About Chocolate
All you wanted to know (And some you didn't)
Fun Chocolate Facts
**********************
The Gift of the Cocao Tree
Most people probably already know that the cocao bean is the key ingredient that makes chocolate what it is. But where does the cocao bean come from? From the cocao tree of course (big surprise there). Cocao beans are the seeds from the hand-sized fruits that grow on this special tree. The pulp of the cocao fruit is mild tasting, with a subtle, bittersweet chocolate flavor. Although the fruit is commonly eaten by locals, it's the dark purple-colored seeds found inside that are prized by millions worldwide.
So how do we get the smooth, creamy chocolate that we all know today, from these little seeds found in cocao fruit? Workers cut the cocao fruit (pods) open and scoop out the beans. The beans are allowed to ferment and dry and are then sorted by hand into different varieties. They are then cleaned, roasted and hulled, leaving just the 'nib' of the bean. These nibs are then blended, much like coffee beans, to produce the desired flavors. The nibs are then ground up and the cocoa butter is released. The heat produced from this process melts the cocoa butter and ground nibs to produce chocolate liquor, which is the basic and necessary ingredient in all 'real' chocolate (see the definition of White Chocolate in the next section for more). And that, in a cocao pod, is how chocolate is made!
The melting point of cocoa butter is just below the human body temperature (98.6 degrees), which is why it literally melts in your mouth.
The Basics of Cooking with Chocolate
**************************************
If your chocolate knowledge stops at deciding between a Mars Bar and a Twix, then there are a few terms and concepts that you should get cozy with before tackling some of the trickier chocolate recipes. Have a quick read through this, and soon you’ll be ready to try the fun and fancy chocolate treats in the next section!
Conching When chocolate is raw and unprocessed; it has a gritty and grainy texture. Conching is the process of rolling and kneading chocolate to give it a smoother, richer quality. It ensures that the liquid is evenly blended and the longer chocolate is conched, the more luxurious it will feel on your tongue.
Couverture - This is a special type of high quality chocolate containing extra cocoa butter. It is used for dipping, coating, molding and garnishing, as it is more fluid than regular chocolate. It must be tempered before use to stabilize the cocoa butter.
Bloom - Bloom is the grayish-white stuff that you sometimes see on the surface of your chocolate. It occurs when chocolate is stored at high temperatures or experiences widely fluctuating temperatures, both which cause the cocoa butter to separate. Bloom isn't harmful, and disappears if the chocolate is melted for cooking.
Seizing - Have you ever been melting some chocolate and suddenly it went from a shiny, smooth liquid to a dull, thick paste? Well, this is seizing. Unfortunately, if this happens, there's nothing that can be done to save it. You'll have to throw out your chocolate and start again. To find out how you can avoid this tragic death for chocolate, see the next section for more details.
Tempering - This is a method of melting and cooling chocolate. It gives chocolate its bright luster and the sharp snap when you break it. The tempering process is necessary to stabilize the cocoa butter crystals found in chocolate so that they become more uniform in size. I'll go into step-by-step details of this process in the next section.
Chocolate Varieties:
Chocolate Liquor (AKA unsweetened chocolate) - This is the pure stuff - unadulterated ground, roasted chocolate beans.
Milk Chocolate - Milk chocolate contains chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, vanilla, milk solids and lecithin. It must contain 10% chocolate liquor, 3.7% milk fats, and 12% milk solids. It contains much less chocolate liquor than dark chocolate, which is why it has a less pronounced chocolate flavor. Due to its high sugar content, milk chocolate is very heat sensitive and should never be substituted in recipes that call for semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate.
Dark Chocolate - Dark chocolate is simply chocolate without milk as an additive, sometimes called plain chocolate. In the US, it requires a 15% concentration of chocolate liquor, and European rules specify a minimum of 35% cocoa solids.
White Chocolate - This is actually not really chocolate at all. White chocolate is typically a mixture of sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, lecithin and vanilla. To be officially classified as chocolate, it must have chocolate liquor in it, which white chocolate does not.
Cocoa Powder - The dry powder that remains after the cocoa butter is pressed out of chocolate liquor.
Chocolate syrup was used to represent blood in the famous 45 second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's move, "Psycho", and a scene which took 7 days to shoot.
