Milk Chocolate -- a Sweet, Delicious Trend

(ARA) - No matter the occasion or season, love of chocolate is universal. America's cocoa worship continues to grow and, despite a down economy, people are treating themselves to a small luxury with premium chocolates.Though they may skip a trip to their favorite restaurant or bakery for dessert, chocolate enthusiasts continue to look for everyday indulgences in products with the finest ingredients. In fact, U.S. chocolate sales are expected to grow to nearly $18 billion by 2011.Often times, those who prefer premium chocolate reach for darker varieties, and have taken up using only cacao percentages to measure what makes a "better" chocolate. The percentages refer to the total amount of cocoa beans in the bar by weight. Traditionally, a higher percentage provides a more intense and less sweet flavor. What they often forget, however, is that it's not just cacao percentages, but also the overall quality that can make the difference between a good chocolate and a great one. Milk chocolate must be at least 10 percent chocolate liquor by weight, and the current trend favors formulations that contain more than that amount, which produces more chocolate flavor and less sweetness.
Despite the attention on dark varieties, milk chocolate is Americans' true love, accounting for 80 percent of total chocolate sales, according to the market research firm ACNielsen. Milk chocolate fans have cause to rejoice -- more premium offerings are becoming available with launches of new products, including Ghirardelli LUXE milk chocolate.With delectable all natural flavors including milk, hazelnut, almond, crisp and duet, the Ghirardelli LUXE milk chocolate collection offers satisfaction for every craving.What should you look for in a high-quality chocolate?

*An attractive gloss -- The surface of chocolate should be tight and even-colored.

*A pleasing aroma -- Before even tasting it, rub the piece of chocolate with your thumb to warm and release its aroma. Milk chocolates often give off aromas of milk, cream, caramel or malt.

*The "snap" factor -- It's the first clue to texture. Milk chocolate bars have a gentler snap than dark or semi-sweet chocolate because their milk and butter fat content make them naturally softer.

*Creamy feel in your mouth -- Premium chocolate should not be described as "gritty" or "waxy."

*Flavor -- It's the ultimate criterion for quality in chocolate.

Every palate is different, but don't forget that above all, your chocolate must taste delicious!

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A bit of wine, chocolate, tea can help boost memory

A modest amount of wine could help to beat memory loss and delay the onset of dementia, claim researchers, who added that the same goes for a few squares of chocolate and cups of tea.
However, if anyone thinks that they have got the licence to over-indulge during the festive season, should beware. According to scientists, the benefits wear off dramatically if people take more than half a glass of wine, four squares of chocolate or five cups of tea.
To reach the conclusion, Oxford University researchers examined more than 2,000 elderly people to measure cognitive performance.
They found that chocolate, wine and tea boosted the brainpower of those aged 70 to 74, reports the Daily Express.
Wine was most effective, with better performances after just a tipple.
It has long been claimed that people who consume a lot of flavonoids - present in the food and drinks studied - show lower signs of dementia.
But while the new findings support this theory, researchers still can’t explain why.
Professor David Smith, who led the work, said improvements were limited to a maximum level each day.
“They had got better results depending on how much they consumed, although it did plateau,” he said.
Over-indulging in alcohol could encourage dementia, as well as a host of other health problems, he warned.

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Cover it in Chocolate - Bacon

I got this from the Los Angeles Times:

I think this guy is a serious Bacon Lover whose passion clashed with mine and we get the following:

I'm crazy about bacon. And I'm not alone. Suggestions keep pouring in for my quest to find 1,001 things to do with bacon -- thanks to everyone who took the time to write. Just when we think we've heard everything, something new comes along. Which brings us to....
No. 13: Cover it in chocolate.
Leslie Cooper, owner of LUCA Chocolate in North Carolina, sent us a small care package including chocolate-covered strips of bacon and bits of bacon covered in chocolate AND caramel. We brought them out into the newsroom, and they were pretty much inhaled.

The rest of the article was about bacon so it did not qualify further in my Blog, I set the rules so I say what stays!

And that brought a comment from Gayle:

I have been playing with covering bacon in chocolate, so I so happy to see this made the list. I'll definitely have to try adding caramel! What a great idea.

Great Idea? Great minds think alike. Its a superb idea!

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Chocolate.com - Fine Chocolates for Fine Occasions

http://www.chocolate.com/

Now this is a place that you want to visit because they surely know a thing or two about chocolate.

It has a selection of over 2000 items for gifts.

You can shop by price, occasion, gift type, category, and ingredients.

And to keep yourself updated about chocolate - a newsletter.

Just reading this site makes me want to go to a bar.

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Chocolate

Chocolate Adventure Contest Bay Area Bites
Chocolate For the second year in a row, Scharffenberger and TuttiFoodie are hosting the Chocolate Adventure Contest. You have a little over two weeks to put the finishing touches on your best Chocolate recipe in one of three .

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The Wonders of Chocolate

Yes, this almost magical food. With the powers to turn ordinary women into lovers, to send children go wild, and many a times called into service for the defense of countries (to be consumed by soldiers).
A popular gift, given by almost everyone to anyone.
You could rarely go wrong with a gift of chocolate.
And its appropriate for any festival.
Consumed by any culture.
And probably one of the powerful weapons in the arsenals of desperate young men.
The traditional developed over centuries have now got us into the state it is now.

And in any case, a bar of chocolate always cheers me up.
How about you?

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