Showing posts with label Chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chocolate. Show all posts

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Belgian Praline Chocolates

Belgian Praline ChocolatesBelgian Praline Chocolates

Belgian Praline ChocolatesBelgian Praline Chocolates

Belgian Praline ChocolatesBelgian Praline Chocolates
Belgian pralines where originally only purchased by people who had plenty of money but now praline prices have reduced so that everyone can purchase and taste the unique taste of a praline Belgian chocolate. In traditional chocolate shops this can still be seen. Until this style of packaging was designed, praline chocolates where often carried around in small cone shaped packaging.

The famous ballotin rectangular box was then invented. As they where delicate a suitable packaging needed to be designed for this special chocolate so it wouldn't be damaged. Praline chocolates have always been the height of fashion and elegance. Neuhaus invented a shell of chocolate which could be filled with anything from cream, nuts or other chocolate. The concept of a praline has been around since then but the praline as we know today wasn't born until 1912 by Jean Neuhaus who was the founder of Neuhaus-brand.

He wanted a chocolate which would engross the rebels of Bordelais. The Duke of Plessis-Pralin who was an ambassador serving King Louis XIII is who named the chocolate. The Belgian praline is the most well known chocolate at is a chocolate layer covering over a soft fondant centre. I hope the following article will help. I've written the following article to inform you of the history of chocolate. It's always nice to know a bit of history about something which you love.

Chocolate Love Affair

Chocolate Love AffairChocolate Love Affair

Chocolate Love AffairChocolate Love Affair

Chocolate Love AffairChocolate Love Affair
It is a good bonding topic of conversation as everyone loves it no matter what It is fun to split it (although I admit that it is equally fun to have it all to yourself!). Chocolate also has many social benefits. Large chocolate consumption is not recommended by medical professionals, but dark chocolate is generally regarded as a health food when eaten in small amounts.

Milk chocolate tends to contain refined sugar that isn't healthy, but dark chocolate tends to contain good fats that the body needs to maintain various nutritional balances. The fat in chocolate is quite high. Anti-oxidants help fight body inflammation and are known to help protect and fight against cancer. The flavanoids in the cocoa are also a great form of anti-oxidants that help detoxify the body of carcinogens and other waste and damaging chemicals.

Many cultures where cocoa was or is a large part of the diet report less heart problems and longer lifespans. The cocoa in chocolate has quite a few health benefits. I guess there may be some addiction resemblances in this and many people are indeed addicted to chocolate, but in the end, these are happy addicts. Much more often people are thrilled at the prospect of eating chocolate, or are craving it and can't wait to have some. It is very rare to see people suffering from eating chocolate.

Everyone eating chocolate is happy. Chocolate improves people's moods. Chocolate is a very universal food with benefits such as mood improvement, digestive and detoxifying health benefits and many social benefits as well.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Combine Dark Chocolate With Fruit and Nuts For a Healthier Treat

Chocolate Chocolate

Chocolate Chocolate
What you end up with The ideal accompaniment to chocolate is fruit rich in vitamin C, as it works to form a nutritional balance to make sure that the iron from the chocolate gets absorbed and not dispelled. Eating them together ensures that your body treats the chocolate as food and you get all the goodness from it. The trick is to eat chocolate with other foods as well, nuts and fruits are perfect. This makes our guilty treat even worse for us than we thought!

Chocolate isn't actually food as far as our bodies are concerned, they will merely store away all the bad stuff and ignore the good bits. A dark chocolate and especially a low sugar bitter variety doesn't have all these additives. These help to make milk chocolate taste so good, but are really bad for us. These are things such as milk solids, sugar and cocoa butter. It's all the stuff that we put into chocolate that makes it fattening and unhealthy.

There are many good things in chocolate such as vitamins and minerals, so what is it that makes it generally so unhealthy? And the good new is that there is a healthy chocolate out there. It ticks all the boxes, but we also know that we shouldn't eat the amount that we do, unless it was healthy chocolate of course. We eat for any reason; as a treat to reward ourselves, to lift us when we are down or in our favourite desserts. What is it about chocolate that make it so irresistible?

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Chocolate Covered Fruit

Chocolate Covered FruitChocolate Covered Fruit

Chocolate Covered FruitChocolate Covered Fruit

Dip one end in white and the other in Thrill family and friends with an elegant box of chocolate roofed peppermint sticks. Chocolate can make holiday gift giving easy. This thoughtful and romantic idea will be remembered for years to come. Or send an extra special gift to the wedding couple by having chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of chilled champagne sent to their honeymoon suite.

