Gourmet

Archive for October, 2009

Imagine a pie ala mode without the drizzle of chocolate? The mousse without the chocolate? Warm, luscious cookies without the chocolate chip? Yes indeed, chocolates penetrate deep into the world of desserts and sweets. Whether it’s the bittersweet tart of dark chocolate or the super sweet lick of milk or white chocolate, the taste of food is enhanced so much more with the addition of chocolate.

As a $50-billion industry worldwide and still growing, the popularity of chocolate is ever-increasing. As such, the continuous consideration of pastry chefs and dessert makers of the finest chocolates the world over is always a given when it comes to making the finest quality culinary creations for you and your palette to enjoy. It is no secret that the finest culinary creations are made with only the finest ingredients, sourced from some of the finest cocoa producers the world over.

With the continuous progression of the culinary arts as well as the newfound bravado of many of the new generation of chocolatiers worldwide, it is no surprise that chocolates are being paired up with all sorts of exotic foods. Everything from simple fruits like dates to blueberries all the way to exotic ingredients like green tea leaves and even gold leaf can be used in making that delectable treat. Just recently, a popular and world-renowned chocolatier unveiled the creation of a chocolate pizza consisting of a baked pizza dough smothered with fine Belgian chocolate and topped with marshmallows and assorted nuts.

Chocolates in themselves are also used in various desserts the world over. Melted chocolates for instance can, in itself, be used in a variety of ways, such as a dip for Spanish churros, or it can be used a base for a popular drink in the Philippines called Chocolate de’ batirol (Chocolate from the amphora) Melted chocolate can also be infused in a variety of cakes and pastries ranging from your regular chocolate filled donut or croissant all the way to the most expensive thousand dollar a pound variety chocolate truffles.

Even in its most basic state, chocolate can be used as a tasty garnish to any cake. Powdered cocoa, whether its the regular kind or the unsweetened Dutch Blend, is used in all the finest drizzles and cake infusions. Imagine some fine cocoa powder drizzled all over a mouth-watering butter and coffee cake? Or making a regular banana split or French toast more exciting by drizzling a little bit of cocoa powder to add that glorious kick to the food? Powdered chocolate, whether its the regular kind or the unsweetened Dutch Blend, is used in all the finest drizzles and cake infusions.

The most beautiful culinary creations are made absolutely sublime with the infusion of chocolate. It becomes no surprise that the popularity of chocolate, both from the regular to the gourmet varieties, continues to grow to this day. Truly delectable delights await your senses with the addition of some of the finest gourmet chocolates sourced from all over the world.

Everybody loves chocolate, but one has to ask, how much are you willing to pay for your chocolate fix? Have you ever imagined paying $800 for a pound of imported chocolates? How about $5000 for a kilogram of chocolate truffles? With the assortment of fine chocolates and ingredients from all over the world, it is no surprise that the finest desserts on the world are reaching eye-pooping costs thanks in part to the quality and outright scarcity of the ingredients used.

In a world where more than half of the population survives on less than $1 a day, there are also those who choose to splurge on chocolates with astronomical costs. The world’s finest truffles are always going to command a price commensurate of its value. Whether it’s because it is made from the finest single source ingredients or shaped and molded in a process unique its own, there are many reasons why prices are always sky high for these unique chocolate creations.

Let’s start first with the ingredients. Usually a chocolate bar is made up of simple ingredients like sugar and flour and perhaps the occasional nut or two. Delectable (and expensive) truffles may utilize exotic ingredients like the finest quality single source chocolate, or exotically aged implements like cranberries aged for two years in Jamaican rum. Even edible gold, one of the worlds most expensive and rarest minerals, is used as a garnish in a truffle (sometimes in large quantities), driving up the prices of these treats further up.

Looking at the culinary world, there are those chefs who make their names by appearing on television, themselves becoming a brand name. But the chocolatiers who charge exorbitant prices for their delectable delights are men and women whose expertise in molding and making the perfect truffle comes from years and years of experience as well as word of mouth marketing. Like true masters, they let their work speak for themselves and just make the finest, most expensive treats that money can buy.

Especially handmade chocolates like the Noka Vintages Collection, made from the finest single-source beans from all over the world, retails at $800 a pound. Retailing out of Dallas, Texas, the Noka Vintages collection is a tasty array of some of the finest blends of the cocoas of the world, making a chocolate that is both unique as it is exquisite.

The most expensive chocolate truffles available commercially is the Chocopologie by Fritz Knipscihldt. It sells for a whopping $250 each or an even more staggering $2600 per pound. Hand-made in a refrigerated room and containing a piece of expensive French Black Truffle within, it is truly a luxurious sight to behold.

So whether it’s looking for the ultimate rush or a penchant for the amazing, buying one of a kind truffles, buying the world’s most expensive chocolates or really expensive sets of chocolates simply boils down to knowing the best and appreciating the best. Gourmet chocolates and chocolatiers like these continuously push the envelope and make exciting treats for the affluent.

Are you a pastry chef looking to hit the big time? Tired of eating commercial-brand chocolate that’s just a tad too sweet for your taste? Interested in making your own chocolate-based works of art? Want to start your own outlet for making and selling gourmet chocolates? Why not take that first step into becoming a world-renowned chocolatier!

