little britain: lou and andy review chocolate

if you are not following little britain on bbc america, you are definitely missing out... especially with classic lines such as,
"dark chocolate has a bitter edge to it and lacks the oral ecstacy of its milky cousin".

mast brothers chocolate: dark milk chocolate 60% + almonds + sea salt

mast brothers chocolate: dark milk chocolate 60% + almonds + sea salt
brooklyn, ny

you are in florence and strolling along the ponte vecchio. on the medieval bridge, you gaze over the arno river. the souvenir shops are teetery and depressing. however, out of the rough, a gorgeous paper and pen shop emerges. apparently, they have been making hand made florentine papers for centuries.

you proceed to the fenced statue of benvenuto cellini with your padlock in hand. carlos santana is there and nods - - - peculiar.
after you hear the faint click of the key securing the lock placed on the fence, you release a sigh knowing that you and your love will be eternally bonded. you hold the key for a slight second then toss it over the bridge.... it soars until it gently kisses the river.

avoiding the 50€ penalty, for those caught locking something to the fence, you discreetly walk back across the bridge. carlos catches up to you and hands you a bar wrapped in what seems to be florentine paper. after a second nod, he disappears. you gently open the fleur de lis wrapping and discover a deep, rich, and salty chocolate - - - you taste adventure, you taste history, you taste love.

happy valentine's day: metromint giveaway

in honor of the metromint giveaway, i have written my review of the chocolatemint water in the form of a haiku:

peppermint patty
more fun than a dentist chair*
kisses to my mouth

and now for the giveaway details... metromint is giving away a free case of chocolatemint and cherrymint water! so, for chocolate snob's enjoyment, there will be a haiku contest. for the uninitiated, a haiku is a japanese poem divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. see my example above.

your challenge is to write a haiku that is inspired by valentine's day and it does not need to mention metromint. you are more than welcome to suck up to chocolate snob though.... you have until the 22nd of february to compose your winning haiku.

please email your response to

*i love going to the dentist!

tortona chocolate cookies

here is something you may want to make for your sweetheart...
photo spencer weiner, article noelle carter - la times

Total time: 35 minutes, plus chilling and cooling time for the dough
Servings: 2 dozen cookies

Note: Adapted from chef Elena Guerrero-Berman of Massimo's Delectables. Be careful not to grind the nuts to a fine powder or flour; the nuts should have some texture (you will see small bits in the cookies when they are baked). A food processor will work best for grinding the nuts.

2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar1 cup ground hazelnuts
1 cup ground almonds
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 cups pastry flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream the butter with sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl periodically.
2. Gently fold the ground hazelnuts into the butter mixture until evenly combined, then fold in the ground almonds thoroughly.
3. Stir in the vanilla. Gently add the flour, 1 cup at a time, until thoroughly mixed. Slowly add the cocoa until combined. The dough will be very thick at this point, and you should easily be able to roll a small amount into a ball.
4. Shape the dough into a flat disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough at least two hours, but preferably overnight.
5. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Roll the dough to one-half-inch thickness between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap (this keeps the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and alleviates the need for flouring). Cut hearts or other-shaped cookies approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter, and place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies until puffed slightly and set on top, about 15 minutes. Rotate the cookies halfway through for even heating and coloring.
6. Remove the cookies, still on their sheets, to a rack to cool completely before serving (they're fragile just out of the oven and will crumble if moved while still warm).

Each cookie: 317 calories; 4 grams protein; 35 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 20 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 40 mg. cholesterol; 3 mg. sodium.

jade chocolates: promotional code

jade is a fabulous chocolate manufacturer based out of san francisco. you should definitely try their creations... your taste buds will definitely be taken to new adventures.

click here to read past reviews - the dried mango dipped in chocolate is pictured above

use the code 'redhearts' for a 15% discount until february 17th.
www.jadechocolates.com

cholive: the cholive

brewing, manufacturing, frommage... who knew milwaukee would throw us a curve with chocolate? with a ganache center covered by a hard chocolate barrel, the chocolate olive is to accompany your favorite libation. a skewer easily pokes through the cholive for the perfect garnish - - - i like the way this drinking town thinks.

no olives were harmed in the making of the cholive.

i created a black russian with grills for my cholive… the recipe follows...


2 parts vodka
1 part kahlua
put into an ice filled shaker
shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, pour
dust with gold leaf and add a cholive

first sign of chocolate in ancient U.S. found

attention all snobs... add this to your noesis!