Celebrate a wedding by covering cookies in white or dark chocolate and decorating them to look like little wedding gowns and tuxedos. Delight your sweetheart on Valentine's Day with a delectable chocolate covered apple rolled in pink, red, and white candy hearts, or a basket of chocolate dipped Oreo cookies topped with sugar coated Jujube hearts or Hershey's Hugs. Chocolate has proven itself to be a necessary part of any celebration, and with endless options and combinations, you are sure to find something that will please everyone on your gift giving list. The many types and flavors lend to its versatility and make it the main ingredient in sauces, drinks, desserts, and natural remedies. Chocolate is more than just a sweet treat.

And, while a box of the typical assorted is always appreciated, why not enhance the fun with a few intriguing chocolate covered pieces or artfully arranged baskets and bouquets? Whether birthdays, anniversaries, or holiday celebrations, chocolate has always been the perfect gift idea. Add a little creativity and inspiration to your gift giving with chocolate covered fruit, nuts, and other delicious treats that will delight and impress recipients of every age.

Chocolate Love Affair

Chocolate Love AffairChocolate Love Affair

Chocolate Love AffairChocolate Love Affair

It is a good bonding topic of conversation as everyone loves it no matter what It is fun to split it (although I admit that it is equally fun to have it all to yourself!). Chocolate also has many social benefits. Large chocolate consumption is not recommended by medical professionals, but dark chocolate is generally regarded as a health food when eaten in small amounts. Milk chocolate tends to contain refined sugar that isn't healthy, but dark chocolate tends to contain good fats that the body needs to maintain various nutritional balances.

The fat in chocolate is quite high. Anti-oxidants help fight body inflammation and are known to help protect and fight against cancer. The flavanoids in the cocoa are also a great form of anti-oxidants that help detoxify the body of carcinogens and other waste and damaging chemicals. Many cultures where cocoa was or is a large part of the diet report less heart problems and longer lifespans. The cocoa in chocolate has quite a few health benefits.

I guess there may be some addiction resemblances in this and many people are indeed addicted to chocolate, but in the end, these are happy addicts. Much more often people are thrilled at the prospect of eating chocolate, or are craving it and can't wait to have some. It is very rare to see people suffering from eating chocolate. Everyone eating chocolate is happy.

Chocolate improves people's moods. Chocolate is a very universal food with benefits such as mood improvement, digestive and detoxifying health benefits and many social benefits as well.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Valentines Day - Chocolates and Cunnilingus

Valentines Day - Chocolates and Cunnilingus
Try to learn Not knowing what you are doing won't cut it. This means practicing top notch cunnilingus. Remember, high quality pleasure.

It's the best, most pleasurable practice that a guy can give to a woman. This means you must include cunnilingus in your intimacy for the evening. You need to switch it up and focus on providing high quality pleasure. The standard sex practice you have regularly will not cut it for this special, intimate day.

Just as you shouldn't get standard fare chocolate, you also should NOT perform standard fare sex! Let's move on to the bedroom. Granted, they may not contain the same amount, but the taste will definitely make up for that. You may be surprised at how reasonable some good quality boxes can be.

It doesn't have to be that expensive either. Not with generic chocolate, but with great, delicious chocolate. It's a special day which should be celebrated in a special way. Go for some high quality chocolate. That is, the quality of them is very poor, while the packaging tries to make up for it.

Most chocolates are just knee jerk gestures. If you are going to go the chocolate route (which is a great traditional route to take), then skip the cheap chocolates which really hold zero significance for this day. This is where chocolates and cunnilingus come into play. And the best way for a memorable Valentines Day is providing quality.

You definitely want to make it as memorable as possible. Valentines Day is a very important day for any relationship.

Wholesale Chocolates For Your Own Business

Wholesale Chocolates For Your Own Business
Wholesale Chocolates For Your Own Business
Wholesale Chocolates For Your Own Business
The money you make with the first few shipments may not be that big, but You can easily order from them while taking orders from others. If you think you have no idea where to buy these wholesale chocolates for retail, there's a lot of those chocolate makers online who have opened themselves up to retailers. Just your site, an Internet connection, a little creativity for packaging those orders and search engine optimization basics. There is nothing special you need for this business.

You can easily be a retailer of these chocolates by simply having your own website and a small capital to fund the shipping costs of your initial orders. On the other hand, if you spend most of your time at home and feel like you need growth, you can turn this into your own personal business. Fact is, there's so much you can do and there's more room to play with the design so that everything turns out to be a true representation of you and your company. You can even personalize those chocolates and have them shaped to your corporate logo.

And there are different varieties available from bars to truffles and everything else you can think of. You can just go online and run a search and you've got hundreds of websites selling promotional chocolates. They are cheap and very easy to order. There are many reasons why you would choose chocolates to give your clients.

