Why Chocolate for Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day is many things to different people- a chance to start new relationships, rekindle old ones, or remind that special someone how wonderful they really are. Others feel it is just another "Hallmark" holiday where they are expected to do something for unknown reasons. Regardless of your hopes, expectations, or reservations about Valentine's Day, chocolate has long been a favorite gift for lovers.

Since the days of the Aztecs chocolate has been used as a gift. Today a box of luxurious quality chocolate says a thousand "thank you's", "good luck", or "I love you". Chocolate can be given as a way of saying "congratulations", "I am sorry" or "get well soon". On Valentine's Day chocolate clearly says "I LOVE YOU!" Chocolate is more than food, it not only fills your belly but also makes you feel soooo good. Elaine Sherman wrote "Chocolate is heavenly, mellow, sensual, deep, dark, sumptuous, gratifying, potent, dense, creamy, seductive, suggestive, rich, excessive, silky, smooth, luxurious, celestial. Chocolate is downfall, happiness, pleasure, love, ecstasy, fantasy … chocolate makes us wicked, guilty, sinful, healthy, chic, happy." What more could you want to say to your lover on Valentines Day? Even the scientific name for the tree from which chocolate is derived, Theobroma cacao, translated from Greek, means "food of the gods".

Why does chocolate evoke so many feelings and emotions for us? Chocolate has long been associated with passion, romance and love. This association may go all the way back to the Aztecs. They believed chocolate was a source of spiritual wisdom, incredible energy and elevated sexual power. Chocolate was widely used as a nuptial aid and was widely served at wedding ceremonies. The Aztecs did not know chocolate as we do today; they consumed the cocoa as a drink. Reports indicate that the Emperor Montezuma consumed large quantities of the drink every day and always fortified himself with a cup before entertaining his harem. The explorer Cortes reported to Carlos I of Spain that chocolate is "… the divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink enables a man to walk for a whole day without food." From the earliest times, chocolate was considered a substance of power and a source of vitality.

Chocolate has been a subject of study since the first shipment from Veracruz arrived in Spain in 1585. But modern science has made some interesting findings that may help explain our lust for quality chocolate. Chocolate contains organic substances known as alkaloids. The most important of these substances is theobromine, which works as a stimulant to the kidneys. Stimulants in chocolate also affect the central nervous system, with effects similar to caffeine, which is also present in chocolate. A chocolate bar may contain as much as 200 mg of theobromine but only about 25 mg of caffeine. Another important substance found in chocolate is phenylethylamine, which is part of a group of chemicals known as endorphins. Endorphins have an effect similar to amphetamine and are found naturally in the human body. When endorphins are released into the bloodstream, the mood is lifted and feelings of positive energy are reached. The sensation known as "runners high" is caused by endorphins released during exercise. Phenylethylamine levels in the brain have also been linked to "falling in love". One more chemical found in chocolate is seratonin. Seratonin is known for its calming properties. The presence of these chemicals may explain the multitude of feelings chocolate evokes.

Debra Waterhouse, author of Why Women Need Chocolate, conducted a survey and found: 97% of women reported cravings, 68% of which are for chocolate, 50% would choose chocolate over sex, and 22% were more likely than men to choose chocolate as a mood elevator. These findings could easily be interpreted as a result of how chocolate makes us feel. I don't know why more women choose chocolate than men, for I am a man and I love chocolate.

Critics would say that the benefits of eating chocolate are small when compared to the sugar and fat contained in a chocolate bar. The best chocolate, dark chocolate with high cacao butter content has no added fat, as well as a high percentage of cacao solids and correspondingly less sugar. Although chocolate will never be considered a health food based on its nutritional value, it is still good for you! Good for your heart and soul-anything that helps relieve stress and makes you feel so good must be.

Receiving a nicely wrapped box of chocolates causes a sense of anticipation. The pleasure of unwrapping the box, the sensual smell, lifting the soft seductive papers, the look of the smooth dark chocolates. When it finally passes your lips and starts to instantly melt filling your mouth with exquisite pleasure. The taste and smell flood your senses with overwhelming ecstasy. Eating it slowly, taking time to enjoy and savor every bit. What better way to start off an evening of love?

