Back in May, a student named Parker put a recipe card in my mail slot in our school office. Along with the instructions, it had a wonderful photo of the young baker with his pan of delicious biscuits.

Fast forward to November and I finally get around to making this recipe. The only changes I made were to add walnuts and use two chocolate bars I had in my kitchen drawer: Seattle Chocolates’ Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar with 53% cacao and Extreme Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar with 65% Cacao, each 2.5 oz.

Eating these warm biscuits, which resemble a cross between traditional drop biscuits and a cinnamon roll, brought back fond memories of my Mom’s home made biscuits and breakfast biscuits & chocolate syrup my dear Aunt Jean would make on my visits to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Pure nirvana!

On is Seattle Chocolate’s bar wrappers is the slogan: “What happiness tastes like.” If Parker’s biscuits were to have a wrapper, it would say “What heavenly breakfasts taste like.”

Thanks, Parker, for your thoughtfulness. You sure know how to make a chocolate lover happy! This recipe is definitely one to try out this holiday season.

Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar, divided
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter, divided
1 cup chocolate semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate of your choice
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Nuts are optional

In a large bowl, combine flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in 1/3 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chocolate. Add milk; stir until dough holds a shape.

On a floured surface, knead dough lightly. Roll dough into 16 balls. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 1/3 butter. Pour ½ of the melted butter in an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a cup, combine remaining ½ cup sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cinnamon/sugar mixture over butter in baking pan. Place dough balls in a single layer in pan. Brush with remaining melted butter. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm.

At first I was very resistant. For some reason, back in 2005, I had heard about Mort Rosenblum’s book “Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light,” but never read it. I somehow thought it was one of those many fictional reads giving the impression of starring our favorite food group, yet only using the word chocolate as a marketing lure.

Fast forward four years after the book’s publication and I finally pick up a used copy at Powell’s Books. Here at Chocolate Tasting And More, we take neighborhood walks in search of all things chocolate in the Metro of Portland, Oregon. However, if you are interested in a more global chocolate trail, this is the book for you.

Matt, a former Associated Press correspondence and author of “Olives: The Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit,” admits that prior to his research for his book, he was “a chocolate ignoramus.” Yet 292 pages later, he presents the reader with his in-depth polished, research notes. An intellectual “voyage de cacao”, so to speak.

Rosemblum takes the reader under his investigative wings to discover the origin and history of chocolate: from a tiny Mexican village at the base of a volcano to learn the secrets of authentic mole, to the struggles of cacao plantations in West Africa. Find tiny Parisian chocolate shops tucked away along cobble-stone streets (you smell them before you see them!), and venture through the intimidating doors of Valrhona in the Rhone Valley of France. Experience the difference between Swiss, Belgium, and British choco-philosophies. Closer to home, you, explore the land of Hershey, and a number of West Coat chocolatiers.

One is taken on an intriguing journey around the world from some of the world’s largest urban centers to some of the most remote areas of the globe. Together, you both discover the history, biology, politics and challenges of Theombroma, “the food of the gods.”

Matt connects with some fascinating and passionate folks along the way, including Steve DeVries and Claudio Corallo. He also meets supertaster Chloe Doutre-Roussel, who probably has the best taste buds around.

The book ends in France aboard his boat on the Seine with these chocolate mentors, celebrating the end of his trail. You feel as if you are right there listening to their conversations as you all float along the river.

One of the benefits of waiting to read this book 4 years after its publication is that one can realize what a cacao “psychic” Matt was in predicting some important developments in the chocolate world scene. Today Steve DeVries has his business in Boulder, Colorado, and Claudio Corallo’s company is based in Seattle. Don’t let the domestic locations of these men’s business headquarters fool you. They’ve beaten some amazing odds and today they continue to traverse and work the equatorial belt in search of the best chocolate on earth.

I’d love Matt to do a follow-up book on new developments along the global chocolate trail- and to read some new predictions he’d make in the world of chocolate. We’d all be in for another delicious treat.

