February « 2008 « Chocolate Tasting

February 28, 2008

A Chocolate Fondue Fountain – Let the Good Times Pour

Filed under: Dipped in Chocolate — Tags: chocolate fondue fountain — Tuppy @ 2:55 pm

Are you planning a once-in-a-lifetime event? Perhaps a wedding, 50th anniversary party, college graduation, retirement or other very special event? For events like these, you’re probably looking for ideas that will make your party stand out, ones that your honorees and guests will remember. Here’s one terrific idea that you may never have thought of. A chocolate fondue fountain, which literally flows with chocolate, makes a spectacular edible decoration!

photo credit: MyLifeStoryYou can rent or purchase a chocolate fondue fountain. Given that this device is rather pricey, for a one-event use, it’s probably a good idea to rent.

A chocolate fondue fountain is shaped somewhat like a tall vase, and is actually a simple appliance. Usually, there are just two controls required to operate the machine, one to start the heater in the lower portion of the unit and another which controls the flow basin at the top.

Although you may use what’s known as “compound” chocolate, the higher quality “couverture” or coating chocolate is recommended. Couverture chocolate contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter, producing a wonderfully velvety texture with a taste that’s simply divine. Your chocolate fondue fountain dealer can steer you to a good source if he does not sell this chocolate himself.

On the day of your party, you’ll need to melt the chocolate before pouring it in to the unit. The best way to do this is using a double boiler on the stove top, which does a better job of tempering the chocolate than, say, using a microwave. Heat the chocolate slowly and stir frequently until the chocolate is smooth with a satiny sheen. When it’s ready, turn on the fountain’s heater and pour the chocolate into the chocolate fondue fountain. Next, turn on the flow unit, known as the “yager”. The yager is similar to a corkscrew, pulling the chocolate into the upper basin, filling it and producing the fountain. The chocolate flows out of the upper basin and recirculates into the lower basin.

Your chocolate fondue may be served with trays surrounding the fountain filled with anything that is good dipped in chocolate. Some ideas are naturals, such as Italian biscotti cookies, strawberries, mandarin orange slices or bananas. (Banana slices may be brushed with lemon juice to avoid discoloration.) Let your imagination be your guide in choosing accompaniments. After all, there are so many foods that are good with chocolate. Except broccoli.

Chocolate fondue fountains come in various sizes, depending on the number of guests you’ll be serving. Smaller ones serve anywhere from 100 to 200 people,while larger units serve as many as 800 people.

One last word: these fountains should only be used indoors. Outdoor use means insects and can affect the flow of chocolate by cool breezes causing deviations in temperature.

A chocolate fondue fountain, surrounded by tasty dippers, will truly be the centerpiece of your party.

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Chocolate Brownies – A Delicious Timeless Classic

Filed under: Chocolate Recipes — Tags: chocolate brownies — Tuppy @ 12:11 pm

photo credit: WroteWho doesn’t like chocolate brownies? Maybe those deprived during their childhood, but if that’s the case, its time to get with the program. Chocolate brownies are a timeless classic, with many different tasty variations, something for everyone indeed! You obviously love chocolate, and after all, it’s good for you; it’s considered a major food group by adolescents, and women of all ages. You can’t ever go wrong bringing a plate of this delicious desert to any type of gathering. They’ll be gone in no time. Nuts, cherries, raspberries, marshmallows, caramel, peanut butter, white chocolate, and mint flavoring are just some of the ingredients that can be added to a basic brownie recipe. There are also modified versions of the classic recipe including low fat brownies, and recipes that use sugar substitutes like Splenda.

Let’s test your brownie knowledge and see just how much you know about America’s favorite desert.

Also known as a Boston brownie, they were named for their color, and sometimes glazed with fudge or other ingredients.
Chocolate brownies are known all over the world, but they are most popular in America, just like Mom’s fresh baked apple pie.
And of course, the best way to serve a chocolate brownie is fresh and hot with vanilla ice cream; other toppings are optional, like hot fudge or fresh whipped cream. Mmmm.
It’s the most common desert item on the menus of country diners as well as fine dining establishments, all with a different twist.

