Gorgeous Chocolate!

The Chocolate Connoisseur May 28th, 2007

Chocolate candy has been consumed and enjoyed for many years. Hawaii is the only place in the United States where cocoa beans are grown and on the large island of Hawaii cacao plants thrive in the warm, tropical climate. Cacao is the tree in which large pods grow up to ten inches long and each pod can have forty seeds, which are called cocoa beans. After the beans ferment, they are dried and roasted and the meat of the seed is then ground into a powder. Cocoa beans contain 50% of fat and when the beans are ground, a liquid is produced containing pure, bitter chocolate liquor. As the liquid cools, it solidifies, forming a chocolate form known in stores as baking chocolate. When the chocolate liquor is pressed, the fat is removed. This creates two results, one being cocoa powder, while the other is known as cocoa butter. The powder is used usually for baking and the butter can be used for making other products such as cosmetics and soap products.
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• History of Chocolate , Types of Chocolate
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The Chocolate Connoisseur May 21st, 2007

Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate or any type of chocolate has been one of the most popular confections for people of any age for many years. Studies in scientific journals now say that dark chocolate is a healthy chocolate, so people who love to eat dark chocolate will never need to feel guilty again. Studies show that just two ounces, or fifty grams, of plain, dark chocolate, containing seventy percent chocolate solids, has a health benefit. It offers protection against high blood pressure, heart disease and other heath hazards by removing free radicals from the blood so that it circulates through the body more freely. Many people have always eaten dark chocolate because they love the taste so these newly discovered health benefits are a bonus.

Many wonderful recipes call for dark chocolate. A deep dark chocolate soufflé is a great dessert to serve family or company and is easy to make.

Ingredients

· ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons of white sugar
· ½ cup of cocoa
· ¼ cup softened butter
· ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
· 1 cup milk
· 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
· 4 eggs, separated

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Butter a 6-cup soufflé dish and then coat, using one tablespoon of sugar. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour and cocoa, add butter and then mix well. Using a medium saucepan, heat the milk until very hot, reduce the heat and add your cocoa mixture. Beat this until it is thick and smooth, remove from the heat, and stir in a half-cup of sugar and then the vanilla. Cool this slightly and start adding the egg yolks individually, beating well after each one. Let this mixture sit until it reaches room temperature. In a large bowl, mix the egg whites until foamy, gradually adding the last two tablespoons of sugar and beating until the mixture is stiff. Stir in a little beaten egg white into the chocolate mixture and then fold the chocolate mixture into the rest of the egg whites. Carefully pour this into your six-cup soufflé dish and bake for forty to forty-five minutes, until puffed. Serve this wonderful deep dark chocolate soufflé immediately with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.

A quick and easy dark chocolate topping for ice cream or any dessert requires only two cups of dark chocolate chips, one cup of whipping cream and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. In a medium, microwave-safe mixing bowl, stir together the whipping cream, dark chocolate chips and microwave this on high. Stir after one minute and continue heating and stirring if necessary, to melt any remaining chips. Serve this wonderful topping over ice cream for a taste-treat sensation.

• Chocolate Recipes , Types of Chocolate
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The Chocolate Connoisseur April 11th, 2007

When you need to choose a small gift for someone and have absolutely no idea what to give him or her, or you are just looking for the perfect gift, chocolate candy is always a hit. Nothing is as delicious as the creamy, sweet, scrumptious taste of chocolate. Chocolate comes in a huge variety of forms such as boxed chocolates, chocolate bars, chocolate gift baskets, and chocolate easter eggs and rabbits. A chocolate candy gift can be a box of inexpensive, delicious chocolates or extravagant, mouth-watering Belgian chocolate truffles, which make a person swoon with delight. Due to the popularity of chocolates, there are countless chocolate candy brands in today’s market. Walking into a chocolate candy store is a fantastic experience, with the wonderful smells and delightful sight of chocolate candy, in a huge array of choices. There are rows of chocolate-filled candies, chocolate candy novelties, chocolate bars, chocolate fudge, and chocolate baskets, just to name a few.

This coconut chocolate candy recipe is easy to make and yields approximately one hundred servings.