My first encounter with Gareth Mark was at Williams-Sonoma across from Pioneer Courthouse Square while doing research for my Downtown Portland Chocolate Walk. Upon meeting him one immediately senses that he is in his element surrounded by all the wonderful culinary products and when he talks about food, especially chocolate, you know that he truly loves his work.

Today I attended one of his free, Sunday technique classes. The topic: All About Ice Cream. Need I say more?! There were about 15 people in attendance on this unusually warm and humid overcast day to get “the scoop on the scoops. “

His Xocoatl Sorbet was truly amazing with its intriguing combination of dark chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, chiles and sea salt. These ingredients all mingle together in a way that is hard to believe that the resulting creation contains no dairy. Way to go if you’re watching the fat or calorie meters.

The second sample was an even more surprising. Upon receiving my little paper soufflé cup with the light caramel colored ice cream, I immediately caught the wafting aroma of maple syrup. It tasted as good as it smelled. Then the shock came when he told us the ingredients. No maple syrup was mentioned. Did I hear him correctly? Yes, this was Candy Cap Gelato. Candy Cap is the common name of an orange colored fungus that grows in forests of western North America. I soon discovered that Candy Cap was this year’s challenge ingredient for this annual ice cream class. You can find both of these recipes on his blog: www.stumptownsavoury.com

Mark your calendar for next year’s ice cream class (No pun intended, Chef Mark!) to see what the next challenge ingredient will be. If you don’t want to wait until then to attend one of these weekly technique classes, check out the Williams-Sonoma website for upcoming topics at: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/cust/techniqueclass_popup/content.cfm

Just so you know, Gareth is known to offer a chocolate class every once in a while. So be sure to check back often.

Last fall I had an email interview with James from www.Tasting.com, a new website that was being developed in the UK. Unfortunately, for all of us, it seems the website never made it off the ground. You might want to check back periodically and see if it ever gets launched. In the meantime, here’s the interview. Thanks, James, for the opportunity and I wish Tasting.com all the best.

1. What is most revealing to you on your tours?
I’m continually amazed that even long time residents discover new shops and places during our tours.  Isn’t that human nature? We all tend to have our favorite routes and places. And everyone is quite surprised at all the chocolate we find. So it gives me great satisfaction in helping people look at a neighborhood in a slightly different way.

2. Do you pair chocolate with anything else, like wine and whiskey, when people taste during the tour?
Each tour may vary in regards to the different stops we make. We generally have 5 or 6 main stops. We’ve explored chocolate martinis and pairing chocolate with coffee, wine and beer.

3. Do you start with low cocoa and end with high cocoa content during a single session?
I realize that this is the preferred sequence, however, during our walking tours this can be a challenge. It’s also interesting because when I first started giving chocolate tasting programs in the early 80’s it was recommended to start with the higher cocoa content (less sweet) since it was believed back then that sugar would dull your sense of taste.

4. Do you cover chocolate products made with more specific types of chocolate, like single origin?
Some of the chocolate products we sample have contained more specific kinds of chocolate, like single origin. We explore a little of everything on our walks- bars, confections, drinks, desserts- you name it. You can think of our programs as neighborhood searches for ALL things chocolate.

5. A bit about you – how did you get introduced to chocolate or how did it become such a passion?
There is the saying, “First you eat chocolate and then chocolate consumes you!” Well, in some ways that saying could apply to me. I’ve always loved chocolate. I have fond memories of my grandmother baking Sicilian cookies that had wonderful chunks of dark chocolate in them. I also grew up in San Francisco not far from the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory. As an adult I became an educator, and my main interests have revolved around natural and human history, science, and food, so chocolate was a natural topic for me.

6. What does it cost? Is there a minimum group size? What is the best time of year? How far or how short in distance? Do you do just walking tours? Can walks be made shorter or longer?
The public walking tours are geared for adults, are 3 1/2 hours in length, and cost $37 – 42. The minimum group size is three and maximum is 10. I feel it is important keeping the group size small to make it more personal and so people can ask questions. For me, anytime is a good time for chocolate! However, our programs are held seasonally from March through November. We cover 1-2.5 miles per walk depending on the route.  Private walking tours are also available for groups and are $28 for a minimum of 6 participants.  All of our programs can be tailored to meet a group’s specific needs.