Chocolate in any form is one of the most popular after dinner treats ever; even in very small quantities it is so satisfying! It’s the best self reward for whatever reason; in fact, you don’t need a reason, just go for it. You know you want to!

Adventurous cooks can find recipes for chocolate brownies in most any cookbook as well as online. Being one of the most popular recipes of all time, you won’t have to look hard to find a delicious recipe just waiting for you to try. If you’re not a cook, that’s okay too. There are lots of specialty sites featuring gourmet baked goods, where brownie connoisseurs can choose from twelve flavors using fine Belgian chocolate. Shop now for scrumptious brownies that can be gift boxed and sent anywhere in the world, even to your house! Is your mouth watering yet?

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February 26, 2008

Cold Evening, Hot Chocolate, Warm Feelings

Filed under: Chocolate Drinks — Tags: hot chocolate — Tuppy @ 1:36 pm

Imagine a cold winter evening. You’ve been at the hill sledding with your children all day or out on the slopes with your friends. The fire is stoked, there’s some gentle music coming from the stereo, and the room is full of good cheer. The topper to this perfect evening? The person you’ve had your eye on comes and brings you a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

Hot chocolate is often connected to good memories. It makes us feel warm and cozy and safe. For some of us, it plays a big role in our memories. But the hot chocolate of yesterday is not necessarily the same hot beverage we drink today. Today, chocolate beverages come in a wide variety of flavors. You can find an array of gourmet selections to choose from that can add a special touch to any evening. Hazelnut, Vanilla, or Irish Crème flavored hot chocolate are a great touch to any non-alcoholic adult evening. If you’re a coffee fan you might enjoy a hot mocha chocolate beverage. If you’re in the mood for something more traditional you might opt for a dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate drink.

Hot chocolate can make a great gift idea as well. Combining several different flavors of single serve packets with a nice mug and a gourmet chocolate bar can make for an original gift that almost anyone can enjoy. They make thoughtful birthday gifts or original housewarming gifts or an excellent hostess present if you’ve been visiting with friends or family during your vacation.

If you don’t have time to find a place that sells original hot chocolate items or you live in a smaller community where these items simply aren’t available, you may want to consider looking online. The internet has something for everyone and shopping online is simpler than ever today. Online you’ll find every possible variety of hot chocolate that you can imagine.

When guests come over to visit, most people offer coffee or tea, but hot chocolate can make for a nice option to present to your guests. When people walk in your door and smell the scent of chocolate in the air, they’ll feel like they are back in grandma’s kitchen and what is more welcoming than that? Children will feel like they are part of the adult group when they can partake in their own chocolate beverage and it won’t keep them up all night. Everyone can be included in enjoying the warmth and comfort of a hot cup of chocolatey goodness at the end of a cold winter day.

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Chocolate Covered Potato Chips – The Craving Crusher

Filed under: Dipped in Chocolate — Tags: chocolate covered potato chips — Tuppy @ 11:58 am

There are times that you may be craving something but you have no idea what that something is. Chances are that chocolate covered potato chips will help you through that mysterious hunger. There are some good reasons that this tasty treat will address even the most evasive snack-deficit.

Chocolate covered potato chips cover all craving bases. We all have had those cravings for salty foods. There were times that I had so many of these kinds of sodium-packed snacks, I began thinking that salt was one of the four food groups. Your craving for salt will be addressed with a portion of chocolate covered potato chips.

Of course, most of us can relate to the most obvious craving that is on the top of snack wish lists everywhere. Chocolate covered potato chips address the need to ingest the all important cocoa bean. You can find a quality product that offers a smooth, satisfying coating of chocolate that will make you feel as if you have just fallen in love.

Just about everyone has a sweet tooth but some of us have sweet teeth – all of them. The need for something sugary is addressed when you indulge in chocolate covered potato chips. The contrast between the salty chips and the sweet cocoa is prevalent and it is a culinary playground for the palette.

