CHOCOLATE WINE???

If you think you have tried it all, think again.
Here is a chocolate wine for you to contemplate.

It is marketed as a rich Chocolate and Orange/whey wine in the style of a liqueur. Think of it as a liquid Chocolate truffle. You can serve with or over anything, and making the word "chocoholic" valid. Although, a dessert option is probably the best.



This wine is made with six rich Chocolates from four countries, with no artificial flavorings or materials, it is approximately 10% alcohol. Most so-called Chocolate liqueurs are 20, 30, or 40% alcohol with artificial flavorings.

This heavy, rich Chocolate Orange wine comes in a 375 ml (12 1/2 fl oz) bottle, retailing at the winery for $32. (Coincidentally, about the same price per net ounce as better chocolate truffles (and this has alcohol and a glass enclosure!)

If you are interested in trying this unique Chocolate or for more information;
# paul@shallon.com
#
# 503-325-5978

Shallon Winery
1598 Duane Street
Astoria, Oregon 97103

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Nutrition Quiz...Good News For Chocolate

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More Facts About Chocolate

The average 1.5- to 1.6-ounce milk chocolate bar has roughly 230 calories, with more than half of those coming from fat.

Chocolate gives us nutrients such as copper, an essential mineral in the prevention of anemia and, possibly, heart disease and cancer. Chocolate also contains magnesium, which plays a role in regulating blood pressure and building bones.

The caffeine in an ounce of milk chocolate is about 7 milligrams -- about the same amount contained in a cup of decaffeinated coffee.

Chocolate may rival foods like fruits and vegetables, red wine and tea as a source of heart-healthy antioxidants.

The average American eats 10-12 pounds (4.5 kg) of chocolate a year. The average Swiss eats 21 pounds a year.

The shelf life for chocolate is a year. It is best to store chocolate in cool dry areas 55-60 degrees F.

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Put M&M's on your ice cream sandwich

2 store-bought cookies
1 bag M&M'S® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits
1 scoop ice cream

Sandwich a scoop of ice cream between 2 store-bought cookies; roll sides in M&M'S® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits. Wrap and store in freezer.

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M & M's Brand Cheesecake

1 cup crushed chocolate cream sandwich cookies
3 8oz.-packages (228 g) cream cheese
3/4 cup (180 mL) sugar
2 tablepoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package M&M'S® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits
3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Measure out 1 cup of crushed chocolate cream sandwich cookies and put this in a small bowl.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Pour the melted butter over the cookie crumbs while stirring mixture with fork.

Once the mixture is moist, pour crumbs onto bottom of 9" springform pan.
Press crumbs evenly onto the bottom of pan using fingertips.

Bake crust in oven for ten minutes. After ten minutes, put crust to the side. Soften cream cheese. (Follow directions on box for softening cream cheese.)

Mix cream cheese with 3/4 cup of sugar and 2 tbsp. of flour in mixing bowl on medium speed until creamy and well mixed.

Scrape side of bowl and add one egg at a time to cream cheese mixture, mixing well after each egg is added. Once the eggs are added, stir in the vanilla.

Stir in three quarters of the M&M'S® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits. Pour cream cheese mixture into the springform pan. With the last quarter of M&M'S® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits place them lightly on the top of the cake.

Bake the cake at 350° for 15 minutes, then turn oven down to 250° .

Bake an additional 30 minutes, or until the top looks dry and cake has very little movement in center.

When done baking, carefully slide flat knife or spatula preferably around

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Chocolate Baklava

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 cup each coarsely chopped walnuts and pecans, lightly toasted and cooled
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp sugar
13 sheets frozen fillo dough (from a 16-oz box), thawed
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Brush a 9 x 3-in. springform pan with some of the melted butter.