Essentially differing from a chocolate maker, chocolatiers are the industry’s primary artists. Using their extensive knowledge of chocolate and the chocolate making process, chocolatiers are trained to create delectable confectionery as well as those eye-catching chocolate sculptures often seen in major culinary events and trade shows. While chocolate makers are responsible for mixing the ingredients necessary to make chocolate, chocolatiers push the craft to another level and taking chocolate and turning it into their own individual art form.

Like with any gourmet trade, chocolatiering is a specialized craft requiring years of training and experience to hone skills and make a mark in the industry. Greatness in the industry may come with experience and training, but if you are looking to get your foot in the door and get started, you have come to the right place.

There are a number of professional chocolate-making schools all over North America , including prestigious institutions such as the Matisse Chocolate Academy in Englewood, New Jersey; the L.A. Burdick Chocolate School in Walpole, New Hampshire; Chocolate Making Courses at Vancouver Community College in Vancouver, B.C. Each offers its own unique take on the artistry of chocolate. In the middle of a career or raising a family? You can take your chocolatier courses online or through correspondence learning from institutions like the Professional Chocolatier Program from the Ecole Chocolat professional school of chocolate arts. Traditional courses may last from anywhere between 3 months to a year while correspondence courses may take anywhere from 1 month to 4 months.

Instruction in chocolatier training usually begins with an overview of chocolate, including its physiology and the process of making it before moving on to chocolate tempering by hand. It is safe to assume that chocolatier schools will assume that their students have not had any previous training in the craft. After picking up the basics, a chocolatier in training is taught more technical aspects of the craft. Lessons in chocolate chemistry and more advanced recipes like chocolate truffles and ganache and working with more expensive ingredients like fondant and sugar syrups will be taught as well as flavor combinations and chocolate-dipped food items.

It is through these various courses and classes that chocolatiers will gain the necessary background and experience making, tempering and working with chocolate so as for them to start making their own delectable creations in their kitchens. The trade is an exciting one, with new chocolatiers coming up with new flavor combinations and technical innovations, pushing the limits of confectionery design and conceptualization to greater heights. It is an exciting time to be a chocolatier. Try out a few classes and get involved in the growing art of chocolatiering!

The title seems to be oxymoronic, doesn’t it? Chocolates have so happily stained the overalls of many a toddler while cigarettes have yellowed the teeth of a multitude of adults. The innocence of a child would be difficult to reconcile with the adult’s less-than-pure nature—it is comparable to finding broccoli in a trick-or-treat bag. But perhaps there is something more to this unlikely match than meets the easily dismissive eye. Chocolate cigarettes might not have as great a following as, say, your typical Hershey’s bar, but it has a considerable following nonetheless.

To address the problem of semantics, there are generally two conceptions of the words, “chocolate cigarettes:” the first one refers to chocolate products shaped to resemble cigarette sticks (even wrapped in paper) while the second conception points to the chocolate flavouring of some tobacco items.

Chocolate sticks covered with paper to take on the look of cigarettes have been a popular treat for children all over the world, although they first sat on the shelves of sweets shops in Europe. Even the packaging of it inspires some playful fascination: bogus tobacco brands grace the entire “cigarette pack.” Some of these funnily fake names include “King Lion” and “Farao.” You might also notice that although these chocolate cigarettes come from the same manufacturer each purchase will garner a differently designed pack, definitely one up for the collectors. The taste of the actual chocolate is close to divinity: creamy Holland-made blends wrapped in fine paper with packaging that can fool even the most discerning passerby. A pack containing 10 “cigarette” sticks shouldn’t cost over 2 USD. These could also conceivably be used as a means to deviate the quitting smoker’s oral fixation—just a thought.

Chocolate flavoured cigarettes, on the other hand, are a completely different experience. Imagine: lighting up and taking a puff while the taste of chocolate doesn’t just stop at the tongue but lovingly invades the throat. The exhale comes out slower than usual because you want to keep the smoke inside just a bit longer.

The charred taste of regular tobacco might already be tiresome for the long-time smoker, maybe just a bit too strong, or perhaps even just plain unlikeable. This flavoured cigarette is a good change of olfactory and gustatory pace, tasting almost nothing like the annoyingly charred flavour of regular tobacco smoke. This particular type of cigarette is ideal for the smoker with a slightly different sweet tooth. Chocolate flavoured cigarettes are available at almost any convenience store, a great leap from being only sold in the most obscure tobacco specialty stores. This only means that more and more people are enjoying the wonderful contradiction that is the chocolate flavoured cigarette.

There must be some merit to these two products; retailers have experienced an increase in demand for them in recent times. Cigarette-looking chocolates perhaps take their following from their nostalgia-inspiring characteristic and chocolate flavoured cigarettes for their sheer unique flavour.

Yes, the products may be the very epitome of contradiction, but it seems to be that people love them for that very thought.

