I'm the "Enrichment" leader for our ward, which means I co-plan our monthly Relief Society weeknight meetings. Our meeting in February was "For the love of CHOCOLATE!" Yummy.
We wanted to make this an educational night as well as a fun night for the ladies, and this is how we did it.
I researched and presented "All About Chocolate."
I talked about:
- where chocolate comes from
- What is the difference between cacao & cocoa?
- Cacao: pronounced Ka-Kow. Refers to the tree, its pods and the beans inside.
- Cocoa: pronounced Koh-Koh. Refers to two by-products of the cacao bean – cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Both are extracted from the bean when it is processed in the factory.
- Cacao is grown in the tropics in a band between 10 to 20 degrees north and south of the equator, sometimes called the "Cocoa Belt". The tree is often grown in the shades of other trees. It can be as tall as 40 feet and has fruits (pods) which are more than on foot long. The fruits may be brownish-yellow to purple, and contain 20-40 seeds or cacao beans in a pink, sweet-sour pulp.
- a brief history of chocolate
- 1st mention of Cacao Tree dates back to 1500 BC to the Olmec Civilization (ancestors to the Mayans & Aztecs)
- how is chocolate made
- The whole process starts with fermentation of the cacao bean, drying, roasting...
- Different Kinds of Chocolate
- Many types of chocolate are made from the cacao bean:
- Chocolate liquor is made from raw, ground cacao nibs (the meat of the cacao bean)
- Cocoa butter is the fat of the cacao bean, and is solid at room temperature
- Cocoa powder is made by separating most of the cocoa butter from the liquor
- Unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate liquor, containing about 50% cocoa butter
- Bittersweet chocolate contains at least 35% liquor, along with cocoa butter, sugar and vanilla
- Semisweet chocolate contains the same ingredients as bittersweet but has a greater sugar content
- Milk chocolate has only about 10% chocolate liquor, and also contains about 12% milk solids
- White chocolate does not contain any chocolate liquor; it gets its flavor from cocoa butter
- is chocolate good for you.
- Cacao is remarkably rich in magnesium. Cacao seems to be the #1 source of magnesium of any food. This is likely the primary reason women crave chocolate during the menstrual period. Magnesium balances brain chemistry, builds strong bones, and is associated with more happiness
- Raw cacao is very high in antioxidants. Its ORAC rating is 621 - compare that to blueberries at about 32!
- Learn more from the link above, but bottom line: Yes, chocolate can be good for you if you chose DARK chocolate that is at least 65% cacao. You need 100 g or 3 oz. DAILY to get the maximum health benefits.
I had to put this is. These little morsels are probably my FAVORITE candy, yes even aside from Reese's PB cups or Milky Way. I buy 3 lb bags of these at our wholesale club and stockpile them to last me until NEXT Easter. They might make it until October, but maybe if I practice some self-control they'd last me longer. THEY.ARE.JUST.TOO.YUMMY!
I've seen recipes to use these in cookies, which I'm sure would be delicious, but I can't make the sacrifice...
Hey, anybody know the difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa? Here's your answer.
The terms Hot Cocoa and Hot Chocolate are often used interchangeably, but technically they are as different as Milk Chocolate and bittersweet chocolate. Hot cocoa is made from cocoa powder, which is chocolate pressed free of all its richness, meaning the fat of cocoa butter. Hot chocolate is made from chocolate bars melted into cream. It is a rich decadent drink.
After my presentation, one of our other Sisters showed us how to make chocolates and dip chocolates and pretzels and strawberries, and all sorts of yummy confections!
We asked each sister to bring in their favorite chocolate dessert for our "Chocolate Bar". LOL Get it?! We had a chocolate dessert BUFFET and it was heavenly! Great job gals! We had yummy brownies and cookies, and truffles, and cake pops and even Ancient Mayan Hot Chocolate...
I remember learning in high school or college about Montezuma drinking his "chocolate drink" WAY back in his day and I was always curious as to what that tasted like. So, I did a bit of research and chose this recipe to try out.
I thought it was okay. Some of the other Sister really enjoyed it and others were glad I'd only given them a small cup of it- no thank you. I had PLENTY to bring home and Daddy was happy to consume the rest, gradually of course. Because of the dark chocolate flavor, its very rich, but the other flavors of cinnamon, vanilla and chili give it some good flavor. He ended up adding some milk and warming it up to drink it. He really liked the taste of it and how it coated his sore throat. I might actually make this again. If I were more accustomed to the DARK chocolate v. MILK chocolate, I think I'd like it better, but at least now I can say I tried it!
You'll need this-
Ancient Mayan Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
3 c. boiling water
1 to 2 cinnamon sticks
3 tablets Mexican unsweetened chocolate, cut into small pieces (I found this at our Latino grocery store)
2 T. wild pure honey, or raw sugar to taste
1 pinch of dried red chili (this is what makes the difference so try it!)
1 dried organic grown vanilla bean, split lengthwise
How to Prepare:
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the cinnamon sticks to boiling water. Cook until liquid is reduced to 2 1/2 cups. Remove cinnamon sticks; add the vanilla bean and lower the heat a bit, wait until bubbles appear around the edge to reduce heat to low and drop the chocolate pieces and wild pure honey, mix well and whisk occasionally until chocolate is melted. Turn off heat, remove vanilla bean. Whisk vigorously to create a light foam effect, sprinkle the dried chili pepper and serve; and for an Aztec hot chocolate taste, sprinkle the roasted peanut powder.
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