2. Mix nuts, chocolate and sugar in a bowl.

3.Unfold fillo; place a stack of 13 sheets on work surface (store rest as box directs). Lay 1 sheet on work surface; keep rest covered with plastic wrap topped with a damp towel. Lightly brush sheet with butter, brushing edges first. Stack and butter 3 more sheets, placing each on stack at a 45° angle. Gently lift stack; press into springform pan, pressing any ends above pan onto inside of pan. Sprinkle 1/3 the nut mixture over bottom.

4. Using base of pan as a guide, cut 9-in. rounds from remaining sheets; save scraps. Buttering each, stack 4 fillo rounds on work surface. Gently press stack onto nut mixture in pan; sprinkle with 1/2 remaining nut mixture. Repeat with 4 more rounds and rest of nuts. Top with last fillo round. Butter scraps, loosely crumple each and place closely together on top to cover.

5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until fillo is well browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

6. Bring 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice and 3 Tbsp honey
to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes until just slightly thickened. Slowly pour 2/3 cup evenly over Baklava. Add 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips to rest of syrup; stir until melted and smooth.

7. To serve: Drizzle dessert plates with chocolate sauce; top with a wedge of baklava.

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Gift Idea

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LA Times Taste Evaluation of Chocolate

From LA Times

The Times Tasting Panel met recently to evaluate chocolate -- with the aim of finding chocolate bars that would be great both for baking and eating. We picked up everything we could get our hands on (the one criterion was that the chocolate have 70% to 75% cacao content): stalwarts such as Valrhona and Scharffen Berger, organic chocolate such as Dagoba and Green & Black's, newer brands such as Chocovic and Theo, and supermarket stock such as Ghirardelli. Joining me on the panel were restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila, Food editor Leslie Brenner, columnist Russ Parsons and staff writers Amy Scattergood and Charles Perry.

The two highest overall scorers (but not by much) were what panelists considered their "desert island" chocolate, though no individual panelist gave either one his or her highest rating. The Michel Cluizel (the most expensive) and the Valrhona were rich, creamy and smooth, with pure chocolate flavor. But others showed more character, particularly some of the single-origin and organic chocolates; some hit higher notes of acidity or had an edgier bitterness or a pleasantly rough texture, or might have shown more earthiness than fruitiness.

The chocolates are listed in order of the panel's preference:

Michel Cluizel "Noir de Cacao" 72% cacao ($6 for 3.5 ounces). A deep, dark chocolate aroma with an espresso note. It's silky-smooth, melts quickly and feels sumptuous, and has pure dark chocolate flavor, with a hint of acidity and a hint of bitterness.

Valrhona "Le Noir Amer" 71% cacao ($3 for 3.5 ounces). This pastry chef favorite has a pretty sheen and a strong raisiny-chocolate aroma. Exceptionally balanced, it's smooth, satiny and creamy on the palate. Flavors of black cherry are edged with a pleasant bitterness.

Chocovic Unique Origin Varietal Chocolates "Ocumare" (Criollo from Venezuela) 71% cacao ($2 for 2.82 ounces). Spanish chocolate maker Chocovic makes three single-origin couvertures (chocolate used by confectioners). This one, purchased at Trader Joe's, was the best value of the tasting. It's dark, almost black, with aromas of tobacco and nuts. It's silky, and not fruity but earthy, with hints of coffee and peanuts and a nice finish.

El Rey "Apamate" Carnero Superior Dark Chocolate (Venezuelan single bean origin) 73.5% cacao ($3 for 2.8 ounces). Another earthy one, with a matte finish, it has aromas of sweet tobacco and almonds. It's slightly rough-textured but not unpleasantly so, and tastes of fresh, raw nuts with sweet raisin at the end.

Green & Black's Organic Dark 70% cacao ($3.50 for 3.5 ounces). Cocoa and cocoa butter aromas give way to big fruit flavors -- almost plummy -- that open up as soon as the chocolate starts to melt (almost cleanly); it also tastes slightly salty and finishes with a dusty, grassy note.

