Orchids that Smell like Chocolate

Continuing my blog ties in with Earth Day, I posted a story yesterday about orchids and mystery and rainforests on Mystery Fanfare, my mystery blog. Since I was thinking about orchids, I thought I'd mention some orchids that smell like chocolate. Not quite chocolate, but the smell is the next best thing, especially if you love orchids.

Sharry Baby in a chocolate oncidium that produces multiple spikes with dozens of tiny blossoms. Although the petals appear to be delicate, they're really quite firm with almost a leathery feel--and the smell, well it smells just like chocolate! The scent can be addictive, but you won't gain weight. I have a few, and I'm pretty sure I picked them up at Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's, by the way, has some very fine earth-friendly chocolate, as well as great orchids.

Encyclia phoenicium is a fragrant Cuban orchid that smells of chocolate and sends up a spray of flowers with small Cattleya like shape. Not as easy to find as Oncidium Sharry Baby.

Remember, you can always eat chocolate in the hothouse while tending your orchids. Warm chocolate is soooo good.

Mud Pie for Earth Day

My previous blog was about Earth-Friendly chocolate: what makes chocolate earth-friendly, so today I thought I'd give a recipe for Mud Pie, the perfect chocolate treat for Earth Day. The following recipe from the evite blog is a variation on the traditional Mud Pie. It's easy and delicious.

Mud Pie

• 1½ cups chocolate wafer cookies, crushed into tiny pieces
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 pint coffee ice cream, softened
• 1 tablespoon Kahlúa
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 1 cup whipping cream, plus 2 tablespoons
• ½ cup dark corn syrup
• 12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

Combine chocolate wafer cookies and butter and press into 9-inch pie plate. Place in freezer. Mix ice cream, Kahlúa and brandy. Whip 2 tablespoons whipping cream, fold into ice cream mixture, and pour into pie shell. Cover and place in freezer. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup cream and corn syrup to a simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Cool until lukewarm, about 20 minutes. Pour sauce over mud pie and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

Earth Friendly Chocolate

With Earth Day coming up on April 22, I thought I'd put together a list and information about earth-friendly chocolate also known as eco-chocolate.

What makes chocolate earth-friendly?

A little background: There are issues related to chocolate that need to be taken into consideration. First the demand for chocolate is so great that there are forces at work (human forces) to clear more and more of the rainforests to accommodate single crop cacao tree plantations. This leaves open sunny fields that lower the levels of plant and animal diversity. Along with that is the fact that some plantations use large amounts of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides that devastate not just the land but animal and bird populations--and other plants.

Another big problem with cacao production is child labor. Although this is not an environmental issue it is being addressed by environmentalists and humanists. 284,000 children between the ages of 9 and 12 work in hazardous conditions on West African cacao plantations. Many cacao workers in Ivory Coast (more than 40% of world's cacao is grown there), are underage and overworked. Read more. This is where fair-trade advocates have targeted the large producers to improve working conditions. To read more about conditions and responsible scientists and environmental groups, go here.

So what earth friendly chocolate should you eat on Earth Day?

Look beyond the word "organic." Opt for "fair trade certified"

Choose chocolates made from local ingredients. Hawaii is the only U.S. state that produces cacao: The Hawaiian Chocolate Company is absolutely terrific since it's truly bean to bar on the big Island, so that's a great one!

Don't forget to check out if the brand uses recycled paper with no plastic inserts or plastic coating.

Here are a few on my own list, but there are many more, and I look forward to comments.

Republica del Cacao
Dagoba
Scharffen Berger
Green and Black
Pralus
Theo
Cacao Anasa
Yachana Gourmet
Charles Chocolates
Hawaiian Chocolate Company
The Grenada Chocolate Company
Rapunzel

As well as brands of organic chocolate bars, there are several non-organic companies that have organic lines.

O.K. so I know you're either feeling a bit guilty by now or very virtuous, but here's something chocolate you can do without any of the calories. Adopt a chocolate tree. For $49, The Foundation for Integrated Education and Development (FUNEDESIN) offers a certificate of adoption, two bags of Ecuadorian chocolate and 10% off the regular price of Yachana Lodge tours.

Want to read a real earth-friendly chocolate story? Two Brits went from the U.K. to Africa driving a truck that's using 2000 liters of biofuel produced from waste chocolate. Now that's really using everything chocolate!

