Tag Archive: dark chocolate

Chocolate for End of Ramadan Celebration

Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Fitr, a three-day feast that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Special foods are prepared and eaten during Eid.  Some of those dishes are prepared days before Eid because it takes so long to prepare and cook them.

It's interesting that chocolate has become a recent tradition to help celebrate Eid.  The younger generation prefers the chocolate over some of the more tradional sweets.

As a result some chocolate shops may experience the highest sales orders of the year at the beginning of Ramadan.
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Chocolate Almond Biscotti

The Italian word “biscotto” means biscuit or cookie.  If you take the word apart, “bis” means twice and “cotto” means baked.  This delicious treat literally means twice baked but for me, it should really translate to “twice the work!”

The roots of biscotti can be traced back to Roman times, although modern biscotti are associated with the Tuscan region of Italy.  The original purpose for baking the dough a second time was to dry out the cookie in order to make it last during long-distance travel.

The longest distance my biscotti travel is from my oven to my mouth.  So, why do I bother putting up with all this work?  It is so worth it!  Make a batch and find out for yourself.
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The Shelf Life of Chocolate

It's Q&A time.  Here is another question from a subscriber:

"Once chocolate has been melted, how long is it good for once it has been molded (again)?"

Chocolate is a very versatile and tolerant product to work with, the nuances of tempering aside.  Chocolate can be melted, tempered and molded, re-melted, re-tempered and re-molded, again and again. 

The shelf life of chocolate depends on whether it is milk or dark and whether or not it has inclusions like nuts, coconut, or dried fruit.
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Tired Of Eating Chocolate?

Is it really possible to get sick of eating chocolate?

According to feedback from participants in a medical research study out of Australia, it is!  What, no way!  Sure enough, read on...

Heart patients were given 50 grams of 70% chocolate to be consumed daily as medicine during a research study on how the antioxidants in chocolate help control blood pressure.

By the end of the study, many participants said they would rather take a pill containing the antioxidants than eat any more chocolate.  About half the people in the study found the chocolate difficult to eat because of the strong flavor and about 20 percent “considered it an unacceptable long-term treatment option” over the concern for the fat and calories from the chocolate.
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Chocolate Dessert for Grown-Ups

Hot days call for cool treats.  Who am I kidding?  I would eat this on any day regardless of temperature!

Chocolate Chambord Sorbet
 
4 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
8 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup Chambord (raspberry-flavored liqueur)
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Chocolatier Hachez

In 1890 Joseph Emile Hachez, originally from Belgium, established the Bremer Hachez Chocolade Company in Bremen, Germany.

In 1922, they began producing what would become their signature product, a chocolate autumn leaf called Brown Leaves.

 

Brown Leaves comes in either solid milk or dark chocolate or praline leaves filled with fine nougat.  This traditional line of chocolates is only part of what they offer now.
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Green and Black’s Miniature Bar Collection

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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“Feel Good” Chocolate that Tastes Good Too

Seeds of Change says their chocolates are “a happy accident” that began as a mission to preserve organic and heirloom seeds from getting swept away by a progressive industrial agriculture.  Their appetite for change lead them directly to chocolate as part of their search for delicious organic food.

My first experience with Seeds of Change came from an organic dark chocolate orange and fig chocolate bar.  The fig flavor comes from fragrant, dried, and chewy pieces of fig; while the orange flavor comes from oil of orange.  The combination is remarkably delicious.  The texture is very unique because the fig not only offers the chewiness but also the crunch of tiny seeds. 
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Montezuma’s Creative Chocolates

I can’t imagine getting bored with chocolate.  There has never been a time in chocolate history as full of imagination and creativity with chocolate as there is now. 

One of the leaders successfully bringing new and innovative flavor combinations to chocolate is Montezuma’s.

You may already know that I am a huge fan of dark chocolate and orange.  Chocolate and orange is so yesterday!  My new favorite is Dark chocolate with Orange and Geranium.
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Chocolate and Balsamic Vinegar Pair Well

Chocolate and balsamic vinegar doesn’t sound like it would make a good couple, but I recently had a reason to try it.  My sister gave me a bottle of Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar by Oro di Oliva for my birthday.

This unique vinegar makes an outstanding marinade for chicken or pork or pour it over fresh berries.  On the Oro di Oliva label, it is suggested I drizzle it on ice cream – strange, but I’ll try it!
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