Dark Chocolate Is Healthy Chocolate!
Source of Recipe
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List of Ingredients
Chocoholic: - n [chocolate + -oholic (as in alcoholic)](1968): a person who craves or compulsively consumes chocolate. - Webster's Dictionary
Did you know that the Aztecs considered all chocolate an aphrodisiac? Because of this, all foods made with chocolate were strictly forbidden to women.
Although chocolate is not an aphrodisiac, chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA), a natural substance that is reputed to stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love. So - heartbreak and loneliness are great excuses for chocolate gorging!
Chocolate is old-school Viagra. Montezuma reputedly chugged a cup of chocolate before entering his harem, while Casanova called chocolate the "elixir of love" and drank it instead of champagne.
Christopher Columbus is said to have brought back cacao beans to King Ferdinand from his fourth visit to the New World around 1502, but they were overlooked in favor of the many other treasures he had found. Records suggest that he didn't particularly like the Aztec delicacy of "hot chocolate"- a thick cocoa drink laced with ground chillies and dyed red to look like blood - but recognising its potential he took a load of cocoa beans back to Spain.
The early Spanish explorers thought the primary (if not only) use of chocolate was medicinal. Chocolate drinks were developed in Spain that were seasoned with pepper, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon or mixed with beer or wine. They became such a hit that Spanish society ladies had them served during Mass.
The first attempt at making a solid chocolate product came in the 1700's, when Mexican nuns raised money for their convent by producing and exporting solid chocolate bars.
The first "chocolate box" was introduced by Richard Cadbury in 1868, when he decorated a candy box with a painting of his young daughter holding a kitten in her arms. Cadbury also introduced the first Valentine's Day candy box.
Chocolate Toxicity In Dogs - Did you know that chocolate can be lethal to dogs. About 2 ounces of milk chocolate can be poisonous to a 10-pound dog. The same holds true for cats and other household pets. Check out the follow article Chocolate is dangerous for pets.
Chocolate doesn't cause acne. This is just another myth about chocolate that has been disproven by doctors for some time.
The ability of the sugar in chocolate to drive up blood sugar (glycemic index) is about the same as oatmeal.
Making Chocolate Shavings
To make chocolate shavings, you first need a good quality of chocolate in block form. Following are two easy methods:
Vegetable or Potato Peeler - Hold the chocolate with a paper towel and pass the vegetable peeler over the narrowest side of the chocolate block. The chocolate wil curl up like wood shavings.
Melon Ball Scoop - Position the bar of chocolate on a parchment paper covered pan and hold it down with a paper towel. Scrape the melon ball scoop across the surface of the chocolate. You will get curved shavings.
Storage or Shavings - Keep the shavings in a covered container in the refrigerator until needed. Leftover shavings keep in the refrigerator indefinitely.
Melting Chocolate
Please note that melting chocolate is not the same as tempering chocolate. Tempered chocolate has been subject to certain temperatures and techniques that alter its chemistry. Tempering produces the texture and sheen we expect from fine chocolate candies. It is a method of melting and cooling chocolate. It gives chocolate a shiny luster. To temper chocolate, check out these web sites:
IT'S THE BEST MEDICAL NEWS IN AGES! Studies in two prestigious scientific journals say dark chocolate -- but not white chocolate or milk chocolate -- is good for you. There is no question that chocolate procures pleasure for those who eat it. - Never feel guilty again!
Eating 2 ounces (50 grams) a day of plain chocolate with a minimum content of 70% chocolate solids can be beneficial to health, providing protection against heart disease, high blood pressure, and many other health hazards as well as essential trace elements and nutrients such as iron, calcium and potassium, and vitamins A. B1, C, D, and E and it's a lot tastier than boring old vitamin pills too. A 1 1/2-ounce square of chocolate may have as many cancer-fighting antioxidants as a five-ounce glass of red wine.
About 50% of all food cravings are for chocolate, far more than cravings for "something sweet" (16%), salty foods (12%), baked goods (11%), and fruit (4%). Some people go so far as saying they are addicted to chocolate. But that's no license to go on a chocolate binge. Eating more dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure. Remember, you do have to balance the extra calories by eating less of other things.
