The Quest for Incredible Chocolate

Let's share amazing chocolate!

Balsamic + Chocolate = Delight November 9, 2009

Filed under: chocolate, dessert — Molly Drexelius @ 8:24 am
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I was on one of my chocolate tours…browsing for new or interesting items, when my boyfriend brought over a bottle.  ”Look at this,” he said as he put the bottle in my line of sight to make me look away from other chocolate in my hands.  ”Oooooohhhh,” was my excited reply.  We tasted (incredibly awesome) and I knew this would be part of my selection soon (it’s in stock now).


I have many people who ask how to use it.  I have tried it on different things.  If I would use regular balsamic, then why not chocolate balsamic?  My boyfriend picked up some Gruyere cheese and we drizzled a little on it.  I love Gruyere on its own, but paired with the chocolate balsamic it was divine!


We also had some vanilla soy cream drizzled with the chocolate balsamic.  The tartness of the balsamic mingled with the sweet, creaminess of the soy cream.  Mmmmmmm.  Delicious!


Balsamic Chocolate DrizzleRemember that balsamic has an intense flavor, so use it sparingly.  I’m sure you’ll find yourself using this delicious chocolate balsamic in many dishes to replace your old balsamic vinegar.


How else to enjoy this lovely chocolate balsamic?  How about:

  • in a vinaigrette on a salad with cranberries and feta cheese
  • drizzled over ripe summer fruits like strawberries, melon, peaches and pears
  • in reduction sauces for pork chops, steak or chicken
  • with fresh grilled veggies
  • try it over cheesecake or ice cream!

Try this simple and delicious recipe with our Vervacious chocolate balsamic:

Ingredients

  • 4 cups of fresh strawberries, stemmed and sliced
  • 2 tbsp. sugar
  • 2 or 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 quart vanilla ice cream

Combine the sliced strawberries with sugar and vinegar. Spoon over vanilla ice cream and serve.  Fantastic.  Enjoy!

 

Chocolate Percentage November 6, 2009

Filed under: chocolate, info — Molly Drexelius @ 8:08 am
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Buying chocolate has gotten to be a little more than just picking up your favorite brand.  I used to just go into the store and pick up the Hershey’s Dark.  Done.  Now there are many kinds, flavors, ingredients and percentages all asking for my attention.


percentI get asked about chocolate percentage quite often.  What does the number on the wrapper mean?  How does it work?


Some people might have an idea of what percentage means, but just want confirmation.  Well, here you go:

Percentage

 

Cozy Up With Hot Chocolate November 4, 2009

Filed under: chocolate — Molly Drexelius @ 4:08 pm
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When the chill comes to the air, I reach for something warm.  A comfy blanket.  A warm fire.  Tasty soup.  Yummy hot chocolate.


hot chocolateDon’t get me wrong.  I love tea.  A nice cup of hot tea is soothing and wonderful, but there is something comforting about a nice cup of hot chocolate.  Hot chocolate is a delicious treat.


Drexelius Chocolates carries Casa Don Puglisi, which makes an incredible hot chocolate that will melt the harshest chills.  Plus, it is real, all natural chocolate!  This delicious, warm chocolate goodness can be created in a few minutes.  Just break off a pre-sectioned piece of Puglisi chocolate and add to a cup of heated milk.  Stir and get ready for hot chocolate heaven!


Casa Don Puglisi is available in many wonderful flavors:  cafe, cinnamon, chili, classic and pistachio.  Try them all!

 

Semi, Bitter or What? November 2, 2009

Filed under: chocolate, info — Molly Drexelius @ 8:04 am
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Not long ago supermarkets stocked around three kinds of chocolate:  semi sweet, unsweetened and milk.  I remember getting the semi sweet for our chocolate chip cookies and unsweetened was for brownies.  Now there is a wide variety of options in your local market.  With all these choices it might be hard to know what to pick, but here are some good guidelines to knowing your store chocolate:

  • dark chocolateHere in the US, dark chocolate is be labeled semi sweet, bittersweet or extra-bittersweet.  Now some labels are being a bit more precise by listing percentages such as 60, 70, et cetera.  These percentages are telling you how much of the cocoa bean is in the chocolate; the rest is sugar, vanilla and other ingredients.  If milk solids are listed then you know you are choosing a milk chocolate, regardless of what the label says.
  • If you are working with a recipe and it calls for semi sweet chocolate, what to do?  Well, this is when you reach for the 60 percent dark chocolate.  70 percent is for those that call for bittersweet.  Remember, you need a 70+ percentage chocolate to make the chocolate flavor stand out.
  • White chocolate contains no cocoa mass.  The only ingredient that links it to heavenly chocolate is cocoa butter.


