Tasting Chocolate Can Actually be Good for you

We don’t know who said it but we like how they think: “There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles.”

There is, quite simply, nothing like tasting chocolate to make guests feel special. Women particularly are fond of it and if you are catering to a large number of women, chocolate anything is almost sure to go over well.

Looking for an occasion? Well, it’s your lucky day. Or month. Because February is actually National Chocolate Month. Cruel irony, huh? Such an august holiday has to share the limelight with National Heart Month. Like your heart stands a chance against the opportunity for tasting chocolate…

But wait! Tasting chocolate doesn’t have to be unhealthy or decadent. In fact, some say chocolate does have some health benefits, including some for the heart. Studies show that who eat small to moderate amounts of dark chocolate just twice a week are said to cut their heart risk substantially. No wonder the Mayans believed chocolate was a gift from Heaven!

More recently, dark chocolate has been touted because it is:

• rich in antioxidants
• an aphrodisiac for some
• lifts the spirits of others

But even dark chocolate has its dark side.  In its purest form, it is supposedly as addictive as heroin and, of course, a lot of chocolate leads to an expanding waist line.

So when thinking of chocolate for an event, what should you consider? Well, if health is a concern, the darker the better. Of course, the darker or more pure the chocolate, the more bitter it can be. So you want to serve it with something sweet. Fruit is absolutely ideal.

One 3 ounce square of chocolate has about 100 calories, about half the calories of peanut butter. So it’s not only mighty tasty, it can be a healthier alternative. The trick is, however, to serve it in ways that don’t promote over consumption.

What does that mean? Well, when it comes to serving chocolate for your next health conscious event, think of tasting chocolate presentation tricks.  In other words:

• Drizzle
• Swirl
• Dip

Presenting chocolate drizzled over fruit or served on the side for dipping is much healthier than simply serving chocolate on its own.

Not all chocolates are created equal and some types are better for certain circumstances. Here is a quick “tasting chocolate” primer to let you know what kind of chocolate is what.

• Baking chocolate – also goes by the names Unsweetened chocolate and bitter chocolate. There are also commercial baking chocolate brands that are sweetened. They will likely be marked as semisweet chocolate or sweet chocolate. Unless your recipe specifically requests sweetened chocolate, unsweetened should be fine.
• Unsweetened cocoa — It comes in powder form and is low fat, low sodium, and preservative free.
• Chocolate chips – they are usually Semisweet and will often hold their shape even when baked. Chips come in different flavors, all of which are wonderful. Bet you can’t have just one.
• Milk chocolate – much like its name implies, milk chocolate has cream or milk added to it. It is a Sweetened chocolate and cannot be used in place of baking chocolate.
• Mexican chocolate — Cinnamon, vanilla or almond is added to Sweetened chocolate.  It is often used in Mexican food and hot chocolate.
• Chocolate syrup — you’d think you could substitute it for melted chocolate in recipes but you can’t. Chocolate syrup is cocoa combined with powdered sugar or corn syrup. It is often served with dessert (ex over ice cream) or to give milk its chocolatey goodness.
• Liquid chocolate – It can be easier for baking because it doesn’t have to be melted prior to use, but it has vegetable oil and not cocoa butter, meaning it lacks what some look for texture-wise in some recipes.
• White chocolate – It’s a trick! It actually doesn’t contain chocolate liqueur and doesn’t even taste much like chocolate, so most of its chocolatey goodness is really just in its name.

Chocolate isn’t always easy to cook. It burns easily on the burner so has to be watched constantly, stirred frequently on low heat or in a double boiler over hot water. It can also be microwaved.

Anything with chocolate in it should be stored in a dry, cool place. The better your chocolate, the better your recipe will turn out.

Let’s face it. Life is short and so is February, which might be all the reason you need to indulge. Enjoy this classic chocolate mousse recipe from Chef Tony, who puts his heart into every dish he creates.