Chocolate Unwrapped: Taste & Enjoy the World’s Finest Chocolate
Chocolate Unwrapped: Taste & Enjoy the World’s Finest Chocolate
Comprehensive listings of premium chocolate as well as delicious recipes round out this ultimate guide to the iconic food
Today, sweetened chocolate confectionery has replaced “real” chocolate in many markets, but growing interest in sustainable farming, organic produce, and authentic flavors has led to a boom in high-quality products, increasing interest in the different varieties available, as well as awards for top producers. For true chocolate connoisseurs, this guide takes a detailed look at this most fascinating and desired food and explores the different varieties available worldwide. Just like wine, the taste of a chocolate will be affected by climate, territory, and manufacture, allowing different flavors to be identified and graded. As well as a history of chocolate and its enjoyment, a comprehensive directory provides readers with details of the best chocolate available in the world, how to identify individual features, and tips on storage and usage. A selection of classic chocolate recipes completes this mouthwatering survey of one of the world’s most popular foods.
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The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural & Natural History of Cacao with Recipes
The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural & Natural History of Cacao with Recipes
More than two hundred years ago, the great Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus christened the cacao tree Theobroma cacao, “food-of-the-gods cacao.” Truly, chocolate is the closest thing we mortals have to ambrosia. But not all chocolate is created equal, a fact we instinctively know when we bite into an exceptional piece of chocolate. What qualities set artisanal chocolate apart from mass-marketed brands? How does chocolate impact our health? How will the rising popularity of microbatch chocolate affect the industry? To find out, The New Taste of Chocolate, Revised takes us on a journey beginning with Maya and Aztec chocolate rituals, followed by exploring the significance of cacao through the ages, up through groundbreaking contemporary genetic discoveries.
Going far beyond the scope of anything currently written about chocolate, this definitive illustrated reference has been revised and expanded to immerse chocolate lovers in the rich history and science of the cacao bean. Celebrated author, scholar, and chocolate expert Maricel E. Presilla introduces us to the broad array of cacao cultivars, meticulously covering the latest research, then explores the art of cacao farming and the people who dedicate their lives to cultivating the precious cacao pods. She also elucidates the harvesting, fermenting, and drying practices that create subtle distinctions in the tastes of particular strains of cacao. From the burnished reds and shocking yellows of the cacao fruits to the deep mahoganies and milky tans of the finished product, we follow cacao from bean to bar, each incarnation as luscious as the next.
More than just a cultural and natural history of our most coveted indulgence, The New Taste of Chocolate, Revised includes a new collection of Maricel Presilla’s savory recipes plus sweet contributions from internationally renowned pastry chefs and chocolatiers. Presilla dissects buzzwords such as single origin and estate grown, illuminates chocolate trends gaining traction with manufacturers and connoisseurs, and predicts what the future holds for chocolate as a globally celebrated delicacy. With stunning new full color photography and rare archival prints throughout, this comprehensive and gorgeous book will help chocoholics cultivate an appreciation for the infinite subtleties of their favorite culinary delight.
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How To Make Your Hot Chocolate … taste even better!
How To Make Your Hot Chocolate … taste even better!
Here’s my recipe and it’s so much better than a mug of ordinary hot chocolate from a tin.
2 T hot chocolate powder
1 T cocoa
*enough milk to make a paste
a little cinnamon to taste
1. Place the hot chocolate powder into a mug and then add the tablespoon of cocoa. Now add enough milk to make paste or the cocoa won’t dissolve when you add the water. Add as much cinnamon as you like… it’s all a matter of taste.
Next step… . Add the boiling water and stir.
*The chocolate mixture has a habit of sinking to the bottom of the cup, so be sure to stir often. I have often used a candy cane as a stir stick… adding extra flavor as well as keeping the chocolate combined.
*If you prefer your cocoa to be thicker, you might want to fill the cup with more milk… and if you want to splurge, you might even try Half and Half. That will give you a more decadent cup of cocoa with about half the work.
That’s pretty much it. All you have to do now is sit back and enjoy.
A Little Cocoa Trivia…
In certain areas of Central and South America, a dance is performed ON the cocoa seeds as they lay drying in the sun.
