Author Archive: Bryn Kirk
Superfudge Truffle to Retire
August 13, 2010
About a month ago, ice cream retailer Baskin-Robbins retired 5 flavors on their menu. The company wants to make room for new flavors so they put these five into “the deep freeze.”
One of the flavors being retired is Super Fudge Truffle which was introduced in 2007. Superfudge Truffle is a chocolate fudge ice cream with chunks of chocolate ganache and toffee truffle pieces.
In my opinion, you should never retire an ice cream flavor that includes chocolate ganache!
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Invite Chocolate To Your Wedding!
August 12, 2010
Chocolate and celebrations go back as early as the ancient Maya, maybe even earlier. The Maya served a frothy chocolate beverage made from crushed cacao beans. Perhaps it was used for the first toast by the best man!
Today, the tradition of serving chocolate at weddings continues. Receptions serve guests chocolate wedding cake, the bride and groom thank their guests with chocolate wedding favors and, the pièce de résistance, a chocolate fountain for dipping!
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Chocolate Zucchini Cake
August 11, 2010
I wonder who thought the pairing of chocolate and zucchini in a cake would make a good idea?
It is a rather unusual combination. (My husband claims that foods commonly served as vegetables should not be added to cake!)
I did a little looking around to find out some history behind the invention of chocolate zucchini cake and noticed there are a lot of theories but no one really knows for sure. I like the most logical one; someone had to find a way to use up the most prolific invader of the garden!
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Green and Black’s Miniature Bar Collection
August 9, 2010
I am hard pressed to think of a box of chocolates that claims to be everything to everyone, but I may have hit the jack pot with Green and Black’s Miniature Bar Collection.
The collection contains milk chocolate, dark chocolate, almonds, butterscotch candy bits, crystallized ginger, dried sour cherries. Everything’s organic. The tasting samples are the perfect size. Also suitable for vegetarians. Did I miss anything?
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Working With Chocolate and Caramel Filling
August 8, 2010
One of my email subscribers was wondering how chocolate candies made with high water content fillings, like caramel, can seemingly withstand blooming or other adverse effects?
It is true that even the smallest amount of water and chocolate don’t get along. The combination often leads to problems like seizing and sugar bloom. Yet, you can buy chocolate-covered caramels and see for yourself that they look good and tastes good. They have a fairly decent shelf life, too.
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Grilling with Cocoa Nibs
August 7, 2010
From Martha Stewert to Scharffen Berger to the Food Network, it appears that cooking with cocoa nibs is “in”!
And why not? Besides the great flavor and a nice crunch, nibs have nutritional benefits as well. Cacao contains antioxidants that are known to reduce blood clotting, improve circulation, and help regulate blood pressure. Antioxidants also protect us from environmental pollutants and help repair damage caused by free radicals.
Cocoa or Cacao Nibs are roasted cocoa beans that have been separated from their shells/husks. You can buy them in health food stores, or online.
Scharffen Berger is a chocolate company that sells nibs online. They also have a great collection of recipes, and some of them are listed under the Savory category. One unique recipe is the nib rub for steak on the grill.
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The Finest Camel Milk Chocolate
August 6, 2010
No, you did not read that wrong and I did not mistype caramel.
There is something new in the milk chocolate world – one made with camel’s milk instead of cow’s milk!
According to the Al-Nassma Chocolate website, camel’s milk makes great milk chocolate, and it’s healthier than cow’s milk.
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Categories of Cocoa Beans
August 5, 2010
The chocolate world divides cocoa beans into two general categories: Flavor Beans (varieties Criollo or Trinitario) and Bulk Beans (variety Forestero).
There are some exceptions to this system, but general speaking this is how the cocoa market categorizes cocoa beans.
The percentage of flavor beans in the total world production of cocoa beans is only around 5% per year. Virtually all the cocoa harvested is classified as bulk cocoa.
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Cranberries and White “Chocolate” Chips
August 4, 2010
Maybe it’s because I live in a cranberry growing state that I enjoy them so much...
Cranberries are a frequent addition to my diet. I sprinkle dried cranberries on my granola cereal in the morning. I put them in muffins, pancakes, and sweet breads. I eat cranberries jellied and sauced, in relish and salsa. After the holidays, cranberries come down in price so I stock up and freeze them to keep them on hand.
Cranberries pair really well with the white chips in this recipe because the sweetness from the chips balances the tartness from the cranberries.
This recipe is one of my favorites. Keep one frozen and take it out when company arrives.
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