What is it that makes chocolate so irresistible? A large part of chocolate's allure, of course, lies in the taste - a deliciously rich concoction that satisfies the most intense craving. But several chemical reactions are also at work. For one thing, chocolate stimulates the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasureable sensation similar to the "runner's high" a jogger feels after running several miles. The question arises: Why is chocolate such a powerful food? And what makes it the most commonly craved food? (About 40% of women and 15% of men report chocolate cravings.)
A new study by market research publisher Packaged Facts titled Market Trends: The U.S. Market for Gourmet Chocolate reports that the higher cocoa, lower sugar content and antioxidant properties of premium dark chocolate are making it a more attractive treat for health-conscious Americans, especially those counting carbs. The potential health benefits of premium dark chocolate versus higher sugar, higher fat mass-market counterparts are causing consumers to reevaluate their attitudes toward the gourmet chocolate market.
A word of caution: Not all chocolate is heart healthy. White chocolate, which a Harvard researcher points out is "not really chocolate at all," and milk chocolate may expand the hips rather than help blood flow. And none of the instant cocoa mixes in the local grocery store contain the flavonoids that improve blood vessel function.
How much caffeine is in chocolate? - From the article, CHOCOLATE: A love affair, by Nancy Clark, MS, RD:
Although chocolate has the reputation for being loaded with caffeine, it actually contains very little--about the amount in one cup of decaffeinated coffee. The energy burst provided by chocolate more likely comes from its sugar content than from caffeine. In comparison to a small, 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee with about 100 milligrams of caffeine (depending on how it's brewed), or one ounce of espresso with about 40 milligrams of caffeine, the typical 1.55 ounce milk chocolate candy bar offers only 10 milligrams of caffeine. The same amount of semi-sweet dark chocolate offers about 30 milligrams, and a one-ounce square of baker's chocolate, 25 milligrams. (Note: Dark chocolate contains more cocoa, hence more caffeine.) A glass of chocolate milk has only 5 milligrams, an insignificant amount, even for kids.
History of Chocolate
Aztec Indian legend held that cacao seeds had been brought from Paradise and that wisdom and power came from eating the fruit of the cacao tree. Because of a spelling error, probably by English traders long ago, the cacao beans became know as the cocoa beans.
The spanish general, Hernando Cortes, landed in Mexico in 1519. The Aztecs believed he was the reincarnation of one of their lost gods. They honored him by serving him an unusual drink, presented in a cup of pure gold. This unusual drink was called "chocolatl" by the Aztecs.
When Cortes returned to Spain, he took the cocoa bean with him and there is was mixed with sugar and vanilla. this sweet drink became fashionable and soon there were chocolate houses in all the capitals of Europe.
A delicate tree, cacao is only grown in rain forests in the tropics, usually on large plantations, where it must be protected from wind and intense sunlight. The tree is harvested twice a year.
Milk chocolate was invented in 1876 by a Swiss chocolatier, Daniel Pieter. Today, the finest chocolate is still made in Switzerland, and the consumption of milk chocolate far outweights that of plain chocolate.
Chocolate was introduced to the United States in 1765 when John Hanan brought cocoa beans from the West Indies into Dorchester, Massachusetts, to refine them with the help of Dr. James Baker. The first chocolate factory in the country was established there.
Check out Tallyrand's History of Chocolate - A wonderful in-depth chocolate history by Chef Jos Wellman of New Zealand.
Chocolate Glossary
Unsweetened Chocolate:
It is also called baking chocolate, bitter chocolate or plain chocolate. This is the most common type used in baking and is the only true baking chocolate. It's unadulterated chocolate: ground roasted chocolate beans with no other added ingredients imparts a strong, deep chocolate flavor in all the sweets you add it to. Unsweetened chocolate contains up to 75 percent cocoa solids, and no added sugar or milk products. .
