Tag Archive: dark chocolate
Ben Tre and Chuao Origins
October 15, 2010
Here are a couple of new limited-edition chocolates for your tasting pleasure.
Ben Tre - 72% Cacao Single Origin Dark Chocolate
Scharffen Berger now offers a 72% Vietnamese single-origin chocolate bar. The bar, named after the growing region of Ben Tre, comes from seven-year old cacao in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. This is the first that I have heard about Vietnamese chocolate available in the U.S.
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Ghirardelli Dark and Raspberry
October 11, 2010
I love the combination of dark chocolate and raspberry, but I am a bit snobbish about it. A girl’s gotta have standards, right?
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New Lindt Chocolate Flavors
October 8, 2010
Good News! Lindt is expanding its Excellence chocolates with two new premium creations. Introducing…..
Excellence Roasted Almond and Excellence Black Currant
The roasted almond variety combines dark chocolate with slivered almonds, and the black currant variety combines dark chocolate with tart, dried black currants and roasted slivered almonds.
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Allergic to Chocolate?
October 7, 2010
Is there such a thing as a chocolate allergy?
An allergy to cacao is possible but rare. It would be more likely that someone has an allergy to one of the ingredients in chocolate or experiences a food intolerance, which is not really an allergy at all.
Only 1 – 2% of American adults and 5 – 8% of children have a true, immunological food allergy. Among those, 90% are allergic to the “big 8”; milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish, or shellfish.
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Merlot and Chocolate Raspberry Creams
October 2, 2010
One of my favorite chocolate and wine pairings is merlot with a dark chocolate-covered raspberry cream.
Merlot, a red grape originating in France’s Bordeaux region, naturally produces tastes that are rich and round, loaded with raspberry and other red berry flavors, sometimes with hints of chocolate and sometimes vanilla.
Merlot is often overshadowed by a similar wine, the more popular cabernet sauvignon. The two share some similarities, but there differences, too. A merlot pairs very well with certain fruit creams and dark chocolates because it is typically softer and fruitier in both aroma and flavor than a cabernet.
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Ghirardelli Midnight Reverie
September 27, 2010
Currently the choices are Midnight Reverie, Twilight Delight, Toffee Interlude, Espresso Escape, Evening Dream, and Sea Salt Soiree.
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Is There Such a Thing as Vegan Chocolate?
September 12, 2010
Vegan foods cannot contain any animal products.
Most dark chocolates qualify as vegan because all the ingredients are sourced from plants. A dark chocolate label will list sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soya lecithin (from soybean), and vanilla.
There are some dark chocolates that add butter oil, but you would know this by reading the ingredient statement on the label.
All ingredients must be declared on the label so that consumers know exactly what the product contains and can make informed decisions based on these ingredients.
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An Excellent Wine and Chocolate Pairing
September 11, 2010
My mom came for dinner last week and she 
After dinner, I (as any properly trained daughter should do) brought out chocolate for dessert. I was in the mood for a Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate bar. As I took a bite, I noticed I had a swallow of wine left in my glass and drank it. The chocolate was still in my mouth, and the result of this accidental pairing was, well, it was meant to be!
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Chocolate for End of Ramadan Celebration
September 10, 2010
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
September 8, 2010
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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