David Eisen is owner of Euphoric Chocolate, come visit us at http://www.euphoricchocolate.com Our large variety of novelty chocolates, chocolate truffles, and elegant gift boxes are the perfect touch to add to any occasion. We can help you creat the perfict wedding favor, bridal shower favor or baby shower favor for your special event.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Eisen

Read more!

Chocolates and Confections

Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner By Peter P. Greweling, The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) List Price: $65.00 Price: $40.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details   Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Ships from and sold by Amazon.com 41 new or used available from $36.13 Average customer review:

Product Description

Chocolate and candy making today is undergoing a renaissance in public awareness and status. This comprehensive book combines artisan confectionery techniques with accessible explanations of the theory and science as well as formulas for use in production. Fundamental information for the confectioner includes ingredient function and use, chocolate processing, and artisan production techniques. The book contains 140 formulas and variations for beautiful confections, including dairy-based centers, crystalline and noncrystalline sugar confectionery, jellies, and nut center and aerated confections.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5627 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

---

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap
Candymaking is in the midst of a revolution. The public is increasingly hungry for hand-crafted chocolates and confections, heightening appreciation for the work of artisan confectioners who use traditional techniques and fine ingredients. Now, master confectioner Peter Greweling of The Culinary Institute of America has at lastproduced the bible of artisan confectionery—a comprehensive guide to the ingredients, theory, techniques, and formulas needed to create every kind of chocolate and confection.

Illustrated throughout with nearly 200 striking full-color photographs and illustrations, Chocolates & Confections provides a comprehensive foundation in confectionery, offering accessible explanations of theory as well as illustrated step-by-step guidance on technique, from tempering chocolate to candying fruit. It also includes helpful charts that pinpoint common candy-making pitfalls and how to avoid them, guides to the best quality chocolate and other all-natural confectionery ingredients, as well as information on packaging and storage.

Chocolates & Confections features chapters on every confectionery type—cream ganache, butter ganache, non-crystalline sugar confections, crystalline sugar confections, jellies, aerated confections, and nut centers—and includes nearly 150 formulas for classic confections, such as marzipan made using fresh almonds, as well as contemporary variations such as Madras, a coconut curry butter ganache. From truffles, butter ganache confections, hard candies, brittles, toffee, caramels, and taffy to fondants, fudges, gummies, candied fruit, marshmallows, divinity, nougat, marzipan, gianduja, and rochers, it demonstrates how to produce world-class confections and provides the in-depth background information candy-makers need to formulate their own signature creations.

From the Back Cover
"A passionate professional, Peter understands the philosophy of using only the freshest of ingredients to create chocolate edible works of art that arouse your senses."
—Norman Love, Chef and President, Norman Love Confections

"Peter Greweling has written the right book at the right time. Pastry chefs need to understand chocolate in greater depth than ever before; Chocolates and Confections provides that understanding with admirable lucidity."
—Robert Steinberg, Co-founder; Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker

"The most complete chocolate and confections book that I have come across in my 35 years in the business… complete with great traditional and innovative recipes, easy-to-follow explanations, and great pictures."
—Biagio Settepani, Pasticceria Bruno

"This insightful book can be regarded as the Bible for serious chocolate artisans or for anyone who wishes to become one. Peter Greweling has written this book with so much thought and intelligence."
—Dieter G. Schorner CMB, CHE, Professor at the Culinary Institute of America

"Peter Greweling has taken the complexities of confectionery and chocolate technology and reduced them to an easy-to-understand subject. His complete explanations of his formulae and methods are easy to follow."
—Terry Richardson, Richardson Researches, Inc.

"Chef Grewling has covered the subject! The formulas are formatted in a most practical way while imparting artistry and wisdom."
—Thalia Hohenthal, Sr. Scientist, Research & Development, Guittard Chocolate Company

"An excellent book that not only tells you how to make a wide variety of chocolates and confections, but also explains the theory and equipment needed."
—Mel Warnecke, Warnecke Technical, Inc.

About the Author
PETER P. GREWELING is a professor of baking and pastry arts at The Culinary Institute of America and a Certified Master Baker. He has worked as a pastry chef at a number of restaurants, including New York City's Tavern on the Green, and has extensive training in confectionery technology. Greweling was part was part of the CIA faculty team that won the grand prize of the Société Culinaire Philanthropique's New York Culinary Salon in 1996 and 1997.

