Benefits of Chocolate

Recently I have been asked a lot about the benefits of chocolate. One man asked me if my truffles were made of the 'real stuff'. I was a little confused and replied, 'well yes, it's made of real chocolate'. Then he said, 'no, like the real chocolate that has good stuff in it'. So I replied, 'yes, my chocolate is real and it has great antioxidants in it'. He still wasn't convinced, so he asked if I used the same chocolate as a snickers bar. Now this comment almost made me laugh out loud, but I held it back and politely replied that no, my truffles were not made with that same kind of chocolate, but in fact a better kind that has more health benefits. I wished that I could have sat down with him and explained the whole process of how chocolate is made and the wonderful benefits of dark chocolate, but there just wasn't time for that. So I will explain it here! :)

Dark chocolate is the closest you will get to actual pure chocolate, therefore dark chocolate is where you will find the wonderful benefits. The higher the percent of chocolate, for example a 70% chocolate bar, the more actual chocolate and beneficial flavanols you are getting. The percentage stands for cacao to sugar ratio. So a 70% chocolate bar has 70% cacao and 30% sugar. The higher percentage you have, the less sugar and the more cacao.

roasted cacao beans

Milk chocolate is always a less percentage of cacao because it has more cocoa butter and sugar in it, therefore you get far less benefits from it. Milk chocolate has less cacao and more cocoa butter and sugar, also making it more fattening. Milk chocolate is a milder and sweeter taste of cacao making it less bitter and easier to eat. Just because it still has cacao in it though, does not make it good for you.

White chocolate is in fact, no chocolate at all. It uses the cacao butter that has been pressed and separated from the cacao bean. In the process of making chocolate from a bean to a bar, the cacao beans are roasted and pressed, which separates the oils and fats from the actual dark cacao pulp. Those oils and fats are the white cacao butter, which are then mixed with sugar to make white chocolate. It is the dark cacao that contains the beneficial and healthy flavanols, and because white chocolate does not use the actual cacao, it does not contain the healthy flavanols in it.

Another thing about chocolate is the amount it is processed. Usually the chocolate that is used by candy bars has been through quite a few processes. Those processes highly decrease the beneficial flavanols that you find in purer dark chocolate. Major chocolate candy bar manufacturers also pump the chocolate full of fat and sugar to make it taste better, thus making people buy and eat more of it. Don't be fooled though, that chocolate is NOT good for you.

60% dark chocolate

So here are the awesome benefits that you get from a higher percentage of dark chocolate:

1. High in antioxidants: Chocolate is high in flavonoids, an antioxidant in the polyphenol category. Antioxidants can help to prevent cell damage and have been linked to prevention of cancer and other degenerative diseases.
2. Helps with cholesterol: Scientists at Penn State found that dark chocolate and flavonoid-rich cocoa powder reduced LDL ("bad" cholesterol) oxidation.
3. Reduces inflammation: An Italian study showed that when volunteers ingested small amounts of dark chocolate, their levels of C-reactive protein (an inflammatory marker) decreased.
4. Lowers blood pressure: A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that dark chocolate had an effect on lowering blood pressure.
5. Helps with mood: Chocolate contains tryptophan, a precursor of serotonin, which can help with depression. Research also shows chocolate can increase dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure. Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine (PEA) known as the "love chemical."
6. Improves blood flow: Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that cocoa has anti-clotting, blood-thinning properties that work in a similar way as aspirin. Nobody is suggesting to replace your aspirin with chocolate, but the research is compelling.
7. It's delicious! Research shows that enjoying food and life is beneficial for your health.

You can read more about it here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-patricia-fitzgerald/7-healthy-reasons-to-enjo_b_257159.html

Lavender!

Yesterday was my first time at White Oak Farm! In Zest's milk chocolate lavender truffle I have been using lavender from the White Oak Farm, but I have not yet been to visit the farm. So on the warm overcast day yesterday I made a little trip to see this lavender farm.

