Cooking
A few months ago I went to the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory for a visit to their shop and a tour. The shop has just about everything you can think of that you would need to make something chocolate-y. There are various kinds of chocolate, cocoa and cacao nibs, but also cookware and speciality items like chocolate molds and chocolate fondue pots, etc. The store welcomes you with a pot of hot chocolate for sampling and some decadent recipes too.
The chocolate tour is really amazing. You are first given a lesson in where chocolate comes from (Venezuela, Ghana, Madagascar, Trinidad, and Papua New Guinea), its chemical properties (you have noticed how it good it makes you feel, right?), how it is harvested and processed. Of course the lesson wouldn't be complete without tasting various types of chocolate (yum!) and then comes the actual factory tour.
The noise level of the machinery is so great that mostly it's just a walk through to show you the machines in action and to smell the unbelievably heady aroma of cocoa beans roasting. The folks at Scharffen Berger are very proud of their equipment and their unique artisan processing of cocoa beans into chocolate. It is comparable to the roasting and blending of coffee or to blending wine. Only so much tastier! If you are planning on being in Berkeley and want to take the tour, you can sign up online or just take a virtual tour and read up on one of the most delicious ingredients ever.
- Resolution: Eat More Chocolate In 2006
Here it is January, month of resolutions, exercise and diets. Since Lee's doctor is already basically prescribing that he eat chocolate on a daily basis, let's take a closer look at a couple possibilities, for health purposes, of course. Unlike...
- Tropical Muffins Recipe
Have you discovered cocoa nibs? If you've been on the Shafffen Berger chocolate factory tour then you probably tried them and maybe even purchased some. But if you're like me, you probably haven't had many good ideas of what to do with them....
- Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival
This weekend started off with a search for a crepe recipe. Since my computer is in the shop, I didn't have access to my recipe collection including my no-fail crepe recipe. This prompted me to try a great Austrian recipe that used seltzer water! I...
- Cappuccino Biscotti:recipe
Mmmmm chocolate! Second time visiting Scharffen Berger chocolate factory yesterday. The tour is really worth a repeat visit because they seem to be learning all sorts of new things about chocolate every day and each guide puts their own unique spin on...
- Chunks Have Returned!
Sam and I work for the same large corporation — albeit in different divisions — and we are both on the Foodies list. In a recent email thread about tempering chocolate and the chips one can buy for the purpose, she casually suggested the new...
Cooking
Scharffen Berger Factory Tour
A few months ago I went to the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory for a visit to their shop and a tour. The shop has just about everything you can think of that you would need to make something chocolate-y. There are various kinds of chocolate, cocoa and cacao nibs, but also cookware and speciality items like chocolate molds and chocolate fondue pots, etc. The store welcomes you with a pot of hot chocolate for sampling and some decadent recipes too.
The chocolate tour is really amazing. You are first given a lesson in where chocolate comes from (Venezuela, Ghana, Madagascar, Trinidad, and Papua New Guinea), its chemical properties (you have noticed how it good it makes you feel, right?), how it is harvested and processed. Of course the lesson wouldn't be complete without tasting various types of chocolate (yum!) and then comes the actual factory tour.
The noise level of the machinery is so great that mostly it's just a walk through to show you the machines in action and to smell the unbelievably heady aroma of cocoa beans roasting. The folks at Scharffen Berger are very proud of their equipment and their unique artisan processing of cocoa beans into chocolate. It is comparable to the roasting and blending of coffee or to blending wine. Only so much tastier! If you are planning on being in Berkeley and want to take the tour, you can sign up online or just take a virtual tour and read up on one of the most delicious ingredients ever.
- Resolution: Eat More Chocolate In 2006
Here it is January, month of resolutions, exercise and diets. Since Lee's doctor is already basically prescribing that he eat chocolate on a daily basis, let's take a closer look at a couple possibilities, for health purposes, of course. Unlike...
- Tropical Muffins Recipe
Have you discovered cocoa nibs? If you've been on the Shafffen Berger chocolate factory tour then you probably tried them and maybe even purchased some. But if you're like me, you probably haven't had many good ideas of what to do with them....
- Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival
This weekend started off with a search for a crepe recipe. Since my computer is in the shop, I didn't have access to my recipe collection including my no-fail crepe recipe. This prompted me to try a great Austrian recipe that used seltzer water! I...
- Cappuccino Biscotti:recipe
Mmmmm chocolate! Second time visiting Scharffen Berger chocolate factory yesterday. The tour is really worth a repeat visit because they seem to be learning all sorts of new things about chocolate every day and each guide puts their own unique spin on...
- Chunks Have Returned!
Sam and I work for the same large corporation — albeit in different divisions — and we are both on the Foodies list. In a recent email thread about tempering chocolate and the chips one can buy for the purpose, she casually suggested the new...