Republica del Cacao

Frank Price, our TeamBuilding-Unlimited VP, is doing a short chocolate tasting tonight with a group of wine country event planners. This is part of a longer showcase of what our company, TeamBuilding Unlimited ,can and will do with clients. One of the 4 chocolates he chose was Republica del Cacao, a single original Dark Chocolate with 75% cacoa solids. This chocolate is wonderfully smooth with a slight floral aroma and a terrific lasting finish.

The Los Rios Province chocolate is a single original dark chocolate that uses the Arriba cacoa beans in Ecuador. They are both harvested and produced in Ecuador. The Plantations in Los Rios Province have exuberant rain forests, natural springs and rivers that help produce the legendary fine flavor with unmistakable aromas (you'll smell it once you get into the swing of things). What was really fun is that the bar, available at fine chocolate shops and online, contains tasting tips. You can have your own mini-chocolate tasting/appreciation. Listening to your senses: Appearance, Aroma, Taste, Touch and Listen. Buy a bar and read the notes 'adapted from The Chocolatier by Chloe Doutre-Roussel.' Or go on line and read a more detailed tasting list.

The origin of "Arriba" goes back to the 19th century when a Swiss Chocolatier traveling on the Guayas River was impressed by the aroma and asked workmen unloading cacoa sacks from a boat where the cacao aroma came from. They answered "de rio arriba" --from up the river.

Republica del Cacao was established four years ago as a project in search of rescuing one of the most valuable Ecuadorian agricultural treasures.: Cacao Arriba.

I have a hard job--tasting chocolate!

Easter Chocolate Desserts

So, I have my chocolate eggs and bunnies ready, but I thought I'd put together a few other ideas for Chocolate Easter desserts--or for any Springtime celebration.

Chocolate Nests. This is a wonderful recipe from Woman's Day. I particularly like this recipe because it's a mix of what else? sweet and sour. And, it looks so good. It takes 20 minutes to put together and 50 minutes to cook, and your friends and family will think you worked hours! Very artistic.

Ingredients:

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
2 cans (5 oz each) thin chow mein noodles
Fill with: egg-shaped Easter candies such as Jordan almonds

Preparation:

1. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Lightly coat with nonstick spray.2. Scrape condensed milk into a medium saucepan or microwave-safe bowl; add chocolate chips. Place over low heat and stir often, or microwave on high 2 to 4 minutes, stirring every minute, until chips melt and mixture is blended and smooth. 3. Put noodles into a large bowl, pour on chocolate mixture and toss with a rubber spatula until noodles are coated.4. Drop generous 1⁄2 cups on prepared baking sheets. Lightly spray fingertips with nonstick spray. Form mounds into nests making a depression in the center to hold candies. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set. Peel off of the foil; fill with candies.

Planning Tip: The nests can be made up to 3 days before serving. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Stephanie Jaworski on Joy of Baking has a yummy Chocolate Easter Cake suggestion. Take your favorite chocolate torte recipe (her recipe for the chocolate torte and the ganache is on the page) and cover it with a lovely smooth and shiny chocolate ganache and garnish with colorful sprinkles and candy. Make the torte a day ahead so it becomes dense and fudgy and doesn't break off.

Tyler Florence of the Food Network has lots of 'show-stopping" chocolate desserts for Easter, but this one caught my eye: Truffle tarts with Raspberries, and the "crust" is made with chocolate wafers or oreo crumbs, and the filling consists of truffle cream. The recipe is simple!

Chocolate for Passover

Passover is coming up next week, and unlike my friends who gave up chocolate for Lent (don't worry folks, the end is near), there is absolutely no reason to give up chocolate for Passover. Well, yes and no. Depends if you keep kosher or not--and then to what degree, but I won't go there. Besides my interest in chocolate for which I have no 'real' education, I do have a PhD in Religion, and I do understand the fine points of kashrut. However, the following delightful treats--a combination of salt and sweet tastes-- are available to everyone whatever your religion.

So the question remains every year, how to enliven unleavened bread (matza, matzoh-spelling varies) that often tastes like cardboard? What else, add chocolate!

Here's a great easy recipe adapted from Ellen Helman that appeared in the Boston Globe several years ago.

Chocolate-covered Matzoh

6 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
½ cup dark brown sugar
4 sheets regular unsalted matzo
8 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips

1. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with foil.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter or margarine. Add the sugar and stir well.
3. Place two matzos on each baking sheet. Divide the butter and sugar mixture among the sheets of matzo -- about 2 tablespoons for each one. With a rubber spatula, spread the mixture over the entire surface of matzo.
4. Bake the matzos for 6 to 7 minutes or until the topping is bubbly and brown.
5. Remove the sheets from the oven and immediately sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons of the chips. Let them sit for 30 seconds, then use a metal palette knife to spread the chocolate evenly.
6. Transfer the matzos to wire racks. Remove the foil from the baking sheets and set the racks on the sheets. Refrigerate for 30 minutes so the chocolate solidifies.