If your company is looking for nice treats to supplement your marketing campaigns, chocolates can be the perfect choice.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Chocolate Tart - Deep, Dark, and Delicious

Chocolate Tart - Deep, Dark, and Delicious
Chocolate Tart - Deep, Dark, and Delicious
Chocolate Tart - Deep, Dark, and Delicious
Chocolate Tart - Deep, Dark, and Delicious If you like chocolate, you're going to love this. It's pretty straightforward to make, so long as you follow the instructions. Do use icing sugar (confectionery sugar) in the pastry as it makes the texture crisper.

Serving Size: 6-8 portions

Effort Level: Some effort

Shelf Life: 2 days in fridge

Ingredients:

For the pastry

160g unsalted butter - room temperature
60g icing sugar
200g plain flour
For the filling
200g dark chocolate 70% cocoa
75ml skimmed milk
125ml double cream
1 egg lightly beaten

Equipment:

Hand held electric whisk
2 mixing bowls
20cm flan tin
Tin foil and cling film
Rolling pin
Small whisk
Any kind of dried baking beans for pie crust

Here's What You Do:

Begin by making the pastry. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl (icing sugar makes a crisper pastry). Add the softened butter and beat with a hand held electric whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sift the flour onto the mixture and bring everything together with a spatula until it forms a ball - no need to add any liquid as the butter will bind the pastry together. Wrap the pastry dough in cling film and refrigerate for at least half an hour to chill. When you're ready to bake the pastry case, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Enjoy These Yummy Chocolate Drinks

Enjoy These Yummy Chocolate Drinks
Enjoy These Yummy Chocolate Drinks
Enjoy These Yummy Chocolate Drinks
Enjoy These Yummy Chocolate DrinksChocoholics rejoice! We have more recipes for the Chocoholics out there to enjoy, especially this summer! You can drink your chocolate with these delicious beverage recipes! Chocolate Mint Drink is chilled and vanilla ice cream added just before serving for a cool, frothy drink. And who wouldn't enjoy a Classic Old-Fashion Chocolate Shake? Try these yummy old-fashion beverages and go back in thought to the days of the popular Malt Shops and drugstores with soda fountains. You may even want to add two straws to enjoy the drink with your Sweetheart!

CREAMY CHOCOLATE MINT DRINK
This is an old recipe from my childhood, growing up in hot and muggy Southern Indiana.

1 cup hot milk
1/2 cup chocolate malt powder (not cocoa)
3 cups cold milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Combine the hot milk and the chocolate malt powder, stirring until the malt powder is completely dissolved. Add the cold milk, vanilla, salt, and peppermint extract; refrigerate to chill. Before serving, add a pint of vanilla ice cream and stir until frothy. Great refreshment on a hot day!

CLASSIC CHOCOLATE SHAKE
This classic recipe is from a very old newspaper clipping about an old "Shake Shop" that was popular during the 1950s but is long gone.

A Few Good Reasons to Indulge in Dark Chocolates

A Few Good Reasons to Indulge in Dark Chocolates
A Few Good Reasons to Indulge in Dark Chocolates
A Few Good Reasons to Indulge in Dark Chocolates
Endorphins are Dark chocolate also stimulates the production of endorphins. It has shown positive results in helping fight memory loss, inducing mental alertness and improving blood flow to the brain. Another interesting observation on the benefits of dark chocolate is on its effect on the functions of the brain. Flavinoids have been noted to help reduce blood pressure and regulate bad LDL cholesterol so we can maintain a more robust and youthful heart.

For dark chocolate to carry the said health benefits, it has to have cocoa content of at least 70 percent. That explains its distinct flavour that some people find quite pleasurable. Cacao is often removed due to its bitter taste, but dark chocolate carries much of it. The key ingredient responsible for all these is known as flavinoids, which occur naturally in cacao and possess anti-oxidant properties.

Research has revealed that it helps slow down the aging process and contributes to mental alertness, helping us all to maintain a healthy body and a youthful mind. Dark chocolates have been observed to carry anti-aging benefits. And it's quite welcome hearing that something you had secretly indulged in turned out to be good, when all the time you were thinking it was bad for you! Chocolates taste heavenly, especially the dark type that doesn't come too sweet. A lot of us love chocolates, so it felt like hitting the jackpot when studies showed its numerous health benefits.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Beginning of Chocolate

The Beginning of Chocolate
The Beginning of Chocolate
The Beginning of Chocolate

Chocolate is believed to be consumed in a bitter and spicy drink called xocoatl, often seasoned with vanilla, chile pepper, and achiote (annatto) in the Americas. The "Xocoatl" was believed to be an energizer that was used to fight fatigue. This food type was an important luxury good throughout pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and cocoa beans were often used as currency. Cocoa beans were commonly used in several drinks and edibles. Christopher Columbus also took some cocoa beans to show Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. However, cocoa beans were broadly introduced to Europe by Hernán Cortés, the first Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca who is known for leading the military expedition that initiated the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. Chocs was first commercially shipped to Europe from Veracruz to Sevilla in 1585.

