Dessert Chocolatier's Sarah Hamouda and costs $29 - and that's without the expensive delivery fee. However, Matt has made the delicacy a little easier to nab and a lot cheaper to eat thanks to making his own recipe inspired by the viral chocolate. 'We made a heavy brick of Dubai chocolate for same price as two scrawny bars!' he captioned the clip, which has amassed 33.6K views. 'Think chunky chocolate, loads more crispy filling. It's like Dubai Chocolate got jacked and swole,' he humorously added. The indulgent dish, which is, in simple terms, a chocolate bar wrapped around a crispy pistachio filling, was dreamed up by Dubai local and Fix Dessert Chocolatier's Sarah Hamouda and costs $29 - and that's without the expensive delivery fee Matt explained that he did pay $25 for a jar of pistachio paste but said it would be even less pricey to make his own version. 'In retrospect, it would have been cheaper to grind my own paste, which would have been a bit of palaver, but also would have pretty much halved the cost' he told Delicious. He also ordered some silicone chocolate moulds to set his bars which he said 'only cost a few bucks'. Once he had all his ingredients, the bar he ended with cost $40 to make - but it also weighed a whopping 500 grams - which is half a kilo, about twice the size of many on the market, including the viral Fix Dessert Chocolatier bar which weighs 200 grams. If that was still too expensive, Matt suggested using a cheaper nut paste - such as walnuts or hazelnuts, ending up with a bar that costs $20 per 500 grams. Few foods in recent memory have caused such a global stir as the renowned Dubai chocolate bar. The delectable treat, which found fame on social media last year, contains a mix of pistachio and crispy kataifi pastry known as 'angel hair'. Also known as 'Can't Get Knafeh Of It', it was created by Sarah Hamouda as a new way to satiate her pregnancy cravings. Like Willy Wonka's golden ticket, chocolate fans around the world are clamouring for a taste of the confection, which is in desperately short supply. In the UK, Lidl and Waitrose are among the supermarkets flogging their own versions of the original creation – prompting long queues and empty shelves. However, it appears this exclusivity is leading to a chocolate black market, as manufacturers are producing cheap and dangerous knock-offs. According to an investigation in Germany, Dubai chocolate bars imported from the Middle East are filled with nasty additives and contaminants. This includes palm oil, green food dyes, toxins produced by moulds and even chemical compounds thought to be carcinogenic. The investigation was conducted by Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Office (CVUA) Stuttgart, an office in Baden-Württemberg focusing on food safety. Following Can't Get Knafeh Of It's viral attention last year, the experts tested eight imported samples of copycat Dubai chocolate – five from the UAE and three from Turkey. As well as ground pistachio and kataifi, the Dubai chocolate bar's filling contains tahini, a smooth paste made from ground sesame seeds. But the investigation found traces of palm oil - a cheap and accessible oil high in saturated fat, which has long been linked with health issues like heart disease.
Courier-Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Courier-Mail
‘Absolutely perfect': Viral choccy lands in Aus
Don't miss out on the headlines from Eat. Followed categories will be added to My News. A household name chocolate brand has finally released its own version of a viral sweet treat in Australia – and foodie influencers have weighed in. Lindt released its Dubai Style Chocolate this week, a tribute to the beloved recipe created by Fix Dessert Chocolatier Sarah Hamouda. Ms Hamouda initially created the indulgent treat, which features a large milk chocolate shell with pistachio cream and shredded Kadayif pastry inside, in 2021. But it wasn't until a social media post two years later that it went viral. X Lindt's version, which is sold only in its stores, features 45 per cent pistachio filling, Kadayif pastry, nut brittle and milk chocolate. It retails for $20. It's nowhere near as chunky as the version popularised by Ms Hamouda's recipe. Popular food content creator Nectorious Papi was one of the first to try it, saying for him it was perfect because of how thin it is. Lindt has released its Dubai Style Chocolate, a tribute to the beloved recipe created by Fix Dessert Chocolatier Sarah Hamouda. Picture: TikTok/@nectoriouspapi TikTok creator @forevavictoria said she went to the shop first thing as she anticipated a long line up for the sweet treat. Picture: Birkenhead Point/TikTok 'It's not as thick as the other ones you've been seeing online,' he told his followers. 'It's the perfect balance between the milk chocolate and the pistachio, because I feel like the other ones can be a little bit sickening. This one is absolutely perfect.' TikTok creator @forevavictoria said she went to her local Lindt store first thing as she anticipated a long line up for the sweet treat. After digging in, she said it didn't really taste how she thought it would. 