Monthly Archives: September 2011
Choco-Laté Festival
September 30, 2011
People who come to pay a visit at the Bruge’s Choco-Laté Festival, held in the Belfort bell tower, can relish their much loved dessert in whatever shapes & forms possible! So all you chocoholics, listen up and unite. Succumb to your every chocolate craving and indulge in your favorite sweet treat!
Choco-Laté is the annual festival of our favorite guilty pleasure. The vibes that chocolatiers give off at several stands lure the customers and magically bring them to a chocolate haven.
The festival will be hosting an array of activities to make visitors drool with tons of interesting and fun interactive programs such as body painting, chocolate recipe exhibitions, creations such as sculpture by chocolate artists and sculptors, a chocolate village for the little ones, and a “chocolate walk” through the town of Bruges, among many others.
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Chocolate and Wine Pairing
September 29, 2011
Although wine is pleasurable all its own, most people pair it with an array of different foods as it magnifies the tastes of those food. But did you know that wine and chocolate make a good pair? When the combination is created correctly, it gives a divine blast of taste in the mouth.
First and foremost, you need to make an appropriate choice of chocolate. Grabbing any chocolate bar available won't be enough as they don't hold distinctive flavors. Gourmet chocolates are your best bet, be it dark, white, or milk chocolate.
With regard to the wine you’ll be pairing the chocolate with, you need to find one that is at least as sweet as the chocolate, maybe even slightly sweeter. One of the main rules in pairing them is that the distance between wine and chocolate sweetness should always be short because if the wine isn't sweet enough, the sour notes of wine will make it appear hollow, which makes it a horrible combination.
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Chocolate Pancakes
September 28, 2011
Pancakes are one of the most popular breakfast items ever created. Some people can’t get enough of them at breakfast so they have them even at dinner! But much of the time, we have a tendency to have them as snacks.
Pancakes are so mouth-watering all their own it’s hard to imagine you can jazz up its delicious taste. However, variety adds spice to life so if you ever get bored with the same old pancakes you are used to, there is an array of choices to enhance them. Squeeze out your creative juices when making them and you are bound to have interesting and new pancake recipes, be it zucchini pancakes, carrot pancakes, and yes, chocolate pancakes!
Most people typically have pancakes with just butter and syrup, but there are varieties of syrup you can choose from. Chocolate syrup, for one, can make your pancakes lip-smacking good! You can drizzle chocolate syrup or you can sprinkle chocolate shavings. Better yet, incorporate the chocolate into the batter! Here is a recipe.
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From Bean To Bar
September 27, 2011
While in search of nature’s medicines, the Medicine Hunter named Chris Kilham is famous for his venture which entails trying out peculiar food, but the most recent one made him lean towards the "sweeter" side.
Just recently, Kilham took a trip to Mast Brothers Chocolate in Brooklyn, N.Y. to witness the behind-the-scenes in chocolate making.
Time and again, research has revealed that chocolate is in point of fact beneficial for you, health-wise. The benefits involve protecting the heart and mind, even sex drive.
In 2007, brothers Mike and Rick Mast started manufacturing organic chocolate made from some of the best cocoa beans worldwide, and they make approximately 5,000 bars every week .
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Eat Chocolate, Help Beat Breast Cancer
September 23, 2011
In respect to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) through the program “Be an Intense Supporter”.
The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is a producer and seller of premium chocolate products. It was founded by an Italian chocolatier Domingo Ghirardelli and derived its name from him. The company was is the second-oldest chocolate company in the United States, incorporated in 1852 and still going on.
National Breast Cancer Foundation or NBCF, on the other hand, is dedicated to spreading awareness and encouraging optimism in the battle against breast cancer. The foundation brings motivation to fight this dreaded big C by backing free mammograms for financially-challenged women as its main mission is to save lives through early detection. They also support research programs across the country. They are standing their ground in increasing awareness through education, providing diagnostic breast care services for those who could otherwise not afford them and giving nurturing support services.
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A Brief History of Brownies
September 22, 2011
The brownie, one of the most loved baked treat, was believed to be "invented" in America. Some references imply that brownies were originally made in New England at the beginning of the 20th century. Albeit the facts that it is basically cake-like and baked in a cake pan, brownies are considered as bar cookies rather than a cake.
Brownies can either be "cake-style" or "fudge-style”. Cake-style is that with the consistency of a cake, only richer and denser. On the other hand, fudge-style is more like, er, fudge than cake. It is the richer, denser, and creamier version of the brownie. What determines the style of brownie is the ratio of flour to chocolate and/or cocoa.
I hate to state the obvious but it’s apparent brownie derived its name from its dark brown color. But just like almost any food, the origin of the "brownie" is covered in myth. One of the legends told is that a chef added melted chocolate to biscuits by mistake. Another one states that a cook was baking a cake but didn't have enough flour and baked it anyway, thus, making a brownie.
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White Chocolate Pretzels
September 21, 2011
White chocolate covered pretzels are nearly compulsory for the holidays, but they're just as good to have just because.
Did you know that the original version of the pretzel was a strip of dough, given to children as a reward for memorizing parts of the Bible? It was then called "pretiola" which is Latin for "reward." It rapidly became popular and was prepared in other parts of Europe such as Germany, the country that coined the term "bretzel" which eventually changed into "‘pretzel."
The crunch of the pretzel coupled with the sumptuousness of the chocolate covering never fails to leave people asking for more! You can either immediately bite while enjoying chocolate covered pretzels or let the chocolate melt in your mouth first before enjoying the pretzel.
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Chocolate ‘As Good As Exercise’
September 16, 2011
New studies have revealed that a moderate amount of high quality dark chocolate can be as good as a session in the gym. Cocoa was found to contain a certain compound called epicatechin and this allegedly enhances muscle the same way exercising does.
Researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, conducted an experiment on three groups of 12-month-old mice, the equivalent of middle aged humans: one was given epicatechin twice a day for 15 days, the second one was given epicatechin as well and spent 30 minutes on a treadmill, while the third exercised without receiving the extract.
There was an observed increase in the number of energy-producing mitochondria, the ‘powerhouses’ of cells, in the mice that only took epicatechin and they had significantly better muscle performance and took longer to tire than those that only exercised. It was unusual as these mitochondria are normally a byproduct of getting aerobic exercise such as running or cycling.
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The Different Types of Cacao Beans
September 15, 2011
Just because there’s only one species of Theobroma cacao doesn’t mean there are no different types of cacao beans. However, even experts themselves can’t seem to agree on how many types of cacao beans there actually are, but let’s stick with 4.
Why in the world would you even care about this mumbo jumbo? Well, for starters, one word, flavor. While most of us are happily content with any chocolate in hand just as long as it’s good, true blue chocolate lovers take pleasure in the subtle differences in aroma, taste, and texture between the different cacao bean varieties.
The first type of cacao beans is the Criollo. It was initially cultivated by the Mesoamericans and is generally considered to be the most excellent worldwide. It has a rich, intricate aroma, and a profound yet smooth flavor. Criollo beans require just a little fermentation and short roasting to draw out the flavors.
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