Make Your Own Chocolate Treats
***********************************
If you're making a batch of chocolate chip cookies, you probably won't need to know too much about how to cook with chocolate (empty the bag of chips into the cookie dough, mix and bake - it's all pretty straightforward :-)). But if you'd like to try your hand at something with a little more difficulty, such as chocolate-dipped fruit or truffles, knowing how to properly cook with chocolate is absolutely essential. A few extra seconds of heating or the mere hint of water could ruin your entire recipe. So I'm going to go through instructions for making chocolate dipped strawberries in your own homemade chocolate bowls. You can then apply these basic tempering guidelines to all the fancy chocolate recipes you've always wanted to try!
Before we even get into actually melting the chocolate though, we need to learn how to avoid a term we all learned in the last section - Seizing. Seizing can be caused by a number of factors, but the most common three causes are as follows:
Moisture - Moisture is death for your chocolate. Chocolate is very fussy about liquids and even the smallest hint of water can separate the chocolate and ruin the batch. To prevent this, always make sure that all your ingredients, tools (especially your spatula that you'll be using to stir the chocolate) and work environment are completely dry during the entire process.
Burning - Melting chocolate is a tricky business, and even a few seconds more or a few degrees higher than it needs will burn and ruin your batch. To prevent burning your chocolate, you should use a cooking thermometer to continually monitor the temperature of your chocolate. Also, never leave your melting chocolate unattended - this isn't the sort of thing you can do during commercials :-)
Solidifying - This can happen if you add cold liquids (such as cold cream or milk) to your melting chocolate. If your recipe calls for additional liquids to be added to your chocolate, the easiest way to avoid solidifying is simply to heat your additional liquids to the same temperature as the chocolate before mixing the two.
*** Chocolate-Covered Fruit in Chocolate Cups ***
Before you begin, you'll need:
- 12 oz or more Couverture (If you can't find any, use a high quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate with a high cocoa butter content)
- Saucepan
- Metal bowl that fits on top of the saucepan (or a double boiler if you have one)
- Cooking thermometer
- Rubber Spatula
- Candy forks (or a regular fork, if you don't have one)
- A cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
- Strawberries and Bananas, washed, cut into pieces and dried very well (even a little liquid from the fruit can ruin the chocolate)
- Small balloons (one for each chocolate cup you'll be making), blown up to about the size of a coffee cup
- A hat pin (to let the air out of the balloons)
** There are 3 main methods of tempering:
By double boiler,
Microwave or
Oven (the lesser used of these).
I'll only be covering the double boiler method, but for more information on tempering, see our chocolate sites section for more links.
1. Fill the saucepan 1/3 of the way with water and heat to almost a boil. You want the water to be steaming hot, but don't let it boil.
2. Get out your Couverture. If it is not already cut up, cut it into small pieces of equal size.
3. Put 2/3 of the Couverture into your steel bowl and place the bowl on top of the sauce pan. It's very important to make sure that water never directly touches the bottom of the bowl. The chocolate should slowly begin to melt. Try not to disturb the chocolate during this process. A few stirs with a rubber spatula near the end of the process should help mix the melted chocolate.
4. As the Couverture melts, monitor the temperature with your thermometer. The melting temperature of the chocolate will vary, depending on the manufacturer, but should not exceed 115 degrees. As soon as the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the saucepan. Use a towel to wipe away moisture from the bottom of the bowl (This will prevent any water from finding its way into the bowl).
5. Place the bowl on a table and add 1/3 of your remaining chocolate to the bowl. Stir until the introduced chocolate completely melts. Take another third and repeat the process. Monitor the temperature of the chocolate as you mix it. You should notice the temperature drop to around 100 degrees, and then closer to 90 degrees. Take the remaining third of chocolate and place it in the bowl.
6. Using the rubber spatula, mix the chocolate until all of it is completely melted. If the chocolate is not fluid enough, place the bowl over the hot water for a few seconds and stir. Then remove from the heat and wipe the moisture off the bottom of the bowl. Check the temperature one more time - dark chocolate should be between 85-90 degrees and white or milk should be around 85-86 degrees. (at this point, your chocolate is ready for use in your own recipes)
Chocolate Bowls:
1. Take your blown-up balloons and, one at a time; dip them halfway into the melted chocolate, making sure the 'tied' side is up. Swirl the balloon gently around to produce an even coat. Then lift the balloon slowly to let some of the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
2. Place the balloon on a lined cookie sheet. The chocolate should start to settle and the balloon will stand up on the pan. Once you've finished with all your balloons, place the pan into the fridge for 5-8 minutes. When you remove the pan, the chocolate surrounding the balloons should be hard.