Then there is the crunch. The noise-in-your-head foods are the ones we really want. Chocolate covered potato chips offer the smooth texture of sweet chocolate along with the salty crunch of the potato chip. It’s the best of both worlds. You have contrast in texture and flavor.

Now it is safe to assume that you don’t want too much of a good thing when it comes to this particular snack. Chocolate covered potato chips are not for dieters but this treat can actually save you some calories in the long run. There is a good reason that I make this unusual statement.

First of all, you can satisfy a number of cravings with just one snack. You also don’t need much of this treat, either. Smaller portions help you stay in control while still leaving you with a happy, fulfilled feeling in the process. A few chocolate covered potato chips go a long way.

Many people will tell you how easy it is to over indulge in regular potato chips. They just seem to disappear out of the bag. However, a few chocolate covered potato chips go along way. It’s just one more reason to reach for this satisfying treat.

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Mom’s Chocolate Cake – Recipe For Greatness

Filed under: Chocolate Recipes — Tags: chocolate cake recipe — Tuppy @ 9:15 am

My mom is a very open person, and always willing to share. Not only is she generous with her advice, but she will teach you anything that she knows. She is always willing to explain sewing, cooking, or advanced mathematics. There is one thing, however, that she guards jealously. It is her greatest secret, and one that she has sworn she will carry to the grave. It is her chocolate cake recipe. We have been trying to get it from her for years, and have so far been unsuccessful.

This isn’t some normal chocolate mix cake recipe. This is seriously gourmet. It isn’t an easy chocolate cake recipe, either. Chocolate cake is usually pretty easy to make, but hers takes all day and all night. She is literally in there for 16 hours at a time, slaving away on the perfect chocolate cake. But it is perfect. It is priceless. It is the most delicious thing that I have ever tasted. I would do anything to get that chocolate cake recipe.

The thing is, my mom isn’t all that into chocolate in general. She never makes chocolate brownies. She won’t even order a chocolate brownie when she goes out. But that chocolate cake recipe is her favorite thing in the world. She cooks it every holiday, and every holiday we ask for more. No one ever gets sick of it. Even my cousins, strict vegetarians who will only eat vegan chocolate cake recipes normally, will make an exception for her delicious chocolate cake. It really is that good.

The really sad thing is that, since I first tasted that chocolate cake recipe, I can’t eat any other kind of chocolate desert. Even the best German chocolate cake recipe leaves me flat. Part of it is that my mom baked it. She spends so much time on it, and clearly wants us to like it so much, that it is hard to resist. I don’t know if I would like it quite as much if it weren’t she that made it, but nonetheless I would love it still. She has, after all, won several cooking contests with her chocolate cake recipe. She has only entered a handful of times, but every time she has entered the same recipe, and every time she has won. I have tried sneaking into the kitchen, but it was no use. She simply refused to go on cooking until I left. I hope she will share the recipe with us one day.

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Belgian Chocolate – A Fine Place to Start

Filed under: Chocolate — Tags: , belgian chocolate — Tuppy @ 8:51 am

Chocolate lovers everywhere appreciate quality. Good ingredients make good chocolate and Belgian chocolate has a reputation for being the best. This may have been the boast of the Swiss at one time, before the Belgians raced ahead. There is a long tradition of chocolate making in Belgium, which only needed a good marketing campaign to bring it to the attention of the rest of us. There are even chocolate museums there!In 1912, the filled chocolate recipe known as the praline was invented in Belgium. The residents there have always been fond of exchanging chocolates as presents and they are very proud of the worldwide popularity of their export. The key to the high standard of Belgian chocolate lies in the selection of the best cocoa seeds and other ingredients. It’s apparent when inferior cocoa is used in any chocolate as it leaves an unpleasant after taste. Good chocolate always gives a rich, full flavor which lingers in the mouth. The Belgian manufacturing process is done mainly by hand, including the final decoration.

The range of products is wide, with different center fillings in plain, milk and white chocolate. The attention to quality applies to the packaging too, and Belgian chocolate makes the ideal gift, all tied up in a ribbon. Fillings include liqueurs, fruit, caramel, buttercream, ganache and mocha. There is also nougat, whipped cream, ginger, almonds, coffee, cinnamon spice and rum. If you feel like experimenting with unusual flavors, try coriander, lime or jasmine tea.

