chocolate passion

Godiva Chocolatier  is a manufacturer of premium  chocolates  and related products. Godiva, founded in  Belgium  in 1926,  as purchased by the Turkish  Yıldız Holding , owner of the  Ülker  Group, on November 20, 2007 is the true story of a craftsman chocolate maker, whose legendary name has become a symbol of luxury and prestige the world over. Praliné, a mixture of finely grounded almonds or hazelnuts and caramelized sugar, was first invented in Belgium. In 1926, Pierre Draps Senior created his first praliné chocolates, or pralines, in the small atelier of his Brussels home. Soon, the entire family including the four children helped their parents produce, finish, package and deliver their elegant chocolates, which were sold in the smartest department stores in Brussels. The family choose the evocative name “Godiva” being inspired by the passion, boldness and generosity of Lady Godiva from the old English legend. After ...

If you’re going to eat chocolate at all, get a high  percentage  cocoa.  This means at least 85%.   Look for organic and Fair Trade brands.

For years, people ate chocolate for its stimulatory properties: it was thought to increase energy, stimulate sexual desire, and generally add zest to life. Chocolate is a divine, celestial drink, the sweat of the stars, the vital seed, divine nectar, the drink of the gods, panacea and  universal medicine. ( Geronimo Piperni (1796)    Chocolate may have effects on people’s moods. Most chocolate is eaten in the winter, which suggests that people often use it as a way to beat the seasonal blues. Chocolate may also improve cognitive performance, according to some studies. Foods rich in cocoa may reduce blood pressure, which could be due to flavonoids, since they can modify the production of inflammatory modulators and dilate blood vessels in the body, similar to omega-3 fats. While some research has shown that cocoa is associated with a lower incidence of experiencing a cardiovascular event, other studies indicate no benefit (unless you consider a higher heart rate a ...

Yield:  approximately 65 1”x1” (2.25 cm x 2.25 cm) pieces Ingredients 5.3 oz. (150 g) heavy cream  .7 oz. (20 g) glucose 5.2 oz. (150 g) blueberry purée .7 oz. (20 g) butter  19.4 oz. (550 g) deZaan Intense 35 milk couverture (or milk chocolate of your choice), tempered  3.5 oz. (100 g) deZaan Essential 54 dark couverture (or dark chocolate of your choice), tempered  .9 oz. (25 g) whiskey For coating in chocolate Chef Wybauw suggests: Tempered DeZaan dark couverture (Sensation 72 or Temptation 64) ( see tempering instructions ) or you can use any other dark chocolate of your choice. Method Bring the cream, glucose, blueberry purée and butter to a boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to a temperature of approximately 95°F (35°C). Add the tempered milk and dark chocolates to the cream and fruit mixture and stirring to combine. To emulsify the ganache properly, it is best to use a hand blender. Submerge the blender head into the ganache before...

Forget death by chocolate. More and more research is showing that high quality, dark chocolate (or cocoa or cacao) may actually improve your health. Here are 13 reasons to love chocolate: 1.  Chocolate, cocoa, and cacao are high in the mineral magnesium which is essential for over 500 functions in your body , including:  heart health and muscle function. 2.  Chocolate may reduce the risk of heart failure.  Murray Mittleman and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School studied data on 31,823 middle-aged and elderly Swedish women to assess the relationship between chocolate and heart failure.  The women who consumed an average of one to two servings (that’s a fairly small amount) of high-quality, cocoa-rich chocolate per week had a 32 percent lower risk of experiencing heart failure.  Those women who ate one to three servings a month had a 26 percent lower risk of heart failure.  See my article “Nutrient Slashes Risk of Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabete...

INGREDIENTs 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons sugar 3 large eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 cup chocolate syrup, plus more for topping 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Cooking spray Confectioners’ sugar and/or berries, for topping (optional) Preparation Melt the butter and shortening in a small saucepan, stirring to combine; remove from the heat and set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs, milk, chocolate syrup and vanilla in a large liquid measuring cup or a separate bowl. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until combined. (The batter will be slightly lumpy.) Whisk in the butter mixture until combined. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Preheat a waffle iron and spray with cooking spray. Ladle some of the batter into the waffle iron to within an inch of the edge (1/3 to 1/2 cup batter, dep...