Dagoba Organic Chocolate "Conacado" (Dominican Republic) 73% cacao ($2 for 2 ounces). Not for the faint of heart; this organic chocolate is dark and deep, with dusty fruit aromas and complex, earthy, bitter-coffee flavors. It would make interesting chocolate sauce to play against sweet, floral vanilla ice cream.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Intense Dark "Twilight Delight" 72% cacao ($3.50 for 3.5 ounces). A grocery-store find that pleasantly surprised panelists: This chocolate has an interesting aroma of prunes, a soft, creamy texture, bright fruit flavors and nice acidity. "Sating," as one panelist put it.

Lindt "Excellence" Intense Dark 70% cacao ($3 for 3.5 ounces). Another tasting surprise: cocoa butter-vanilla aromas are followed by bright, citrusy (as well as green banana) flavors, with what one panelist described as "a nice round edge."

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker Bittersweet 70% cacao ($4.50 for 3 ounces). Not so much chocolaty as fruity, this made-in-California chocolate tastes of fresh cherries and raspberries, with a citrusy finish, though a little flat. "Bright, but not much complexity," one panelist said.

Trader Joe's "Pound Plus" Dark Chocolate 72% cacao($4 for 17.6 ounces). Although it doesn't have much aroma, this chocolate has a good, straightforward chocolate flavor: dried fruit, a little earthy, with a long finish. Some thought it one-dimensional, though.

E. Guittard Bittersweet Chocolate 72% cacao ($12 for 1 pound of wafers). Having heard positive comments about E. Guittard from some pastry chefs, we were surprised to find this chocolate not as satisfying as some of the others. It has a classic baking chocolate aroma, but not much of it, with little flavor and a waxy texture. Perhaps its waxiness makes for good "fluidity" when baking or making chocolates.

Côte d'Or "Expériences" Noir 70% cacao ($4 for 3.52 ounces). A Belgian chocolate readily available in European supermarkets, it has a shale-like texture, some fruit flavor that dissipates quickly and a somewhat stale aftertaste.

Villars Swiss Dark Chocolate 72% cacao ($3 for 3.5 ounces). An odd, bitter aroma and too-sweet flavor. It tastes almost like milk chocolate, and the texture is grainy.

Chocolove Organic Dark Chocolate 73% cacao ($3 for 3.2 ounces). A "high-pitched" aroma; not much chocolate flavor or character, with a sort of blunt, cardboard finish.

Godiva Chocolatier Dark Chocolate 72% cacao ($4 for 3.5 ounces). This chocolate has a pleaant nutty aroma, but it's sweet and not intense, with a chalky texture and sulfury finish.

Santander Colombian Single Origin Dark Chocolate 70% cacao ($2 for 2.47 ounces). It doesn't have much aroma, has a chalky texture and tastes of sweet toasted corn -- curiously, like Cocoa Puffs.

Theo Ivory Coast 75% cacao ($6 for 3 ounces). A single-origin chocolate that smells a little of straw mats and has a flat, chalky texture; there's little chocolate flavor

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Gourmet Pretzels

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Hanukkah Gelt

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Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F . In the top of a double boiler, combine chocolate and butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.
   
   
2. Sift flour and sugar together into a large bowl. With mixer on low speed, beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in chocolate mixture, vanilla and pecans. Fill 24 lined muffin cups 2/3 full.
   
   
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Do not overbake. Tops should be shiny but give slightly when touched. Use a toothpick to test.
   

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Don't Mess With Our Chocolate.com

Have you heard the great debate?

According to dontmesswithourchocolate.com, some members of the U.S. Chocolate Industry are supporting a change in the basic formula of chocolate, by allowing the use of vegetable fat substitutes in place of cocoa butter.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a chocolate standard of identity requiring manufacturers to use approved ingredients in making chocolate, and it protects the consumer from any substitution of inferior ingredients. As a result, the Chocolate Industry must obtain approval from the Food and Drug Administration to make any changes to the standard of identity for chocolate. The FDA is entertaining a "citizen's petition" to allow manufacturers to substitute vegetable fats and oils for cocoa butter.