Chocolates are one of the most widely grown, harvested, and processed plant products in the entire planet. Grown in many different areas of the world, chocolate is one of the most commonly used and demanded plant product, and has one of the most recognized flavors. But do we ever stop to think about how the entire world is supplied by chocolates? Have we ever thought about where their plants are grown, what the conditions are in those areas, and how they have managed to make it to our hands with ingredients from various different parts of the world? And most importantly, have you ever thought about how they are priced so cheaply, knowing that the ingredients are from various different countries?

For the past few decades, there is a social movement that has been in existence and known as “fair trade”. Fair trade is an organized movement that aids and makes sure that producers in third world and developing countries continue to improve and that they contilune to develop and master their own practices, furthering their progress while promoting a sustainable mentality and way of living. The fair trade movement advocates the higher payment for producers in areas where related products like chocolate are produced in numbers and in different varieties. The movement also rewards processes that have positive social and environmental effects. Fair trade zeros in on export products in particular, which are products that developing countries bank on for economic growth and progress. Fair trade’s inception was the product of decades of unfair labor practices, both in the financial sector and the operations sector. Now, the fair trade movement has made sure that products like chocolate are grown and harvested in a satisfactory manner, that workers and communities are well compensated for and supported, and that self-sustainability is promoted and made into reality.

So the next time you are enjoying a cup of hot chocolate or opening up a bar of chocolate, check if the product that you are supporting is in line with the practices of the fair trade movement. It is better to indulge knowing that the product you are consuming was created from start to finish using methods that are beneficial to a lot of people. It is also great to be able to fully support the many different forms of chocolate that we all love. Being able to contribute by supporting fair trade chocolate also makes sure that the chocolate we love is sustained, and thereby reducing the risks of the business losing its steam.

Fair trade chocolate is a better alternative to just buying mass-produced and cost-cut chocolate products. It is a great way of supporting a cause that can really make great changes for the rest of the world. We can also help by stopping our thinking that it is just chocolate, and start to see it as a product that can help feed and develop third world countries. With fair trade chocolate products, you can be sure that what you are consuming is truly guilt free and contributes to the rest of the world.

Chocolate—good chocolate—is food that is not only rich with flavour, but also with history; even as early as 1500-400 BC the Olmecs, a civilization that resided somewhere in south-central Mexico, have recognized the cocoa beans’ opportunities as a form of sustenance. The Olmecs crushed the beans, diluted them in water, and threw in chillies and herbs to boot (not a bad idea for a recipe, mind you). The people of the later Mayan civilization are also known to have used the cocoa beans as a form of currency; some excavated drawings actually depict the equivalent of a slave (100 cocoa beans). It was also not uncommon to find ritualistic sacrifices in the form of cocoa beans—Quetzalcoatl is actually known as the Aztec god, who brought abundance through this “brown gold,” as Hernando Cortez, would so appropriately call it early in the 16th century.
The 1500s AD brings about the Western world’s first glimpse of the cocoa bean; Columbus brought the exotic item back to his people as a mere object of curiosity. It was Cortez, however, who found the cocoa drink he shared with the Aztec Emperor Montezuma quite delightful, although the drink was reserved for nobility sometime around the 1530s, and it naturally follows that the recipe for its brewing was then a carefully guarded secret. Simultaneous with Cortez’ victory over the Aztecs (and the civilization’s eventual downfall), came the massive cultivation of the cocoa bean. Thus, the boom of production and shipment of the nectar that the word, “chocolate” referred to began in 1585, with the first cargo’s arrival from New Spain into Iberia.
Perchance we can skip a few centuries, yes? The year: 1780. The brand: Baker’s Chocolate, the pioneer chocolate manufacturer of the United States. The staple term for a specifically sinful taste actually came from this company; Samuel German used greater-than-conventional amounts of chocolate in his cake, and was originally known as “German’s Sweet Chocolate,” although a Texan newspaper published the recipe but mistook the name as “German Chocolate Cake.” As you would undoubtedly already know, the name stuck.
A more popular name in the industry, Hershey’s, was born in 1894 when Milton Hershey of Pennsylvania decided to coat his caramel sweets with chocolate. Six years later, the Hershey Chocolate Company started churning out sumptuous (to the point of addictive) concoctions in the form of bars and other various shapes. Perhaps most famous product, the KISS, saw form in 1907, and got its name from the sound the factory machine made while squeezing out the chocolate. Most definitely, Hershey’s will remain as one of the top names in this forever-popular industry.
Another monstrously known brand in chocolates is Mars, which was born in 1920. Mars Bars originally featured the similar chocolate-covered-caramel characteristic of the early Hershey’s bars, although people were happy to munch on the product all the same. Proof of Mars Incorporated’s strong identity : M & M’s. Those tiny pieces of chocolate that anyone could just keep popping in their craving mouths without a care have taken the world stage for decades.
There are, of course, several other noteworthy names in the industry and history of chocolate. Apart from the names, it is also infinitely fascinating to learn about the different things that people have done with chocolate. Sculptures and even aphrodisiacs made of this gustatory wonder are among the tamest—scientists are actually looking at this elixir’s potential for powering a hydrogen car!
Truly, the history of chocolate is as rich as its taste, although it is a history that has yet to be completed.