Archive for: August 2009

August 24, 2009

Parisian Dark Chocolate Treats and More!

Filed under: Dark Chocolate — Lori @ 11:24 am

Paris may not be the chocolate capital of the world but it is known as the city of lovers. So what better place for those who love chocolate? Evidently Parisians extend their love of life in general to all they do and that includes chocolate. They don’t just consume chocolate they “celebrate it”. The manner in which chocolate is presented is unique in each shop and designed to appeal to all your senses.

I can’t believe my good fortune that I will be visiting Paris in November because I’ve never been to Europe! I can’t wait to visit some of the chocolate shops I’ve been reading about . But if Paris seems to be out of reach, don’t despair! More and more of the best Parisian chocolate shops are setting up websites online.

So take a short “trip” to Paris today and see what this great city has to offer for dark chocolate lovers.

Pierre Marcolini - At this website you’ll find full screen versions of mouth watering chocolates (not all dark). Someday I hope to try the 28 x 28 mm squares of chocolate from around the world.

Jean Paul Hevin - Would love to try the 72% cocoa minimum chocolate drops for baking.

Jean-Charles Rochoux - If your computer can handle flash this is quite a website! The site introduction will get you hungry for some chocolate faster than I don’t know what! Navigation is a little tricky here but if you scroll over the chocolaty brown colors it will take you to some of the dark chocolate and other creations.

Richart - This site is not quite as creative as some but it is nicely laid out and easy to navigate. I like that you can view their chocolate creations by flavor as well as collection or occasion. Nice!

Click on either of the two images included with this post to read in depth articles about the chocolate delights to be found in Paris.

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August 19, 2009

Dark Chocolate Lessons: Part 2

Filed under: Dark Chocolate — Lori @ 11:21 am

Wow! After posting the first dark chocolate lesson, the past year turned out to be incredibly busy. I am now getting back to posting the remaining three videos. I believe they are well worth watching even if you have no interest in becoming a dark chocolate “connoisseur”.

In this second video, the Scharffen Berger dark chocolate expert talks about the importance of paying attention to the flavor of the dark chocolate as it melts in your mouth. Depending on where a dark chocolate originates there will be subtle taste differences that may not be obvious unless you take time to fully experience the flavor. He recommends breathing through the mouth to have a greater appreciation. That was interesting. I find it hard to breath through the mouth and eat at the same time!

He also recommends taking time to notice the development of the taste over a few minutes rather than rushing on to eat the next thing.

Something else I learned is that the terms semisweet and bittersweet are actually loosely defined and often interchanged. In general semisweet refers to chocolate containing 40-62% cocoa content. Bittersweet will have anywhere from 35 or 40 percent to as much as 85%. Hmm…that’s a significant spread, which leaves it wide open to interpretation when preparing a recipe that calls for one or the other.

Hope you enjoy the lesson.