Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter.  In the grand scheme, today is a day to stop and give thanks for the many blessings we have received.  Chocolate is still one of those blessings.  And so are you! 

Chocolate University Online has always been dedicated to the love of chocolate, helping everyone who comes this way to learn some new nugget of information about our favorite food.  Since you are here reading this, you must find value in this.  So I am thankful for you.

As much as I love chocolate, sharing information is useless unless someone is present to receive.  So whether you just stop by for a bit of chocolate insight from time to time, or you’re a current CUO student or alumnus, thanks for showing up.  It’s for you that I am here.

Have a great Thanksgiving Day!  And, if you’ve worked chocolate into your Thanksgiving traditions, how about posting a comment below for all of us.

Sanders is reportedly arranging for a huge introduction of this 1-year-old Chocolate Stout into the market later this month and is also planning to make a chocolate-based dessert wine.

“Craft beers are becoming more popular as consumers look for local, authentic, handcrafted foods and beverages with passionate food artisans and entrepreneurs behind them,” said a spokesperson for the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Louise Kramer. Additionally, “chocolate is hugely popular with consumers of specialty foods.” True enough, chocolate was named as 2011’s top specialty food.

Sanders Chocolate Stout is combination of Sanders premium chocolates and Detroit Brewing Co.’s Pub Classic Smooth Cream Stout. The fine Stout Ale has a dark and pleasing aroma matched with the chocolatey yet not overwhelming flavor coming from hand-picked cocoa.

“We were skeptical at first,” said Brian Jefferson, the chairman of the group that owns Sanders, in regards to the brewer’s proposal to team up. “We weren’t going to make a decision until we tasted it. We weren’t selling our brand just to sell our brand and put a few pennies in our pocket. It had to be really good.”

6,000 cases were quickly sold out last year so Sanders is producing at least six times as many cases this year. The Chocolate Stout won’t be sold in Sanders stores, though, since they don’t have liquor license.  They will be retailed by merchants–Hiller’s Markets, Meijer, Whole Foods,  Nino Salvaggio, Hollywood Markets, and Holiday Market.

It may not tickle a little kid’s fancy that much, but the kid inside an adult beer drinker will surely have a reason to down more bottles. However, moderate drinking is still recommended.

Last week’s Craft:Beer+Food event was a huge hit, the pairings were sublime. If you weren’t able to attend, fret not, as a sequel to this delightful affair is anticipated. After Craft:Beer+Food comes the next big thing, BitterSweet:Beer+Chocolate. It is a non-profit happening that enables local breweries to showcase their beers along with the remarkable chocolates of Seattle’s own Theo Chocolate.

BitterSweet:Beer+Chocolate presents the connection between craft beer and artisan chocolate. This event showcases beer paired with chocolate and even beer made with chocolate. Sound interesting, eh? Eight of the Seattle area’s most renowned brewers are taking part in BitterSweet. As expected, they will be providing beer from their regular listings coupled with products from Theo Chocolate, which will be collaborating with them. In addition, they will also be producing new beers just for this event.

Chocolate makers and confectioners from Theo are the ones held responsible for the pairings. For those who haven’t tried this before, head to Theo Chocolate in Fremont and taste the marvelous list of products that they are offering. Their mouthwatering goods are worth your time and effort!

There was a different vibe when the team of brewers was introduced to their counterparts at Theo Chocolate, a good vibe, specifically. Amazingly, they speak the same language and share the same passion for their craft. With the use of chocolate from Theo and byproducts from the chocolate-making process, the brewers plan on making innovative, fresh, and original world-class beers.

Save the date as doing anything else will only make you, as the cliché goes, miss half of your life. Get to experience it and walk away amazed.

BitterSweet: Beer+Chocolate
Seattle, WA
Thursday, November 10, 2011

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.

The patrons are given a chance to learn about chocolate creations and recipes that are easy enough to do by themselves during live demonstrations by top chefs, bakers and chocolatiers.

Today, chocolate is used as a health aid and also for aesthetic purposes, not just to curb our sweet tooth cravings. Some of the innovative means of using chocolate are through treatments such as chocolate massages, chocolate packs or cocoa therapies.

