Entries tagged with 'chocolate'
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[Flickr: oskay] See that brown chalky disc second from the bottom? That is a chocolate Necco Wafer, aka the Kevlar vest of candies. Virtually indestructible, the Necco Wafer was sent into battle with troops during World War II because it wouldn't melt or break during transit. Packs of Neccos have traveled with Admiral Byrd to the South Pole and with Donald MacMillan to the Arctic. It can withstand extreme temperatures and harsh terrain. It is, perhaps, our nation's greatest militarized fat free wafer. You either love 'em or think they taste like a chalky hot mess. Which is why, I think, there are two distinct thoughts regarding Necco Wafers: You either love 'em or think they taste like a...
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Lego sculpture artist Nathan Sawaya trades in Lego bricks for Ritter Sport chocolate bars in this video to promote Ritter Sport's Happiness Squared Contest. Nominate your favorite person or organization, such as volunteers who build houses, to give them the chance to win a year's supply of Ritter Sport. Watch the video after the jump....
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On Wednesdays, Andrea Lynn, senior editor of Chile Pepper magazine, drops by with Serious Heat. [Flickr: Fiona Watson] When others find out your world is spent submerged in hot and spicy food, there are questions galore. One of the most popular revolves around the best thing I've ever tasted. Of course, the answer constantly changes. But recently I've been craving spicy chocolate. Start with the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of chocolate and add a tinge, or even a flame of heat, and you've got perfection. We searched for the best spicy chocolates, munching through bars that crunched and burned. I personally can't get enough of Chuao Firecracker—a smoky chocolate that pops in your mouth like tiny fireworks. It's a revelation for the...
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Jacques Torres posing with his class. [Photographs: Tressa Eaton] With colored balloons, heavy cream, and chocolate galore, it was pretty clear that the participants in Jacques Torres' "Chocolate Creations" class at the New York Culinary Experience last weekend were having way more fun than the other classes. Yes, those are balloons. Torres is very encouraging to those who want to try difficult pastry recipes at home. He tells would-be pastry chefs who mess up a project the first time to just do it again until they get it right. He took a minute away from cracking jokes and teaching the class how to make his whimsical creations to share the top fives tools you need when you want to...
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"Sometimes people see chocolate and think alcoholic milkshakes." [Flickr: loremipsum] For the most part, those seeking to indulge both chocolate and cocktails have been restricted to the realm of heavy, sugary after-dinner drinks. But as chefs take chocolate more seriously—working with the savory, bitter flavors that cacao can bring to a dish—so have mixologists. As I wrote for last weekend's San Francisco Chronicle, a number of bartenders are getting into the chocolate game, making their own bitters, tinctures, and liqueurs that capture the rich character of chocolate without weighing down the drink's flavor with a palate-thumping load of sugar. Some classic cocktails and 18th century punches utilize the power of chocolate to good effect, playing the flavor against that of...
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"As long as you stay on this side of the sweet-savory line, the meat and chocolate trend is a great one." Chocolate-covered bacon from Roni-Sue's. [Photographs: Robyn Lee] Chocolate and meat may have started with the Aztecs (in their thick, chocolate-tinged mole sauce) but the food marriage has been spreading to the artisanal candy aisle and non-Mexican restaurants like Blue Hill in New York. At first I was very wary of this combination but knew I'd have to give in—if for no other reason than to say I’d at least tried it. My first foray into chocolaty meat, probably like many others, was the Vosges bacon chocolate bar. I picked it up about a year ago and my impression was...
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Note: Please give a warm welcome to Heather Rawlinson, our new chocolate correspondent. She kicks things off with ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie analysis—which chips are best? You might want to grab a cold glass of milk for this one. Take it away, Heather! [Photograph: Heather Rawlinson] Like so many other great discoveries, the chocolate-chip cookie supposedly started out as a mistake. According to the story, which seems to border on myth, Ruth Wakefield of the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts intended to make chocolate cookies for her guests one day. After running out of her usual baking chocolate, she improvised with some Nestle chocolate morsels instead. To her surprise, the chocolate chips didn't melt and combined with the dough just...
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Here's a cute stop-motion animation of chocolate confections being born and then frolicking among chunks of peanut brittle and sprinkles until reaching their final resting place: a gift box. So you can eat them! Watch the video after the jump....
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"I've never tasted so many American cheeses in such a concentrated amount of time." Murray's Cheese successfully packed a group of 55 die-hard cheese fanatics from New York on a bus to Shelburne Farms outside of Burlington, Vermont, to the first-ever Vermont Cheesemaker's Festival this past Sunday. As one of the lucky passengers of this 24-hour fiesta, I have nothing but praise for the organizers of the trip, my fellow bus-riders, our bus driver John, and over fifty cheesemakers and artisan food producers at the festival. Though I've never considered myself a cheesehead, I've been known to attend a cheese tasting and class or two and am usually the one at the table to pick our cheese plate selections. I've...
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"More like a fudgy cupcake than anything wholesome." I admit it. I was late to the Vitalicious game. Three years ago, a friend of mine who was completely obsessed with Banana Nut VitaTops asked me to go in on a bulk order with her. (A case of six assorted VitaMixes for muffins and brownies is $33.30.) I declined. I had only ever seen Vitalicious products at "supplement" stores like GNC. I didn't believe they would actually taste good anymore than I believed the berry-flavored SlimQuick powdered drink mix would actually help me drop five pounds. But last week, as I contemplated yet another yawn-worthy yogurt and granola bar breakfast, I decided to give the Vitalicious brand a second look....
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