The "citizens" who created this petition represent groups that would benefit most from this degradation of the current standards. They are the Chocolate Manufacturers Assn., the Grocery Manufacturers Assn., the Snack Food Assn. and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and seven other food producing associations.

Because it's already perfectly legal to sell choco-products made with cheaper oils and fats, what the groups are asking the FDA for is permission to call these waxy impostors "chocolate."

A part of the proposed changes in the Citizens Petition presented by the Grocery Manufacturers Association to the FDA is a change in the strict Federal "Standards of Identity" for chocolate products which would permit the use of cheaper vegetable fats instead of the traditional cocoa butter and lower-cost milk substitutes instead of genuine milk products. This change would permit the resulting products to still be called "chocolate."

Hundreds of people have filed comments with the FDA, with the overwhelming majority seeking to keep it that way, according to an Associated Press review of the file.chocolate has been made from the cacao bean, with cocoa butter an essential ingredient. That ingredient is the essence of the taste, texture and "mouth feel" of chocolate, according to Jay King, president of the Retail Confectioners International, an industry group. Allowing chocolate in the U.S. to be made with vegetable oils could have an "extraordinary and unfortunate impact" on those millions, Steven J. Laning, an executive with Archer Daniels Midland Co.'s cocoa division, wrote the FDA.

But the shift would make chocolate cheaper to produce, since cocoa butter can be four or more times the cost of shea, palm oil and other vegetable fats.As recently as 2000, however, in letters to the FDA, both Nestle and Mars said they would support allowing up to 5 percent vegetable fat to be used in chocolate. Hershey, meanwhile, was opposed at the time, although a spokesman's recently published comments suggest the company now may be open to using substitutes.

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Chocolate can increase your brain power- study

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Hillary Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Brush baking sheets lightly with vegetable oil.
2. Combine flour, salt and baking soda on waxed paper.
3. Beat together shortening, sugars and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in rolled oats and then chocolate chips.
5. Drop batter by rounded teaspoonsfuls onto baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or till golden. Cool cookies on sheets for 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

According to the lore surrounding these cookies, Hillary used to make them for congressman and other politicos when she was Arkansas' first lady. I hear Bill liked them too. A recipe from the first lady who declared that she wasn't the cookie baking type on 60 minutes.

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Mrs. Fields Cookie Recipe - Chocolate Chips/Oatmeal

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

• DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
• Cream butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla until very smooth and fluffy.
• In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a food processor, blend oatmeal until fine. Add to flour mixture.
• Stir butter mixture into flour/oatmeal mixture. Blend well.
• Add chocolate chips and walnuts. Stir until blended. Roll into golf balls size and bake for 8-10 minutes. You do not want to over bake these.

Mrs Fields cookies are best made with 100% butter. This would not be the place to skimp as butter is an important element.

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Twelve Days of Fast Food

On the first day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
A Big Bacon Classic with cheese.


On the second day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Two Happy Meals,
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the third day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Seven pints of cole slaw,
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Eight bowls of chili,
Seven pints of cole slaw,
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Nine polish hot dogs,
Eight bowls of chili,
Seven pints of cole slaw,
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Ten baked potatoes,
Nine polish hot dogs,
Eight bowls of chili,
Seven pints of cole slaw,
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Eleven pounds of blubber,
Ten baked potatoes,
Nine polish hot dogs,
Eight bowls of chili,
Seven pints of cole slaw,
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Twelve bags of Pepto,
Eleven pounds of blubber,
Ten baked potatoes,
Nine polish hot dogs,
Eight bowls of chili,
Seven pints of cole slaw,
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
And a Big Bacon Classic with Cheese

Tip- follow it up with Chocolate.

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The ORIGINAL Tollhouse Cookie Recipie

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION:
PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Thank You Nestle!

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A Delicious Ad

Check out this advertisement.
Just looking at it can make you want to try some.
Truffles are a favorite chocolate candy for many of us during the holiday season.



The only problem with this ad is that it may contain calories since it seems too good to be true.

:)

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