INGREDIENTS • 1/2 cup butter, softened • 1/2 cup sugar • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar • 2 large eggs • 1 cup molasses • 1/4 cup buttermilk • 1/2 teaspoon anise extract • 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon each ground allspice, cardamom and cloves • 1/2 cup ground walnuts • 1/2 cup raisins • 1/2 cup pitted dates • 1/2 cup candied lemon peel • 1/3 cup flaked coconut • 1/4 cup candied orange peel • 3 tablespoons candied pineapple For Glaze: • 1/2 cup sugar • 1/4 cup water • 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar METHOD • Preheat oven to 350° • Line a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with parchment paper. • In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in molasses, buttermilk and extract. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, ci...

Chocolate cheesecake? Yep, and it’s yummy and easy to make. Ingredients: 1/4 cup Grape Nuts 1/2 cup fat free cream cheese (room temperature) 2 Tablespoons honey 1 egg white 1/4 cup fat free plain yogurt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup cocoa powder Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Put Grape Nuts in a Ziploc bag and crush/whack until a) your stress is gone and/or b) they are finely crushed. Lightly grease four small ramekins (about 3″ diameter). Divide the Grape Nuts in four equal parts and spread on the bottom of the ramekins. In a small bowl, beat together cream cheese, honey, egg white, yogurt, and vanilla until smooth. Then slowly mix in the cocoa. Divide the mixture into the four ramekins and bake about 12 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate before serving this healthy chocolate cheesecake with the garnish of your choice.

You can easily invent your own hot chocolate recipe! Yummy additions to basic hot chocolate include whip cream, cinnamon, vanilla, almond, orange or peppermint extracts, shaved chocolate, malted milk powder, candy canes, a peppermint tea bag, marshmallows, and ground hazelnuts. Be creative! Have fun! You don’t need to use cane sugar. Honey and other sugar substitutes work equally well. I usually drink soy or rice milk, but I don’t like the taste in hot chocolate. Instead, I use about 2/3 boiling water and 1/3 cold soymilk just for thickness. Sometimes I will cheat and add a bit of instant powdered milk, too. If you are using powdered milk, make sure to use instant. Regular dry milk tends to get very lumpy. For super rich cocoa, try using part half and half! For iced (not frozen) hot chocolate, make a large batch. Allow the mixture to cool, then put half into ice cube trays and freeze, and put the rest in the fridge. When the cubes are ready, add them to the refrigerated choco...

That’s the thing about chocolate – ultimately, only you can decide what tastes good to you. Just because there are “experts” who call one chocolate better than another doesn’t mean you are going to like the same things. And that’s okay! In general, if the manufacturer uses high quality ingredients, you’ll probably get a reasonably good chocolate.

The natural, cream-colored vegetable fat extracted from cocoa beans during the process of making chocolate and cocoa powder. It's used to add smoothness and flavor in some foods (including chocolate) and in making cosmetics and soaps. From The Food Lover's Companion, Fourth edition by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. Copyright © 2007, 2001, 1995, 1990 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. Read more at: http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/cocoa-butter/index.html?oc=linkback

Kirsti A. Dyer, MD, MS, CWS It has been shown as proof positive that carefully prepared chocolate is as healthful a food as it is pleasant; that it is nourishing and easily digested...that it is above al helpful to people who must do a great deal of mental work...~Anthelme Brillat-Savarin Any true chocolate connoisseur can tell you that this delectable "food of the gods" is good for your mind and your spirit. Researchers—nutritionists, food scientists, nurses and cardiologists—have also demonstrated scientifically that chocolate is good for your body. Knowledge of chocolate’s benefits is not new. The ancient Aztecs discovered a "divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue." A cup of this invaluable, refreshing and nourishing drink, made by crushing the seeds of the Theobroma cacoa tree, permitted a man to walk for a whole day without food. Nutrition researcher, Michael Levine, among others, described chocolate as being the world's perfe...

The science and the art of chocolate When I was a child, I found chocolate fascinating and I was wondering  Where did it come from? How was it made? What magic was behind this sweet and creamy goodness? Where Is It From? The treat so loved worldwide has very humble beginnings. The cacao bean begins life inside a fruit, called a pod, on a tree in the tropics, primarily in remote areas of West Africa, Southeast Asia and Central and South America. These delicate, flower-covered trees need much tending and, when farmed using sustainable methods, grow in harmony in tropical forests beneath other cash crops such as bananas, rubber or hardwood trees. Grown on small family farms, the beans leave cocoa farms by hand, in carts, on donkeys or rugged trucks to be sold to a local buyer and then to processors abroad. Once in the factory, they are ground, pressed, heated and stirred to create luxurious chocolate. What Is It? Chocolate grows on trees. The cocoa "beans" ...