Practically any chocolate is tempting, but as with what was stated on yesterday’s blog post, pairing it with a nice glass of wine will surely kick the chocolate delight up a notch. Choco-Laté will be revealing the art of delectably combining chocolate with other delicacies. Case in point: fruits dipped in chocolate fondue, and that is just one of the basics.

And finally, for the true blue chocolate lovers, the festival presents a Choco-Laté junior – a creative corner for kids where they can nourish their imagination in chocolate through fun body painting, sculpting and decorating, and many more.

When: 11 – 13 Nov 2011
Where: Belfort, Belgium,
Cost: €10; under 12s €6; under 6s free
Opening Hours: 10am-6pm

For more details, visit www.choco-late.be/en.

But have you thought about wine?  It has a lot in common with chocolate.

A glass of red wine is not only yummy, but studies show that red wine lowers the risk of heart attack for middle-aged people. This luscious drink (in moderation of course) can also increase good cholesterol (HDL) and decrease bad cholesterol (LDL).

By combining chocolate and red wine, taking these two tasty treats together, will provide you with a bunch of brain benefits too. A chemical found in both dark chocolates and red wine can boost the ability of the brain to solve complex problems.

Research has demonstrated that a chemical substance called polyphenols has a dilating effect on the blood vessels, thus, improving the blood supply going to the brain. This mechanism increases the oxygen and sugar delivery to the brain, and it permits us to solve complex problems with ease.  Pretty cool.

Indulging on foods that are rich in polyphenols can increase intelligence even in the younger generation who appears to have their brain already functioning at its full capability.  (No, I’m not advocating wine for those under legal age, but chocolate has no such restrictions.)

Keep in mind though that these health benefits are only limited to modest quantities. Red wine should only be consumed in moderate amounts and not on a daily basis. Dark chocolates are also the preferred type of chocolate if you want to take advantage of these brain enhancing benefits.

Remember, the next time you crave for a glass of red wine, don’t forget to enjoy a bar of luscious dark chocolate with it.  You might even discover a flavor match you want to share.  Now that’s genius!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

==> www.chocolateuniversityonline.com/goto/northstar.html

North Star Fine Coffees is introducing a new coffee that is designed for students of Chocolate University Online and chocolate lovers with a keen sense of taste. 

“Simply Decadent” is not a chocolate flavored coffee, but rather is a coffee designed to pair well with chocolates and chocolate desserts.

I have tried Simply Decadent with dark chocolate and it’s amazing.  I have also had it with a variety of chocolate desserts (the chocolate cheesecake was amazing) and breakfast items (like pancakes with chocolate chips) and it’s been fantastic!

Here’s the good news…  Chocolate University Online has negotiated a deal to give you a sneak peak of this coffee, for no cost, with special arrangement from North Star Fine Coffees.

To get your free sample (enough to make 10 cups) of this premium grade 1 coffee, click the link above.  Then look for the “tell us your coffee story” button on the right side.  Click it.  Provide your shipping information and a story about coffee. 

Important:  So that you get a sample of the right coffee, type in “P.S. send me Simply Decadent.” 

You’ll get great coffee even if you miss this step, but if you want to be among the first to try a great new premium coffee at no cost, make sure you put in the P.S.  That’s how they will know to deliver the right coffee to you.

And there is truly no cost, not even a shipping charge.  We want you to be able to try this coffee because once you do, you’ll be hooked!  (Sorry, this offer is only valid for U.S. delivery.)

If you’re already a Chocolate University Online student go ahead and pair your favorite chocolate from lesson 10 with Simply Decadent.  I’d be curious about your experience.

If you are not a Chocolate University Online student then consider joining us.  You’ll develop your own chocolate tasting profile and learn how to pair chocolate with food and wine, and coffee too.

After eating my lunch, I elbowed my way through the crowd that had swarmed around the desserts.  I stared at the table.  <gasp> It had an abundance of cupcakes, the most diverse assortment of beautifully decorated cupcakes I had ever laid eyes on!

