Apr 1 2013

Wishing You a Happy Easter!

easter eggsWishing everyone a happy Easter!

Before rushing out and buying a luxury Easter Egg check out this Daily Mail article where in a  blind taste test a £5 Easter egg beats Hotel Chocolat and Harrods costing 10 times as much!

It just goes to show sometime quality doesn’t cost more. I bought of these articles after reading the article and they really are very good and I can’t believe they are under £5!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2284800/Easter-2013-Supermarket-Easter-egg-costing-just-5-beats-Harrods-Hotel-Chocolat-blind-taste-test.html

 

Mar 6 2013

Chocolates by Genevie Free Delivery

Today I have the pleasure of offering a chocolates free delivery voucher form Chocolate by Genevie. Chocolate by Genevie recently opened an online shop that combines Europe’s best chocolates. Genevie has just launched a new responsive website and to celebrate she has offered a few food blogs a free delivery coupon.

Chocolates Free Delivery

The new website includes more payment gateways which is a great improvement on the previous version which only accepted Paypal. Also added to the site is the ability to search chocolates by price and colour of box which I like a lot as i’m very fussy about colours.

Chocolate by Genevie’s main niche is luxury gift chocolates which you can now buy without having to worry about postage costs. The coupon code is: FSC001 which can be used as many time as you like!

 

Nov 3 2012

Lindt Christmas Range

LindtIf you are looking for luxury chocolates this Christmas then look no further than Lindt. They have chocolates suitable for everyone and every occasion.

For the start of the season there is the chocolate advent calendar, with a tasty treat for every day of December until Christmas day. Then there are seasonal chocolates suitable for presents and treats for yourself.

Christmas themed chocolates include bears and bells to hang on the tree. You can buy drum loads of santas or reindeers to give out at gatherings of family or friends. The champagne box is for those chocolate loving adults and there is a whole range of Christmas gift packs.

Cheap chocolate options start at £3.69 for santa gift bags or £2.79 for mini snowmen. But for a really special gift you can pay £40 and get a select hamper of Lindt treats for a great Christmas present for the chocoholic in the family.

Nov 3 2012

My Favourite Chocolate

Chocolate BarEver since I was a kid, I have always loved eating chocolate. I totally love the taste of it as it glides down my mouth. There are many brands out there in the shelves, but as with any product, you have to have a favorite. My favorite chocolate is Fine and Raw. I like it because it does not have lots of artificial sugar while at the same time it maintains that delightful chocolate taste that you cannot find with many other brands.

My specialty from the Fine and Raw stable is the Bonbon bar which has a lining of bonbon that runs through its middle. As the label says, it is made from raw cacao powder and virgin coconut oil and you can never come as close to natural raw chocolate as that. As it melts down your throat, you experience an exquisite, rich taste.

Because of its rich taste, my favorite chocolate is and will always be Fine and Raw.

Nov 3 2012

Introducing a New Artisan Chocolatier

In this post i’d like to introduce our chocolate shop of the month. Each month i’m going to highlight an artisan chocolatier and this month i’m delighted tp present you with Chocolate by Genevie!

Chocolates by Genevie

I asked Genevie to give me some background details to the shop:

We are a small family run business based in Edinburgh Scotland and all of our chocolates are produced in Belgium by skilled artisan chocolatiers. We are continually testing various Belgian chocolates and only the best chocolates find their way into our boxes. We look for cocoa content, source of cocoa, quality of ingredients and presentation when selecting the chocolates; our preference is for high cocoa content of single origin with an emphasis on more cocoa and less sugar. Since starting 6 months ago our selection has gone from strength to strength as we discover more arcane chocolatiers capable of producing the quality of chocolates we are looking for.

Our favourite source of cocoa beans is Ghana; their beans always produce a creamy smooth chocolate which permits a higher cocoa content without sacrificing the silk like quality we like in our chocolates.

Chocolates

Our current selection includes:

  1. Milk chocolate almond praline decorated with a single almond
  2. Milk chocolate truffle
  3. Milk chocolate pistachio praline with a Crème advokaat centre
  4. Dark chocolate cappuccino truffle
  5. Dark chocolate coffee praline decorated with a single coffee bean
  6. White chocolate truffle
  7. Dark chocolate pineapple and coconut praline
  8. Champagne truffle
  9. Cointreau ganache cased in creamy white
  10. Soft centre naugat praline finely textured and cases in a white chocolate
  11. Textured marzipan centre with a dark chocolate outer shell decorated with a single almond
  12. Dark chocolate truffle

Delivery 

Chocolate by Genevie provide luxury Belgian chocolates delivered exclusively from their website. Postage is 1st class royal mail with the option to deliver to any address. Specific delivery dates are also possible.