3. Use the hat pin to carefully poke a small hole at the top of the balloon, near the knot. As the balloon deflates, gently pull it away from the chocolate cups. Store your cups in the fridge until you're ready to use them.
Chocolate-Covered Fruit
1. Take your cut fruits and dunk them in the chocolate. Using a (candy) fork, pull them out and place them on a lined pan. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes, remove them from the pan and they're ready to serve in your chocolate cups!
These recipes and guidelines were found on:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/
U.S. chocolate manufacturers currently use 40 percent of the almonds produced in the United States and 25 percent of domestic peanuts.
Chocolate Recipes
***********************
Belgian Chocolate Mousse
***********************
Serves 8
4 eggs
240g sugar
330g Belgian chocolate (dark or milk, depending on preference)
4 egg whites
400 ml cream
1. Beat 4 eggs with 120 g sugar until it starts turning white over a hot water bath. The result is called ruban
2. Take off the heat and beat until it's cold in a cold water bath.
3. Melt the chocolate and carefully mix with the ruban.
4. Beat the egg whites until they are half stiff and add the other 120 g sugar, beat until it's stiff.
5. Beat the cream until it's stiff.
6. Carefully add the cream and the egg whites to the chocolate mixture.
7. Pour into small bowls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!
*********************************
Chocolate Strawberry French Toast
*********************************
Serves 4
Nonstick cooking spray
4 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
8 slices thick day old bread
Butter
1/3 cup grated bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup sliced strawberries
Whipped cream
1. Spray a large skillet or griddle with the cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Beat the eggs, cream, sugar, and vanilla in a large flat bowl or pie plate.
2. Place half of the bread slices in the egg mixture and flip over a few times to let the bread absorb the mixture.
3. Place the bread on the hot griddle or skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes more.
4. Place the toast on a plate and immediately butter and sprinkle with the chocolate. Tent with foil and place in a warm oven. Repeat with the remaining egg mixture and bread. Top the French toast slices with strawberries and whipped cream and serve.
*************************************
The Best Big Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
*************************************
Makes around 18 cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
**************
Tiramisu Truffles
**************
11 ounces of bittersweet chocolate
4 ounces of mascarpone
1/2 cup of heavy cream
3 tbsp brewed (decaf) coffee
9 tbsp of Marsala wine (choose a good quality one)
1 tsp vanilla extract
And for the coating, 12 -16 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet Couverture (coating) chocolate
1. Use a mixer (or a spoon) to blend the marscapone, coffee, vanilla extract, and Marsala wine together. Then add the heavy cream and stir until homogeneous. Don't over-beat if you're using a mixer (the result is not to be whipped).
2. Melt the 11 ounces of chocolate and then stir in the marscapone/cream/Marsala mixture until fully mixed.
3. Chill for a couple of hours. Then scoop out in 1 inch balls. (If the balls are a bit crumbly on the edges, press with your fingers to make them smooth.) Chill the balls for an hour.
4. Melt the coating chocolate and stir until completely melted. Dip each center (ball) to coat it and place on a tray covered with waxed paper.
5. Chill until hard (an hour or two).
***************
I. Chocolate Sites
***************
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/foo d/chocolate/faq/
Want to know everything you could ever know about chocolate? Then have a read through this very thorough Chocolate FAQ
http://www.godiva.com/godiv a/recipes/tips.asp
Detailed information on tempering
http://www.hersheys.com/index.asp A fun site to explore - recipes, baking tips and more
Chocolate Recipes Found on:
http://www.soulhealing.com/choco.htm
http://www/allrecipes.com
http://www.recipezaar.com
http://www.perfectentertaining.com
Once upon a time, money did grow on trees. Cocoa beans were used as currency by the Mayan and Aztec civilizations over 1400 years ago. When they had too much money to spend, they brewed the excess into hot chocolate drinks
======Chocolate Quotes======
"Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar in four pieces with your bare hands - and then just eating one piece"- Judith Viorst
"Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I hear it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate"
- Charles M. Schultz
"I could give up chocolate, but I'm not a quitter"
- Unknown
"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already"
- Dave Barry
"Man cannot live on chocolate alone; but woman sure can!"
- Unknown
"A new British survey has revealed that 9 out of 10 people like chocolate. The tenth lies."
- Robert Paul
"All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!"
