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Desmond says: There has been a demand for luxury chocolates for centuries, "From the foamy drink of the Aztecs to the rich confections of Europe, chocolate has long been celebrated as an indulgence fit for Kings, Desmond says ;
"We feel that other than celebrating the wondrous cocoa plant, International Chocolate Day brings the opportunity to celebrate everything chocolaty," he says. "A little bit of decadence never hurt anyone, so we are encouraging people to celebrate this day by joining in the merriment by gorging themselves silly on the dreamy stuff without needing an excuse."
While chocolate has long been considered a great indulgence, recent studies have also shown that there may be reasons to feel a little less guilty about eating chocolate and it can actually be beneficial to your health.
"Researchers have found that certain chocolates and cocoa contain flavonoids, or anti oxidents that may help reduce the risk of heart disease," he says. "Chocolate also contains potassium, magnesium and calcium, and recent studies have shown that chocolate contains a substance called catechins that could help prevent cancer and heart disease."
In addition, with its reputed aphrodisiac qualities, chocolate with a high cocoa content has for centuries been associated with the simple sensual pleasure of its consumption.

I need a foot print lollipop mold about 2" to 3" long ASAP.Stan

Does anyone have the geodesic chocolate mold from jbprince? Does anyone know the candy weight of it. I know other websites like pastrychef.com has them but with less cavities. I tried contacting their customer service 4 TIMES but no responces yet.

This is the dumbest question on this blog but I can't find the answer anywhere here.Date of next large trade(?) show in San Francisco?

I finally managed to find a Whole Foods that was convenient for me to visit. I must say, I'm hooked on that store now. They had beautiful flowers, and I heard my favorite music in there that I never hear anywhere else!But onto the chocolate... I went to the chocolate section, and was overwhelmed by brands that I never heard of. Someone reccomended that I try Kilari, but they didn't have any of that. So, I picked up a small bar of Lindt 70%, and they had tiny squares of another brand that I'm blanking on. I ate the square, and enjoyed it, but I'm waiting for the right moment to try the Lindt.That brings me to a question: How do you clense your palate before eating chocolate? Too often I eat fast food, and I figure I need to refresh my tongue before trying chocolate that I spent good money on.Then I decided to look at these websites that you have suggested, and I saw more chocolate and concepts that I am unfamiliar with. I'm sure the more I see it all, the better grasp I'll have of it.But I discovered this (scroll to the bottom): Venchi Gianduja Chocolate Spread I was drawn in by the packaging. What is this beautiful chocolate? What does one spread it on? Fancy bread? Yellow cake? My tongue?I'm so glad I have found this community! I'm very excited to be embarking on a new Chocolate Life!

In November we were invited to take a tour of my favorite creamery, Straus Family Creamery near Pedaluma. Although we didnt get to see any actual cows, the pasture was too wet, we did get to observe a family-run business and try some of their tasty experimental ice cream flavors!I was particularly excited as I have been using Straus cream in my truffles since I started my business. It really does make a difference in the taste and texture of the ganache. Most people I talk with know of the Creamerys ethical reputation and rich history but Im always willing to educate them if not.Im very fortunate to live in a place where I have easy access to such a quality product made by artisans.Interestingly, I often get questions about the glass bottles. Certainly an unique feature, it also serves a practical function. Glass is inert and produces no off flavors, not to mention that it recyclable and reusable. I pay a $1.50 deposit on each bottle that is refunded when I return the bottles. Im usually buying more cream at the same time so the deposit is in constant rotation.Please take a look at some of my pictures of our creamery tour.

Vintage glass milk bottles lined the conference room where we were greeted by Rich Martin, VP of Sales and Marketing, AKA our tour guide.

We were provided with clean suits, which included baby-blue booties.

Wendy from Socola Chocolates adorning the fashion of the tour.

Birds eye view of the surprisingly small facility.

Many metal pipes crossing every which way above our heads. These two taking raw milk from pasture to bottle.

Line em up and ship em out!

Each bottle is inspected before leaving the building.

Pasteurized not homogenized so the cream floats to the top. Made the old-fashioned way in small batches.

We got to see plain, vanilla and maple flavored yogurt in the process of heating and cooling. So tempting to stick a finger in the cratered surface!

Only four yogurts across being filmed at one time.

Amazing to see the yogurt go from the vats to the containers.

Only one guy filling the ice cream containers.

Today it was the Vanilla Bean ice cream.

Flanking Albert Straus in front of the two-story high signature red Straus milk crates. We proudly display our canvas goodie-bags.

This months cooking with the Choc-a-holics group: Chocolate With Francois we had an excellent opportunity to create little fried donuts. The name Pets De Nonne literally means nuns fart. That really doesnt sound very good to me but ignore the name, take a bite and all skepticism melts away. The pick was by Maggie of The Other Side of 50. Great pick Maggie!

I dont like to fry. I dont have a deep fryer and I am afraid of hot oil. The result of my fears was a very ugly looking fried lump of very dark (some might say black) dough. I thoughtwho the heck is going to eat these.The only major change to the recipe, other than not deep frying, was my use of Schokinag Drinking Chocolate instead of cocoa.