What a great place! Not only was the drive out Port Republic Road beautiful, so was the farm. When I pulled up and stepped out of the car I could hear birds chirping, horses neigh'ing, and a wonderful soft breeze blew by.

The lavender buds were just barely starting to come out, no purple color was showing yet though. There were however, many other beautiful purple flowers scattered around the farm. This place not only grows lavender, but they seem to love the color. The contrast of the red barn and green grass was also nice and gave the place a comfortable homey feel.

I walked around for a while admiring all the different kinds of lavender bushes growing. (I had no idea there were different varieties!) I also checked out the animals. They have a petting farm, what fun! I didn't pet any animals, but I did admire some cute miniature horses, a llama (I think) eating his lunch, some goats, and some horses.

Finally, I went inside the main store. It was a very friendly atmosphere of joyous laughter and talk of lavender. Lavender oils, soaps, teas, recipes, bath wash, lip balm, sachets...the list goes on and the place was full of it! I was almost overwhelmed with how many lavender products they offered. I did find my way to the culinary lavender though and was able to restock my supply.

It was so great to finally visit the local farm that supplies my lavender. They were great, friendly people, and I enjoyed learning about the farm and how they produce lavender. Most of all I was happy to bring home a bunch of new lavender to work with. This time I made dark chocolate lavender truffles. The dark chocolate may be a better compliment to the lavender rather than milk chocolate. We'll see how well they fare!

Check them out yourself: http://www.whiteoaklavender.com/ 

Brownie Pop Sensations!

Cake pops!...They are everywhere these days. First it was cupcakes, and oh the dedication of the consumers, it was overwhelming! Then there was 'Cupcake Wars' and 'Georgetown Cupcakes' on TV. I actually went to Georgetown Cupcakes in DC once and there was a line around the block! I did not eat cupcakes that day. It seemed as though cupcakes were taking over until French macaroons entered the scene. Not only were they as vibrant as a bouquet of flowers, but they were delicious and decadent like a cupcake, yet not. Macaroons also seemed more high class and pretentious because they are French. Oh Je t'aime! Macaroons are not for everyone, the same for cupcakes, so then enters the Cake Pop! The cake pop is a fun and simple way of eating cake. Kids love them, they don't require utensils, and you can definitely class them up for more formal events.

So because I am in the business of chocolate I decided to cash in on this 'cake pop' fad and create a brownie pop. They are really quite easy to make, just time consuming. I decided that the best brownie for these cake pops would be my Grand Mariner Orange Zest Brownie. This brownie is not only a good consistency of moist and cakey, but they have an awesome flavor! I love a good chocolatey brownie, but one with a little extra flavor is even better in my books.

Like I said, these were time consuming! My zesty brownies looked so pretty until I had to rip them apart to create these brownie pops. Somehow it should be a crime to bake something beautiful and then tear it apart...luckily I was crumbling up my brownies in order to create something even more beautiful and delicious. The brownie balls pictured above are the crumbled brownies mixed with chocolate butter cream icing and then formed into balls with sticks.

 

 

Then came the fun part! I got to dip my funny looking brownie balls into dark chocolate. Because they are attached to a stick this was incredibly easy. The problem then comes with the cooling. Once a brownie pop has been dipped into chocolate what do you do with it?! I only have two hands, therefore I could only hold two cooling brownie pops at a time. At that rate I'd be making them all week! Luckily I am smart and was able to set up a cooling system in no time. Brownie pops saved!

So like I said, brownie pops can be easy, fun, and classy for any type of event. I made the brownie pops pictured above for the J. Ellis Wedding Show and they were very much enjoyed. (If you need a wedding photographer John is awesome! J. Ellis Photography.) I love watching formally dressed people eating a brownie on a stick, it makes my day.