The first cupcake I enjoyed was a deep, rich, red velvet with cream cheese frosting.  My second cupcake was a dark chocolate with an equally dark and creamy chocolate frosting.

I better stop now.  I can’t tell you how many I had (and still respect myself)!

To my surprise, I learned the cupcakes were made by a friend of mine who turned her passion for making cupcakes into a booming Milwaukee business.  The Milwaukee Cupcake Company makes, correction, crafts scratch-baked cupcakes. 

There are a number of classic varieties available, but it’s the unique and exotic that I can’t stop thinking about…

Here are just a few of the sensational cupcakes to choose from:

The Botanical Gardens
Delicate lavender rosewater cupcake, with orange zest, topped with fluffy vanilla buttercream, and sprinkled with crystallized sugar and lavender.

The Hog
Dark chocolate cupcake with baked-in bacon bits, dipped in luxurious ganache, and topped with bacon bits.

The Lake Park
White chocolate cake with a raspberry reduction ribbon running through it, topped with white chocolate cream cheese butter cream, a fresh raspberry and a white chocolate drizzle.

The Rishi Matcha
Green tea cake made with Rishi’s Matcha Japanese Green Tea, which is antioxidant-rich and award-winning.  The light, fluffy, buttercream is made with Rishi’s Sweet Matcha powder, which produces a beautiful color and delicate taste. Then it’s garnished with crystallized ginger.

You can order all you want from the Milwaukee Cupcake Company website, but if you need instant gratification, and happen to be in the Milwaukee area, visit their new retail counter (opening in May 2010) at 316 N. Milwaukee St. in the Third Ward… in the same building as the Coquette Café and Petaluna Floral.

I can’t wait to show off these beauties at my son’s upcoming confirmation party.  All I have to do is resist eating the whole darn tray before the guests arrive!

At one point I was rolling the two around my mouth at the same time, coffee and chocolate, chocolate and coffee…  Then I experienced a new flavor emerge as I swallowed. 

This got me thinking about chocolate and coffee pairings!

I grabbed the first chocolate I could find in my drawer (we all have a secret stash of chocolate nearby, right?) and pulled out a mostly Ecuadorian blend of 73% cacao dark chocolate.  I let my coffee cool down just a bit so that I could better taste its subtle flavors. 

First, I enjoyed the aroma of the chocolate, identified some familiar flavors and then took a bite.  I allowed the chocolate to coat my mouth and took in the smooth texture. 

As the chocolate melted, the flavors really exploded.  Ecuadorian chocolate has one of my favorite flavor profiles.  It is fruity, with a hint of nut, and the finish is intensely chocolate and astringent on the tongue. 

Next, I smelled the coffee and identified as many flavors as I could just before taking a sip.  Seattle Reign is a gem of a coffee with rich flavors of roasted chocolate, mixed with mild earthy and nutty notes.

The chocolate and coffee blended very well and introduced me to a new level of flavor complexity.  I really enjoyed this pairing.

Since I am not as familiar with the flavor profiles of coffees as I am with chocolates, I will need to do some more research and some more pairings.  That means spending more mornings drinking coffee and eating chocolate.

Oh darn.

People who have a strong love for chocolate often enjoy other fine foods and beverages as well.  Perhaps you like drinks such as coffee, wine, or scotch.  

Are you picky about your morning cup of coffee?  Do you want a gourmet blend with exquisite flavor?  Or will any dark-brown sludge do as long as its got caffeine? 

Do you like a fine French Bordeaux wine or do you pick up the $2.95 bottle of “Red?” 

How about a Single Malt Scotch from Islay or do you say, “scotch, whiskey, vodka, what’s the difference?”

You might also enjoy fine flavorful foods like cheese.  Or you might enjoy certain combinations.  Of course cheeses and wines often pair well.  Chocolate and wine pair well.  Chocolate and coffee pair well.  Perhaps chocolate and scotch pair well too.  (Hmm, I might have to try this.)

Anyway, this brings me back to the question… As a lover of chocolate what other fine food or drink interests you?  Whether it’s one I mentioned above, or something I forgot about, please give me your thoughts.