7. What other tours do you do?
We currently have three walking tours in the Portland Metro Area: Downtown Portland, Pearl District and Lake Oswego. Right now all my programs have to do with chocolate.  I also offer a 6 week interdisciplinary, hands-on class called Chocolate Creations for 3rd-5th Graders, Arm Chair Chocolate Tastings, and an Immerse Yourself in Chocolate program that includes drinking and eating chocolate tastings, and making truffles. We’re also in the middle of planning two new routes and our first Mobile Tasting Tour.

I am currently on a turtle search. No, not along the coasts of Florida or Mexico, but a turtle search of the pecan, caramel and chocolate kind.

Can’t say that I’ve always been interested in these confectionery morsels. However, my husband has very fond memories of visiting his grandfather’s Darzes’ Candy Shop in Eldora Iowa. Louis Darzes’ most popular item was his turtles- roasted pecans and caramel dipped in milk chocolate. I’ve enjoyed listening to these verbal trips down memory lane.

We’ve both been in a nostalgic mood lately and have embarked on a quest for the most delicious turtle we can make. I quickly found that there are as many different chocolate pecan turtles, as well, actual turtles! Last night I decided to take the first step and make my first batch of turtles. The recipe was taken from www.Cooks.com

I used 18 pieces of Kraft vanilla caramels (my goal is to make my own caramel, but one has to start somewhere), 2/3 tsp. water, 1 cup of pecan halves and 4 oz. of Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips.

The caramels were melted in a double boiler. After adding the water and the pecans, the mixture was stirred until the pecans were evenly coated. They were then dropped on wax paper and cooled before being dipped in chocolate.

This recipe made 11 turtles, with just enough left over melted chocolate to make a few cups of drinking chocolate. (Waste not one drop of melted heaven!) The turtles ended up looking more like mounds of clusters. They were good, but were chewier than I had hoped for. This could be because I left the mixture on the stove a bit longer than needed. Next time, I will take the pot off the heat and mix a little quicker. I’d like the pecans to be crispier and I also want my turtles to look more like their namesake.

The caramels brought back memories of the Brach’s caramels found in grocery stores. It also made me think a lot of Milton Hershey. Did you know he started out making caramels? Yet after seeing chocolate making machinery at a World’s Fair decided that “Caramels are only a fad. Chocolate is a permanent thing.”

Many people from Eldora have fond memories of watching one of Louis’ skilled chocolate dippers, Mrs. Alvina Woods, give dipping demonstrations in the Darzes shop window. In a newspaper interview in the Des Moines Tribune on Thurs. Jan 15, 1959, Louis said “If I were a younger man, I wouldn’t be afraid to open a shop next door to any of the big name national candy shops. If you use quality ingredients and give good service, the word just naturally gets around. The customers will come.” Milton Hershey once said, “Give them quality. That’s the best kind of advertising.” Sure sounds familiar.

I would have given anything to have been with my husband as a young boy visiting this family candy shop of old and to meet Louis Darzes. He sounded like an Iowan Milton Hershey, a kindred spirit, and man of my heart.

Have you ever made chocolate pecan turtles? I’d be interested in hearing about your photo-of-turtle-for-blogexperiences. In the meantime, stay tune for more Darzes Turtle Adventures.

There was a stir in the media when last week when Scottish doctors came within 2 votes of passing a tax on chocolate, which many feel contributes greatly to the overweight problem in the British Isles. Fueled by increasing cases of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, the tax would have been similar to that on alcohol and tobacco.  What’s your take on a chocolate tax? Would it make you eat less of your favorite food group?

Yet the positive health benefits of chocolate, such as the antioxidants in dark chocolate which cut risks of cardiovascular disease, have been known for some time now.  Just last month, studies also showed that dark chocolate may also help reduce cancer risks.

So what is a chocolate lover to do?

