The Love Story of Chocolate.

We thought that as Valentine's Day is around the corner that we'd feature chocolate this month (one of my personal favourite food groups to indulge in).  Chocolate, in France its chocolat, in Italy it's cioccolato, and in Spain it's chocolate.  Call it what you will, we all love it and apparently on average eat 12 pounds of this delicious indulgence a year.

Dark Chocolate Tasting 101
If you're in the market for a fresh idea for a party and a flavour-filled evening, one of the latest trends is chocolate tasting parties.  Impress your guests with an evening all about chocolate, after all chocolate is the new wine...and dark chocolate can be successfully paired with wine.

Assemble a group of well-deserving friends, then either run the delicious evening yourself or bring in the top guns, there are Chocolate Connoisseurs* available for hire (who knew)!

Here's how to taste dark chocolate (perfect for pairing with red wine);
1.  Start with the history of chocolate, how it's made, and what sets apart a good one from a not-so-good one (only if you have the interest and the knowledge, otherwise jump straight to step 2 and trust your own personal taste buds, chocolate is very personal).

2.  Then move on to the sampling: 6 delectable varieties (or however many you want). Select top quality dark chocolate from a range of fair trade organic to historical French varieties. 

3.  Start tasting. There are 4 parts to the tasting ritual;

-See (glossy is good)

-Smell (Aromas of vanilla, nuts or fruit may be apparent)

-Snap (The chocolate should break with crisp edges and a sound called a 'craquant.')

-Savour (Chew 5 to 10 times; don't suck as you would milk chocolate.  Breathe in through the mouth and out through the nose, to allow the flavour to fill your head.  Stop and observe the lingering flavours on the palate).  Give everyone a ratings sheet to keep score.

4. Rinse your mouth with water between chocolates, chocolate tasters don't spit out like wine tasters do (do you blame them).  If you opt for fizzy water, avoid the saltier mineral waters.  Your palate can also be refreshed with plain, unsalted crackers such as Carr's Table Water Crackers.  Salt is to be avoided because you don't want to salivate too much.

Wine Not;
And if you want to add wine to the tasting experience, check out the list of wines below that pair well with chocolate.

* If you're in the Toronto area, check out www.atasteforchocolate.com if you want to hire your own Chocolate Expert for your party.

Love chocolate, you will love this food adventure...

Yes, a food adventure all about chocolate.  Chocoholics unite in Rome during Eurochocolate week every March yearly.  Imagine spending 8 days immersed in chocolate in the heart of Italy's historic capital.  During Eurochocolate week everything revolves around the seductive sweet stuff with some 500 participating stands, a Chocobookshop, a Chocofarm and a chocolate-flavored film competition. For added flair, the famed Trinita dei Monti staircase gets plastered with 3,000 pure chocolate eggs.  If this sounds like the festival for you why not combine chocolate and a culinary vacation.  Our Casa Italiano culinary vacation is located just outside of Roma so you can easily combine both experiences into one trip!  Your table is set...

 

TWO for TUSCANY?  

If you'd like to stay in a beautiful historic B&B Farmhouse in the heart of Tuscany, and share the entire massive place with another couple we have space.  We're looking for another couple for the period of March 17 - 25th.  So if you want to go on a food adventure, learn the incredible secrets of this delicious cuisine and all at the incredibly low price of $2,210 CAD per person double occupancy please contact us right away.  An exclusive opportunity not to be missed.  

LAST CALL for our A Taste of Seville Special Offer.
If you are planning a trip to Spain to celebrate the holidays or to bring in February we have a special offer for a 3-night gastronomic stay in Seville.

What? 3-night gastronomic stay

When? December, January, February

Where? Seville at the 4* Petit Palace Marqués Santa Ana Hotel, located in the heart of the city centre

Why? Seville is the Tapas Capital of the World!

Price Tag? $1,205 per person based on double occupancy

How? Contact us to book now, this incredible offer is only available for a short time.

Looking for a Romantic Movie for Valentine's - here's one to watch.
A Good Year -A British investment broker inherits his uncle's chateau and vineyard in Provence, where he spent much of his childhood. He discovers a new laid-back lifestyle as he tries to renovate the estate to be sold.London-based investment expert Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) travels to Provence to tend a small vineyard he inherited from his late uncle. When he gets suspended from his job under suspicion of fraud, he settles in to life at the chateau, remembering the time he spent there as a child. Then a determined young California girl (Abbie Cornish) arrives claiming to be the illegitimate daughter of the deceased.

You're sure to be swept away to Provence...

Patrick  Payet, our Passport to Provence Chef played a cameo role in this role.  Come on this Provence food adventure to meet Patrick and experience the region and its delicious cuisine first hand. 

Foodie's Corner.

Recipe of the Month.
We shared this recipe last Valentine's Day, it's so decadent that we thought we'd share it again.  Here is a recipe from our very own Art de Vivre Loire culinary vacation in the Loire Valley, France - its Monique's special chocolate pate that she serves for special occasions to impress her guests.