In early days, chocolate served as beverage, but the Europeans added sugar and milk to remove its natural bitterness. They also started the Mexican indigenous spice, vanilla instead of the chilli pepper. That resulted in the improved chocolate or the modern chocs. By the 17th century, the chocs with improved taste came to be used as luxury item among the European nobility.

The first form of solid chocs were invented in Turin by Doret at the end of the 18th century. F. L. Cailler opened the first Swiss chocolate factory in 1819. Pierre Paul Caffarel sold this chocolate in large quantities from 1826. The Dutchman Coenraad Johannes van Houten in 1828 patented a method for extracting the fat from cocoa beans and making powdered cocoa and cocoa butter. The Dutch process of treating chocolate with alkali to remove the bitter taste was also developed by Van Houten; the Dutch process made it possible to form the modern chocolate bar.

Origin and History of Chocolate

Origin and History of Chocolate
Origin and History of Chocolate
Origin and History of Chocolate

Chocolates are the most popular food around the world and across all ages. Chocolates are often used to show love and affection and people even have it to lift spirits. Ever wondered where this ubiquitous chocolate originated? Well, historians believe that the word Chocolate or Chocolatl originates from the Nahuatl word xocoatl or cacahuatl meaning bitter water. Some believe that it is a combination of the Mayan words "choco" and "haa" and the Nauhatl term "atl". Recently linguists proposed another theory that it originates from "chicolatl" from the word chico-li meaning to beat or stir and not Chocoatl. A Swedish person gave the cocoa plant its botanical name "Theobroma cacao" which when literally translated means "Food of the Gods".

Most of us know that chocolates are made from cocoa beans that have been cultivated for millions of years in the South American Rainforests. An archaeological survey showed the physical residue of chocolate in some Mayan pots suggesting that Mayans drank chocolate some 2600 years ago. Some believe that the cocoa plant was cultivated in the Amazon region for more than 4000 years. According to historians, the cacao tree was worshipped by the Mayans and the Aztecs offered chocolate to the God as an offering. According to ancient history, Aztecs brewed the cocoa beans with maize and capsicum to form a spicy bitter-sweet drink, which was fermented and used for ceremonies. Aztecs valued their cocoa beans, though it was not cultivated there. They got it through trade or war but it was treated equivalent to currency, with taxes being paid in the form of cocoa beans.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes

Chocolate Halloween CupcakesBy: Janet Walker, SITE

Treat your small witches, monsters and ghosts this Halloween, with this uncomplicated yet tasty chocolate Halloween cupcakes recipe - read on:

Halloween is approaching and all the youngsters are waiting to dress up like monsters, ghostly ghouls and witches. These chocolate Halloween cupcakes will be exactly the thing when it concerns satisfying those small monsters, ghostly ghouls and witches hungry stomachs. You may bake them a day earlier and store them in a cookie tin, or bake them on the same day. If your little monsters prefer to help they could be your extra hands in the kitchen. Let's get producing these tasty chocolate cupcakes.

Ingredients

- For the cupcakes
12 paper cases
280g/10oz butter, softened
280g/10oz golden caster sugar
200g/7oz self-raising flour
1 rounded tbsp cocoa powder
6 medium eggs

- For the topping
200g/7oz butter, softened
280g/10z icing sugar, sifted
12 sugar halloween decorations

Technique

For the cupcakes
1 - Preheat oven to 190 C/Gas 5/fan oven 170 C.
2 - Line a 12-cup muffin tin with brown muffin cases.
3 - Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat lightly with a fork
4 - Place all the other ingredients into the bowl
5 - Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, until light and creamy
6 - Spoon into the cases, almost filling them to the top.
7 - Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until risen and spongy.
8 - Cool on a rack.

For the topping
1 - Beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth
2 - Spread a layer of icing over each cake
3 - Then add your sugar Halloween decorations on top

Takes 45minutes, plus cooling down (unless the little ones are helping :) - Makes 12

Tips:

• These chocolate cupcakes are themed by applying sugar Halloween decorations. This implies that you are able to apply this simple chocolate cupcake recipe for whatever occasion you desire. Merely by adding the relevant sugar decoration will make the cupcakes appeal to any occasion.

• Try adding a few drops of flavouring to the cupcake mix, like vanilla, orange or even mint.