Tag Archive: bittersweet chocolate

Artisan Kettle Organic Chocolate Chips

There’s another player in the organic chocolate chip arena; Artisan Kettle made by Clasen Quality Chocolate. They are available in four varieties - semisweet, bittersweet, milk and white. The chips are organic and fair trade certified. Sourced from South America.  

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Trader Joe’s Chocolate Passport

This blog post marks the beginning of my series on single-origin chocolates from Trader Joe’s Chocolate Passport variety pack.

Each week I will review one of these country of origin chocolates: Peru 60%, Ecuador 66%, Ghana 70%, Venezuela 70%, Dominican Republic 70%, Papua New Guinea 70%, Sao Tome 70%, and Tanzania 73%.

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Bittersweet and Semisweet Chocolate

Bittersweet chocolates are simply a sweetened form of plain chocolate that contains no milk.  It is basically a mixture of chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, and quite often, vanilla.  Plus you might see a substance called lecithin on a label.  That is added to serve as an emulsifier.

Cocoa that is produced via the grinding of its beans into a liquid form is usually referred to as chocolate liquor, which ironically contains no alcohol whatsoever.  Unsweetened baking chocolate is chocolate liquor that has been solidified.

In the North America, a standard is set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that bittersweet chocolates are required to contain at least thirty-five percent chocolate liquor.  While in the United Kingdom, the figure is usually as high as forty-three percent.
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BitterSweet: Beer+Chocolate

As you may have read in the earlier blog posts, one of the things that makes a chocolate and beer tasting great is the fact that it is unusual, yet it works!  Even people who say they don’t like beer, often do like chocolate so everyone can enjoy the event.

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.
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Chocolate and Cocoa Substitutes

Have you ever discovered you were out of an ingredient?  Of course that always seems to happen right in the middle of making something!

When the recipe calls for chocolate, cocoa powder, or unsweetened baking chocolate, using the correct substitution can mean your crisis is avoided.  And no emergency trip to the grocery store!
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