An Exploration of Chocolate |
December 26, 2005 |
I have always wanted to make my own rich creamy dark chocolate so I could
really enjoy the slightly sweet, bitter flavor of dark chocolate. My favorite
kinds of chocolate are organic dark chocolates with berries or fruit, and
chocolate peppermint bark.
The chocolate bars with the bits of fruit add more tartness to the chocolate. I once had a Dagoba chocolate bar that was called “rose-berry” because it had raspberries and rosehips in dark chocolate, and it was so good I stuck it in the freezer so it would last longer. The dried raspberries added a lot of tartness to the bitter-sweetness of the 59% cacao content. In addition to the raspberries, the rose hips enhance the chocolate by adding a delicately distinctive, slightly sweet rosewater fragrance. The result is a perfectly flavored bar of chocolate.
Peppermint bark is very sweet, it has dark chocolate on the bottom and then in the middle there is a layer of white chocolate ending with peppermint chips on top. Peppermint bark is a holiday treat so I don’t get it very often. But when I do get it I love it. The white chocolate somewhat overpowers the dark chocolate so you can only taste the white chocolate peppermint with a hint of the dark chocolate. The peppermint gives it a slight crunch that is really complimentary to the smoothness of the chocolates.
Chocolate for me is a special little treat that isn’t too unhealthy, and tastes good. There are things like hot cocoa and peppermint bark for the winter, and chocolate ice cream is a good summer specialty. To me, when chocolate comes to mind I think of Christmastime and winter, especially all of the different kinds of holiday chocolate, peppermint bark, chocolate Santas, hot cocoa and bits of special chocolate that I find in my stocking. I think that chocolate is a treat perfect for every season of the year.
Isis takes ballet, plays soccer, sings in a choir, and loves to travel. She thinks that if you are going to eat, why not eat well if you can? There seems to be no reason not to. |
Isis (not her real name) is sixteen years old and is really interested in food
because her dad is a good cook. She was practically raised in a Vietnamese
restaurant, and as a baby ate her first solid foods there, which were rice
noodles. She tries most foods that are offered to her and her parents urge her
to also. For example, when she was 7 years old, she was at a French restaurant
and her parents were having snails and they easily talked her into trying them.
They ended up being pretty good! Email questions or comments for these two young women to webmaster@drgourmet.com.