As far as chocolate goes, it might be helpful to repeat the following “cacao” mantra: More is NOT Better, More is NOT better, More is NOT Better…

Although it is high in antioxidants, chocolate is also unfortunately high in sugar, calories and fat. So it may be useful to consider chocolate  as an “extra” part of one’s diet and one luxury that needs to be eaten in moderation.

One recent study suggests eating 1 ounce every three days. When subjects ate more than this amount, there were no additional reported benefits.

Bummed to hear this news? In the long run, this finding may actually help all us chocolate enthusiasts to more consciously savor each and every morsel.

First,  pick a quality dark chocolate with 60% or higher cacao content. Then when you taste it, try not to chew and just let the chocolate melt on your tongue for a more satisfying experience. Now the harder part- try not to eat more than ONE ounce every three days. How does this break down? That comes to about  9-10 grams per day (A 3 ounce bar is equal to 85 g).

We can think of this as the new One Ounce Dark Rule to live by. It would force us to read the Nutrition Facts on the bars and do a bit of math. So it’s good “brain aerobics,” too! (I think I’ll use this  the next time I cover Measurement and the Metric System with my Third Graders!).

Enjoy! And let me know how this all works for you.

Liquid Indulgence
Bite into a piece of chocolate and your taste buds send you on a gastronomic history that dates back to the mid-1800’s. Yet, sip a cup of a chocolate beverage and you go back in time at least 4,000 years. Although chocolate beverages have changed in appearance and taste over the eons, it’s sometimes hard to believe that as a species we’ve been drinking chocolate much, much longer than we’ve been melting it in our mouths.

I’ve been subscribing to Merriam’s Dictionary Word of the Day and low and behold, today’s word was imbibution, which means the act of drinking or taking in of liquid or knowledge. Sounds like my kind of word. Naturally, my mind began to wander reminiscing of my drinking experiences over the years- of chocolate, that is!

Although the term hot chocolate commonly refers to all kinds of hot chocolate beverages, there is a technical difference. Hot cocoa is made with cocoa, the dry material resulting from extracting cocoa butter from the crushed cacao beans. Drinking chocolate, on the other hand, is made with solid chocolate. They are both delicious. Most people prefer one over the other. A good hot cocoa is tasty and nostalgic. A good drinking chocolate is, well, the closest thing you can get to chocolate intravenous therapy!

Sierra Cacao High
Growing up in San Francisco’s North Beach, I was no stranger to delicious Ghirardelli hot chocolate made from cocoa out of that orange tin. Yet as a new National Park Service seasonal In Yosemite Valley in the mid-80’s, I went to a staff potluck and discovered my first drinking chocolate.

Our staff gathered at the home of our supervisor, Jeff Samco, which was located not far from the Visitor Center on the valley floor. Towards the end of the evening we gravitated towards the kitchen and found ourselves huddled around the stove. We all watched the pot of hot milk like eager children witnessing an ancient ritual, as Jeff slowly and patiently melted the solid chocolate into its dreamy, liquid state. It was quite the finale to wonderful meal together.

Even though the resulting drink was made with one of those big Hershey milk chocolate bars, all I know is that I experienced something special that evening. I had never seen a cup of hot chocolate made by hand from scratch. That night in Yosemite Valley, I guess you can say I experienced a “chocolate brain warp” at 4000 feet above sea level.

Jeff was way ahead of his time. Not only was he a confirmed foodie before the term was coined; he was making something similar to what Europeans have been enjoying for years. We’re just now playing catch up on this side of the Atlantic.

Also while in the Sierra, I was introduced to one hot chocolate laced with peppermint schnapps and another with coconut milk. Although a purist at heart, I surprisingly found these two drinks to be wonderful, especially on a cold winter’s night. Add a cozy fireplace- and presto-you’ve just created a little piece of heaven on earth.

Old and New Memories
What are your personal memories and experiences of hot chocolate? Do you have a preference of hot cocoa or drinking chocolate?

I hope this post encourages you to migrate directly into the kitchen to make yourself a cup of hot chocolate. What better way to toast to the final official month of winter? For our long awaited spring is (hopefully) just around the corner.