Don't want to go to all that bother? Streit's has a milk chocolate matzo. 7 oz. for $6.99
Indulge in Chocolate has a Kosher Chocolate Covered Matza which is covered in rich, dark chocolate and covered with colorful sprinkles! Cost is $31.95. for a 5 pound package. Judaism.com has this available in 1 lb boxes.

Want to be more adventurous? Several websites have recipes for Chocolate Covered Toffee Matzo. I'm a big David Lebovitz fan, living the sweet life in Paris. What chocoholic or foodie doesn't follow his blog? He had a great recipe for Chocolate-Covered Caramelized Matzoh Crunch last year. In this recipe, you're actually making more of a brittle. Be sure to substitute margarine for butter if you're taking this to a Passover seder where brisket will be served, but only if you assume it will be eaten during dessert, and if it matters, you should probably keep a kosher kitchen. But you can always bring this as a gift. There are a few companies that sell something similar, but it would be worth taking the time to make this yourself.

Want another Chocolate Passover treat to make. Here's a recipe for Chocolate-Covered Matzo Caramel Squares from Zelda's Sweet Shoppe in Skokie, IL.

Now let's get down to some chocolatiers. Charles Chocolates in San Francisco makes a great Chocolate Covered Matzah--pieces enrobed in their special 65% bittersweet chocolate. (This product is not certified kosher for Passover.) Vosges has a Dark Chocolate Matzo listed under its Crunchy Chocolate Snacks. This consists of broken matzo coated with their 64% cacao Venezuelan dark chocolate and finished off with a sprinkling of kosher sea salt. (Certified Kosher, but not Kosher for Passover,)

Here's one that I'm 'dying' to taste. Charoset Chocolate Matzo from Vosges. Dark chocolate broken matzo covered with apples, walnut and cinnamon. One stop shopping!

Passover starts on the evening of April 8, 2009.

Chocolate + Bacon: Sweet and Salty

My friend Jeff sent me this photo (L) of Milk Chocolate Covered bacon from the This is Why You're Fat Blog. CCB is definitely one of the Seven Deadly Sins. On going directly to the source, I found this second treat, Chocolate Covered Apple Smoked Bacon. This uses dark chocolate. It's that sweet-salty thing that is so appealing. I found a recipe at Kevin's Tech Ramblings that includes the history of CCB.

Needless to say, the recipes and chocolate on today's blog do not observe the rules of kashrut.

O.K. maybe some of you just might not want to see exactly what you're eating. The Chocolatier Vosges offers Mo's Bacon Bar. Copy reads, "Breathe…engage your five senses, close your eyes and inhale deeply. Be in the present moment, notice the color of the chocolate, the glossy shine. Rub your thumb over the chocolate bar to release the aromas of smoked applewood bacon flirting with deep milk chocolate. Snap off just a tiny piece and place it in your mouth, let the lust of salt and sweet coat your tongue."
Mo's Bacon Bar: applewood smoked bacon + Alder wood smoked salt + deep milk chocolate, 41% cacao 3oz.

My search expanded as I wondered what other sweet/salty chocolate bacon treats were out there. A Good Appetite takes this treat to a new level with Dark Chocolate & Bacon Cupcakes. Well if you can put black beans in brownies, why not bacon in cupcakes? This recipe uses Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa, so now we're moving in the right direction--dark chocolate, that is. One warning in the recipe says not to skimp on the bacon, so that there is a nice chunk of bacon in each bite.

It's said that bacon covered chocolate originated at Marini's in Santa Cruz. Not sure, but I'd love to hear from others. Yumsugar has a fabulous recipe to make chocolate covered bacon at home. I think I prefer this recipe to the one above.

Of course, I needed to see if there were Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes. Yes, The Culinary Sherpas have a recipe. One of the comments on their Blog suggested Nutella and bacon crepes as a bacon/chocolate treat. Now that doesn't sound weird at all.

To update the 'special' Brownie recipes from the other day, and I knew there would be one, Bacon Brownies. This recipe by Mike Kirsch uses the Betty Crocker Hershey's Turtle brownie mix, but if you're a purist, you'll figure out you're own recipe from scratch.

This might be April 1, but this is not an April Fool's joke!

