Chocolate Maya

Chocolate Maya from Chocolat

Do you remember the movie Chocolat with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp? Before it was a movie it was also a great book. I own both the paperback and DVD versions of the story. Once a year I read the book and three times a year I watch the movie. Yes, I am obsessed with Johnny Depp, but I am also obsessed with the chocolate. In the movie there are so many scenes showcasing incredible chocolate foods and recipes that I swear you could get a cavity just from watching! One of my favorite scenes in the movie, besides when Alfred Molina wakes up in the window of chocolate, is when Maya makes a rich, spicy hot chocolate for a customer. It looks so decadent I am sure even I could only handle one or two sips, but I dream of it nevertheless. This dream got the better of me during a recent snowstorm so I researched Chocolate Maya and came up with this recipe. It is spicy and dense to be sure, but has some many complex flavors you are able to drink it sip by sip over the course of an afternoon.

Chocolate Maya

based on the movie Chocolat and a recipe from the Phoenix Sun Times

2 cups water

1 red chile pepper, cut in half and deseeded

5 cups 2% milk

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2 tablespoons honey

Whipped cream

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the chile and boil until the liquid has reduced by half. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat warm the milk, vanilla bean and cinnamon until bubbles begin to form around the edge. Reduce the heat and add in the chocolate and honey and stir until everything is dissolved. Turn off the heat and remove the vanilla bean. Then stir in the chile water until everything is combined.

chocolate | National Chocolate Month

Valentine’s Day is coming soon! Think chocolate… a beautiful box of chocolates!

Vintage ad – 1908 – for New England Confectionary Company of Boston, Massachusetts chocolates and other sweets.

Whether it’s – Godiva, Hershey, Mrs. Nelson’s, Lindt, Nestles’s, Ghiradelli, Ferrero Rocher, Priscilla’s, Harbor Sweets, Whitman, Russell Stover or Dove – whatever your favorite confectionery brand – February is National Chocolate Month – time to celebrate. It comes as dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate mixed with fruit and with nuts – chocolate with creamy filling, chocolate covering caramels, raisins, nougat, pretzels and cherries. As a pure liquid treat it covers ice cream or frosts cakes, cupcakes, brownies, donuts and cookies. Mixed with milk or cream it delights – whether hot or cold – frothy or foamy. It flavors cereal – cakes, breads, pies, muffins and donuts – and even liquors! It melts in your mouth as a heavenly no fail-fudge made with Lynn, Massachusetts-made Marshmello Fluff. Some firmly believe that chocolate is an aphrodisiac – others that in its darkest and purist form chocolate is actually healthy.

Since we are celebrating chocolate – here a few more positives about chocolate:

* The smell of chocolate may increase theta brain waves, resulting in relaxation.
* Chocolate contains phenyl ethylamine, a mild mood elevator.
* The cocoa butter in chocolate contains oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fat which may raise good cholesterol.
* Drinking a cup of hot chocolate before meals may actually diminish appetite.
* Men who eat chocolate live a year longer than those who don’t.
* The flavanoids in chocolate may help keep blood vessels elastic.
* Chocolate increases antioxidant levels in the blood.
* The carbohydrates in chocolate raise serotonin levels in the brain, resulting in a sense of well-being.

Valentine’s Day is coming soon! Think chocolate… a beautiful box of chocolates!

Valentine’s Day Cocktails

Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka – Valentine’s Day Cocktails

Quick post here tonight, to let you know that I’ll be participating in a Girls Night Out Twitter party this evening. For more information about the Twitter party, you can visit the Mom It Forward blog. Join in from 8-10pm CST to find out how Godiva Chocolate and Valentine’s Day can go hand in hand! Plus, you can win a great Godiva Chocolate Giveaway – so head over to Mom it Forward and check it out!

This blogging job is rough, I tell ya’. Sometimes you’ve just got to do things that you just don’t want to do. Like create and taste test Godiva Chocolate truffles and cocktail recipes. I mean, I’ve been cooped up in my house with my four children bouncing off the walls as the snow storm of the century hits our region, and the last thing I would possibly want to do is drink a delicious cocktail. Right? Right? Right….

{A splash of Godiva Chocolate Raspberry Infused Vodka into a Coke or Diet Coke makes a delicious and simply sweet cocktail.}

But, duty calls and as the faithful blogger that I am, I wanted to at least taste the Godiva chocolate vodka before I shared it with you all at Girls Night Out tonight. I’ve had the Godiva Chocolate Liquor before and shared the recipe for Godiva Chocolate Martinis then, but this Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka and Godiva Raspberry Chocolate Infused Vodka is quite all right. If you want to make the perfect cocktail to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your love (if I were Carrie Bradshaw I’d say “lovah”, but it just doesn’t sound right coming from me) or with your girlfriends to just complain about love, this is the liquor for you!

Whatever your stance on Valentine’s Day, celebrate responsibly (aka please don’t drink and drive and don’t go overboard on the alcohol) and bring some Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka to your celebration… paired with some rich Godiva chocolate, it is the perfect Valentine’s Day beverage!

{Recipe} Godiva Chocolate a l’Orange (from TheBar.com)

• 0.75 oz. Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka
• 0.25 oz. Grand Marnier
• 0.75 oz. Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

Pour in a cocktail shaker and shake until well combined. Serve over ice and garnish with an orange peel.