Cylinder jars excavated from Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon suggest residents were drinking chocolate as part of a ritual. Twelve jars, shown here, are housed in the Smithsonian Institution Department of Anthropology. Photo courtesy of American Antiquity.


By Jeanna Bryner, Senior Writer

Chocolate residues left on ancient jars mark cacao's earliest known presence north of what is now the U.S.-Mexico border.

The residues, found on pottery shards excavated from a large pueblo (called Pueblo Bonito) in Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico, suggest the practice of drinking chocolate had traveled from what is now Mexico to the American Southwest by about 1,000 years ago.

Scientists have known about the early uses of chocolate in Mesoamerica, with evidence for rituals involving liquid drinks made from cacao beans dating back more than 1,000 years. (Mesoamerica extends from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua.)

Chocolate debut

Now, researchers think a similar ritual may have taken place in villages in Chaco Canyon. Patricia Crown of the University of New Mexico and Jeffrey Hurst of the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition found traces of theobromine, which is in the Theobroma cacao plant that bears beans from which chocolate is made, on the shards. (The Hershey Center was established by the Hershey Company in 2006.)

And Crown and Hurst suspect the shards came from cylinder jars, which measure an average of 10 inches tall (25 cm) and 4 inches (10 cm) wide. Only 200 such cylinder jars are known in the Southwest United States, almost all of which come from Pueblo Bonito.

Scientists have put forth various explanations for how the jars were used, including as containers to hold exotic items like turquoise and as drums (with a skin cover).

"If it was the form specifically used for drinking cacao, that would explain why it's such a specialized form," Crown said, referring to the jars.

In Mesoamerica, residents would make the drinks by grinding up roasted cacao beans and adding hot or cool water. Sometimes other ingredients, such as honey for sweetening, cornmeal and even chili peppers, were added. The researchers are not sure if any other ingredients were mixed in with the Chaco Canyon drinks.

Chocolate trade

Since the cacao plant is tropical and can't be grown in New Mexico and other places in the United States, the researchers think the chocolate beans came from Mesoamerica, with the closest source being about 1,240 miles (2,000 km) away from the Chaco site.

Next, Crown and Hurst hope to test wooden sticks found at the site for chocolate residues. The sticks have loops at the bottom, and Crown says perhaps they were used to stir and froth the chocolate drinks.

"An important thing in Mesoamerica was stirring it up so it had a froth in it," Crown told LiveScience. "The froth was considered the most delicious part of the drink."

The research pair also wants to analyze other material from different time periods and areas in the Southwest.

"It is the first known cacao north of the Mexican border in the United States, and as far as I know the only known cacao in the United States before contact," Crown said, referring to the time before European settlement of the area. "Unfortunately it's also the only cacao residue study that anyone has done using U.S. materials, so we need to find out how widespread chocolate was prior to contact in the American Southwest."

The new research is detailed this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, National Geographic Society, University of New Mexico and Hershey's Technical Center, among others.

surfas inc.: catánies

surfas is probably the best commercial kitchen supply and goods store in LA.  at checkout, they had a very simple clear plastic box containing roughly ten chocolate nuggets.  along with the herbes du provence dried olives and belgium pearl sugar, the nuggets got in my shopping basket.

there really was no information on the chocolate package except for the ingredients, the name of the product, and the name of the store.  despite the packaging, after one bite you are taken to paraiso! the little chocolate complex treasure has a soft chocolate exterior that envelopes hazelnut marzipan around a caramel coated marcona almond. delicioso!  

get them.

trader joe's: swiss milk chocolate with 30% whole hazelnuts

delicious! trader von liesl claims that the bar has "incomparable flavor" yet, somehow it tastes just like villars chocolate with hazelnuts. do tell... the bar even has the matching edelweiss imprint on the chocolate. if you are going to repackage and call it your own, demonstrate a tad bit more contrast, give credit, or get a new copywriter.

365 organic: 54% cacaoswiss dark chocolate with mint crisps

pulverized tic-tac's blended into mediocre chocolate with borderline bloom is not my idea of delectation. i must not forget to mention that there is a kind of creepy aftertaste as well. if you do bother to try it, you might want to go better than bad and pick up a box of after eights instead.

i keep telling myself not to buy organic...

love is in the air: free cookie with suffrage

i am pleased to announce the union of eric of fresh & easy to melissa of essential chocolate desserts.

if you pop on over to the westside of los angeles (brandishing your "i voted" sticker) to essential chocolate desserts, you will be rewarded with a free cookie. this offer is good on tuesday or wednesday.

