Haute Chocolate

…Does anyone else remember that mtv video where LL Cool J is in a boxing ring? Mama said knock you out? Leave that crack alone?

…but I digress. Two important chocolate thoughts (I know what you’re thinking , “such a long time with no post and she only has TWO thoughts?” it’s harder to love writing about chocolate when I don’t really eat it much anymore).

1. Shout out to the new cafe, “Sally’s Cocofe.” Check out the website here.

2. I tasted chocolate mint water. It was on sale for a dollar, it advertised as being “extra cool,” and I thought I had a DUTY to my loyal readers to check it out. It was nice, but I probably wouldn’t do it again. It actually reminded me of the Land O Lakes mint hot chocolate I used to get in bulk from Sam’s Club. It tasted like the flavors were the same, but there was no creaminess.

3. (So, call me a liar) I have had more than two thoughts - Turkey Hill Moose Tracks - chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge swirl, chocolate covered peanuts and peanutbutter cups. Amazing.

4. Trader Joe’s peanutbutter cups (not the mini ones) are TOTALLY my favorite. Notwithstanding my earlier promise to Paul Newman’s dark chocolate ones.

5. Finally saw the movie “Chocolat” yesterday. Not at all what I expected. I still can’t tell if I like the “fairy tale” aspect or not. I did really like the family history of dispensing ancient chocolate remedies. Exactly what chocolate should be.

“More than anything, I’m in love with chocolate. Chocolate is part of my childhood memories, reminding me of Mom and Dad returning home from trips abroad with a suitcase full of chocolates wrapped in crackly colorful paper. It reminds me of Grandma, hiding chocolate candies in a box inside a big wooden cupboard. It’s part of my youth, and it always reminds me of Anna, my first love.

I’m mesmerized by the history of chocolate, and I’m entranced with the nostalgic stories surrounding it, which carry me back to long gone romantic days.

Chocolate is passionate, sexy and prestigious, and I always start my mornings by eating a tablet of milk chocolate with nuts. For more than seven years, I worked in a small chocolate workshop. I heard about rare recipes and stories passed on from masters to pupils. I collected old books and utensils that tell the story of chocolate, and I went to Central America to get a sense of the place where the legend of chocolate began. During the last four years, I’ve been making my own chocolate.

I invite you to watch, smell and taste my love story.”

–Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man

This week end I came across “cherry” M & Ms. I was dumbfounded. That doesn’t even sound good to me. And aren’t there already red ones? What’s the point? This is just weeks after finding out about the Mint Crisp M & Ms. Not as good as I had hoped, but pretty tasty overall. New M & Ms don’t much interest me - I have always been partial to peanut M & Ms: you get to crack the shell, nibble the chocolate and then still munch a peanut! Of course, about every fifth time you eat the whole thing all together and just enjoy the “shmorg” of flavors. Given my love of peanut butter, I was surprised that the peanut butter M & Ms didn’t ever really take hold for me. It turns out I’d rather have an actual peanut. Maybe I should have known, I always choose chunky over creamy. How many other M & M fads have their been over the years? Purple ones? Pink ones? Green ones with big eyelashes?

I’ve gone over the traditional chocolate combinations, chocolate and peanut butter, chocolate and mint…what else is there? My first instinct is chocolate and cinnamon, but that is entirely because of a Sam’s club size box of hot chocolate from my childhood. Chocolate and caramel - definitely good. The gooier the caramel the better. Can’t say that I’ve found a really great example, though. But what else is there? Chocolate and orange? Chocolate and lavendar…maybe? (thanks, MMR). There has to be more… seriously, what am I missing?

It’s been a weird couple of weeks for Choco. Surprisingly, it is not as easy as it looks to maintain a care-free chocolate loving attitude in the face of all sorts of trials and tribulations. Especially when those trials take the form of skirts not fitting so nicely anymore. Sigh… Now what do I do with the stack of chocolate bars (yes, there is a stack) camping out in my house? I’ve limited myself to all treats on the weekend. It’s teaching me self-restraint and I’m finding the exercise to be enlightening in more way than one. It turns out that waiting for the “chocolate (and other sweet treat) pay-off” can be enjoyable. I carefully choose over the week just what my indulgences will be, often assigning a time (rice pudding for breakfast, chocolate at 11am, etc.). Knowing that it is there leaves me feeling comforted, not feeling taunted as I feared. But, I’m also a little afraid of all this. You see, I just don’t crave chocolate like I used to. All this “vacation time” is leaving me with a very blasé attitude towards the stuff. I notice the stack and think, “ugh, when am I ever going to finish this stuff?” Will I ever regain the passionate chocolate loving attitude I’m famous for without having to regain the pounds?

