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Health Benefits of
Chocolate
Recent research shows that
dark chocolate is rich in
flavonoids that function as
antioxidants. Sorry, it's
only dark chocolate not milk
chocolate or white chocolate
that contain these benefits.
For the maximum health
benefits, look for dark
chocolate that is at least
70% cocoa. You can find the
percentage of cocoa plainly
listed, usually on the front
of the bar. If not, it will
be in the ingredient list on
the back of the bar.
Despite its fabulous taste
and potential health
benefits, an ounce of
chocolate contains 130
calories. That one ounce is
considered a serving size,
not the whole bar. Try to
choose chocolate with the
fewest ingredients because
this means there are fewer
fillers to obscure that
wonderful chocolate flavor.
Frequently Asked
Questions About Chocolate
1. What's the difference
between cocoa and baking
chocolate? Chocolate is made
of two things: cocoa solids
and cocoa butter. Cocoa
powder has very little cocoa
butter, so it has more of
the solids (where the flavor
comes from). So, ounce for
ounce, there is more flavor
in cocoa (and less fat) in
cocoa powder.
2. Which brands are
gluten-free?
We should always use the best
chocolate we can afford because that yields the best
flavor. Within the
quality-level chocolates, I
prefer Scharffen Berger for
its full flavor (www.scharffenberger.com).
I am a big fan of Tropical
Source bars that come in a
variety of flavors and are
also dairy-free as well (www.nspired.com).
Dagoba is another good
brand, as is Green & Black's
(but not all flavors are
gluten-free so read the
label). I subscribe to the
software package from Clan
Thompson (www.clanthompson.com)
to determine which
chocolates are gluten-free,
but of course, you need to
read labels each time you
buy chocolate to make sure.
Some Ghirardelli chocolates
are gluten-free but you need
to read the labels carefully
to find them. Again, the
Clan Thompson software is
helpful in that regard.
3. Where can I find more
information about chocolate?
There are some terrific web
sites that focus exclusively
on chocolate. Here are just
a few:
www.worldwidechocolate.com
www.chocosphere.com
www.chocolocate.com
www.chocolat.com
www.chocolatedecadence.com
Things
You Should Know About Baking
or Cooking with Chocolate
1. Although we often see
cakes made with baking
chocolate and butter, cakes
made with cocoa powder
(instead of baking
chocolate) and oil (instead
of butter) are tender and
intensely flavored. Cakes
made with chocolate and
butter can become a bit hard
when they sit at room
temperature because the
chocolate naturally just
naturally want to harden up.
2. Always use the type of
leavening specified in the
recipe. We typically use
baking powder with alkalized
cocoa (called Dutch or
European or alkali) and
baking soda with natural
cocoa (which hasn't been
alkalized).
3. In desserts prized for
their creaminess... such as
puddings, ganache (a type of
frosting), or mousses....you
should use chocolate because
it gives that wonderful
creamy feel in your mouth.
If you want to boost the
cocoa flavor, add a
tablespoon or two of cocoa
powder to these desserts.
4. You don't need flour to
make a wonderfully easy
cake. Go to page 7 of this
free file at
http://www.kenw.org/cl/5400fn.pdf
for my Flourless Chocolate
Cake. I frequently serve
this to my guests because it
is so simple, yet stunning.
You can decorate it any way
you want.
5. If you want chewy
brownies, don't bake them
too long and use a minimum
of flour in relation to the
eggs, butter, and sugar. For
a more cake-like brownie,
use more flour in relation
to the eggs, butter, and
sugar.
6. The type of fat you use
in brownies affects their
texture. If you use butter
and cocoa, the brownies will
be soft and chewy at room
temperature because the
butter is soft and the cocoa
won't stiffen up. If you
make brownies with chocolate
and butter, the tendency of
the chocolate to harden at
room temperature will make
the brownies firmer and
fudgier.
7. The higher the cocoa
content of chocolate, the
less sugar in the chocolate.
So, bars that are 60 to 70%
cocoa will be stronger in
flavor, but not nearly as
sweet.
Food
for Thought
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"Be always at war
with your vices, at
peace with your
neighbors, and let each
new year find you a
better man (or woman)."--Benjamin
Franklin,
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Where
in the World is Carol?
I will be one of the
featured speakers at the
first annual Gluten-Free
Bake-Off at Johnson & Wales
University in Denver, CO on
April 5 and 6. This sounds
like a tremendous amount of
fun and you'll learn a ton
as well. For more
information, go to
www.theglutenfreelifestyle.com.
I've been invited back to
film more segments for
"Creating Living with Sheryl
Borden", a PBS show aired
in
118 markets across 40 states.
If you don't get the show in
your area, ask your local
PBS station about that. I'm always
grateful when educational
giants such as PBS
acknowledge the importance
of gluten-free education.
I will let you know when the
taping takes place, although
actual airing won't be until
the 2008-2009 year.
Although it's months away,
here are some of my upcoming
speaking engagements. I will
be speaking at the first
Gluten-Free Invitational
Bake-Off at Johnson & Wales
University in Denver , CO on a
date to be announced this
spring. The event is
sponsored by Gluten-Free
Culinary productions. For
more information, go to
www.theglutenfreelifestyle.com.
I'm the keynote speaker at
the Gluten Intolerance Group
(GIG) Annual Conference in
Dallas, TX on June 6 and 7.
This is always a wonderfully
educational conference, so
go to
www.gluten.net now to
register and learn more.
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