Dolce Bella Chocolates

I hadn't tried Dolce Bella Chocolates before the San Francisco Chocolate Salon, and I'm so glad I have now. As you know, I'm more of a purist when it comes to chocolate, but Audrey Vaggione's smooth ganache fillings are to die for. Dolce Bella was definitely on my scorecard at the Chocolate Salon.

Audrey Vaggione, chocolatier and pastry chef , was at the show with lots of different samples of her elegant, smooth, truffles and chocolates. She graduated from the California Culinary Academy in Baking and Pastry Arts in 2005 and, after gaining experience in several Bay Area pastry kitchens, launched Vaggione Pastries, making custom desserts, wedding cakes, and chocolates. She found making chocolates melded her interests: growing fresh food, cooking, decorating, and science, and she soon began shipping chocolates, making them in rented space in a commercial kitchen and selling at farmers’ markets. Suddenly every “for lease” sign was calling out to her and the search for her own space began. The new Dolce Bella Chocolates kitchen and store location is in Saratoga on Cox Avenue across from the garden in which Audrey grows most of the flavor ingredients in her creations.

Dolce Bella Chocolates takes freshness to a whole new level. Berries, citrus, flowers, and herbs are picked the very morning, sometimes within minutes of being incorporated into cream and butter ganache and piped into a molded chocolate shell. The results are fresh flavors rarely found out of the garden.

Even traditional ingredients such as caramel are made from scratch; no extracts, preservatives, or artificial colorings are used in the making of the chocolates. Contrasting chocolate or gold luster dust, a ground mineral powder, are used for decoration.

Dolce Bella uses E-Guittard chocolate, locally made with old-world traditional methods since the 1860s.

Dolce Bella Chocolates Store, 18828 Cox Ave, Saratoga, California 9507, Phone (408) 866-8351

Can't make it to Dolce Bella or a local farmers' market (Mountain View and Saratoga), order online.

Chocolate Paris

As if I really need a reason to visit Paris, Hotel Fouquet's Barriere in Paris on the corner of Avenue des Champs Elysees and Avenue George V has a chocolate-themed package for Easter. Guests staying in the upscale hotel from April 10 to April 13 can se the mood with chocolate treatments in the hotel spa, as well as lessons in the art of gourmet chocolate-making taught by pastry chef Jean-Luc Labat. Package includes an overnight stay, continental breakfast and lunch or dinner for two. Rates start at $1,105 for an overnight tsay based on double occupancy. For more info, go to: Fouquets-Barriere.com

Also, sorry for the lack of postings. Just getting back into the swing of things after the San Francisco Chocolate Salon this past Saturday. I'll be posting shortly with pictures. Winners will be announced by the Salon this week. Being a judge was hard work, but someone's got to do it. Needless to say, I ate a lot of chocolate.

St. Patrick's Day Chocolate

Lots of chocolate cakes for St. Patrick's Day. There's a recipe for Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes at RecipeZaar, originally from Woman's World. Yummy! I would probably use Scharffen Berger cocoa powder.

Epicurious offers this recipe for Chocolate Stout Cake. I would use Guinness, for sure. And, here's an easier Chocolate Guinness Cake recipe from the NY Times.

Bake at 350 degrees:

Butter for pan
1 cup Guinness stout
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
3/8 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

The NYT recipe uses a white cream cheese icing, but I would do a chocolate one. Well, I am a chocoholic, after all. Here's my recipe:

12 oz. chocolate chips or broken dark chocolate

8 oz cream cheese

1 box powdered sugar, 1 stick butter

1. For the cake: heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.

2. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.

4. Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand.

If you use the white creamcheese icing, you can ice the top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness. If you use chocolate, well.... you'll be eating more chocolate!

Don't have the time or inclination to make a cake from scratch? This Chocolate Guinness Cake is even easier and calls for more Guinness!!! This recipe is from Canela and Comino. (Their new website is: www.canelaycomino.com with lots of other fabulous recipes.) Don't worry about the taste or smell of the Guinness since you're using the whole bottle. You'll only have a tang from the Guinness and no yeasty smell, just great chocolate aroma!

1 box of dark chocolate cake mix (one with pudding in the mix)
1 bottle of Guinness Stout
1/2 cup of Canola oil
3 eggs
4 oz. Bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine the cake mix, Stout, oil, and eggs in a mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed just until combined. Add bittersweet chocolate and gently stir in. Divide between the two 8” cake pans, coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle.

3. Remove from oven and cool in pans for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Once cooled, frost with a rich Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes for Pancake Week

Months of Edible Celebrations tells us that this is National Pancake Week!! You've already missed a few days of pancakes, but there's still time to make these fabulous Simple Healthy Chocolate Chip Pancakes posted at Treat a Week. More pancake info on both sites.