- Lucy Van Pelt (in Peanuts, by Charles M. Schultz)
"Chocolate is cheaper than therapy and you don't need an appointment"
- Unknown
All you wanted to know (And some you didn't)
Fun Chocolate Facts
**********************
The Gift of the Cocao Tree
Most people probably already know that the cocao bean is the key ingredient that makes chocolate what it is. But where does the cocao bean come from? From the cocao tree of course (big surprise there). Cocao beans are the seeds from the hand-sized fruits that grow on this special tree. The pulp of the cocao fruit is mild tasting, with a subtle, bittersweet chocolate flavor. Although the fruit is commonly eaten by locals, it's the dark purple-colored seeds found inside that are prized by millions worldwide.
Advertisement:
So how do we get the smooth, creamy chocolate that we all know today, from these little seeds found in cocao fruit? Workers cut the cocao fruit (pods) open and scoop out the beans. The beans are allowed to ferment and dry and are then sorted by hand into different varieties. They are then cleaned, roasted and hulled, leaving just the 'nib' of the bean. These nibs are then blended, much like coffee beans, to produce the desired flavors. The nibs are then ground up and the cocoa butter is released. The heat produced from this process melts the cocoa butter and ground nibs to produce chocolate liquor, which is the basic and necessary ingredient in all 'real' chocolate (see the definition of White Chocolate in the next section for more). And that, in a cocao pod, is how chocolate is made!
The melting point of cocoa butter is just below the human body temperature (98.6 degrees), which is why it literally melts in your mouth.
The Basics of Cooking with Chocolate
**************************************
If your chocolate knowledge stops at deciding between a Mars Bar and a Twix, then there are a few terms and concepts that you should get cozy with before tackling some of the trickier chocolate recipes. Have a quick read through this, and soon you’ll be ready to try the fun and fancy chocolate treats in the next section!
Conching When chocolate is raw and unprocessed; it has a gritty and grainy texture. Conching is the process of rolling and kneading chocolate to give it a smoother, richer quality. It ensures that the liquid is evenly blended and the longer chocolate is conched, the more luxurious it will feel on your tongue.
Couverture - This is a special type of high quality chocolate containing extra cocoa butter. It is used for dipping, coating, molding and garnishing, as it is more fluid than regular chocolate. It must be tempered before use to stabilize the cocoa butter.
Bloom - Bloom is the grayish-white stuff that you sometimes see on the surface of your chocolate. It occurs when chocolate is stored at high temperatures or experiences widely fluctuating temperatures, both which cause the cocoa butter to separate. Bloom isn't harmful, and disappears if the chocolate is melted for cooking.
Seizing - Have you ever been melting some chocolate and suddenly it went from a shiny, smooth liquid to a dull, thick paste? Well, this is seizing. Unfortunately, if this happens, there's nothing that can be done to save it. You'll have to throw out your chocolate and start again. To find out how you can avoid this tragic death for chocolate, see the next section for more details.
Tempering - This is a method of melting and cooling chocolate. It gives chocolate its bright luster and the sharp snap when you break it. The tempering process is necessary to stabilize the cocoa butter crystals found in chocolate so that they become more uniform in size. I'll go into step-by-step details of this process in the next section.
Chocolate Varieties:
Chocolate Liquor (AKA unsweetened chocolate) - This is the pure stuff - unadulterated ground, roasted chocolate beans.
Milk Chocolate - Milk chocolate contains chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, vanilla, milk solids and lecithin. It must contain 10% chocolate liquor, 3.7% milk fats, and 12% milk solids. It contains much less chocolate liquor than dark chocolate, which is why it has a less pronounced chocolate flavor. Due to its high sugar content, milk chocolate is very heat sensitive and should never be substituted in recipes that call for semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate.
Dark Chocolate - Dark chocolate is simply chocolate without milk as an additive, sometimes called plain chocolate. In the US, it requires a 15% concentration of chocolate liquor, and European rules specify a minimum of 35% cocoa solids.
White Chocolate - This is actually not really chocolate at all. White chocolate is typically a mixture of sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, lecithin and vanilla. To be officially classified as chocolate, it must have chocolate liquor in it, which white chocolate does not.
Cocoa Powder - The dry powder that remains after the cocoa butter is pressed out of chocolate liquor.
Chocolate syrup was used to represent blood in the famous 45 second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's move, "Psycho", and a scene which took 7 days to shoot.
