In a little over 1 week, the country will once again be
besieged by the uncontrollable urge to purchase flower buds which normally cost
about $2 per stem for $10 per stem or more. Not because they look or smell any
different 2 days earlier or later but mainly because it’s not very comfortable
sleeping in Fido’s abode. I personally am very fortunate that my Mrs. was never
into flowers… especially grossly overpriced flowers and simply would prefer an
extravagant or even a simple meal that was created from the heart. And
perchance I was one of the masses who felt compelled to spend the better part
of a car payment for foliage that would just last 5 days or so, I would procure
a dozen anthuriums. Anthuriums? For starters you’ll be supporting some Big
Island nurseryman and well, they are brilliant red and shaped like the very
organ that you hope Cupid pierces with his love arrow. Not to mention it also
has that stamen that resembles… I’ll leave it to your imagination…
Better than Thorn
Stemmed Flowers
Leave the flowers at the florist and head to the grocery
store or even better, the specialty grocer and purchase the one food that
supposedly mimics that feeling of love, chocolate. I mean chocolate is also a
stalwart symbol of Cupid’s Day and I’d rather spend hard earned dinero on
something that actually tastes good. Chocolate does contain antioxidants that
are supposed to be heart healthy and we all need a healthy ticker if it’s about
to be pierced by one of Cupid’s arrows. It also is supposed to mimic the
feeling of being in love right? Actually I’m simply enamored of the taste of
that molten oozing liquid of love from a perfectly half-baked chocolate cake…
What is Chocolate?
The plant that eventually creates chocolate as we know it
is the cacao tree or Theobroma cacao.
Most of the worldwide production comes from parts of Africa and South America
as cacao trees need at least 60 degrees to thrive. Therefore it’s also grown
right here in the 50th in our own backyard. The pods that house the
cacao beans sprout from all parts of the tree including the stems, branches and
trunk (like mountain apples) and if you attempted to consume them fresh, would
be repulsed by the fresh beans as they resemble animal brains and are coated in
a mucilaginous substance and only resemble the dark brown chocolate that we
know after fermenting, drying and roasting. And even then, the ground nibs that
produce a liquid or chocolate liquor must be mixed with cocoa butter and sugar
to produce a rudimentary chocolate. Other than sugar, the two basic components
of chocolate is cocoa powder (the solids) and cocoa butter (the fat) with
better chocolates containing a higher percentage of cocoa solids. However,
before seeking out pure 100% cocoa solid chocolate, don’t. It’s simply a
chalky, slightly bitter morsel with no real flavor and because it’s not very
palatable, it’s not that easy to find. It’s mainly purchased by chocolatiers
who then add their own flavorings, sweeteners and cocoa butter to produce their
own gourmet chocolates.
Chocolate
Nutrition
Like you may have read, chocolate especially dark
chocolate contain a fair amount of antioxidants with one particular brand –
Dove Dark – containing the most flavanols including procyanidins, epicatechins,
and catechins which theoretically may reduce the risk for heart disease by
lowering oxidation levels of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and raising HDL
cholesterol (good cholesterol). Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine which
supposedly mimics the feeling we experience when we’re in love.
But before you set out binging on dark chocolate, just be
forewarned that 100gm (about 3.5 ounces) of chocolate also supplies about 540
calories with about 30gm of fat and roughly 2/3 of that fat is in the form of
saturated fats, the same fats that raises LDL cholesterol levels. So that extra
dose of antioxidants provided in chocolate may simply be balancing the extra
dose of saturated fats that you’re consuming. But if you still want to gorge on
chocolate purely for the antioxidants and nutritional benefits, you can
accomplish the same simply with cocoa powder as these antioxidants are mainly
in the cocoa solids, not the fat. Sorry to have burst your bubble.
Balancing Flavor
with Nutrition
Though I’ll often indulge in a great piece of chocolate
regularly, I never consume a lot of straight chocolate. It might be because I
really don’t have a sweet tooth or it might be due to an unfortunate childhood
incident where I consumed a whole solid Peter Rabbit at Easter and ended
getting to know the porcelain alter in the bathroom a lot more intimately than
I wanted to. Therefore I do enjoy healthier chocolate options where cocoa
powder provides the boost of flavor versus simply using obscene amounts of
melted chocolate. The one drawback with cocoa powder is that during the drying
and heating process, volatile flavor components are lost. Therefore adding
chocolate extract - which simply is an extract of ground cocoa beans soaked in
an alcohol solution - replaces these lost flavor components. Adding instant
coffee and salt also boosts the overall flavor of any chocolate dessert.
So in lieu of a dozen roses, charm your special someone
in 9 days with chocolate. This healthier version of brownies is just as
flavorful with a lot less saturated fat. Less saturated fat means less arterial
blockage which means a heart that’s easier to target by Cupid.
Slim Brownies
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
¼ cup melted butter
1 tablespoon hot water
2 teaspoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon chocolate extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Beat sugar and eggs until pale yellow. Dissolve coffee in
hot water and add to sugar mixture. Add the butter then chocolate and vanilla
extract and mix until smooth. In another bowl mix the flour, cocoa powder and
salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet and mix just until incorporated – mixture
will be very thick. Pour mixture into a greased 8” x 8” square pan and bake at
325 degrees for 23 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares and
dust with powdered sugar.
For presentation, you can drizzle melted white chocolate
on the inside of the martini glass to contrast the rich cocktail within.
Chocolate Martini
1 ounce vanilla flavored vodka
1 ounce Godiva chocolate liqueur
1 ounce raspberry liqueur
3 fresh raspberries
Shake over very cold ice then pour in a martini glass.
Garnish with the fresh raspberries on a cocktail skewer.
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