After cooking, I sprinkled on the confectioners sugar. That made them look a little better. Then I approached my resident guinea pig taste tester, Ted, and he said Sure! Ill try one. He bit in and mumbled something. I said Pardon? is it ok? He said Yeah. Its good. I just cant tell what it is.At that point I didnt declare Its a Nuns Fart! Since on a previous day I had baked a carob-honey sponge for diarrhea and he was certain to begin wondering where my baking was going. Ted came in the kitchen, hovered over the brown-black lumps of fried dough and said I want another. I pointed out a smaller one and he said too small. He went for a bigger one, sprinkled on the sugar and said Its a good thing we have the gym or youd be looking at Two Ton Tony! I guess if he gained an exorbitant amount of weight, hed change his name to Tony.

My Pets De Nonne are not pretty as they flattened out because I didnt deep fry. In fact I initially had the oil too hot (suppose to be 350F). But the taste.the taste IS feather light and they are sinfully delicious. A nun would NEVER indulge in such an extravagance. Orwould she?Wonderful recipe by Francois Payard from his book Chocolate Epiphany. Go to this link for all the details: Apple Crumbles

Joanne

More than 600 purveyors of gourmet foods sought the attention of buyers, brokers, shopkeepers, party planners and journalists this month at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. And plenty of them were stretching the definition of "gourmet."Retail shops and supermarkets from around the country sent their buyers on a mission of taste to this semiannual trade show Jan. 17-19, sponsored by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. Among the products they encountered: a meatball mix (which was surprisingly good), countless crackers, kosher sparkling water and even Bacon Marshmallow S'more Kits (unspeakably bad).Even in the recession, food-makers created lavish booths and flashy installations. Costumed ladies passed out penny candy like old-fashioned cigarette girls, and the bowls of free food samples seemed bottomless.Blood Orange Marmalade and Triple Nut Kentucky Bourbon Brittle were among recent winners of the Sofi Award, a spotlight for excellence. Bacon Popcorn made the San Francisco Chronicle's list of highlights. On the darker side of the spectrum were big, clumpy chocolates designed for shelf stability (meaning, no cream, butter or any ingredient demanding freshness) and price point (cheap). The result: bad bonbons.Savor California, a collection of gourmet artisans, sent its members out to roam the floor in search of the unofficial worst-in-show product. The dubious honor went to a bag of truffle popcorn. When opened at the Savor California booth, heads turned, brows wrinkled and a chorus of "What's that smell?" resounded. At this show, popcorn served as a vehicle for both the sublime and the malodorous.Can't miss: 'Hippie Chips' and tequilaEvery show has big spenders whose booths draw a crowd of shoppers, gawkers and swag-seekers. Stubb's, a prominent Texas barbecue sauce-maker, wheeled in a full-size trailer replete with smoker, grill, front porch, rocking chairs, red gingham tablecloths and overall-clad salesmen. Freshly barbecued ribs and a smart lineup of tasty products delivered on the promise of the presentation. Another dazzler was Rock 'n' Roll Gourmet, sellers of "Hippie Chips," whose booth became a surf shack where loud music, psychedelic lights and free-flowing shots of tequila -- a winning combo in any trade show setting -- accompanied their products.But it was chocolate maker TCHO that stood out for presenting substance, not just style. The craft batch manufacturer of premium chocolate based on San Francisco's Pier 17 started five years ago as a marriage of high-tech and food cultures. Founder Timothy Childs, a former NASA engineer, pioneered the flavor wheel -- a way to organize chocolate's flavor profiles beyond the standard description of cacao percentages, such as "72% cacao."

TCHO's chocolate flavor wheelIn September, TCHO launched an organic, fair-trade chocolate line that stands out in a slim field. Most organic chocolates are limited in flavor depth because they are limited in bean selection; only a small percentage of the world's cacao beans are organically grown and fair-trade certified. TCHO passed out its flavor wheel to visitors, and they were donned by chocolatiers who support the brand, and by extension, the effort to make chocolate as ethical as it is delightful.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Susie Norris is a chocolatier, TV producer and author of the new book "Chocolate Bliss."Photos, from top: Buyers and journalists tried out the latest offerings from more than 600 gourmet food makers at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. Credit: National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. Bottom, the TCHO chocolate taste wheel. Credit: Susie Norris.

It's like chocolate Facebook? I'm not sure I follow.I joined because I don't know anyone who appreciates Chocolate in the way I do. Everyone I know is crazy about M&Ms, and Hershey's Kisses. I'd much rather have something richer and smoother. My friends think those are smooth. So, I'm ready to get to know people who understand. But how do I do that?Right now, the best chocolate I'm familiar with is Lindt. Is there better chocolate that's readily available? Also, for those who live in Phila., PA, there's a place called Naked Chocolate Cafe. I have no idea why it's called that, but they have some really good chocolate there. They have things like sipping chocolate, and delicious chocolate drinks.So, if you can see this, and care enough to help me get acquainted with this community (and new chocolates), I'd greatly appreciate it!

The Knave of Hearts would like to say how proud we were to represent Pilesgrove, N.J. in the Chef's Competition at the Philly Candy Show in Atlantic City. It was a true pleasure to meet many of you at the show!Sincerely,Gary Curry, Ex. Chef / ProprietorThe Knave of Hearts, LLC. www.theknaveofhearts.net