Posted in Chocolate Gifts, Chocolate Products on February 3rd, 2010 by sarita – Be the first to comment
Despite being geared toward the Western U.S., we love reading Sunset for its food and decorating ideas. In the January issue, they called out a number of healthy dark chocolate products, some of which were new to us.
Utah’s Amano Artisan Chocolate makes award-winning, single varietal handmade chocolate bars incorporate carefully sourced beans from Venezuela, Madagascar, Ecuador, Bali, Ghana and beyond. They also sell hand roasted cocoa nibs and bulk chocolate.
Claudio Corallo cultivates a cacao plantation on the African island of Principe, a biologically-rich island with world-reknown cacao. His offers complex bars, some with flavors like orange and ginger, as well as whole roasted cacao beans that have a delicious nutty texture.
We also learned about Portland, OR based Sip to Live, a shop with unique blends of organic teas based on ayurvedic principles. Each blend helps to serve and refresh different areas of the body. For example The Cool-Out, with its blend of chamomile, cherry bark and other herbs is made to soothe the nerves.
Posted in Chocolate Products on January 8th, 2010 by sarita – Be the first to comment
Frustrated with the taste of healthy chocolate? Try as you might to enjoy minimally-processed chocolate for better health and pure enjoyment, you may find the taste unpleasantly bitter. Bitterness in chocolate comes from underfermented or over-roasted cocoa beans, or other missteps in the manufacturing process. (You may have noticed something similar happens with coffee beans). As a result, many people associate fine, high-quality, high cocoa content chocolate with bitterness, when that doesn’t have to be the case.
Enter Olivia Chocolat, one of Canada’s newest and finest chocolate makers. Not only does Olivia Chocolate produce fine, dark, “bean-to-bar” chocolate bars. Founder David MacDonald developed a way to remove any natural bitterness from chocolate to produce a smooth, unrefined, pleasantly sweet taste. This is sure to satisfy anyone interested in exploring dark chocolate, but who may be uneasy with the bitterness.
With each batch of chocolate taking 10 days to prepare, Olivia Chocolatiers is a small-but-growing chocolate company that incorporates local ingredients into their offerings such as maple sugar from Quebec. They currently distribute their chocolate throughout Ontario and Quebec.
What’s next? In addition to producing more delicious chocolate, Olivia is working on a chocolate recipe for diabetics using low-glycemic palm sugar. Another healthy chocolate success!
Posted in Cacao, Chocolate Products on December 20th, 2009 by sarita – Be the first to comment
We’ll eat pretty much anything covered in chocolate. But why do chocolate-covered cacao nibs make a particularly
great snack? Fresh cacao nibs can be compared to an unsweetened chocolate chip, as they’re made from crushed cocoa beans. On their own, they’re crunchy, rich and nutritious, not to mention their mood-elevating properties. Cacao nibs can be blended into smoothies, used in baking or added to granola for a low-calorie, vegan boost.
Cover cacao nibs in dark chocolate and you have a sweet, giftworthy treat that’s also a portable snack. The taste of chocolate-covered cacao nibs depends on the type of chocolate used. Chocolate containing a higher level of cacao means a chocolate-covered cacao nib that’s more intense and less sweet than those with a lower percentage. They will have a smooth, shiny look and taste, with the chocolate balancing some of the mild bitterness of the cacao nib. Look for nuances of fruit, nuts, vanilla, or smokiness, depending on the chocolate used.
You can also combine chocolate-covered cacao nibs in a bowl with pistachios, almonds or dried fruit for a satisfying dessert. Or make your own trail mix incorporating chocolate covered cacao nibs. (Note: the chocolate covered cacao nibs contain more caffeine and sugar than the plain nibs themselves, so be mindful of quantities).
For a deliciously refined example of what chocolate covered cacao nibs should taste like, check out Sweetriot Cacao Nibs – Dark Chocolate 65, 12 Units / 1 oz
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Posted in Handling and Storing Chocolate on December 11th, 2009 by sarita – Be the first to comment
Ever wonder how to properly taste chocolate? With so many types of chocolate available, it’s hard to know what to look for, let alone what to taste for. While there’s always a matter of personal preference in chocolate tasting, this excellent guide from Nibble is a great way to begin exploring chocolate the way professional food tasters do.
The Tasting Chocolate Guide is broken out into sections so you’ll learn to judge chocolate’s aroma, appearance and taste. Chocolate tasting is a great activity to do with friends, where you gather a small group and each person brings a different dark chocolate bar or two. You take turns evaluating the different types of chocolate. Which one seems more waxy than the others? What region’s chocolate did folks enjoy the most?
The Nibble Tasting Chocolate Guide also suggests the assortment of chocolates to have at a chocolate tasting and the best sequence to enjoy them. Check it out here.
Taste Chocolate.
Posted in Handling and Storing Chocolate on December 9th, 2009 by sarita – Be the first to comment
Like much of baking, working with chocolate is not without its mysteries. Have you ever noticed that when you have refrigerated chocolate, it develops a white colored exterior? What about when the flavor of chocolate changes once melted?
Temperature and humidity are key when storing chocolate and maintaining its freshness. Keep your chocolate stored between 50 and 70 degrees F. This consistency of temperature is essential.
Make sure packages of chocolate are tightly sealed so that neither air nor light can penetrate the chocolate.
If you’re melting chocolate, do so using a double boiler. It’s a gentler way of heating than a typical stovetop pan or microwave. This raises the temperature and changes chocolate’s texture more gradually to help avoid scorching and keep its smooth, glossy appearance. It also helps it to maintain its natural flavors.
Despite being geared toward the Western U.S., we love reading Sunset for its food and decorating ideas. In the January issue, they called out a number of healthy dark chocolate products, some of which were new to us.