Presentation

Most of our chocolates are bought as luxury gifts which makes the packaging and presentation vital to our brand. We use traditional classic box colours: gold, silver, burgundy, cream and clear. All of our insets are gold foil which produces a fantastic warm glow when the box is opened – each box is assembled by hand and is finished with silk ribbon and a hot foil logo. An option is available at the checkout to include a hand written gift card message which is included with the box.

Availability

Currently our chocolate selections are only available online via our website – you will not find any of our products in stores or at other websites.

We’re super excited about our new venture and we hope you’ll visit us at: www.chocolatebygenevie.co.uk. If you have any questions just drop us an email which you can do from our website.

Nov 1 2012

Weather For Growing Cocoa Beans

Cocoa TreeMost individuals are not aware that chocolate came from the plant/tree known as cacao. Undoubtedly, the ingredients used to create chocolate products undertakes intricate processing. Chocolate begins with a cacao plant that is fully grown (with pods) found in countries with the right climate, then, the cocoa beans are then delivered to manufacturing plants where they will undergo a number of processes and combined with various other substances. Afterwards, the materials are dissolved, tempered and last but not least molded into the chocolate that people buy in stores.

It is not as easy as you think to simply plant a cacao tree in your garden, allow it to grow and produce the needed cocoa beans for chocolate. If that was the case, everyday importing and exporting of cocoa beans from and to different parts all over the world won’t going to happen any longer. The cacao plant grows in a certain type of environment as well as various other things such as the appropriate temperature, sunlight contact and enough digging of water of course. This is the main reason why some nations only has the capacity to generate cacao and these countries are in Central Africa, South and Central America, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.

The Right kind of Climate
Cocoa needs exactly the right conditions to flourish and produce the precious cocoa pods. When you look deeper you will see that those nations that generate cocoa have one thing in common and that is their tropical weather. The countries are fairly close to the equator, and this makes the climate conditions perfect for growing the chocolate producing cacao plant. Primarily, the most ideal temperature for the cacao plant to grow is approximately 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Then again, it can grow in temperature from 62 degrees to 91 degrees.

This isn’t the only prerequisite though because the cacao plant also requires a great deal of moisture to be present in the air. This simply shows that a great amount of rain and humidity are needed for it to continuously grow and survive. This explains why it grows so well in countries that have tropical weather since it can’t endure dryness for very long periods. If you want to, you can use hydroponics to fabricate the conditions for a cacao tree to grow, however if you want to create your very own cacao plantation and produce numerous cocoa beans, then you have to cultivate it in a tropical country.

Supplementary Conditions
In addition to weather conditions, it is also vital to note that the cacao plant naturally lives in tropical rainforests primarily since it requires a canopy of trees above it in order to thrive. The shade of the tree plays an important role for the early years of growth of the cacao plant as this acts as its guard from the sun’s harmful light. Keep in mind, too much exposure to sunlight can make the plant die so shade is certainly a necessity for the best possible development of the cacao plant.

Moreover, the soil must have an ample amount of water for the cacao plant to live and develop but too much water causes root rot.

Oct 28 2012

How To Prepare White Chocolate?

White ChocolateNo matter what country you visit, chocolate will probably be known as a much loved food by pretty much everyone you meet. With chocolate there is simply no way that you can’t find something to match your taste. You can come across chocolate pastry, snack bars and even chocolate truffles and liqueurs. Despite the appeal of chocolate though, not a lot of people actually know how it’s made. Yes, we can certainly buy chocolate from the store, but home made chocolate is something worth exploring if we want to create the prefect chocolate.

White chocolate is also a very renowned variety. Compared to regular chocolate, white chocolate has a very distinct taste that easily sets it apart as well as having a different appearance and quality. With its milky white looks and rich milky taste, some people actually prefer white chocolate to cocoa, and the good news is that it’s pretty easy to make. If you are curious as to how white chocolate is made or you’d like to make your very own at home, then this guide will show you exactly how to do it!

1) Organizing the Cooking Elements

First, it’s crucial to be certain that you have all the elements needed to make white chocolate. For this process you will need lecithin, sugar, vanilla, milk solids and cocoa butter. These are virtually the same substances used to make regular chocolate, except you don’t use cocoa mass and chocolate liquor, which is why it lacks bitterness found in cocoa. If you do not time to source all of these substances then you can also simply buy raw white chocolate blocks instead.