Want to make Double Chocolate Pancakes? Check this recipe at The Global Gourmet. How about Viennesse Chocolate Pancakes? Don't forget the Chocolate Syrup! And here's a final chocolate pancake recipe with raspberry sauce that's low calorie, low sodium and low cholesterol from Eating Well.

As always, use the best quality chocolate and cocoa for the best possible taste!

Lucy Pelt from Peanuts says it best, “All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.”

Home made Oreo Cookies

Although I'm a fan of high quality chocolate, I'm still a sucker for the standard cookie fare of chocolate sandwich cookies. Oreos are just about the most popular cookie in America. I'm a Hydrox fan myself, and I was glad to see that Kelloggs revived Hydrox cookies. Here's a Blog dedicated to my favorites: Hydrox Cookies. The official Hydrox site can be found here.

Want to try making a variation on these cookies at home? They won't be the same as Hydrox or Oreos, but they're really delicious. I found this recipe on the Food Network website. It comes from Trois Pommes Patisseries in Brooklyn, so if you can't or won't bake, you can always stop by the patisserie for these delicious treats.

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 32 cookies

Close

Times:

Prep

40 min

Inactive Prep

20 min

Cook

20 min

Total:

1 hr 20 min

INGREDIENTS
For the Dough:

1 1/3 cups cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Prepare the dough: Sift together the cocoa powder, flour and salt in a large bowl.

Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, incorporating each ingredient before adding the next. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces; place one piece between 2 lightly floured sheets of parchment paper and roll into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Refrigerate both rectangles, covered with the parchment sheets, until firm, at least 1 hour or up to several days.

Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut the dough into 64 circles. (You can reroll the scraps once.) Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets and chill for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Bake the cookies until they are set and slightly darker around the edges, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Using a mixer, cream the butter and shortening until fluffy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla.

Flip half of the cookies upside down and top each with 1 level tablespoon of filling. Press the remaining cookies on top to make sandwiches.

Photograph by James Baigrie

Artisan Sweets: Tasting Chocolate

Thanks to Janet Appel for referring me to Ashley Rodriguez's Blog Artisan Sweets, a sweet journey told through artistically crafted desserts. Artisan Sweets is devoted to all kind of foods with an emphasis on desserts. Today's entry is on Tasting Chocolate. She describes a home chocolate tasting. Here are the categories for tasting each chocolate:

Each chocolate sample was tasted separately while examining all five of the following categories.

Appearance - What does is look like? Sheen, bloom, even texture, color. Color should be even with a nice gloss, no discoloration, spots or cloudiness.

Snap - What does it sound like when you break it or bite into it? Should sound clear, crisp - this is a sign of a proper temper. The chocolate should not bend or crumble.

Aroma - Similar to tasting wine. This is a matter of subjectivity. Fruity, spicy, floral, etc. Anything goes. Do you smell leather, tobacco, dirty socks? Say it.

Mouthfeel - Smooth, not grainy or gritty. It can feel velvety or creamy, or it can be waxy or greasy.

Taste - Descriptors similar to aroma. Allow the chocolate to slowly melt on the tongue. Different tastes will emerge at different stages of consumption.

I've bookmarked this page, and I've been enjoying reading this Blog. How did I miss it before? The Times Online selected Artisan Sweets as one of the top 50 Food blogs in the world! Fabulous!!

San Francisco International Chocolate Salon

Just received an email with new chocolate additions to the 2009 San Francisco Chocolate Salon.

TCHO, Tifa Chocolate, Yelp!, Omnivore Books, The Sweet Beauty Organic Chocolate Spa, ARTworkSF, and PlayFirst's "Chocolatier" video games (Decadence by Design).

The Chocolate Salon is Saturday, March 21st, 2009 from 10am-6pm and is the premier artisan chocolate and confections event on the West Coast, with over 30,000 square feet of discoveries and delights at the Fort Mason Center's Herbst Pavilion in San Francisco.
Advance Tickets are $20 ($25 Door).

See the new Chocolate Television video from past Salons featuring L'Artisan du Chocolat, Quady Winery, XOX Truffles, and the San Francisco Chocolate Factory.