Chocolate can be taken in many forms and is gorgeous in chocolate mousse, cake and truffles. Belgian chocolate that is used in cooking will make everything taste better than normal. It’s also a good idea for chocolate fountains. This marvelous invention is all the rage for parties and receptions. They are the answer to a chocoholic’s prayer, with rivers of warm, liquid chocolate. The idea is to dip things like fruit and biscuits into the chocolate goo. Strawberries and bananas work very well, as do marshmallows and fudge. You can get Belgian chocolate refills for the fountain, so you never have to run out. You can even dismantle the fountain to put in the dishwasher.

Continental chocolate in general has much to teach the rest of the world. Some chocolate is overfilled with milk or sugar, preventing the full flavor of the cocoa to come through. The Aztecs knew the value of the cocoa bean and didn’t have any sugar to sweeten it.

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February 20, 2008

For The Gourmet, Chocolate Has Many Variations

Filed under: Chocolate — Tags: gourmet chocolate — Tuppy @ 1:36 pm

Almost everyone has a love for chocolate, even if they would rather deny it. The way its texture feels in your mouth as it melts is very satisfying and its richness takes this pleasure to a whole new level. Some people even prefer chocolate to other acts that may bring a lot of pleasure. Although chocolate is delicious, some chocolates are more enjoyable than others. A Snickers bar is full of chocolate but it also is jam packed with peanuts and caramel so you have to eat your way around the candy bar to get your dose of pure chocolate. Thankfully, there are gourmet chocolates available to satisfy any chocolate lovers fix.

There are many different cocoa inspired delectable treats out there to please anyone. There are types of chocolate that some people probably never thought possible. Chocolates now can come in a chocolate-wine combination to serve as a decadent topping to any dessert. Some flavors include a chocolate espresso merlot or a chocolate raspberry cabernet. No one would have thought that wine and chocolate would fit well together but these gourmet chocolates, when paired with ice cream, are sure to ticket anyone’s taste buds.

Truffles of all kinds are also available for those with an extra sweet tooth. Whether you love dark, milk or white chocolate it is all available out there for you. There are also boxes of chocolate to suit anyone’s needs containing a wide variety of different gourmet chocolates. Some people really enjoy coffee-filled chocolate or cherry-filled chocolate. In a box of chocolate, all of these are possible and even things you never thought imaginable will be waiting for you when you open the lid.

Maybe you just want a plain chocolate bar? Dark, milk or white chocolates are available for chocolate bars so you’ll get your chocolate fix. You can break off a piece of the bar and simply let the chocolate melt slowly in your mouth as you let all your worries escape you.

These small scrumptious treasures make a perfect gift for anyone. If you know a chocolate lover, then they will greatly appreciate the sophisticated taste of these gourmet delights. They will know that you spent your time and money buying them the only gift they really need. Stores that sell these delicious treats also have gift certificates available so if you can’t pick out the perfect gourmet chocolates you can certainly let them do it with your gift for them.

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February 19, 2008

Tropical Tricks & Treats – Coffee, Chocolate and Toffee Get Spooky

Filed under: Chocolate Drinks, Chocolate Flavored Coffee, Order Chocolate Goodies — Tuppy @ 7:00 am

Tropical Tricks & Treats – Coffee, Chocolate and Toffee Get Spooky

Celebrate with more of a treat than a trick – serve your guests this delicious blend of chocolate toffee crunch that finishes with a hint of sweet caramel.

*This seasonal blend will be available from September 15 through November 15 of every year so enjoy it while you can!

Boca Java produces a range of exquisite coffees from around the world. We’ve chosen just a few of our favorites to share with you … the chocolate flavored ones of course. Pair a cup of Boca Java’s fabulous coffee with a fine chocolate (can we recommend an extra-dark from Belgium perhaps?) and enjoy an intense taste sensation.

Available in both regular and decaffeinated blends.

click here to learn more

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