Chocolate Is Healthy

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.

Not only was this raw vegan chocolate pie a hit at a dinner party, but it even passed the five year old kid taste test.  Impressive!

ireallylikefood shared this fabulous recipe for a chocolate pie made with a mixed nut crust and filled with a pudding-like chocolate mixture that included avocados, cocoa powder, and shredded coconut.  Garnished with fresh fruit, the raw chocolate pie mixture could also work as a delicious cake frosting.

Check out the link below for the full recipe and a step-by-step process with pictures, of how to make this fabulous vegan chocolate pie.

Chocolate Filling for Raw Vegan Chocolate Pie Recipe by ireallylikefood.

Ingredients:

• 3 avocados (stay with me here, the outcome is truly delicious!)
• 1/2 cup of agave (1/2 cup maple syrup)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2  Tbsp tahini (aka: sesame butter)  (cold pressed coconut butter I had none)
• (3/4 cup raw carob powder I skipped this because I don’t like it)
• 4 Tbsp organic cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional… I added this because i had no coconut butter)
• berries of choice

Directions:

1. Cut your avocados in half

2. Pit your avocados and scoop out the flesh into your food processor along with the vanilla, tahini, shredded coconut and agave. Blend away (a blender also works for this)

3.  Once it is nicely blended add in your cocoa powder and blend.

4. Fill in your pie crust and top with berries

Recipe: “Raw” Chocolate Pie | ireallylikefood.

This interesting event has been held by Global Exchange, putting grassroots pressure on international companies that purchase cocoa.  They distribute information on fair trade chocolate to parents and school groups across the United States and Canada.  In addition, participants go “reverse trick or treating” on Halloween where instead of accepting candy, trick or treaters distribute fair trade chocolate to each home.

Why fair trade chocolate?  Many people aren’t aware that despite international agreements, around 2 million children work on cocoa plantations, some in slavelike conditions with no pay.   Better labor practices and sustainable agriculture are emphasized in the fair trade movement.  It takes strict adherence to policies for chocolate to be certified as fair trade.

Global Exchange hopes to draw attention to the human rights issues in chocolate production by sharing delicious samples of fair trade chocolate with consumers.  By raising awareness of fair trade chocolate, they encourage corporations to closely examine their business practices.

“Reverse Trick-or-Treaters” Deliver Fair Trade Chocolate | Worldwatch Institute.

The Go Dairy Free site is an excellent resource for living a dairy free lifestyle through news, helpful resources and hundreds of unbiased reviews of dairy free products.   So we’ll always take their recommendations when it comes to dairy free chocolate.    Check out their review of Chocolate Emporium, all of whose chocolate products are dairy free (obviously) as well as kosher.  They make a huge variety of chocolate truffles, candies and chocolate-covered fruits, many of which are also vegan and nut free.

Go Dairy Free | Chocolate Emporium Offers Largest Selection to Dairy-Free and Kosher Communities.

As you may know, cacao itself is not sweet.  When chocolate is made, it’s the sugar that provides cacao with its sweetness.

In the 15th century, the spice trade brought precious goods like cardamom, pepper, mace, cloves and cacao to Europe from around the World.  Chefs began to integrate these prized ingredients into their cooking. (sometimes in unappealing amounts).  With its nuanced characteristics, cacao became a key element in Italian savory dishes  from pasta to meats that are still enjoyed in Italian regional cooking today.

“In Tuscany, chocolate is a key ingredient with venison and wild boar,” says Remo Vannini, executive chef of Florence’s L’Incontro at Hotel Savoy. “Like wine, vinegar or lemon juice, chocolate provides just the right touch of acidity. We Italians add a hint of chocolate to many sauces. Chocolate acts not only as an emulsifier, adding natural thickness to sauces, but also enhances the other flavors. It is wonderful with game meats, but lovely, too, with chicken and beef.”

As is Italian tradition, let chocolate spice up dinner – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.