Founded in 1946, THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA is an independent, not-for-profit college offering bachelor's and associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. Courses for foodservice professionals are offered at the college's main campus in Hyde Park, New York, and at its additional campus for continuing education, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St. Helena, California.

 

Read more!

The 10 Secrets to a Perfectly Flowing Chocolate Fountain!

If you've ever set up a chocolate fountain and the chocolate has
slowly dredged down, drooped and parted then you need to learn the
step by step SECRETS to a perfectly flowing Chocolate Fountain.

Firstly, the machine its-self should be assembled correctly.

1) Correctly Assemble the fountain (A no brainier? guess again. I've
seen many fountains with tiers upside down creating pools of
chocolate).

2) You need a level surface! I've done chocolate fountains on
practically 15% gradients and its a nightmare. Make sure the venue
supplies you with a sturdy, flat table on a flat surface.

3) The new mini chocolate fountains have adjustable feet. Its mightily
important these are just perfect.

4) Turn Chocolate Fountain heat to 90 on the dial!

Now, its time to melt the Chocolate, and this is key:

5) Use 35% Coca Content Curvature Chocolate chips.

6) Place 1KG of said chips in a container, and cover with 100ml of
Sunflower (its better then vegetable) oil.

7) Place in microwave at 500W for 6 minutes. Stir every 2 minutes
until purely melted.

8) Any blackening of the Chocolate hints that its burnt, discard this,
its useless.

9) Don't re-use your Chocolate!

Time to pour the chocolate into the fountain. Make sure you've put
enough in (read your fountains instruction manual) and then turn on.

10) As the chocolate fountain reaches the top tier. Turn the Chocolate
Fountain off! Leave for one minute. This will get rid of any air
bubbles on the auger.

Turn the Chocolate Fountain back on and BAM! A Perfect flowing
Chocolate Fountain. If the chocolate ever seems to be parting or be
leaning to one side then simply wedge some cardboard under the
fountain to get it level.

And that's the 10 secrets to Chocolate Heaven.

Gary Porter is a Chocolate Fountain Fanatic! After launching Chocolate
Fountain Newcastle the North's first Chocolate Fountain hire company,
he learnt through trial and lots of error, the way of the perfect
Chocolate Flow.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Porter

Read more!

Chocolate Cake

There's an old saying that says that 'you will not know whats heaven
like until you have not tasted chocolate'. For a chocolate lover like
me, I couldn't agree more. My heartfelt sympathy goes to those who are
allergic to this heavenly gift. For the rest of us, then I'm sure that
you're already aware the chocolate cake (or anything that has
chocolate in it for that matter) is the best ever and most popular
dessert ever created.

There's just something magical about a piece of dark, moist, rich
piece of chocolate cake with a layer of sinful looking creamy
chocolate frosting on it, Smiles appear, happy moods return, grumbles
turn into giggles.

I'm convinced that anyone can find a type of chocolate cake that he or
she loves. Here's a lit for the still uninitiated. The list is endless
:-

Here goes:

Chocolate chip cheese cake, German chocolate cake, jelly roll
chocolate cake, chocolate kraut bundt cake, chocolate fudge cake,
chocolate mud cake, chocolate crème cake, chocolate eruption cake,
best ever chocolate cake, chocolate caramel cake, rich chocolate cake,
flourless chocolate cake, chocolate and orange cake, sour cream cake
with chocolate, chocolate lava cake, chocolate banana cake, royal
chocolate cake, molten chocolate cake, chocolate cherry cake,
chocolate chip cookie cake, chocolate walnut cake, chocolate pudding
cake, sinless chocolate cake, chocolate mousse cake, chocolate
mayonnaise cake, chocolate chip pound cake, double chocolate chocolate
cake, chocolate rum cake, low fat chocolate cake, chocolate zucchini
cake etc etc ...........

If you still can't find something you like, you don' know what you're
missing. It doesnt matter
what you put in , just make sure its moist and taste good. It will
bound to put a smile even on the most grumpy of all grouches.

Ainee has had training and years of experience managing small cafes as
well as bakeries of Europe's number one hypermarket. Started baking
'commercially' from the age of nine and has not stopped since. Her
passion for baking has also allowed her to cross into the cooking
world as well as the romantic arena of weddings.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nur_Ainee_Muhammad

Read more!