This is what I pulled out. Kept cool by an ice pack and Styrofoam insulation, I had a pretty organza bag with four bars of various Lindt chocolate. But it was the one top that made my jaw literally drop.

Do you see that? 90% Cocoa. 90%! Are these people mad?, I thought. Am I supposed to eat this or bake with it? The answer, of course, was eat it!

I was actually surprised at how well the molded bar had held its shape. We’re still in the low 100’s here, temperature-wise, and the ice pack in the box had given up the ghost probably a few hours before it hit the delivery truck that morning. Usually when chocolate shows up on my doorstep it has to go immediately into the fridge before I can even open the packaging. This bar has been at room temperature for two days.

Now, the highest percentage of dark chocolate that I enjoy is 70%. I like that it tastes so rich and decadent and that I don’t need a lot of it to get a fix, but there’s still just the slightest bit of sweet.

I knew this 90% bar was going to not be as sweet, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so smooth. We’ve all taken a nibble of baking chocolate, right? Even though we knew it was going to be nasty and chalky? Well, this, while not nasty, was definitely not chalky either. It was surprisingly smooth and had a nice mouth feel, and of course didn’t melt right away like a milk chocolate would.

While it’s not necessarily bitter, the best way I can describe it is that there is a distinct lack of sweet. This won’t appeal to many people, however if you like really, really dark chocolate you won’t be disappointed with this one. It’s about as pure as you can get without nibbling on a chunk of baking chocolate, and to be honest, I do think this would be really tasty chopped up in cookies or melted down to add to brownies!

Have you had a chance to try Lindt’s 90% Cocoa Bar? What did you think?

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Chocolate news just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?

Science Daily had an article up a few weeks ago about the brain benefits of not only chocolate but wine and tea as well.

The dynamic trio apparently helps with cognitive performance: in a test with 2,031 elderly people between the ages of 70-74, the ones who ate the chocolate, tea and wine scored higher in a battery of cognitive tests than those who didn’t.

The reasoning behind the boost in brain function is still being studied (isn’t it always?), but it’s theorized that because cocoa, tea and red wine contain polyphenols — micronutrients found in plant-derived foods — that those who consume lots of flavonoids, the biggest sub-class of polyphenols, tend to have a lower incidence of dementia.

I can tell you right now how a good piece of chocolate helps my brain: it makes me feel good, which relaxes me, which helps me concentrate. See, you didn’t even have to pay me or spend months of research for that!

[image: sxc]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

We had to venture out to Whole Foods last week to see if we could find some elusive Thanksgiving dinner ingredients and passed by a little sample table set up with some Organic Chocolate Truffles.

Of course we had to stop and try them and as you can imagine they were amazing! My husband actually went back for one more which surprised me because he’s not a huge fan of plain chocolate.

We bought an 8.8 oz box for $4.99 and have been enjoying them all weekend. Being covered in cocoa, they’re a bit messy so we’ve actually been poking at them with a toothpick to get them out. I know it sounds goofy but it works!

I can’t find anything on the box that tells me what the cocoa percentage is but they’re not bitter. They’re very smooth and practically melt in your mouth (as a truffle should!) at room temperature.

The foil bag that they’re packaged in is not resealable so we put it inside a recloseable plastic bag to help keep them fresh.

If you crave a rich chocolate treat make sure you pick up a box next time you get a chance!

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Two-Minute Microwave Fudge
1 lb. powdered sugar (powdered sugar)
1/2 cup cocoa
1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine or butter
1/4 c. milk (any kind, even skim)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 – 1/2 c. pecans or walnuts (optional)

Mix sugar and cocoa together in a microwave safe bowl. Make a well in the center. Slice butter into the well and add milk. Microwave 2 minutes on High. Remove and stir. Add vanilla and nuts and stir. Turn into buttered pan and refrigerate.

[image: flickr]

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Post from: Chocolate Bytes

It was bound to happen (again!): Hershey’s announced last Friday that, effective immediately, it’s raising U.S. prices on its wholesale products by about 13%. They cited the higher cost of ingredients like cocoa, milk, corn sweetener, sugar and peanuts.

The mega-chocolate maker said its 2008 profit will be at the low end of its forecast range and they have cut sales growth projections for 2009, sending its shares down more than 4%.

This further cements my decision that if I’m spending the money on chocolate it’s going to a quality brand, which Hershey just hasn’t been for a while.

Do you think this will hurt or help Hershey’s?

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Yay, it’s National Chocolate Pudding Day! You can even send an e-card.

I’ll admit that I have yet to make pudding from scratch. I’ve always used a packet for either the cooked type or instant, and of course they’ve always turned out great. But here is a recipe for making your own instant pudding mix!

Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
3 ounces Dutch-processed cocoa, approximately 1 cup
2 ounces cornstarch, approximately 1/2 cup
6 ounces confectioners’ sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 1/2 ounces instant non-fat dry milk, approximately 1/2 cup
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl or plastic container with a lid, combine the cocoa, cornstarch, sugar, instant non-fat dry milk, and salt. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Yield: 3 1/2 cups dry mix.

Preparation
1 3/4 cups Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix, recipe follows
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place 1 3/4 cups of dry pudding mix into a medium saucepan. Add milk and heavy cream and whisk to combine. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil, continuously whisking gently. Reduce heat to low and cook for 4 minutes while continuing to whisk. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour the mixture through a sieve and into individual dishes or a 1 1/2-quart serving dish. Cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to chill completely before serving, approximately 4 hours.

[image: sxc]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Brownies, like many other great inventions, are said to have been the mistake of a careless cook who forgot to put baking powder into a chocolate cake recipe. She ended up with what we now call brownies, and thank heavens she didn’t just toss the pan out without trying them first!

I was watching Food Network last night and caught Alton Brown doing an episode on cocoa, which included him to making the brownies below. I’ve made these before (but didn’t get pictures of them) and they’re delicious!

Cocoa Brownies

Soft butter, for greasing the pan
Flour, for dusting the buttered pan
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar, sifted
1 cup brown sugar, sifted
8 ounces melted butter
11/4 cups cocoa, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it’s done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it’s mostly cool.

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Chocolate as a health food has been big news lately. First came the news that it prevents wrinkles, then that it can reduce the risk of cancer, and finally that chocolate keeps your blood pressure down. But before you rush into a chocolate feeding frenzy in the interest of good health, you should know the details about what you’re eating.

This is where the Chocolate Manufacturer’s Association (CMA) can help. They have come out with a document called Making Sense of % Cacao that includes definitions of many of the terms found on chocolate packaging. You can read the entire document here, but here are the highlights.

% cacao is basically the percentage of ingredients found in the chocolate product that come from the cacao bean. This includes chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder. A higher percentage will have a stronger chocolate flavour while a lower percentage will have a milder chocolate flavour. And there’s more to it. A higher percentage means there is less sugar added, so the chocolate product will taste more bitter and less sweet. The flavanol content, which is where a lot of the health benefits come from, is not always tied in to the percentage of cocao.

So now that you know, feel free to head off to that chocolate feeding frenzy.

Image

Post from: Chocolate Bytes