Volume 12, Issue 026 - February 5, 2007

Good Day Friend,

Welcome back from the weekend! Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so we thought we would talk about chocolate this week. For even more great chocolate recipes, tips, facts and humor, visit our Seasonal Chocolate Recipe Guide. You will also find some great ideas there for Valentine's Day meals for you and your sweetie.

Chocolate is made from the seeds of the tropical cacao tree. The original cacao tree may have originated in Brazil, though some say Venezuela and others say it is native to Central America. The cacao tree is a tropical plant and only thrives in regions no more than 20 degrees north or south of the equator.

Its history dates back to ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. The Maya and Aztec people mixed the ground dried seeds with various spices into a frothy, bitter drink that was used for special occasions. The beans are even recorded as being used as a form of currency.

Fast forward...Christopher Columbus brought cacao beans to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, among other treasures from his adventures, but it wasn't until explorer Hernando Cortez discovered Emperor Montezuma's "Royal Drink" that it took to favor. Montezuma was known to drink upwards of fifty goblets a day. While the bitter broth did not agree with the tastes of the Spaniards, adding a bit of cane sugar to it changed history.

Spanish royalty enjoyed the new discovery for nearly a century until the secret was let out and the rest of Europe discovered chocolate. Before long, chocolate presses were invented to remove the cocoa butter, the fat that naturally occurs in cocoa beans, and then a Swiss gentleman named Daniel Peter added milk to the chocolate. He is responsible for what we now know and love as milk chocolate. Daniel Peter and Henri Nestlé later joined together to form the Nestlé Company.

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Ghirardelli Brownies

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is a manufacturer and marketer of premium chocolate products that was incorporated and has been in continuous operation since 1852. This recipe contains one of their products.
Ingredients:

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup Ghirardelli cocoa powder
2/3 cup unsifted flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a spoon, stir eggs with sugar and vanilla; add butter. Sift cocoa powder with flour, baking powder, salt. Stir into egg mixture; add nuts. Spread into greased 8- or 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes.

For extra chewy brownies, use 8-inch pan and less baking time. For cake-like brownies, use 9-inch pan and bake longer. Cut into squares.

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Types of Chocolate

Different types of chocolate are created by what is added to or removed from the chocolate liquor. That is how the different flavors and varieties of chocolate are created. Each has a different chemical make-up and the differences are not solely in taste. Always be sure to use the specific chocolate that a recipe calls for, as different varieties will react differently to heat and moisture. Unsweetened or baking chocolate is just cooled, hardened chocolate liquor. It is primarily used as an ingredient in recipes.

• Semi-sweet chocolate is mostly used in recipes as an ingredient. It has extra cocoa butter and sugar added. Sweet cooking chocolate is basically the same, just with more sugar.
   
• Bittersweet chocolate is a dark sweetened chocolate which must contain at least 35% cocoa solids. Good quality bittersweet chocolate usually contains 50% to 85% cocoa solids depending on brand. If the content of cocoa solids is high the content of sugar is low, giving a rich, intense and more or less bitter chocolate flavor. Bittersweet chocolate is often used for baking/cooking. If a recipe specifies bittersweet chocolate, do not substitute with semi-sweet or sweet chocolate. Please ensure that you buy the correct type! European types of bittersweet chocolate usually contains very large amounts of cocoa solids, and some of them have quite bitter taste.
   
• Milk chocolate is chocolate liquor with extra cocoa butter, sugar, milk and vanilla added. By far, milk chocolate is the most popular form of chocolate. It is for the most part an eating chocolate.
   
• Cocoa powder is chocolate liquor with much of the cocoa butter removed. This fine powder can pick up moisture and odors from other food products, so treat it like your fine spices by storing in a cool, dry place with a tight fitting cover.
   
• White chocolate is somewhat of a misnomer. In the U.S. to be legally called 'chocolate,' the product must contain real cocoa solids. White chocolate does not contain these solids, which create a smooth ivory or beige color. Real white chocolate is primarily cocoa butter, sugar, milk and vanilla. There are some products on the market that pretend to be white chocolate, but are made with vegetable oils instead of cocoa butter. Do your best to avoid these imitations. White chocolate is the most delicate type of chocolate, so use caution when heating or melting it.

Basic Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound milk chocolate (bar or bulk)
3 tablespoons Kirsch
pound cake cubes
fresh fruit, bite size pieces

Preparation:

Warm cream in saucepan over low heat. Stirring constantly, add the chocolate, broken into small pieces. Continue stirring until chocolate is melted and well blended. Add liquor or brandy, if desired. Serve in fondue dish over candle or very low heat. Offer choice pound cake cubes and fresh cut fruit to dunk.