Regardless of what you pick, make sure it is a quality chocolate.  Drexelius Chocolates carries the best all natural chocolate in the world.  Pick some up today.  Your taste buds will thank you!

 

Free Chocolate Friday – Oct 09 October 30, 2009

Filed under: chocolate, news — Molly Drexelius @ 7:59 am
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Happy Halloween!

While you are giving away chocolate this Halloween, Linda will be getting free premium chocolate from Drexelius Chocolates as the October winner of Free Chocolate Friday!

***(Winners are notified by e-mail to receive their special code)***


Drexelius ChocolatesThis is really one of the easiest ways to get FREE chocolate and hopefully you are taking advantage of it!  Drexelius Chocolateshas the most

incredible

delicious

all natural

premium chocolate from the most amazing chocolate makers in the world!

Are you signed up for Free Chocolate Friday?  If you are signed up, tell your friends so they can get in on the deliciousness, too!



Previous winners have enjoyed the following bars (up to $7 free):

BruCo Salt — Love salty sweet?  This bar will hit the spot!

Taza Salted Almond — Great eaten raw or whipped up as hot chocolate!

Nirvana Dark w Pomegranate — Customer Top Pick!


Free Chocolate Friday is a great way to start off the month.  This is not any ordinary chocolate.  So take a chance at some free chocolate that will make your taste buds take notice!

 

National Chocolate Day October 28, 2009

Filed under: chocolate, info — Molly Drexelius @ 8:23 am
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You knew it had to come…
chocolate in a modern cupThey have a day for everything. Popcorn. Pistachio. Licorice. Even Quiche Lorraine. We have waited patiently and finally it is National Chocolate Day!!!!
So enjoy your favorite chocolate and share it with those you love. Let them in on your little happiness.  I am lucky that I get to share my happiness with you every day.


I have had the pleasure of finding some new chocolate bars this year, but I have stuck to some old favorites, too.  I carry all the bars that I love.  If you want to know my favorite bars, then check out my current selectionat Drexelius Chocolates.


Share some of your favorites!

 

Chocolate and Tooth Decay October 26, 2009

Filed under: chocolate, info — Molly Drexelius @ 8:09 am
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I love Halloween.  I’m not one for all the decorations and such, but I love that we get to share candy.  When I was a kid I was excited to get the different types of candy from all the neighbors.  Lollipops.  Candy bars.  Bit-o-Honey.  Jolly Ranchers.  Sticky.  Sweet.  Chewy.  Gooey.


Now I am a little more selective about what I eat because I want to make sure I am eating good stuff.  I also know that some sweets do more damage to tooth enamel than others.  So if you are buying sweets at the store to hand out on Halloween, try to steer clear of sour or acidic treats that attack tooth enamel and buy chocolate instead.


quality chocolateChocolate research shows that it is one of the better candies as far as tooth decay.  Tooth decay occurs when bacteria in the mouth turn sugar to acids, which eat away at the tooth’s surface and cause cavities.  The antibacterial agents in cocoa beans offset its high sugar levels, but you should look to quality chocolate for this to be true.   Lower quality chocolate may contain over-processed ingredients, which strips the cocoa of its benefits.  Chocolate candy might have no real chocolate in it at all.


It is also good idea to set aside a time for eating the candy and then put it away.  If kids graze through the candy all day it doesn’t give their teeth time to recover from the sugar assault.  Drinking water with candy is also a good idea.  Soda and juice have added sugar which adds fuel to the cavity fire, but water helps to wash the sugars away.


Who knew that my love of chocolate would end up helping to keep my  teeth healthy?  Have a happy and safe Halloween!