The Third Annual San Francisco International CHOCOLATE SALON participants include over 50 chocolatiers, confectioners, wineries and other culinary artisans, such as: Amano Artisan Chocolate, Jade Chocolates, Coco-luxe Confections, Guittard Chocolate Company, Saratoga Chocolates, Marti Chocolatt, The Tea Room chocolate, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, Choclatique, TCHO, The Xocolate Bar, Dolce Bella Chocolates, William Dean Chocolates, Dove Chocolate Discoveries, , Omnivore Books, Sweet Beauty Organic Chocolate Spa,Chocolate Television, The New York Times and TasteTV, and many more. All this in over 30,000 square feet of Chocolate, Wine and Confections.

For Tickets: Contact: www.SFChocolateSalon.com

Chocolate Salon Author Book Signings:
Carole Bloom, "Truffles, Candies, and Confections"
Celebrity Chefs, "Sexy Dishes: A Guide to Who's Hot in the Kitchen"
Anita Chu, "A Field Guide to Cookies"
A.K. Crump, "The Cafes of San Francisco, 3rd Edition"

*** UPCOMING LUXURY CHOCOLATE SALONS **

- Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon (July 12, 2009)
- Chicago Luxury Chocolate Salon (September, 2009)
- Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon (October 2009)

For more info: www.ChocolateSalon.TV

Chocolate Valentine's Day Decadent Gifts

Need a last minute present for Valentine's Day? Lots of ideas.

Starting off: Why not a gift certificate for a decadent chocolate spa treatment?

It's "Chocolate-Covered February" in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Hershey knows how to celebrate Valentine's Day, with specials on couples' massages and pedicures being offered at the The Spa at the Hotel Hershey. There are chocolate-spa treatments such as a whipped cocoa bath in foaming chocolate milk, a cocoa bean scrub, a chocolate-fondue wrap and many others.

Check out your local spa for chocolate treatments. You can probably order a gift certificate online and no one will know you waited until today! Be sure and add some chocolate to the card and gift certificate.

Barb Conley, BellaOnline's West Coast Travel Editor, has several suggestions for Valentine's Day Travel for Chocolate in the Western States. I've added a few of my own in the list below.

Visit a winery.
Several wineries are holding special Valentines Day events that pair chocolate and other foods with their wines. These can vary from casual day events to evening galas.

Take a Chocolate Factory Tour.
Get up close and personal with tons of chocolate decadence by taking a chocolate factory tour. Sadly Hershey's has closed Scharffen Berger in Berkeley. This was one of my favorite tours. Simple but informative. And after the tour, I would order a chocolate sandwich in the cafe. Three of my favorite food groups: chocolate, butter, and bread--and it was fried!

Go on a Chocolate Picnic.
Regardless of where you live, you can do this inside or out. Barb suggests packing a picnic lunch and including a chocolate treat or stopping for chocolate sundaes on the way home. My suggestion is to have everything in the picnic basket be chocolate based. It's cold outside, so you could even include a hot spicy African stew made with dark chocolate or a hot chicken mole. Take a thermos of cocoa, some chocolate cake, chocolate covered strawberries (you'll need some fruit for balance?) and chocolate truffles. So many choices.

Eat dessert first.
This is something my sister-in-law would enjoy. She always looks at the dessert menu before ordering dinner. Most restaurants on Valentine's Day will include a special chocolate dessert.

Enjoy the day, sip hot chocolate. Stay home, take a walk in the neighborhood or attend an art exhibit, visit a zoo, museum or science exhibition with a thermos of your best very own hot chocolate!

Other gift ideas?

Create a chocolate spa gift basket. Think chocolate scented candles, chocolate candy, chocolate lotion, chocolate perfume oil.

Take a chocolate class together or give a gift certificate.

Create a decadent chocolate dessert at home.

Give a cocoa massage or a classic Swedish massage with chocolate-scented massage oil.

So many ways for the chocoholic to indulge.

San Francisco Chocolate Tours

Today's San Francisco Chronicle has a story about San Francisco Chocolate Tours conducted by Gourmet Walks, a company founded in 2007 by Andrea Nadel. The tour, packed with info on artisan chocolate, is a three hour walking tour of the San Francisco waterfront/Union Square area and includes the background on the history of chocolate and how the best chocolate is made, tips on tasting, purchasing and storing chocolate, chocolate at each boutique, and more.

Want to create your own tour? Here are a few locations.

Chocolates
8 Westfield San Francisco Centre, 845 Market St., (street level), San Francisco. (415) 896-5222. www.cocoabella.com Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.


Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop, Union Square, 1042 Stockton St., (between Geary and Market streets), San Francisco. (415) 397-3030. www.ghirardelli.com, Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Fog City News, 5455 Market St., (between Fremont and First streets), San Francisco. (415) 543-7400. www.Fogcitynews.com. Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Scharffen Berger Chocolate, Joseph Schmidt Confections, 4 One Ferry Building, Shop #14, San Francisco. (415) 981-9150. www.scharffenberger.com. josephschmidtconfections.com, Hours: 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Leonidas Belgian Chocolates, 650 Post St., Crocker Galleria (street level), San Francisco. (415) 956-2338, Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Recchiuti Confections, 3 One Ferry Building, Shop No. 30, San Francisco. (415) 834-9494. www.recchiuti.com.Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Richart Chocolates, 11393 Sutter St., San Francisco. (415) 291-9600. www.richart-chocolates.com Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Schoggi Swiss Chocolates, 787 Yerba Buena Lane, (on Mission, between Third and Fourth streets). (415) 243-4444. www.schoggi.us, Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Teuscher of Switzerland,9307 Sutter St., (between Grant Avenue and Stockton Street), San Francisco. (415) 834-0850. www.teuschersf.com, Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

XOX Truffles, 1754 Columbus Ave.,San Francisco. (415) 421-4814. www.xoxtruffles.com, Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Tcho, 2 Pier 17, on the Embarcadero at Green Street, San Francisco, (415) 981-0189. www.tcho.com/store, Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Brownie Lava Dessert/Chocolate Cookbooks

February is Chocolate Month, and it seems like every newspaper, blog and magazine has a chocolate story. Well, the traditional gift on Valentine's Day is chocolate, so it comes as no big surprise to this chocoholic. Kate Shatzkin has a review of two new chocolate cookbooks in the Baltimore Sun with a fabulous recipe for Brownie Lava Dessert. As always I recommend using the very highest quality chocolate in any recipe. For the review, go here.

Brownie Lava Dessert
(Serves 4 to 6)
1/2 cup pecan pieces
3 1/2 ounces good bittersweet chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the pecan pieces into a baking dish and lightly toast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Let cool.
Meanwhile, break up the chocolate and put it in a medium saucepan. Add the butter and melt gently over very, very low heat, stirring frequently.
Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, then gradually stir in the eggs, followed by the vanilla extract.
When those ingredients are thoroughly mixed, stir in the flour, then, finally, the nuts. When there are no more floury streaks, scrape down the sides of the pan and transfer the mixture to a greased, 7-by-2 1/2-inch round or oval baking dish.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the mixture is set on top and there is a soft, gooey layer at the bottom. Serve immediately, alone or with light cream or vanilla ice cream on the side.
-- Adapted from "Heavenly Chocolate Desserts," edited by Celine Hughes

Godiva Chocolate Suite New York Contest

Janet Appel, blogger and chocoholic, sent me this link about a special February Month of Love Godiva Chocolate Getaway. Godiva loves Valentine's Day so much they're going to celebrate for an entire month -- granted, it's also the shortest month of the year.

Lucky couples who buy their sweet hearts Godiva chocolates for the holiday may get the chance to win a "fantasy weekend" which involves staying in a New York City hotel suite dedicated to chocolate. The lucky winners will not just get a box of chocolates; they'll be staying in a virtually chocolate-covered suite in the Bryant Park Hotel. Brooke Shields helped unveil this delicious room, designed by Jonathan Adler, so it's all ready for the winners. In addition, the love birds will be treated to a chocolate tasting, fine dining around Manhattan and other "surprises".
Those lusting for that trip to NYC can buy up all the boxes of Godiva chocolates between now and February 27, 2009. You'll know which boxes are the potential winners by the heart marking the store's display. When you open the box, look for an envelope and open it to see your instant win message. If it says, "Congratulations" -- you're the winner so follow the instructions on your card. And go to the official site for the specific rules.

Aside from the grand prize winner, 100 other first place winners will earn a year's supply of Godiva chocolate. Good luck!

Mystery of Ancient Puebloan Jars Solved/Chocolate Containers

From NYT, 2/3/09 by Michael Hederle.

For years Patricia Crown puzzled over the cylindrical clay jars found in the ruins at Chaco Canyon, the great complex of multistory masonry dwellings set amid the arid mesas of northwestern New Mexico. They were utterly unlike other pots and pitchers she had seen.

Some scholars believed that Chaco’s inhabitants, ancestors of the modern Pueblo people of the Southwest, had stretched skins across the cylinders and used them for drums, while others thought they held sacred objects.

But the answer is simpler, though no less intriguing, Ms. Crown asserts in a paper published Tuesday in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: the jars were used for drinking liquid chocolate. Her findings offer the first proof of chocolate use in North America north of the Mexican border. Continue reading.

