Author Archive: Bryn Kirk
Lost Cacao Rediscovered in Peru
December 30, 2010
A rare variety of cacao called Pure Nacional thought lost or extinct has been rediscovered in Peru.
Pure Nacional, once famous for its fruity and floral flavor notes, was wiped out by disease within a three year time period in Ecuador and Peru. At least 95% of the cacao trees died out during that plague.
However, some unusual cacao trees growing pods containing white beans were discovered in a remote canyon in Peru’s Maranon Canyon. Samples were sent to the United States Department of Agriculture for testing. The USDA recently confirmed these were Pure Nacional variety of cacao.
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Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties
December 29, 2010
These peppermint patties may be the perfect ending to a holiday meal! Be sure to temper the chocolate to give a finish and snap to your creation.
| Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties • 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk • 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract • 4 cups powdered sugar • 3 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped Read more |
Disturbing Cacao News
December 28, 2010
The instability of the government has fostered an active smuggling operation of cacao out of Ivory Coast and into neighboring Ghana.
It is being speculated that many thousands of metric tons of cocoa beans have been smuggled to Ghana from Ivory Coast since the harvest began in October.
I recently read a Bloomberg article updating the situation in the Ivory Coast. To jog your memory, a recent blog post of mine titled, Two Presidents of Ivory Coast, introduced the political situation in the largest cacao producing African country of Ivory Coast.
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Dark Chocolate Covered Bavarian Pretzel
December 27, 2010
In my opinion, pretzels and chocolate make a stellar combination. The salty, slightly nutty flavor of the pretzel blended with the chocolatey bitterness of the dark coating taste oh-so-good together!
The Rocky Mountain Dark Chocolate Covered Bavarian pretzel is a fine example of this great combination and even beats my expectations. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory did a superb job in finding the right dark chocolate coating so that with its intense, bold flavor, the pretzel does not overpower the chocolate, rather the flavors merge into a fine taste treat.
As I was tasting my mind wandered to the pretzel part, as I have hardly given pretzels a second thought through the years. Digging into it a little bit I uncovered some basic pretzel info and then tried to find a definition of a "Bavarian" pretzel.
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Chocolate Cough Medicine?
December 23, 2010
Theobromine is a predominant chemical found in chocolate and is often the subject of research studies looking into its affect on the body.
One such study has proclaimed that theobromine can be used as a treatment for the hard-to-get-rid-of cough.
Results from this study are promising. Persistent coughing, one that stays around for at least two weeks, is quieted when test subjects consumed chocolate-based cough remedies.
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Chocolate Egg Nog
December 22, 2010
In my experience, either you love egg nog or you don’t. There aren’t too many people who are on the fence about it, but maybe chocolate egg nog could push you over to the lovin’ it side for good!
| Easy Chocolate Egg Nog • 4 cups dairy eggnog, chilled • 2 cups cold milk • 1/3 cup favorite chocolate syrup • Dash of ground nutmeg Read more |
Mars Company Receives Award
December 21, 2010
The maker of the Snickers bar, Mars, supports the Sustainable Tree Crops Program in Africa.
The program is based on a partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Cocoa Foundation. The organizations invest in cacao research and distribute cacao tree seedlings to farmers in order to grow more disease resistant and higher crop-yielding trees.
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Chocolate Dipped Spoons
December 18, 2010
If you are creative and crafty (as in talented in making crafts, not as in clever with intent to do evil) this may be the project for you. Spoons dipped in chocolate can make an impressive gift!
Before I get into the project, I would like to define some terminology for you.
couverture coating - this is a professional-quality chocolate coating that contains a high percentage of cocoa butter, allowing the chocolate to form a thinner coating shell than other chocolate.
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Chocolate in the Freezer?
December 17, 2010
A question I hear somewhat frequently is, "Should I store chocolate in the freezer?"
A friend once told me that the best place to store chocolate is in your mouth. 🙂
Now for a more serious answer, the best place to store chocolate is in an odor-free, air-tight container surrounded by a 65 to 68 F air temperature with no more than 50% relative humidity. How’s that for precise?
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Chocolate to Clear Your Head
December 16, 2010
'Tis the season – to be tired!
I know the holidays can be stressful and exhausting. Even if you aren’t in charge of preparing for the parties and family gatherings, you may find yourself having to do something unexpected that requires a tremendous amount of your time and energy.
One of two things usually happens to me in times of stress as it pertains to food; overeat or forget to eat. Neither extreme is healthy, and neither condition will do anything to keep a body going.
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