Whiskey Caramels

I've had the idea for a while now to add some type of liquor to my caramel recipe. I haven't been sure of what liquor that would be though. I am definitely not a fan of whiskey, in fact I hate the stuff. My husband on the other hand, loves it! I also have quite a few friends who enjoy it too. So I figured I would make something more in their realm of enjoyment and step outside of my comfort zone.

When I am in a liquor store I am like a deer in headlights! No joke, I just don't know where to go or what to look at. There is so much liquor that it is overwhelming. It took me probably 30 minutes to pick our this bottle of Evan Williams bourbon whiskey. Next time I'll take a whiskey expert before making my decision because I know absolutely nothing about whiskey. I assure though, I am learning.

The first time I created my whiskey caramel recipe it was very dainty. Probably the most dainty delicate taste a caramel could have, which surprised me! I thought whiskey was supposed to be a harsh strong flavor, but this was nothing of the sort. Even though I really like the flavor I tweaked the recipe again and now the whiskey shines through a little stronger. It is still just a slight taste, but I now think that bourbon whiskey is the perfect compliment to caramel. I love this caramel flavor, it is my current favorite of everything that I make.

Bacon Butter

I have gone through a few recipes (of my own) for bacon truffles and I am still unsatisfied. I just can't seem to get something right. Yes, they taste great, but to me something is still off. I can't decide if I like whole bacon pieces in the truffles or not. So in an attempt to eliminate the bacon pieces, but keep the bacon flavor I decided to try making bacon powder.

I cooked the bacon as well as I could without it burning. It is quite an art that has taken me some time to learn. I must admit though, I am the best now when it comes to cooking crisp (not burnt) bacon. Then I crunched the bacon into little pieces and put it into a coffee grinder. This worked at first, but because of the grease in the bacon it started to stick together and wouldn't grind anymore. So I added some corn starch as a sort of binding agent that would also dry out the bacon. This worked at first, but after a while the bacon grease overpowered the corn starch, thus making it wet and sticky again.

After a few different attempts at bacon powder, I finally realized that it was not going to work. What I had created though, was a lovely bacon butter. It resembles a chunky looking peanut butter, but when tasted, it obviously was bacon. This bacon butter was a whole new revelation to me! It could be spread on sandwiches, used in dips, or the original reason for making it, I could use it in my bacon truffle.

So I did! It worked great, but you still get the little tiny pieces of bacon. I think I prefer that to having whole chunks of bacon in the truffle though. So I present to you my bacon truffle made from my own creation: bacon butter.

Blueberry Mojito!

I have a new flavor! Once again, my Dad came into play on this one. (Parents are so helpful!) Lately my dad has been very into creating his own ice-creams and sorbets. I must admit, he has become quite good at it too. Our family has a definite sweet tooth. One of his latest creations was a blueberry mojito sorbet...or maybe it was an ice-cream. Either way, it seemed like a genius flavor combination. He told me about it and mentioned how good it could be in a dark chocolate. So I set to work!


Sure enough blueberry with mojito combined in a dark chocolate ganache was a match made in heaven. I might just go mix up the frozen drinkable version of it now! Mojito has the flavors mint, lime, and of course dark rum. These were all very evident and flavorful in the truffle that I created. The blueberry flavor though, was more hidden. It came through just slightly, but I think it was overpowered by the other flavors. This truffle will be perfect when I can get the blueberry to shine through a little more.

Zest Chocolat LLC!

Today I applied for my LLC license, how exciting!! I am 3/4's of the way finished to making Zest an official business. And I have a feeling this is the easy part...

Next week Andy and I will be moving back to Harrisonburg, VA (our hometown!) where I will finish making Zest a business. I am hoping to get our kitchen there inspected and then I will officially be in business! There is still so much to do, (oh the details!) but at least I am getting there.

My dad has been so amazing in helping me design the logo for Zest. I had a few ideas and he had a few ideas, and in the end he has come up with a spectacular design! Here is a first look at what he has come up with and will continue to work on. I am more than trilled!