You have probably heard of Cocoa butter, but it is used in a lot more places that you might imagine. On my desk is a little canister that I picked up from The Body Shop… called body butter and yes, it contains cocoa butter and it does one amazing job on dry feet! And just in case you were wondering… cocoa butter extracted from the cocoa beans during the process of making chocolate and cocoa powder. Amazing stuff!
A Little Link Love 🙂
How to Make Chocolate Milk Using Cocoa Powder
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Categories: chocolate articles Tags: better, CHOCOLATE, even, Taste
A Taste of Egypt: A Recipe For Egyptian Chocolate Cake
Introduction
Egypt is one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations it still draws visitors everyday. Egypt covers just over 1 million square kilometers, about the same size as France and Germany combined. The capital is Cairo. There are around 78 million people who live in Egypt. The official language us Arabic, English and French are widely understood by educated classes. The religion is Muslim by 94%, Christian and other religions around 6%. The climate is hot and sunny for most of the year in Egypt. Winters (November to February) are generally mild.
Country Information
Geographic Facts about Egypt:
1. They have the pyramid if Giza, which is one of the seven wonders of the world.
2. They have Luxor, which is the world’s largest open-air museum
3. The Nile, the world’s largest river, flows through Egypt.
3 “Serious” Facts about Egypt:
1. Egypt is one of the U.S.’s largest markets for wheat sales.
2.Egypt’s natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, and iron ore.
3. Egypt is a key partner in the search for peace in the Middle East and resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
3 “Fun” Facts about Egypt:
1. Egyptians were the first to invent writing
2. The 365 calendar year and 24hrs in a day are Egyptian inventions
3. Cement was invented in Egypt
A “Potpourri” Item
Here is an unusual fact (or two or three) about Egypt:
1. Children wore no clothes until they were teens. They invented eye liner and toilet seats. Along with that they were the first to use anesthesia and set broken bones. Egyptians ground up mummies bodies and drank it in a potion thinking they were medicinal in some way.
Food Information
Recipe
1 3/4 cup Flour, Unbleached, Sifted
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon, Ground
1/8 tsp Cloves, Ground
4 oz Semisweet Chocolate
1/2 cup Brewed Strong Coffee
1/2 cup Butter Or Regular Margarine
1 cup Sugar
2 x Eggs, Large
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Milk
CINNAMON WHIPPED CREAM
2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Cinnamon, Ground
Directions
Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves together; set aside. Combine chocolate and coffee in small saucepan. Cook over low heat until the chocolate is melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl, until they are light and fluffy. Use an electric mixer set on medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and chocolate mixture.
Add dry ingredients alternately with milk to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
Pour batter into 2 greased and waxed paper-lined 8-inch cake pans. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pans on racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on racks. To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread with Cinnamon Whipped Cream. Top with second cake layer. Frost sides and top with remaining Cinnamon Whipped Cream.
Refrigerate until serving time.
CINNAMON WHIPPED CREAM:
Chill large mixing bowl and beaters. Combine cream, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and beat with an electric mixer set at high speed until soft peaks form and mixture is thick enough to spread. DO NOT overbeat, or you will have butter instead of whipped cream.
My Kitchen Story
It wasn’t that hard. I’m used to baking, that’s what I love to do and that’s why I chose a chocolate cake. I was a little worried about the whipped cream but it came out perfect and delicious.
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To contact the author of “A Taste of Egypt: A Recipe for Egyptian Chocolate Cake,” please email w0356628@selu.edu.
Biography
David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also serves as the Director of the Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.blogspot.com/), a hub of research and news in the expanding world of competitive bidding. Dr. Wyld also maintains compilations of works he has helped his students to turn into editorially-reviewed publications at the following sites:
Management Concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/)
Book Reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and
Travel and International Foods (http://wyld-about-food.blogspot.com/).
Written by David Wyld
Professor of Management, Southeastern Louisiana University
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Categories: chocolate articles, chocolate recipes Tags: Cake, CHOCOLATE, Egypt, Egyptian, Recipe, Taste