Does anyone want some chocolate?

Everyone knows that I am a huge fan of chocolate. In my very first post I shared the many uses I’ve found over the years for the stuff. But even I, chocolate fanatic, have a little trouble with the way chocolate is being marketed lately. Anti-oxidants, flavanoids, blah, blah, blah. Get serious people, it’s still candy. Sugar is a major ingredient. Duh. Imagine my surprise in the Target chocolate aisle when I found the new Dove bar that’s “good for your skin.” Every teenager can tell you that chocolate gives you pimples…since when is it giving me smooth skin? (see what the Chocolistas have to say about it here.) I also recently came across this article, which praises chocolate as an effective way to ward off preeclampsia. Honestly, where is it going to stop?

…Not that I’m complaining about getting to eat chocolate while pregnant though, I’m not crazy!

From a friend, seems like I’m not the only one with a mousse/pudding obsession:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/dining/23appetite.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Choco is in fact Jewish. Being such, I had a front row seat to this year’s Passover Chocolate extravaganza. It was surprising. I had three varieties of brownies (my favorite) that were all good. Two types of chocolate chip blondies - also excellent. I could have sworn that one of them even included peanut butter. Many friends owed their delectables to Suzie Fishbein, so I will give credit where credit is due. Unfortunately, my leaven-free week did not center around my friend’s dessert tables, instead I had to muddle through on my own, finding chocolate respite whenever possible. This year I forewent my usual hot chocolate (because the Passover kind is just not worth it) and found my morning chocolate in the Israeli non-yogurt Leben. Chocolate leben is basically yogurt without the live cultures, pretty much rendering it chocolate pudding. Delicious. My son, not understanding the live culture/pudding subtleties exclaimed, “it’s more creamy.” I do question his wisdom slightly, as he chose white chocolate as his special Passover treat. Is he really my kid? For the straight-up daily chocolate fix I was having a tougher time finding a good substitute. The extra dark chocolates I prefer just did not show up in the Passover section. So I was forced to indulge my inner child’s “milk chocolate is super yummy” and bought for the extra creamy kind…it even had a pink label, making it particularly appealing to me! After my devilish son stole the last two squares (with a consequence of no juice for the rest of the day - an eye for an eye, a sugar for a sugar) I bought a replacement bar AND a dark chocolate bar with praline filling. The milk chocolate felt decadent, the dark chocolate was just ok. The aforementioned white chocolate, not touched.

All in all, this holiday taught me some things: 1. Passover baked goods can be delicious  2. Milk chocolate really is super yummy, if you’re in the mood for something sweet and thick and creamy that’s not frozen  and 3. Extra dark chocolate is worth every bit of the “extra.”

My family likes mint and chocolate together. Apparently, not everyone does. Imagine my surprise a dozen or so years ago when my brother married into an “eww, why is there toothpaste in my chocolate ice cream?” family. Since then, we have made ground amongst that family and the world at large. Case in point: M & M’s new mint crisp flavor in honor of the new Indiana Jones movie. Not that I would know about these first hand since I have already looked in two different stores with nothing remotely like mint M & M’s on the shelf…so, I’m offering a prize to anyone who can provide me with the special M & M’s before Passover. A really good prize. I promise.

I did come across a dark chocolate (because it’s taking over the world) mint flavored Three Muskateer’s bar which is super intriguing…extra credit anyone?

I don’t just love chocolate. I’m full of love for the people who have shaped my life. One in particular, who was instrumental in my starting this blog, is blogging for herself now. “Time of my Life” is her chronicle of her recent diagnosis with cancer and all that goes with it - hair loss, macrobiotics, star wars…

I encourage you to read it for a laugh (believe it or not) and for an inspiring world view that fills me with awe.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/timeofmylife