Chocolate Cream Pie

A classic pie with rich chocolate filling. Another time-tested recipe that can’t be beat!

• Prep Time 30 Minutes
• Cook Time 5 Minutes
• Difficulty Intermediate
• Servings
• System US Metric

Ingredients

• 1-½ cup Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 2-½ Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon Flour
• 3 cups Milk
• 3 ounces, weight Chocolate, Semi-Sweet (Chopped)
• 3 whole Egg Yolks, Slightly Beaten
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1-½ teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 whole Baked Pastry Shell (Pie Crust)
• _____
• FOR THE MERINGUE:
• 3 whole Egg Whites
• ¼ teaspoons Cream Of Tartar
• 6 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Chocolate filling:

Mix in a saucepan the sugar, salt, cornstarch and flour. Stir milk in gradually. Add chopped chocolate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Slowly stir half the mixture into 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten. Then blend the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot mixture. Boil 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Blend in butter and vanilla extract. Pour into the baked pastry shell. Top with meringue.

Meringue:

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually beat in sugar, a little at a time. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Bake 8 – 10 minutes in a 400ºF preheated oven.

The Chocolate Library

The Chocolate Library Can Now Call Itself a Library

​Remember that debacle over the Chocolate Library, the East Village chocolate shop whose owner was forced to change its name to Chocolate 101 after the education department told him the law forbade the use of the word "library" in business names? In a victory for the owner, Byron Bennett, he's now allowed to call his place a library.

Diner's Journal reports that officials at the education department have relented on their earlier cease-and-desist and have told Bennett that he can amend his business' incorporated name to reflect that "Chocolate Library" is still on his awning. A department rep told the Times that "It was clear that upon second review the use of the term library of this retail chocolate establishment did not pose a problem." Appropriately enough, Bennett now plans to carry books about the history and origins of chocolate.

chocolate factory tours around the U.S.

5 best chocolate factory tours around the U.S.

If you really want to impress a chocoholic on Valentine's Day, consider stopping by one of these chocolate factory tours in San Francisco, New York City, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Vermont. Most of these tours are free, plus you'll score complimentary samples -- and extra brownie points for creativity.

But even if you can only give your sweetheart a box of chocolates this year, these tours are available year-round (not that you really need an excuse to indulge on your next vacation).

TCHO
Where: Pier 17, San Francisco
Move over, Ghirardelli. TCHO launched a free factory tour just after Thanksgiving. Though each tour includes complimentary samples of chocolate, cocoa nibs, and biscotti, few people will be able to resist buying the best-selling chocolate-covered mango pieces ($4 for four ounces). And for chocolate lovers who can't make it to the factory, TCHO is expected to unveil a virtual tour soon.
When: 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily; factory operation may not be in production on all weekends.
Cost: Free tour. Walk-ins are accepted, but there's a limit of 30 people per tour, so you'll want to reserve tickets through www.brownpapertickets.com.
Info: www.tcho.com

Big Island Candies
Where: Hilo, Hawaii
Large glass windows let you watch rows of workers as they hand-dip macadamia nuts in milk or dark chocolate. More adventurous chocolate lovers may want to try Ika, dried cuttlefish dipped in chocolate. You'll also be able to help yourself to chocolate and cookie samples, all of which you can wash down with a complimentary cup of Kona coffee.
When: Factory operation is viewable 8:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays
Cost: Free admission; two-ounce box of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts from $4.
Info: www.bigislandcandies.com

Lake Champlain Chocolates
Where: Burlington, Vermont
The 25-minute factory tour includes free tastings of dark, milk, and white chocolate, plus a featured sample that varies by day. The company's bestseller? Truffles ($2.25 each; $12 for a four-piece gift box).
When: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays-Fridays on the hour; in the summer, there is typically a tasting session and a video demo on Fridays instead of the tour.
Cost: Free tour. Walk-ins are accepted; limit 30 people per tour.
Info: 800/465-5909 for reservations; www.lakechamplainchocolates.comEthel M Chocolates
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
If you're going to be addicted to something while visiting Vegas, it might as well be to chocolate. The free self-guided tour lets you peer into the factory and learn about the chocolate-making process. End the tour with a sample of white, dark, milk, or various seasonal chocolates. Considering that the factory receives about 700,000 visitors per year, that's a lot of free samples.
When: The factory is open daily, but the machinery tends to operate Mondays-Thursdays only.
Cost: Free tour
Info: www.ethelm.com

Mast Brothers Chocolate
Where: Brooklyn, New York
Of these five chocolate factories, this is the only tour that charges for a behind-the-scenes look. Then again, this craft chocolate factory is a much smaller operation than some of the other companies. Made from organically farmed cacao from Madagascar, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela, the exquisitely wrapped chocolate bars come in equally delicious flavors like Fleur del Sel ($7).
When: 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
Cost: $9.99 per person for a tour; reserve tickets through www.brownpapertickets.com
Info: www.mastbrotherschocolate.com

Breath in chocolate

Breath in chocolate

Check, this is out; it is the ultimate fix for chocoholics, instead of eating it they get to inhale it! Sounds a bit crazy, but Le Whif is a popular craze that is just going to keep growing until someone says that it is no good for the users. Check out this video on YouTube, it is an eye opener.