'The fact that I was craving this for so long and I feel like it doesn't taste how I imagined it to taste,' she told her followers. 'It's a bit disappointing. It's not bad but I wouldn't buy it again for $20.' X Last month, a report revealed pistachio kernel prices surged from $12 a pound (almost half a kilo) a year ago to around $16 a pound, according to Giles Hacking of global nut trader CG Hacking. 'The pistachio world is basically tapped out at the moment,' he told the Financial Times. Thankfully, while many countries have been affected by the shortage, Australian supply has largely remained unaffected. Coles said it had a 'great supply of pistachios available' to cope with the growing demand from customers. 'We have seen a noticeable trend in customers seeking pistachio-flavoured food items, and we are committed to offering a wide range of products in this flavour for everyone to enjoy,' a spokesperson told Woolworths also said it had been unaffected by the shortage. Originally published as 'Absolutely perfect': Viral choccy lands in Aus
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dubai chocolate went viral on TikTok. Now this Ottawa spot has its own take
2786 Lancaster Rd. Unit B, 705-770-7097, Open: Monday 3:30 p.m. to midnight, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday 3:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., Thursday 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday, 3:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. The story behind some of Ottawa's newest and most chocolatey, nutty, crunchy, fluffy indulgences began several years ago in the United Arab Emirates. In 2021, British Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda launched her Dubai-based company Fix Dessert Chocolatier, meant to win over Arabs and Westerners with novel and thoroughly modern chocolate bars. Striving for uniqueness and cross-cultural appeal, Fix Dessert Chocolatier products feature such distinctively flavoured fillings as pistachio paste, Lotus Biscoff cookies, spicy tea and more. It was only a matter of time before Fix Dessert chocolate bars went viral. In late 2023, a UAE-based TikTok influencer's video racked up tens of millions of views. Brand recognition soared not just for Fix Dessert but also for the term 'Dubai chocolate.' In Ottawa, Sohayb Algharibeh took the ooey-gooey, pistachio-y inspiration of Dubai chocolate and ran with it. Last fall, in a Lancaster Road strip mall in Ottawa's east end, the 30-year-old Jordanian-Canadian and Algonquin College grad launched two brands under one roof, the restaurant and catering company Yummy Touch and the dessert-focused Yummy Waffle. Yummy Waffle's bestsellers, introduced in November, are Dubai chocolate waffles ($16.99), Dubai chocolate mini pancakes ($16.99 for a dozen) and Dubai chocolate cheesecake ($12.99). All feature generous toppings of chocolate sauce, pistachio sauce, pistachio crumbs, and toasted knafeh (crispy strands of house-made pastry dough). Among Yummy Waffle's other sweet treats are riffs on other candies including Ferrero Rocher, Kinder Bliss, KitKat and more. Algharibeh concedes that social-media hype has driven customer interest in his Dubai chocolate items. But he also says they're 'very delicious.' I don't disagree, especially if those waffles and mini-pancakes are in a state of just-made peak freshness, eaten in Yummy Waffle's dining room rather than brought home. One afternoon this week, I had to restrain myself from eating too many mini-pancakes. A waffle-loving friend proclaimed Algharibeh's Dubai chocolate waffle one of the best waffles he'd ever had. If you like Yummy Waffle's Dubai chocolate-inspired creations, there's more to explore and try in Ottawa. Google tells me that those Fix Dessert Chocolatier confections are available here. I also see that other Middle Eastern dessert and sweets shops in Ottawa have their spins on Dubai chocolate-based treats. I realize that this new information could be dangerous for your waistline. Please balance your hedonistic Dubai chocolate-inspired impulses with your health. phum@ Hazelnut Paris-Brest at Elina Patisserie Lobster Tails at Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana Kouign-amann at La Maison du Kouign-Amann Hot chocolate at Amandine Patisserie Petrali and susumelle at Dolce Sapori Italian Bakery & Cafe Croffles at Sharpfle Waffle Brûléed Ice Cream Sandwiches at Moo Shu Ice Cream & Kitchen Nanaimo bar chocolate chip cookies at Union Kitchen / Cafe / Local Store Tartelette's last-minute Valentine's Day treats Pie Rogues' Russian hand pies SuzyQ's doughnuts Want to stay in the know about what's happening in Ottawa? Sign up for the Ottawa Citizen's arts and life newsletter — Ottawa, Out of Office — our weekly guide to eating, listening, reading, watching, playing, hanging, learning and living well in the capital. These Ottawa restaurants are marking Ramadan with special hours, menus and buffets Where to eat kebabs in Ottawa: Sizzling lamb, beef, and chicken skewers fresh off the fire