Make Your Own Chocolate Treats
***********************************
If you're making a batch of chocolate chip cookies, you probably won't need to know too much about how to cook with chocolate (empty the bag of chips into the cookie dough, mix and bake - it's all pretty straightforward :-)). But if you'd like to try your hand at something with a little more difficulty, such as chocolate-dipped fruit or truffles, knowing how to properly cook with chocolate is absolutely essential. A few extra seconds of heating or the mere hint of water could ruin your entire recipe. So I'm going to go through instructions for making chocolate dipped strawberries in your own homemade chocolate bowls. You can then apply these basic tempering guidelines to all the fancy chocolate recipes you've always wanted to try!
Before we even get into actually melting the chocolate though, we need to learn how to avoid a term we all learned in the last section - Seizing. Seizing can be caused by a number of factors, but the most common three causes are as follows:
Moisture - Moisture is death for your chocolate. Chocolate is very fussy about liquids and even the smallest hint of water can separate the chocolate and ruin the batch. To prevent this, always make sure that all your ingredients, tools (especially your spatula that you'll be using to stir the chocolate) and work environment are completely dry during the entire process.
Burning - Melting chocolate is a tricky business, and even a few seconds more or a few degrees higher than it needs will burn and ruin your batch. To prevent burning your chocolate, you should use a cooking thermometer to continually monitor the temperature of your chocolate. Also, never leave your melting chocolate unattended - this isn't the sort of thing you can do during commercials :-)
Solidifying - This can happen if you add cold liquids (such as cold cream or milk) to your melting chocolate. If your recipe calls for additional liquids to be added to your chocolate, the easiest way to avoid solidifying is simply to heat your additional liquids to the same temperature as the chocolate before mixing the two.
*** Chocolate-Covered Fruit in Chocolate Cups ***
Before you begin, you'll need:
- 12 oz or more Couverture (If you can't find any, use a high quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate with a high cocoa butter content)
- Saucepan
- Metal bowl that fits on top of the saucepan (or a double boiler if you have one)
- Cooking thermometer
- Rubber Spatula
- Candy forks (or a regular fork, if you don't have one)
- A cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
- Strawberries and Bananas, washed, cut into pieces and dried very well (even a little liquid from the fruit can ruin the chocolate)
- Small balloons (one for each chocolate cup you'll be making), blown up to about the size of a coffee cup
- A hat pin (to let the air out of the balloons)
** There are 3 main methods of tempering:
By double boiler,
Microwave or
Oven (the lesser used of these).
I'll only be covering the double boiler method, but for more information on tempering, see our chocolate sites section for more links.
1. Fill the saucepan 1/3 of the way with water and heat to almost a boil. You want the water to be steaming hot, but don't let it boil.
2. Get out your Couverture. If it is not already cut up, cut it into small pieces of equal size.
3. Put 2/3 of the Couverture into your steel bowl and place the bowl on top of the sauce pan. It's very important to make sure that water never directly touches the bottom of the bowl. The chocolate should slowly begin to melt. Try not to disturb the chocolate during this process. A few stirs with a rubber spatula near the end of the process should help mix the melted chocolate.
4. As the Couverture melts, monitor the temperature with your thermometer. The melting temperature of the chocolate will vary, depending on the manufacturer, but should not exceed 115 degrees. As soon as the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the saucepan. Use a towel to wipe away moisture from the bottom of the bowl (This will prevent any water from finding its way into the bowl).
5. Place the bowl on a table and add 1/3 of your remaining chocolate to the bowl. Stir until the introduced chocolate completely melts. Take another third and repeat the process. Monitor the temperature of the chocolate as you mix it. You should notice the temperature drop to around 100 degrees, and then closer to 90 degrees. Take the remaining third of chocolate and place it in the bowl.
6. Using the rubber spatula, mix the chocolate until all of it is completely melted. If the chocolate is not fluid enough, place the bowl over the hot water for a few seconds and stir. Then remove from the heat and wipe the moisture off the bottom of the bowl. Check the temperature one more time - dark chocolate should be between 85-90 degrees and white or milk should be around 85-86 degrees. (at this point, your chocolate is ready for use in your own recipes)
Chocolate Bowls:
1. Take your blown-up balloons and, one at a time; dip them halfway into the melted chocolate, making sure the 'tied' side is up. Swirl the balloon gently around to produce an even coat. Then lift the balloon slowly to let some of the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
2. Place the balloon on a lined cookie sheet. The chocolate should start to settle and the balloon will stand up on the pan. Once you've finished with all your balloons, place the pan into the fridge for 5-8 minutes. When you remove the pan, the chocolate surrounding the balloons should be hard.
