The Chocolate Gourmet

2007-03-08T17:02:00.000Z

Mike Filsaime's latest excellent give away can be found at:

Resource List

Enjoy

Pocco

Sex, Chocolate and Your Best Friend!

2007-02-28T16:01:00.000Z

Why Chocolate can be good for your love life,

But bad for your ‘Four Legged Friends.’

Chocolate drinking, has since earliest times been attributed with the ability to increase human libido and prowess. Many have claimed it possesses sexual and medicinal properties. Chocolate is definitely considered by many to be an aphrodisiac.

It is statistically true that men tend to give women chocolate, however, whether it is for the supposed love properties is an interesting point of conjecture. According to many women (I personally believe them) it is much more romantic to receive flowers instead. Chocolates are an added bonus in these situations.

In Aztec culture Montezuma is reported to have drunk an average 50 goblets of cocoa a day. This was to increase his prowess in lovemaking. 50 cups is not really my cup of tea. Nevertheless, it has long been revered as a food of love.

Chocolate’s Medicinal Properties:

Many claims have been made about Cocoa’s beneficial medicinal properties, as well as various side effects for those who indulge in eating and drinking of chocolate.

This is not really surprising, we are after all discovering more about out own bodies, and the link between our mood and the foods we eat. What’s not so clear, are the actual effects consuming chocolate might (or might not) have on us.

The cocoa bean (Theobroma cacao) gives us the substance Theobromine. This is known to variously affect those who eat or drink chocolates.

Theobromine

Theobromine is one of the active ingredients in cocoa and chocolate alike. It affects several of the major systems of the body:
The ‘central nervous system’. (The brain and it’s components)
The ‘cardiovascular system’. (The heart and lungs, which is one of the areas scientist now believe is beneficially helped by cocoa.) A current area for debate is the use of chocolate-based medicines in the treatments of coughs.
Theobromine is also said to cause raised blood pressure, as well as inducing vomiting.

Whatever the claims and counter claims of chocolate’s promoters and detractors, it is abundantly clear we in the people like chocolate. In Northern Europe individuals consume approx. 15 – 22 lbs of it per annum. Americans consume somewhat less.

Strangely, one of the ancient treatments for emaciation (weight loss) was to drink chocolate. It certainly helps many round the world to do just that.

I can personally testify that I put weight on if I eat large amounts of the stuff. The reason may be that we corrupt the bean with so much fat and sugar that add caloric value, rather than the properties of the beans themselves.

Fantastic Gourmet Chocolates Delivered to your Home

Chocolate, You and Your Best Friend :

Most sensible people are not concerned about their consumption of chocolate, considering them a luxury. They are usually given by an admirer, or purchased in an impulse to cheer us up after a gruelling day at the office.

Whatever our reasons, we like chocolate’s comforting power. Gourmet chocolates are fantastic, as are Swiss, Belgian, Thornton’s (my personal favourites) and Hershey’s chocolate.

There are increasingly more and more Internet sites, where you can browse the aisles of online Chocolate Malls, in a quest for 24/7 never ending chocolate heaven.

So, as you sit at home, indulging in your latest purchase a word of warning: If you have a dog or other pet.

Don’t Ever Feed Them Chocolate!

Let me repeat that!

Don’t Ever Feed Them Chocolate!

There are two extremely compelling reasons for this:

Theobromine is toxic for animals and can cause serious problems for them.
If you share your favourite chocolates: THERE’S LESS FOR YOU!

Visit our blogs for further help and free recipes:

The Chocolate Mall Free Recipes & The Mystery Chocolatier Free Recipes

Charles Poxon

http://www.articledashboard.com/rss/Gourmet/176

Chocolate Recipes: CHOCOLATE ICING

2007-02-27T16:46:00.000Z

CHOCOLATE ICING

Make a vanilla icing, and add one tablespoonful of cold water to it. Scrape fine one ounce of Chocolate, and put it in a small iron or granite-ware saucepan, with two tablespoonfuls of confectioners' sugar and one tablespoonful of hot water. Stir over a hot fire until smooth and glossy, then add another tablespoonful of hot water. Stir the dissolved chocolate into the vanilla icing.

VANILLA ICING

Break the white of one large egg into a bowl, and gradually beat into it one cupful of confectioners' sugar. Beat for three minutes, add half a teaspoonful of vanilla extract, and spread thinly on the cakes.

Further recipes for chocolate:

The Chocolate Mall

Gourmet Chocolate: CHOCOLATE HEARTS

2007-02-27T16:13:00.000Z

MRS. SALZBACHER'S CHOCOLATE HEARTS

Melt, by standing over hot water, three ounces of unsweetened chocolate; add a pound of sifted powdered sugar and mix thoroughly; work to a stiff yet pliable paste with the unbeaten whites of three eggs (or less), adding vanilla to flavor. If the paste seems too soft, add more sugar. Break off in small pieces and roll out about one-fourth of an inch thick, sprinkling the board and paste with granulated sugar instead of flour. Cut with a tiny heart-shaped cake cutter (any other small cake cutter will do), and place on pans oiled just enough to prevent sticking. Bake in a very moderate oven. When done, they will feel firm to the touch, a solid crust having formed over the top. They should be very light, and will loosen easily from the pan after being allowed to stand a moment to cool. The success of these cakes depends upon the oven, which should not be as cool as for meringue, nor quite so hot as for sponge cake. If properly made, they are very excellent and but little labor.

For More Gourmet Recipes Visit: The Chocolate Mall

If you want to share recipes or comment please leave a message on the comments section

Chocolate Recipe: Devil Food

2007-02-25T14:16:00.000Z

CHOCOLATE CAKE, OR DEVIL'S FOOD

5 level tablespoonfuls of butter,
1 ¼ cups of sugar,
3 ½ squares of Chocolate, (melted), [Remember you get what you pay for!]
3 eggs,
1 teaspoonful of vanilla,
¾ a cup of milk,
3 ½ level teaspoonfuls of baking powder,
1 ½ cups of sifted pastry flour.

Cream the butter, add sugar and chocolate, then the unbeaten eggs and vanilla, and beat together until very smooth. Sift the baking powder with one-half a cup of the flour, and use first; then alternate the milk and the remaining flour, and make the mixture stiff enough to drop from the spoon. Beat until very smooth and bake in loaf in moderate oven.

The only way to be certain it's cooked is to place a clean pointed knife into the cake until it comes out clean.

Charlie the Chocolatier

Brand New Day

2007-02-24T13:07:00.000Z

Today is a good day, I mean a really good day!
In fact in the nature of days it's even better than a good day. It probably borders on being a very,very good day.

Why is that? Well the world's ok. I feel great... and what's more the chocalateyness of the day means I can face almost anything. I would go as far as to say that 'Thorntons Chocolate' is how I would describe today. Especially their 'Sicillian Lemon Mousse' ... I'll but some later and let you know.

have great weekend.

Pocco