Make it your way: with cocoa or solid chocolate, ala natural or with some creative augmentations, with milk, water or milk alternative. Try a Hershey bar for a sensory trip down memory lane or experiment with some new, higher cocoa-content artisan chocolates.

Personally, I like both hot cocoa and drinking chocolate, depending on my mood. However, there is something almost meditative and nurturing about slowing down and taking the time to make a cup of drinking chocolate by hand. We can all use a good excuse to decelerate from the speed of life these days.

You can find some good recipes to get you started at www.scharffenberger.com Click on the “recipes” and then “drinks” links. For flavor suggestions check this out. Lactose intolerant? You might want to take a look at this site. If you have a favorite chocolate beverage or just whipped up something you’d like to share, please leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you.

Whether we call it a beverage, drink or imbibution- hot chocolate is definitely a special indulgence for the brain, body, and soul!

Cheers!

Hold a piece of chocolate in your hand and you hold the end result of an amazing, global journey.

To fully appreciate the story chocolate has to tell us, one needs to visit a tropical rainforest. Within about 1200 miles north and south of the equator, the correct balance of rainfall, temperature and humidity creates the perfect environment for the cacao tree. Cacao, a broadleaf evergreen tree found beneath the forest’s canopy, thrives only within this narrow belt across the planet.

From Tropical Rainforests
The cacao tree has beautiful tiny flowers, only a quarter inch in size, which open only during the night. A gnat-like insect, called a midge (think small tropical no-see-ums), is primarily responsible for pollinating this tree. The young midges live down in the leaf liter. When the larvae turn into adults, they feed on the nectar, pollen and leaf petals of these small flowers. Not only are these insects responsible for the treat we all know and love, they also have the fastest wing beats of any creature, some say 20 times faster than a hummingbird.

The flowers, and the resulting pollinated football-sized pods, are situated directly on the trunk and branches of the tree. One can only image how surprised the early explorers were to see such an unusual sight. Many Europeans back home thought the early drawings by the explorers were incorrect and possibly the result of taking part in excessive native intoxicating beverages! Inside each pod are 40-50 beans surrounded by a like pulp which some says tastes like honey dew and is a favorite food of forest animals and young children alike.

To the Factory
This mixture of succulent pulp and bean mixture is then scooped out by hand out of the pod and place typically under banana leaves to ferment. The heat generated by the naturally occurring bacteria prepares the beans to unleash their flavors when later roasted. If the beans aren’t made into chocolate at the country of their origin, the beans are then dried, bagged, transported (sometimes by foot) to the nearest port, and shipped across the oceans to a factory to be further processed. Once at the factory the beans are cleaned, roasted and separated from the shell. They are then crushed and further mixed until the chocolate is produced and molded into bars and wrapped.

To the Tastebuds of Your Mouth
Slowly unwrap a chocolate bar. You begin tasting food before it ever enters your mouth. Your sense of sight is very powerful. Look at the surface of the chocolate. Is it shiny or dull? Feel it between your fingers. Does it melt slowly or quickly in your hand? Then smell the morsel. Now, bite into a piece of chocolate and let it melt on your tongue. This may require some patience and practice. Notice if the chocolate feels grainy or smooth in your mouth as well. You may experience an immediate blast of flavor, which then changes as the chocolate continues to melt in your mouth. Called a tasting arch, this parade of different flavors can be subtle or quite obvious. The lingering taste is just as important as the initial sensation.

It’s Personal
Whether tasting wine, cheeses, or chocolate, just remember that your experience is very personal. It is important to realize that everyone’s palate is unique. Some people have more acute sense of taste and smell. Others sense of taste or smell may have been dulled over time from allergies, smoking, etc. So be gentle with yourself. Don’t be intimidated if you can’t detect every flavor note written on the label. Have confidence in knowing that your tasting skills can continue to be developed over time.

The journey of a single cacao bean takes many twists and turns from a tree half way across the world to the taste buds of your mouth. That in itself is enough for total appreciation.