3. Use the hat pin to carefully poke a small hole at the top of the balloon, near the knot. As the balloon deflates, gently pull it away from the chocolate cups. Store your cups in the fridge until you're ready to use them.
Chocolate-Covered Fruit
1. Take your cut fruits and dunk them in the chocolate. Using a (candy) fork, pull them out and place them on a lined pan. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes, remove them from the pan and they're ready to serve in your chocolate cups!
These recipes and guidelines were found on:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/
U.S. chocolate manufacturers currently use 40 percent of the almonds produced in the United States and 25 percent of domestic peanuts.
Chocolate Recipes
***********************
Belgian Chocolate Mousse
***********************
Serves 8
4 eggs
240g sugar
330g Belgian chocolate (dark or milk, depending on preference)
4 egg whites
400 ml cream
1. Beat 4 eggs with 120 g sugar until it starts turning white over a hot water bath. The result is called ruban
2. Take off the heat and beat until it's cold in a cold water bath.
3. Melt the chocolate and carefully mix with the ruban.
4. Beat the egg whites until they are half stiff and add the other 120 g sugar, beat until it's stiff.
5. Beat the cream until it's stiff.
6. Carefully add the cream and the egg whites to the chocolate mixture.
7. Pour into small bowls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!
*********************************
Chocolate Strawberry French Toast
*********************************
Serves 4
Nonstick cooking spray
4 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
8 slices thick day old bread
Butter
1/3 cup grated bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup sliced strawberries
Whipped cream
1. Spray a large skillet or griddle with the cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Beat the eggs, cream, sugar, and vanilla in a large flat bowl or pie plate.
2. Place half of the bread slices in the egg mixture and flip over a few times to let the bread absorb the mixture.
3. Place the bread on the hot griddle or skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes more.
4. Place the toast on a plate and immediately butter and sprinkle with the chocolate. Tent with foil and place in a warm oven. Repeat with the remaining egg mixture and bread. Top the French toast slices with strawberries and whipped cream and serve.
*************************************
The Best Big Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
*************************************
Makes around 18 cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
**************
Tiramisu Truffles
**************
11 ounces of bittersweet chocolate
4 ounces of mascarpone
1/2 cup of heavy cream
3 tbsp brewed (decaf) coffee
9 tbsp of Marsala wine (choose a good quality one)
1 tsp vanilla extract
And for the coating, 12 -16 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet Couverture (coating) chocolate
1. Use a mixer (or a spoon) to blend the marscapone, coffee, vanilla extract, and Marsala wine together. Then add the heavy cream and stir until homogeneous. Don't over-beat if you're using a mixer (the result is not to be whipped).
2. Melt the 11 ounces of chocolate and then stir in the marscapone/cream/Marsala mixture until fully mixed.
3. Chill for a couple of hours. Then scoop out in 1 inch balls. (If the balls are a bit crumbly on the edges, press with your fingers to make them smooth.) Chill the balls for an hour.
4. Melt the coating chocolate and stir until completely melted. Dip each center (ball) to coat it and place on a tray covered with waxed paper.
5. Chill until hard (an hour or two).
***************
I. Chocolate Sites
***************
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/foo d/chocolate/faq/
Want to know everything you could ever know about chocolate? Then have a read through this very thorough Chocolate FAQ
http://www.godiva.com/godiv a/recipes/tips.asp
Detailed information on tempering
http://www.hersheys.com/index.asp A fun site to explore - recipes, baking tips and more
Chocolate Recipes Found on:
http://www.soulhealing.com/choco.htm
http://www/allrecipes.com
http://www.recipezaar.com
http://www.perfectentertaining.com
Once upon a time, money did grow on trees. Cocoa beans were used as currency by the Mayan and Aztec civilizations over 1400 years ago. When they had too much money to spend, they brewed the excess into hot chocolate drinks
======Chocolate Quotes======
"Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar in four pieces with your bare hands - and then just eating one piece"- Judith Viorst
"Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I hear it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate"
- Charles M. Schultz
"I could give up chocolate, but I'm not a quitter"
- Unknown
"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already"
- Dave Barry
"Man cannot live on chocolate alone; but woman sure can!"
- Unknown
"A new British survey has revealed that 9 out of 10 people like chocolate. The tenth lies."
- Robert Paul
"All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!"
- Lucy Van Pelt (in Peanuts, by Charles M. Schultz)
"Chocolate is cheaper than therapy and you don't need an appointment"
- Unknown