Essential Chocolate Desserts, Inc.
10868 Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232
310-287-0699

happy day of the dead: vosges promo code

the origins of day of the dead (where spirits of the dead return to earth to be with their families and loved ones) date back thousands of years to an aztecan festival celebrating the "lady of the dead". revelry at cemeteries is spent creating memorial altars and imbibing with interred relatives and friends.

might i recommend spending this month with vosges aztecan inspired chocolates?

vosges has extended a 10% discount to all chocolate snob readers for the month of november. website purchases from nov 1st to nov 30th will receive a discount as long as you remember to enter the promo code 2810WB1 at checkout. vosgeschocolate.com

chocolate snob is now a mrs.

i just got back from my honeymoon after a fabulous wedding (to my mr. charming) on october 25th.

in preparing for the big day, i was a tad bit absent from chocolate snob - - - the months of nuptial prep (planning, decorating, watercoloring, arranging, designing, filene's basement running, fittings, and carousing) did not go by without major guilt for not posting. regular chocolate snob updates, articles, and reviews will start to post immediately.

many kisses to all.

congratulations to our dove winners....

congratulations to our lucky 20 who will be receiving limited edition bags of dove chocolate!

the winners are:
nicole k
tvgemini
lois r
michelle a
christina
rafal s
cm d
billie m
susan a
heather s
bronwyn h
true west home
daniella p
dean l
w senkus
karen i
denise y
alex w
john b
taryn f

for those of who did not send me your address (you know who you are) please do so.

again, congrats!

dove chocolate - GIVEAWAY

the dove chocolate center of excellence is having a great unveiling and i have 20 limited edition bags of dove chocolate to give away to the first 20 entries.

hurry...

please email chocolate-snob by october 6th.



on a personal note, please check out dove's parent information on cocoa sustainability - fascinating...



fine print...
each prize is a limited edition and worth $40.
the contest ends on october 6th.
eligibility can be 21+ and residents of the 50 us and dc.
the winner’s names will be posted on chocolate-snob and can also be received through correspondence with chocolate-snob.
the longer version of the official rules...

cadbury recalls 11 products from sale in china as tainted milk scandal grows

your chocolate should only list a few ingredients on the back (cacao beans, sugar, cocoa butter, pure cane sugar, and vanilla) and it definitely should not include melamine. read your labels very carefully and buy your chocolate from artisans and countries that have a history of producing quality products.

ben steele and agencies guardian.co.uk, monday september 29 2008 11:14 bst article history


the british chocolate maker cadbury today said it was recalling 11 product ranges from sale in china as the country's tainted milk scandal continued to grow.

the withdrawals come over fears that the products could contain the chemical melamine, which can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure.

contaminated milk products have killed four chinese babies and made tens of thousands of others ill. melamine can be added to milk to hide the fact that it has been watered down.

in a statement, cadbury said tests carried out on the chocolates had "cast doubt on the integrity of a range of our products manufactured in china".

it is not yet clear whether the tests revealed melamine, and the company said products on sale in the uk were not affected.

the recalled products – which include eclairs and dairy milk – were manufactured in the chinese capital beijing and sold in mainland china, hong kong and taiwan. one product was also exported to australia.

"we believe it is appropriate to take a precautionary step to withdraw from the market all of our cadbury chocolate products that have been manufactured in beijing, pending further supply of fresh products," the cadbury statement said.

hong kong's centre for food safety appealed to people to "stop consuming the chocolate products concerned", adding: "we would alert the trade to stop selling the affected products."

two us manufacturers are already investigating indonesian claims that high traces of melamine were found in oreo wafers, m&ms and snickers imported from china.

the indonesian food and drug monitoring agency said a dozen allegedly tainted products distributed nationwide, including those brands, had repeatedly tested positive last week.

kraft foods and mars said they were adhering to a recall order, but stressed that the same products had been cleared of melamine in other asian countries. the eu has banned all imported baby food from china.

we have our winners to the los angeles chocolate salon!

no, big mama see's did not sell supplies to the miners during gold rush. It was domenico "domingo" ghirardelli, a native of rapallo, italy. both brett and sylvie won tickets to the los angeles chocolate salon with the correct answer. thank you to all our contest participants...

so, let's find out a little bit more about ghirardelli...

