"dark chocolate" news and stories

Know who takes chocolate seriously? Me. Oh, and Amano Artisan Chocolate.

I was fortunate enough to taste the Madagascar, Ocumare, and Cuyagua varieties. In fact, I shared them with a bunch of actors, who all made the classic "mmm, delicious chocolate" faces. It was great.

While everyone loved the rich bean flavor of the limited edition Cuyagua and the almost-medicinal complexity of the Ocumare, the overwhelming favorite was the Madagascar Premium Dark Chocolate. The chocolate was so moist, and even at 70% cacao minimum was so sweet it tasted almost infused with blueberries. Delish.

Art Pollard began Amano in 1996 when he wanted to manfacture chocolate on par with that in other parts of the world here in America. He studied chocolate-making in Europe and Mexico, and for years only shared his work with selected chefs.

Since 2006, Amano Artisan Chocolate has been made available for all. Get some here, and check out some great photos of its preparation (and founder Art Pollard) below!

Source

Some associate San Francisco with Rice-A-Roni, cable cars, and the gay lib movement. I, however, take the shallow route and associate it with fine American chocolate. Between The San Francisco Chocolate Factory and Ghirardelli, San Fran is just about the only city in the contiguous United States that produces decent corporate chocolate. [Note that I said corporate; there are plenty of lovely indie chocolate shops around.]

To wit: Upon her return from the golden state, a colleague presented me with The San Francisco Chocolate Factory's new "Book Lover's Chocolate". The bookshelf-ready packaging evokes an old leather-bound novel (albeit a tiny one, at only 5 inches), and contains rounds of milk chocolate (also available in dark and dark espresso). The schpeel: "Chocolate has been proven to boost brain power, so let our luscious bite sized discs help you devour your new book while pleasing your palate." Uh, okay, whatever you say, Book Chocolate.

But lo, this book chocolate is divine! The disc shape is perfectly contoured for mindless tongue-palate melting (no impatient biting here!), and the flavor is so creamy and rich, they're like little poppable drinking chocolates. I also test-drove the chocolate's promise of enhancing any reading experience, and while they didn't make the oeuvre of Ann Coulter any more digestible, they sure make it more palatable.

Wow, I love these.

I'm a big fan of chocolate-covered nuts: peanuts, cashews, almonds. But not only can they be a big impact on the waistline, the chocolate taste can often overpower the nut taste. But Emerald's new Cocoa Roast Almonds take care of that. It actually has just a dusting of dark chocolate on the almonds, so you can actually taste both the nut and the chocolate at the same time. And because it's dark chocolate, it's better for you (don't go crazy - nuts and chocolate can be good for you in small doses, but you still have to watch the fat and calories).

This is a great addition to the Emerald line, which has come out with a lot of new flavors recently, including Salt & Pepper Cashews (pretty good but way too heavy on the pepper, as many salt & pepper products are), Wasabi Oven-Roasted Peanuts, and Honey Dijon-Glazed Walnuts 'n Cashews.

Who knew gamers -- the ones who hole themselves up in their basements alone with their consoles for weeks at a time -- could be so lovey dovey?

Paul Pape designed these little Mii milk, white, or dark chocolates that come two in a box that's shaped like a console. The figures inside have tiny red hearts to indicate their love. They're totally cute for Valentine's Day, but they are sold out! OH NO! If you're creative enough, I'm sure you could put together something like this, or something even better, for your gamer love.

[via: Scanner]

• The world of organic meat.
• Have an Earth-friendly dinner party.
• Shopping the seasons.
• This month's recipes include: Cauliflower Steaks with Cauliflower Puree, Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Pistachios, Whole Grain Pancakes with Wild Blueberry-Maple Syrup, Seared Arctic Char with Broccolini, Olives, and Garlic, and Coconut-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes.
• Also in this issue: Organic dark chocolate, the 10 best eco-friendly restaurants, shopping tips, an interview with Pierce Brosnan, and new columns.