 

Halloween Candy! October 23, 2009

Filed under: chocolate, info — Molly Drexelius @ 8:09 am
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I can’t believe it is already that time of year.  I love the fall.  The cooler weather.  The holidays.  The food.


HalloweenHalloween really kicks off the season for me.  I live in a small town in an area that has a LOT of kids.  It was my first year in the neighborhood and I bought four bags of candy, which I thought was going to last me a while.  I opened the door for my first trick-or-treaters and that was it.  Swarms of kids descended and those four bags were gone in 20 minutes (no joke).  The kids kept knocking and ringing the doorbell even though the lights were out, probably thinking that was part of my Halloween decoration.


A lot of candy is sold at Halloween.  Even though this year has been hard on everyone, I am sure candy companies will be giving good promotions and reductions to make sure they get your business.  Get this…Halloween is the biggest season for chocolate candy, which does not include premium chocolate.  Nearly 90 million pounds of chocolate candy is sold during Halloween week!  Compare that with Easter (65 million pounds) or Valentines Day (48 million pounds).



Treat yourself to something this Halloween that is a step up from store bought candy and check out our great selection at Drexelius Chocolates.  Have a safe and happy Halloween :)

 

New Chocolate Arrivals! October 22, 2009

Filed under: bars, chocolate — Molly Drexelius @ 10:53 am
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Drexelius ChocolatesPeople ask how I find new items.  It seems that I carry things that no one else has in stock.  I keep up on new trends or go to shows and try different stuff.  Believe me…there are some things you don’t want to try.  I have had it all from obnoxious flavors to overly sweet to what-where-they-thinking?  The ones that catch my attention get put in front of you in the selection at Drexelius Chocolates.


New items have come in that I know you will really love.   We are now carrying Jade Chocolates!  We have two of their wonderful tea infused chocolates -> one dark and one milk.  Genmai has delicious roasted brown rice.  Dragon’s Breath has an incredible spicy kick.  Enjoy these bars today!


We also have a decadent chocolate balsamic from Vervacious.  You read that right…chocolate and balsamic!  The pairing is exquisite and you will find more uses for it than you can imagine.  We had some last night on ice cream -> WOW!  This is a perfect item for gifts.


Our stock changes to fit the yummy things we find.  Let me know if you aren’t finding something you want at Drexelius Chocolates.

 

Xooro Or Not To Xooro? October 21, 2009

Filed under: chocolate, dessert — Molly Drexelius @ 8:04 am
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Xooro premium frittersWhat was that you said?  You haven’t been to Xooro?  Neither had I, but I was excited to try it!


This past summer my boyfriend and I made ourselves a delicious treat.  We were at the local fair and got ourselves freshly made churros, which we brought it home and ate with melted Rogue Chocolatier (read that delicious post here).  He told me in Spain they have churros and chocolate for breakfast.  Lucky Spaniards!


Xooro fritters and hot dipping chocolateThen he found a place called Xooroin Santa Monica that specializes in gourmet churros, which is just off 3rd Street Promenade.  We went on a busy Saturday night and found the place empty except for the two employees.  Lucky us!  First in line!  Our twelve “premium fritters,” two vanilla filled and hot chocolate for dipping ran us $10.  We didn’t get any of the fancy filled fritters in the photo above.


The fritters were served quickly and warm.  They were crunchy on the outside and dense inside, which is not what I was expecting.  I wanted them to be soft and chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside.  Instead, it was hard and tasted stale!  The half-full cup of dipping chocolate had the consistancy of thick gravy.  Not drinkable like hot chocolate and the chocolate “flavor” –> you know the smell and taste of packaged hot cocoa?  The vanilla filled fritter tasted better because the filling added flavor and softened it up a bit, but I could only have two bites before I was done with it because it was too sweet.  I left wondering how they manage to pay the rent.


I can see how the dipped churros might have better flavor.  They soften the fritter and the flavor masks the staleness, but I would think it would be too sweet.  I did not have any of these so this is just my opinion.  If you have had one of these, let me know what you thought.


Do you know of a good place for churros?  I would love to know.  Then we can have churros and chocolate all year!