Ingredients

· 1 pound flaked coconut
· 1 ½ pounds of semi-sweet chocolate chips or morsels
· ¾ cup butter
· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
· 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
· 5 2/3 cups powdered sugar
· ½ teaspoon salt
· 1 pound finely ground pecans
· 3 ounces of paraffin

Over low heat, melt the butter in a large saucepan but be sure not to allow it to brown. Remove from heat, whisk in the salt, vanilla and condensed milk, and then quickly mix in the pecans, coconut and powdered sugar, using your hands. In a 9 x 13 inch baking pan coated with vegetable spray, transfer in the candy mixture, patting it in firmly. Cover and store this in your refrigerator overnight. The next day, using a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and paraffin. Remove the coconut candy from the refrigerator and cut into one-inch pieces. Dip the coconut candy in the chocolate, using a toothpick, to coat. Place these on waxed paper and leave to harden in the refrigerator. Your friends and family will love this wonderful chocolate candy treat.

Fudge nougats is another chocolate candy that people love and is easy and quick to make.

Ingredients

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 2 cups of sugar
· ¾ cup nuts of your choice
· ½ cup margarine
· ¾ cup flour
· 1 cup evaporated milk
· 1 cup dark or milk chocolate chips
· I cup crushed graham crackers

Over medium heat, bring evaporated milk, margarine and sugar to a boil and then continue boiling for eight minutes. Remove this from the heat and stir in the flour, chocolate chips, vanilla, nuts, and crushed graham crackers. Spread this into a buttered pan and the let cool. Cut into desired pieces.

• Chocolate Recipes , Types of Chocolate
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The Chocolate Connoisseur March 9th, 2007

The words ‘Belgian chocolate’ bring a smile to people’s faces and make their taste buds salivate. Whether you add rich, dark, decadent chocolate to fresh fruits, cereal, bake with it, drink it or use it on pastries, there is nothing as delectable to a person’s taste buds as chocolate, especially Belgian Chocolate. Many believe that Belgian chocolate is the best gourmet chocolate in the world. Even the Swiss, known for their own excellent, high quality chocolate, originally imported the basic recipe from Belgian chefs.

Old world manufacturing techniques and high quality ingredients are what makes Belgian chocolate delicious and unique. Tourists visiting Belgium will find small chocolate shops that still make chocolates by hand using the original equipment. With their expertise and experience, Belgians have definitely perfected chocolate making.

Real chocolate lovers have eaten Belgian chocolate, and they know how luscious this chocolate tastes. Although expensive, pure Belgian chocolate, considered by many to be the best chocolate in the entire world, is definitely worth every penny. When biting into a quality Belgian chocolate, whether it is milk chocolate, dark chocolate or even white chocolate, a person immediately forgets about the cost and just enjoys the experience of eating the most delicious, incredible chocolate ever.

Belgium produces approximately 172,000 tons of luscious chocolates from over two thousand of the country’s Belgian chocolate outlets. People of all ages love the soothing, fabulous taste of Belgian chocolate and the perfect gift for almost anyone is a Belgian chocolate gift basket.

There are different flavors and varieties of chocolate, such as bitter or sweet chocolate and many wonderful fillings. On a romantic occasion, such as Valentines Day or a birthday, give your sweetheart a Belgian chocolate gift basket with heart-shaped and rose-shaped chocolates and a bottle of wine. Many shops have a great selection of Belgian chocolate gift baskets already made, with some even offering you the option of personally selecting the items you would like included in your basket.

A great dessert that you can make the day before and gives everyone his or her own individual serving is Belgian chocolate mousse.

Ingredients

· 4 ½ ounces finely chopped Belgian bittersweet chocolate
· 2 tablespoons strong coffee such as espresso
· 2 tablespoons or 1 ounce diced, unsalted butter
· 3 large eggs, separated
· 1 cup of cold, heavy cream
· 1 tablespoon sugar
· (Optional) Raspberries or strawberries and extra whipped cream

Whip the cream into soft peaks and place in the refrigerator. Over hot water, using a double boiler, combine butter, espresso and Belgian chocolate, stirring until smooth, remove and let this cool until it is just a little warmer than body temperature. Mix the egg whites until foamy, add sugar and beat, forming soft peaks. Stir the yolks into the warm chocolate mixture; add a third of the whipped cream, fold in the whites and the rest of the whipped cream. Spoon into individual dishes and refrigerate for eight hours.

• Chocolate Recipes , Gourmet Chocolate , Types of Chocolate
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