2) Chopping your white chocolate into smaller pieces

For this step of the process all you need to do is take your block of white chocolate and start cutting it up. You’ll need to melt the white chocolate but you cannot do this if it’s one large block, and this is why you need to cut finely. For those of you that chose to use white chocolate chips instead then this bit of the process is unnecessary.

3) Ensure your chocolate is mixed well

This procedure is pretty much the same as for making regular chocolate as you need to now dissolve the chocolate that you have chopped in the preceding step. Also always remember while you’re doing this that, because of its composition, white chocolate will tend to melt a lot faster than normal chocolate. You’ll also need to make sure that you do not burn it because white chocolate has a lot more fat in it which makes it very easy to overdo with too much heat. You also do not want to use a direct flame, so make sure that you have access to a double boiler in order to get the job done correctly. For those of you that do not have access to this type of burner then you can also use a microwave by simply using it on medium for 20 seconds at a time. Make sure you stop and whip your chocolate quickly in between heating.

4) Tempering

This is probably the most crucial step in producing any chocolate because this is what’s responsible for the nice glossy texture and consistency of the chocolate. If you don’t do this correctly, biting into the chocolate will cause it to fall apart, and while the taste remains the same, the appearance and structure will be less than perfect. All you have to do to correctly temper your chocolate is to make sure you repeatedly stir it when it’s at the correct heat.

Any that’s it done – you have made you’re very own white chocolate!

Oct 24 2012

Vitamin Antioxidants Contained in Chocolate

In the film ‘Chocolat’, actor Joanne Harris describes chocolate as being pleasing, alive and bitter. This is most definitely true,  chocolate is synonymous to love, companionship, joy, good times and everything else that makes the world  a good place to be. A derivative of the Cacao tree, chocolate rules over millions of hearts. The rich sum of vitamin antioxidants that can be present in Chocolate also happen to make it a very proficient aid for the reduction of a lot of serious diseases as documented to recent research.

What exactly do Antioxidants do?

The most basic definition of Antioxidants is that they are basic chemical structures that help the body to eliminate other elements with oxidizing characteristics. Having chemicals in your body that oxidizes your cells is very bad and can cause tremendous tissue and organ harm; this is when Antioxidants come to our rescue. In addition to being one of the most popular food products consumed across the globe, Chocolate is also rich in these significant Antioxidants.

Antioxidants present in chocolate are known to display characteristics that exercise a positive influence on the heart and lower blood pressure. Dark chocolate on the other hand is even better as it has a higher level of Antioxidants compared to milk chocolate. These wondrous substances present in dark chocolate not only help fight bad heart conditions but are good protectors against cancer too. In fact, chocolate is sometimes rated higher in antioxidant content than many so called superfruits like cranberry and pomegranates.

A mug of hot dark chocolate is no more just a treat, but a potion containing compounds that reduce bad or LDL cholesterol from our arteries. The type of vitamin antioxidants you’ll find in chocolate are from the family of phenols. Besides reflecting positively on health, these flavonoids help preserve chocolate better and for longer periods of time. The health benefits of chocolate shouldn’t be ignored as just about every research paper you will find on it will point out the obvious benefits to the body.

Be good about your consumption

Taking in light amounts of dark chocolate can have a positive effect on our health but one needs to wisely balance out the calories which tend to come with chocolate. Also, white or milk chocolate are not considered as healthy an alternative as milk interferes with the absorption of vitamin antioxidants. White chocolate, made exclusively from cocoa butter, simply doesn’t contain the same amount of phenols as dark chocolate does. If you make a serious effort to regulate your diet and keep the levels of chocolate in proportion then you will have nothing to worry about.

Doing this will permit you to enjoy your chocolate without having to feel guilty about it later. Quite often, we tend to forget that chocolate, is actually a plant-based food, thus healthier than thought to be.

Because chocolate is made from the seeds of the Cacao tree, it can be considered to be an organically grown food. It is no wonder that chocolate has been treasured from centuries; but Its antioxidant content has now made it a high profile food of sorts. Indulging in a bite of pure chocolate ecstasy not only only satisfies the palate, but will help lower the risk of diseases too. So next time you yearn for that chocolate dessert try dipping fresh fruit pieces in warm dark chocolate to get the best of both – taste and health.

Many thanks chocolate!