Ghirardelli Chocolate has a history that dates back to California’s gold rush. At 31 years old, he was the owner of a fairly successful confectionery business in Lima, Peru. However, Domingo had heard of the fabulous riches in gold being found in California, and in 1849 he sailed to California with the intention of striking it rich (and then going back to Peru).

Domingo was out there in the hills and streams doing his best to find his riches, but like a few of the smarter miners he soon found it was much more profitable to sell supplies to other miners. Domingo first opened a store in the boomtown of Hornitos. He was forced to buy supplies for his store in Stockton, at the time the only general merchandise store that was around for miles. Domingo believed that he could open a competing store in Stockton, and make a lot more money, if only he could figure out a way to supply it.

Domingo bought himself a sloop that he used to sail up and down the San Joaquin River, acquiring supplies in San Francisco and then returning with his merchandise to Stockton. Domingo’s first store front was just a tent, but by the end of 1849 he owned a fleet of river sloops, and buildings in both Stockton and San Francisco. He also had some profitable side lines, including grubstaking prospectors in exchange for a share in any gold they might find; he owned a hotel; and he even owned one of California's first soda fountains (more than a decade before the marble fountain was invented). Unfortunately, by 1851 Domingo was starting over again.

On May 3, 1851, a fire swept through San Francisco and destroyed 1500 buildings. Three days later a fire swept through Stockton and destroyed half of that city. In less than a week Domingo lost everything. Domingo first tried opening the Cairo Coffee House in San Francisco, but it was a money loser, and he decided to go back into his old trade as a confectioner. He formed a partnership with a man named Girard, and they opened a confectionery store on Kearny and Washington in San Francisco. Domingo then sent for his wife, who was still living in Lima, Peru. Shortly after she arrived Domingo bought out his partner, and renamed his store "Mrs. Ghirardelli & Company." The rest is, of course, history.

from Middleborough, MA Public Schools

GIVEAWAY los angeles chocolate salon

i have two tickets to the los angeles chocolate salon on october 5 to give away if you can tell me the answer to the following....

which chocolate producer sold supplies to the miners during gold rush?

please email your response to chocolate-snob

the contest will end at midnight tonight. all correct entries will be entered into a pool. not a winner? not to worry, you may get tickets for $20.00 at the door or $17.50 in advance - consider yourself very lucky!

los angeles chocolate salon sunday, october 5th!

please join me at the los angeles chocolate salon! the salon is fabulous in capturing unique and divine artisans. some of those who have participated in the past, are now big names in the chocolate world. i cannot wait to find this season's up and coming chocolatiers.



Discover, taste and savor the finest in artisan, gourmet and premium chocolates & wine

Chocolate lovers, en garde! The premier major chocolate show in the Los Angeles area this millenium takes place at the 2nd Annual Los Angeles Luxury CHOCOLATE SALON on Sunday, October 5th, 2008 at the Pasadena Center. Chocolate aficionados, fanatics, lovers and addicts can taste & experience the finest in artisan, gourmet & premium chocolate in one of the world's great culinary metropolitan areas.

Salon highlights feature chocolate tasting, demonstrations, chef & author talks, wine tasting and ongoing interviews by TasteTV's Chocolate Television program. (Salon Entry includes all chocolate & wine tastings, demos, etc.).

Featured 2008 Los Angeles Luxury CHOCOLATE SALON chocolatiers and confectioners include Mignon Chocolate, Chocolate All the Time, Sacred Chocolate, Arlene's Gourmet Toffee, Valerie Confections, Jade Chocolates, Malibu Toffee, Guittard Chocolate Company, Marti Chocolatt, The Chocolate Traveler, Poco Dolce, Amano Artisan Chocolate, San Francisco Toffee Company, Choclatique, Chuao Chocolatier, the TeaRoom chocolates, Cosmic Chocolate, Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows, Rushburn Toffee Company, Downey's Chocolates, The Chocolate Basket, Christopher Michael Artisan Chocolates, DOVE Chocolate Discoveries, Calcareous Vineyards, Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur, Nespresso gourmet coffee, and more.

http://www.lachocolatesalon.com/

charles chocolates: crystallized ginger pieces in 65% bittersweet chocolate

there is precious diamond dust inside this chocolate bar! small crystallized bits of ginger crackle and meld into the bittersweet chocolate.

i recommend always having this bar on hand.