Chocolate Fountains

Chocolate Fountains are growing in popularity for all social events
where a fun and elegant touch is needed. Why?

Chocolate is one of the most popular foods and is highly unlikely to ever go out of fashion.

2. Chocolate Fountains are an exciting alternative to the traditional wedding cake. Our chocolate fountains are more seductive and romantic while still conforming to the familiar tiered shape. Offering a variety of fruits and dipping items also allows guests to chose their favorite food.

Part of the pleasure of eating chocolate is due to the fact that its melting point is slightly below human body temperature: it melts in the mouth. A study reported by the BBC indicated that melting chocolate in one's mouth produced an increase in brain activity and heart rate that was more intense than that associated with passionate kissing, and also lasted four times as long after the activity had ended.

There is a popular belief that the consumption of chocolate can cause acne. Pure chocolate contains anti-oxidants which aid better skin complexion.

Cultivated for three millennia, the Mayans and Aztecs used cacao beans as currency. They believed that the cocoa beans originated from paradise and would bring wisdom and power to anyone consuming them.

The Aztecs associated chocolate with Xochiquetzal, the goddess of fertility. Chocolate is also associated with the Mayan god of fertility.

Emperor Montezuma of Mexico indulged in a chocolate drink before entering his harem, thus giving rise to the notion that chocolate has aphrodisiac properties. Casanova subscribed to this theory as well.

The percentage of people in the world (according to Nestle.com) that prefer dark, milk, and white chocolate, respectively, are 68%, 22%, and 10%.

Referenced (chocolatefountainhouston.com)

Referenced (chocolatefountainsbycara.com)

A chocolate fountain in Brussels. Photo by Chmouel.

• Step 1: Insert chocolate into the Chocomaker Chocolate Fountain.
• Step 2: The Chocomaker will melt it and gush out down the sides in streams.Step 3: Take something and put it under the Chocolate Fountain, allow chocolate to cover the snack to your hearts desire.
• Step 4: Eat it!
• Step 5: Repeat step 3 and 4 till you get ever piece of chocolate out of the Chocomaker.

www.baronbob.com/chocolate

Yummy Chocolate Ice Cream

Reference
www.icecreamireland.com

A Grand Piano totally constructed from chocolate!

The Chocolate Piano created by Danilo Peralto

Chocolate Guitar

Sweet tunes with this chocolate guitar.

Chocolate Laptop Makes Computing Tasty

Do you ever find yourself sitting at your computer, toiling away in your e-mail box when those late afternoon hunger pangs hit you? This laptop out of Germany might help you get your blood sugar going.

Nope, the Chocolap isn’t a functional computer, rather, it’s a fake laptop made from cardboard, and loaded with a delicious edible chocolate keyboard in the middle. The Chocolap is perfect for boosting those low seratonin levels as you drift off into the bar graphs and pie charts on corporate’s latest PowerPoint deck.

Sprechen Zie Deutsch? Then you can get your sugar fix with one of these yummy chocolate laptops from RS-Versand’s online shop for €14,95 (appx. $22 USD).

(Techno bob.com)

The Health Benefits of Chocolate

Is chocolate good for you? Yes! The health benefits of chocolate are many... assuming we're talking about the same thing, that is. I'm talking about chocolate in its purest form - as close to the bean as you can get. If you want me to tell you a Milky Way bar is good for you, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed.

That doesn't mean, however, that there aren't any chocolate bars that are good for you. The key is to find a bar with high cocoa content. The higher the cocoa content, the less room there is for cocoa butter, sugar, lecithin, vanilla, milk, and other stuff that makes chocolate less of a vegetable and more of a candy.

Some of you may be thinking that a dark chocolate bar is bitter or yucky. If you aren't a fan of dark chocolate, you've probably never had the good stuff. See our favorite chocolate pages for one-way tickets to chocolate nirvana.

So just what are the amazing health benefits of chocolate? Most notably, chocolate is a champion antioxidant. Antioxidants help rid the body of free radicals, nasty little molecules running amok in your body which cause aging and disease. Antioxidants bond to free radicals and whisk them from your body via digestion and other means.

Quick. Think of the best antioxidants you've ever heard of. Red wine? Green tea? Pomegranate? Blueberries? Dark chocolate leaves them all in the dust. The USDA published a chart of antioxidant foods measured in ORACs (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity Units). For every 100 grams, dark chocolate has 13,120 ORACs, and blueberries have only 2,400.

Antioxidant-rich diets have been linked to a lowered risk of heart attacks, stroke, cardiovascular disease, cancer, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems, arthritis, asthma, Alzheimer's and more. So it stands to reason that if chocolate is chock full of antioxidants, it's actually good for you.

Naysayers will point out that chocolate is loaded with fat, sugar, and caffeine. It's true that cocoa butter, the main source of fat (besides milk) in chocolate, is composed of both saturated and unsaturated fats, but most of this, about 75%, is in the form of oleic and stearic acids. Diets rich in these acids have been shown to lower cholesterol levels. While 25% of the fat in chocolate is "the bad kind," the amount of good fat in chocolate seems to counteract the bad fat. And, as with all chocolates, the darker they are the less room there is for things like cocoa butter, and the more room for that healthy antioxidant-packed cocoa.

What about the sugar? Well, that is bad. Nothing good about it, really. But keep in mind that a strong dark chocolate bar might have ten to fifteen grams of sugar, which is still less than the 22 grams in your glass of orange juice, the 29 grams in your cup of yogurt, and the 34 grams in your glass of cran-grape juice, all of which are considered "good" for you. Keep your eye on the labels, too. Some of the specialty chocolate manufacturers are choosing healthier alternatives to refined white sugar, such as evaporated cane juice and molasses.

And the caffeine in chocolate? An average bar contains about 27 mg, about half what you'd find in a cola and a third what you'd find in a cup of coffee. Besides which, studies have shown that having some, but less than 200 mg of caffeine a day, might actually be good for you.

The bottom line is that indulging in a small amount of dark chocolate might be the perfect dessert - satisfying your sweet tooth while treating your body to the many health benefits of chocolate. So next time you're craving dessert, reach for the dark chocolate, and hold the guilt.

Reference

facts-about-chocolate.com

Chocolate Tool Kit

Chocolcate Cake Recipe

Ingredients

PAM Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
CRISCO Vegetable Shortening
1/2 (4-ounce) semisweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
1/2 (4-ounce) bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups firmly packed DOMINO Light Brown Sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup boiling water
Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing
Mocha-Chocolate Cream Filling
Garnish: dark chocolate curls

Preparation

1. Coat 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms of pans with wax paper; grease wax paper with shortening, and set aside.

2. Melt chocolates in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth.

3. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla.

4. Sift together cake flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in 1 cup boiling water. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

5. Bake at 350° for 28 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

6. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread top with 4 tablespoons Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing. Spread half of Mocha-Chocolate Cream Filling evenly over ganache on cake layer. Top with second cake layer; spread top with 4 tablespoons Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing and remaining Mocha-Chocolate Cream Filling. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing on top and sides of cake. Garnish, if desired.

Yield

Makes 12 to 14 servings

Florence Neavoll, Salem, Oregon , Southern Living, JANUARY 2006


Reference

myrecepies.com