Researchers believe ancient Pueblos used the jars to drink chocolate.

Tests of jars found in the ruins of Chaco Canyon in New Mexico confirmed the presence of theobromine, a cacao marker.

***
O.K. this is surprising because it's so much earlier, but there's so much more for us to discover about chocolate. So we now need to drop the date by 500 years.

***

Cacao, the staple of Valentine's Day chocolates and hot drinks by a cozy winter fire, made it to the American Southwest by AD 1000, centuries earlier than researchers had believed. Scientists said they had found traces of theobromine, the chemical that serves as a distinct marker for cacao, on pottery shards found in a multistory pueblo in northwestern New Mexico.

Previous studies had not placed cacao in what is now the United States until after the Spanish conquest of South America in the 15th century.

The nearest source for the cacao, which was made into a bitter beverage used in religious and other rituals, was more than 1,200 miles to the south in Mexico. Read Continue Reading L.A. Times.

Is Chocolate Recession Proof?

Is Chocolate Recession Proof? That's the question of the week. Last year, total chocolate-candy sales grew 2.1% to hit $7.5 billion. Chocolate was 80% of all candy bought last year. No big surprise to me! Of course, I buy chocolate, not candy. I know, I know. I'm a chocolate snob.

A headline this past week in The Wall Street Journal reads "Premium Chocolate Holds Steady in Tough Economy. More Selective Consumers Make Each Morsel Count with Emphasis on Ingredient Sourcing and Artisanal Production."

According to the editors at Gourmet, consumers that dine out less frequently to save money, will turn to wine and chocolate - since they are affordable luxuries. Both industries have seen an explosion of boutique brands and products over the past few years, especially at the high end.

The selective consumer will appreciate quality chocolate that's produced from bean to bar. I was introduced to several new artisan chocolates recently at the San Francisco Fancy Food Show including two chocolate makers that grow, harvest and make their own chocolate in the same place. More on that in a later blog. It is delicious, but it doesn't come cheap.

So with Valentine's Day coming up, my advice is go out there and buy the very best chocolate you can find to boost the economy. It's a stimulant!

Chocolate News and Recipes

Valentine's Day is coming up, so I thought I'd have a mixture of Chocolate News and recipes this month.

The San Jose Mercury News has a long list of local chocolate makers today. The decision by Hershey Co. to close the Bay Area factories of Scharffen Berger and Joseph Schmidt leaves a void in the field of homegrown chocolate companies. As Valentine's Day looms, some suggestions for local options. Suggestions include Dolce Bella Chocolates in Saratoga, Recchiuti Confections in San Francisco, See's Candies, one of the longest CA presences, and several others.

Sunset Magazine has a list of 20 Ultimate Chocolate Deserts, starting with a Salted Chocolate Tart! They're all pretty sinful. Of course, my feeling is it's all in the chocolate, so choose the very best chocolate for your own adaptation of the recipe.

Recession: Eat More Chocolate

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article the other day that showed that the demand for chocolate demands strong despite the dismal economy. Although the prices of many commodities have fallen from their recent peaks, companies like Hershey's don't seem to be affected. In fact, shares of Hershey rose last week. Sadly, there's a slowdown in pricier premium chocolate, hopefully not for readers of this blog. The show-down (results) will be around Valentine's Day when high end chocolate companies make their announcements.

The Chocolate Challenge

Everyone loves Chocolate! What could be more tempting than building a structure completely from chocolate? In this case, chocolate and chocolate related foods. TeamBuilding has never been so sweet!

Maybe Julie Barker from Meetings Industry Megasite explains it best:

Meetings Industry Megasite

Entertain with Chocolate by Julie Barker

On the West Coast, Janet Rudolph runs a Berkeley, CA, company called TeamBuilding Unlimited that features a "chocolate challenge." She divides the group into teams of four or five people, furnishes chocolate-covered graham crackers, M&Ms, chocolate Gummy Bears, Hershey bars—"anything you can think of that is made of chocolate. We go for different shapes, sizes, and textures, not high-end chocolate."

Groups then compete to build a structure. One HMO firm had its teams build their ideal hospitals. Another group set its teams to designing resorts. The result "has to stand up on its own and, except for the white cardboard base, has to be completely edible," says Rudolph. Teams are given about an hour to design and build, and then they have to present the results. "Half the fun is explaining why they did what they did," she says.

For more info on this and on our High End Chocolate Tasting, contact Janet Rudolph or Frank Price at TeamBuilding Unlimited/Murder on the Menu.