Chocolate Pate (Marquise)

Serves 6 (2 for Valentine's Day)

250 gr (10 oz ) dark chocolate (approx 1 box)

200 gr (7 oz) melted butter (approx 1 cup)

6 eggs

5 tablespoon walnuts or praline* or candied orange**

Heat chocolate and butter slowly together in a double-boiler (au bain Marie), add egg yolks, mixed walnuts or praline or candied orange.  Heat very slowly on low heat, especially if you don't have a double-boiler.  Beat egg whites until stiff and add slowly to heated mixture. Ensure that you butter your dish prior to pouring in the pate.  Place in the freezer minimum 4 hours. Take it out before serving dinner to allow for easy slicing of the pate.  Another great tip is to dip your knife into hot water for easy slicing.  Serve with orange slices and savour every bite!  * In French cookery praline is a powder or paste made of caramelized almonds and/or hazelnuts.

** To make Candied Orange Peel (1 cup) you need.
2 large thick-skinned oranges       3-1/2 cups water      1/2 cup sugar

Grate orange using a regular kitchen grater (not too fine though, it should be thin julienne in size).  In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of the water to a boil. Add the orange zest, and boil about 3 minutes. Drain and repeat the boiling for a total of three times, changing the water each time. Drain.

In the same saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the remaining 1/2 cup water. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil, and add the orange zest. Simmer over low heat until all the liquid has evaporated, and the zest is covered with the thick syrup, 8 to 10 minutes.  You need about ½ cup for the Chocolate Pate recipe, or more according to your taste buds.

Chefs Note:  This is such a simple dessert to make and it is sure impress!  If you do not eat it all on Valentines Day you can freeze it and it keeps really well.

Uncorked! 

Your Best Match for Chocolate - Like Wine for Chocolate...

Wine + Chocolate, best friends, two good rules of thumb to create the best pairing.

First, the darker the chocolate, the darker the wine. This means cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel for those rich, decadent desserts that spotlight dark berry flavors.  Cabernets pair well because they already have a hint of cocoa in them including blackberries and spice. (note, avoid Cabernets that have a lot of oak flavour in them).  Port wines and dessert wines also work well with dark chocolate. Milk chocolate, on the other hand, is more suited to merlot.

Second, white wines don't usually fare as well with chocolate; their citrus and apple flavors aren't as complementary to chocolate as red wine's darker fruit flavors. The exception is sparkling wine and Champagne, many of which have a caramel flavor built in.

Here are recommendations from the experts of wines that pair well with chocolate:

Mas Amiel Muscat de Rivesaltes 2001 Roussillon, France

Leasingham Bin 61 Shiraz, 2001 Clare Valley, South Australia

Sierra Cantabria 2001 Rioja, Spain

Fonseca Bin 27 Ruby Port Duoro, Portugal

Warre's Otima 10 Year Tawny Port Duoro, Portugal

Another good wine is a Bonny Dune Framboise. This pairs very well with chocolate because of its raspberry flavoring.

And if you would like to hand-pick your own bottle of Mas Amiel Muscat de Rivesaltes 2001 from Roussillon, we now feature our Southern France Gourmet Route culinary vacation right in the heart of Languedoc-Roussillon region.  Contact us today to find out more about our 3 and 5-day tours that focus on food and wine. 

Trendspotting.

 

Drinkable Desserts are the latest hot trend in desserts, cocktails are a great alternative to traditional desserts.  Chefs are experimenting with flavors and ingredients to create innovative liquid desserts that mimic popular sweet treats and add a unique flair to menus.  These luscious drinkable desserts are also perfect for at- home entertaining. These dazzling, yet easy-to-make libations can be made with or without alcohol.

Here's a drinkable dessert recipe for a Taste of Italy - "Tiramisu Cones"

5 Large sugar cones

1 cup ice cream topping chocolate (more chocolate)

1 cup Torani Tiramisu Syrup

5 tbsp rum

4 cups of whipped cream

1 cup milk

Chocolate sprinkles

Making sure it is at room temperature, pour the chocolate into the cones coating the insides completely. Drain the excess and place upside down on a tray in the fridge until the chocolate hardens. Make the tiramisu foam by folding the milk, the Torani Tiramisu Syrup, the 2 cups of the whipped cream, rum. Pour in the mixture into the cones. Let set for 15 minutes in the fridge. When ready to serve pipe a good serving of the whipped cream (ice-cream cone style) and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles and a bendi-straw.

Get your creative juices flowing and create your own signature "Drinkable Desserts", in fact Baileys just had a contest to create your own.

Unique V-Day Gift. 
If you are looking for a really unique Valentines Day gift you cannot go wrong with this V-Day Gift.

Forget the traditional roses this year (not that I would mind).  What better gift than the gift of food adventure travel for the food and wine lover who has absolutely everything!  Gourmet Safari Culinary Discovery Gift Certificates can be purchased in any denomination and can be applied to any culinary vacation or cooking class.  Fine food, fine wines, fine times are just an email away, contact us today to purchase your gift certificate -the ultimate gift of food & travel culinary discovery. How romantic is that...

Wishing you a Happy Valentines Day.

To find out more about any of our culinary vacations please feel free to call me at 416.238.9987 (Toronto) or 1.800.839.5795 (in North America).  Email works well too at jackie@gourmetsafari.com.

Gastronomically, Jackie

Gourmet Safari supports BREAKFAST FOR LEARNING - proceeds from every culinary vacation go to this special charity.

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