Bittersweet Chocolate:
Still dark, but a little sweeter than unsweetened. It is unsweetened chocolate to which sugar, more cocoa butter, lecithin, and vanilla has been added. It has less sugar and more liquor than semisweet chocolate but the two are interchangeable in baking. Bittersweet has become the sophistiated choice of chefs. It contains a high percentage (up to 75%) of cocoa solids, and little (or no) added sugar.
Semisweet Chocolate:
Slightly sweetened during processing, and most often used in frostings, sauces, fillings, and mousses. They are interchangeable in most recipes. The favorite of most home bakers. It contains a high percentage (up to 75%) of cocoa solids, and little (or no) added sugar.
German Chocolate:
Dark, but sweeter than semisweet. German chocolate is the predecessor to bittersweet. It has no connection to Germany; it was developed by a man named German.
Milk Chocolate or Sweet Chocolate:
Candy bar chocolate. Chocolate to which whole and/or skim milk powder has been added. Rarely used in cooking because the protein in the added milk solids interferes with the texture of the baked products. It contains approximately 20 percent cocoa solids.
White Chocolate:
Many people might argue that white chocolate is not really chocolate. It is made from sweetened cocoa butter mixed with milk solids, sometimes with vanilla added. Since cocoa butter is derived from the cocoa bean, then we can only conclude that real white chocolate is indeed chocolate.
Conveture:
A term generally used to describe high-quality chocolate used by professional bakers in confectionery and baked products. The word means "to cover" or "to coat." It has more cocoa butter than regular chocolate. It's specially formulated for dipping and coating things like truffles. Chocolate of this quality is often compared to tasting fine wine because subtleties in taste are often apparent, especially when you taste a variety of semisweet and bittersweet couvertures with different percentages of sugar and chocolate liquor.
How Chocolate Is Made
Cacao trees are often interplanted with tall shade trees to protect them from direct sunlight. Pods grow on the trunks and larger branches of the trees and take five to six months to ripen. Fruit on the higher branches are harvested with blades on long handles and lower branches are cut with machetes.
The pods are cut open with machetes to reveal between 20 to 40 beans each, surrounded by a mass of stickly, white pulp. Traditionally, this was done immediately after harvest; today, pods are sometimes first stored whole for a few days to prime them for fermentation.
Fermenting begins when the beans come into contact with the air. Here, a workrt uses a stick to gauge the depth of the mass in a vara, or measuring box, to determine the wage of the harvester, before transferring it to the fermentation bin. During fermentation, the pulp disintegrates, producing steamy heat and a pervasive, yeasty, sour smell. It is at this point that the beans first develop thier complex characteristics.
Drying of the beans after fermentation is done on slatted wooden trays in the open air. The beans are spread out evenly and raked periodically so that they dry uniformly. As the beans dry, their colors deepen, turning them into a carpet of sepia, umber, and mocha.
Aeration of the dried beans during storage is important to prevent the formation of mold. A worker tosses beans with a shovel to expose them evenly to the air.
Grading of the beans is done mechanically at the larger farms; smaller producers do it by hand. From baskets, the dried beans are transferred to burlap bags and transported to local selling stations, where they may be bought by large companies for export.
Arriving at the chocolate mills, the beans undergo a thorough cleaning, followed by the roasting which brings out the particular flavor of each variety. Throughout this process, a constant and exact temperature must be maintained. Correct roasting is exceedingly important since under-roasting leaves a raw taste and over-roasting results in a high pungent or even burnt flavor.
Now comes the cooling, shelling, and winnowing, from which the cocoa beans emerge cleaned and ready for blending. This important process requires expert knowledge and skill. Not only must the beans be selected which will produce the best chocolate flavor, but uniformity of blend must be preserved year in and year out.
After the blending, the cocoa beans are milled or slowly ground between great heated millstones. Under heat and tremendous pressure, the cocoa butter melts and mixes with other parts of the beans forming the ruddy chocolate liquor. The fragrant chocolate odor is now noticeable.
The liquor is then treated according to the product to be made. For unsweetened chocolate, the liquor is poured into molds and cooled rapidly in refrigerating rooms. Then the cacao emeres in familiar form, as bars of chocolate, ready to be wrapped and sold.
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