Homemade Chocolate
Chocolate has been popular for thousands of years and to this day most people’s love for chocolate just continues to grow. It does not matter if someone makes homemade chocolate or buys it, nothing compares to this ecstasy-producing, luscious treat. Whether it is chocolate fudge, hot chocolate, chocolate ice cream, chocolate bars, chocolate sauce, chocolate truffles, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate brownies, chocolate cake or a box of chocolates, it is definitely a favorite of adults and children everywhere. The four main types of chocolate are baking chocolate, milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate. Baking chocolate, which is pure cocoa liquor, has nothing added to the chocolate. Cocoa powder is cocoa liquor and cocoa bean solids that are pressed to remove the cocoa butter. Milk chocolate has extra sugar, cocoa butter and milk solids added to the pure cocoa liquor. Semi-sweet chocolate has extra cocoa butter added to the pure cocoa liquor, but less added sugar than the milk chocolate. With white chocolate, there are no cocoa bean solids, just cocoa butter with milk and sugar.
For anyone that enjoys baking homemade chocolate candies, brownies, fudge, truffles and other treats, chocolate items make a delectable and wonderful gift. Sometimes it is difficult to know what to give as a gift, for occasions such as giving a gift to someone that you do not know well, someone new in your neighborhood or even a thank you gift. Homemade chocolate is also a great gift for the mail carrier, church bazaar, paper carrier or co-workers at the office.
Homemade chocolate fudge is a treat that most people enjoy and is great to give family, friends and acquaintances. Here is a recipe for homemade dark chocolate fudge that tastes fantastic, is easy to make and yields approximately two pounds of delicious fudge.
Ingredients
· ½ cup of light corn syrup
· ½ cup of whipping cream
· 3 cups or eighteen ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
· 1 – 1½ cups sifted powdered sugar
· 1- 1½ teaspoons of vanilla
· ½ cup of chopped nuts (optional)
In a heavy saucepan, bring the corn syrup and cream to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil this for one minute. Remove this mixture from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring constantly. Once melted, add vanilla, powdered sugar and nuts (optional), until blended well. Pour this into an eight-inch square baking pan lined with tin foil. Cover the fudge and place in the refrigerator until firm. Cut your homemade chocolate fudge into sixty-four, one-inch pieces. This recipe makes enough fudge to give some away as a gift and still have enough for your family and friends to enjoy this luscious treat.
March 2, 2007
Fine Gourmet Chocolate
Most people love to eat chocolate, especially fine gourmet chocolate. Unlike inferior chocolate products, gourmet chocolate boasts a glossy, smooth appearance with no marks or streaks. It has a rich, wonderful cocoa aroma instead of a faint chocolate smell, or even a chemical odor. Gourmet chocolate melts in your mouth, releasing an almost sinful, rich, wonderful taste that has chocoholics wanting more.
It also has many proven health benefits along with being delicious, containing essential elements such as iron, vitamins, potassium and calcium. Chromium, found in high levels in gourmet chocolate, helps control a person’s blood sugar. Some people even feel that chocolate works as an antidepressant, making them feel better instantly after eating it. Fine gourmet chocolate also makes a wonderful gift, which is perfect for any occasion such as Christmas, Valentines Day and birthdays, or sometimes just to put a smile on a loved one’s face just because you care.
Fine gourmet chocolate comes in many different types, such as dark chocolate, cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, milk chocolate, couverture, bittersweet chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate, often used in cooking. To enhance the wonderful taste of fine gourmet chocolate even more, some common additives are liqueur, all kinds of nuts, mint, caramel, rice crispies, orange, dry fruits, strawberry and cream.
Fine gourmet chocolate has certainly become more popular over the last few years, with some chocolate connoisseurs talking about chocolate the way wine critics talk about exceptional wines. Gourmet chocolate tasting is a trend that many of the top-line chocolate producers now encourage. Tasting the many different fine gourmet chocolates available is a wonderful pastime that lets people develop their own dislikes or preferences. Not only is this like chocolate heaven, but you have the opportunity to buy as little or as much of the gourmet chocolate you want. There is such a large range to select from that you do not necessarily have to buy only the most expensive chocolate, as it really is a matter of personal taste.
Here is a recipe for gourmet hot chocolate that is relatively low-calorie and low-sugar but wonderful in taste. To make this drink super creamy, you use cornstarch, which thickens the chocolate. This recipe serves two or three.
Ingredients
· ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
· ½ cup sweetener
· 1 tablespoon sugar
· ¼ cup water
· 3 teaspoons cornstarch
· 2 cups skim milk
In a medium saucepan mix together the cocoa powder, sweetener and sugar. Combine the cornstarch and water and add this to the saucepan, being sure to blend the mixture until it is smooth. Over medium-low heat, slowly pour the milk in, stirring continuously until the gourmet chocolate mix comes to a simmer. Let this simmer for an additional ten minutes, stirring often. When the chocolate is thick and smooth, your fine gourmet chocolate drink is ready for you to enjoy.
March 1, 2007
Chocolate Covered Fruit
Most people love chocolate and fruit, so any chance to combine the two and have chocolate covered fruit is a wonderful taste experience. In the past, chocolate, which originated in Central America, was a luxury that only royalty and the wealthy were able to enjoy. Nowadays almost everyone has the opportunity to indulge him or herself by enjoying the wonderful taste of chocolate.
One way to enjoy chocolate covered fruit is a chocolate fountain, which is always a huge hit at functions such as dinner banquets, weddings, a family gathering, birthday parties or even a night hanging out with your friends. Not only is it an elegant, unique way to serve fruit and chocolate but people of all ages love to watch warm chocolate cascade over each tier of the chocolate fountain until it reaches the bottom. There are chocolate fountains made for smaller gatherings and home use and commercial fountains that are available to rent for large gatherings. Most places that rent or sell chocolate fountains also sell the milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and many mixtures, formulated especially for using with a fountain so it streams down the tiers properly.
Another wonderful thing about a chocolate fountain is that your imagination is the only limit to what you dip into that river of luscious chocolate. Avoid foods that crumble or fall apart and air-dry any fruit you dip, as a lot of excess moisture could cause problems. Chocolate covered fruit is as easy as making a fruit platter for dipping, using fruits such as grapes, whole strawberries, pineapple chunks, whole raspberries, banana chunks, melon, kiwi chunks, dried fruit, apple slices, and fresh cherries. This is sure to be a hit with all age groups. Other great dipping items and popular choices are rice crispy treats, biscotti, meringue cookies, pretzels, cheese, orange slices, marshmallows, and assorted cookies.
Another way to enjoy chocolate covered fruit is a chocolate fondue, which is easy and makes a decadent, fantastic dessert. Here is an easy recipe for the chocolate.
Ingredients
· 1 cup sifted premium cocoa powder
· 1 ¼ cups of water
· ¼ cup of corn syrup
· 1 ½ cups of sugar
· ½ cup plus 5 tablespoons of heavy cream
· 5 ounces of chopped semi-sweet chocolate
Place the sugar, water and corn syrup into a saucepan and bring this to a boil, allowing it to simmer for up to fifteen minutes. You want this to reduce by thirty percent, then remove from the heat. Gradually add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, slowly adding the heavy cream, until it reaches boiling point. Turn the heat down and simmer for an additional five minutes. Remove this mixture from the heat, stir in the chocolate pieces and then pour it into your fondue pot. Serve bite size pieces of fruit for delicious chocolate covered fruit.
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