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IN THIS ISSUE
Chocolate History
From bitter cacao beans come sumptuous
chocolate and a treasury of rich treats.
BY LUCY WING
From an Article In Country Living Magazine
Originally consumed in beverages by the Meso-American and Andean peoples of the New World, chocolate did not always
taste as sweet as it does today. In 1519 the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and his crew were
introduced to a brew known locally as xocoatl, a bitter concoction of ground cacao beans and ground corn in cold
water.
 It wasn't until the 17th century that
chocolate would make its way to France and England. Eventually it reached the American colonies, where it became
a patriotic drink for American dissidents searching for an alternative to highly taxed tea.
In the mid-1700's a Massachusetts physician named James Baker joined in partnership with John Hannon, an immigrant
Irishman and chocolate maker, to begin manufacturing chocolate from beans brought from the West Indies. By the
late 1700's, the company began making solid chocolate bars; his chocolate brand is still available today.
The process of transforming cacao beans into chocolate changed very little until the late 1700's, when Scottish
engineer James Watt perfected the steam engine, thus providing manufacturers with the capability to grind the beans
to a smooth paste called chocolate liquor. Eventually machines facilitated the manufacture of solid chocolate and
other chocolate products, such as cocoa powder and cocoa butter.
Look for Virtual Chocolates upcoming site addition . . .
"The Chocolate Histories"
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RECIPES FOR CHOCOHOLICS!!
Hot Fudge Cake
Serves: 10
1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
1/3 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup chopped natural almonds, toasted, or diced roasted almonds
Hot Fudge Sauce (Below)
Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a shallow 9-inch round baking dish.
2. In heavy 2-quart saucepan over low heat or microwave-safe bowl in microwave oven, melt chocolate and butter,
stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in egg yolks and flour; set aside.
3. In large bowl, with electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar until
stiff peaks form. Fold chocolate mixture into beaten whites just until no streaks of white remain. Quickly fold
in almonds. Pour into buttered dish.
4. Bake 25 minutes or just until set. The center will be soft while the edge will puff up but fall upon cooling.
Meanwhile, prepare Hot Fudge Sauce.
5. To serve, spoon warm cake onto individual plates. Top with whipped cream, if desired. Pass Hot Fudge Sauce to
serve over top.
Hot Fudge Sauce: In 1-quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder until well blended.
Stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream until smooth. Add 1/2 cup (3 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips and 1/4 cup light corn
syrup. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat; stir
in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Keep sauce hot by setting saucepan in a pan of hot water until ready to serve. Pour
into small serving pitcher and serve immediately. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.
Nutrition information per serving--protein: 6 grams; fat: 31 grams; carbohydrate: 49 grams; fiber: 3 grams; sodium:
73 milligrams; cholesterol: 126 milligrams; calories: 463.
TORTA DIVINA
Chocolate Mousse Cake with Liqueur
Makes one very rich 8-inch cake, about 8-10 servings
This unusual cake may be made in advance. Just make sure to bring it to room temperature before serving it with
whipped cream and a few raspberries.
BATTER
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup sweet liqueur, such as Cointreau or Chambord (or strong coffee)
6 eggs
FINISHING
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
One 1/2-pint basket fresh raspberries, optional
One 8-inch round pan, buttered and the bottom lined with buttered parchment or buttered wax paper, cut to fit
1. Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.
2. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure
all the sugar crystals dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in the butter and chocolate; allow to stand 5 minutes. Whisk smooth.
4. Whisk liqueur, then the eggs, one at a time, into the chocolate mixture. Be careful not to overmix.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and place in a small roasting pan. Pour 1 inch of warm water into the roasting
pan. Bake about 45 minutes, until dessert is set and slightly dry on the surface. Remove cake pan from roasting
pan. Cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dessert in pan several hours or until
chilled. To unmold, run a knife between the dessert and the pan and pass the bottom of the pan over heat for no
more than 10 seconds. Invert onto a platter.
6. To finish, whip the cream with the sugar until it holds a soft peak. Spread the whipped cream over the top of
the dessert. Decorate the top with the raspberries.
This recipe may be reprinted with the following credit:
From
CHOCOLATE: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers
by Nick Malgieri, Tom Eckerle (Photographer);
(Harper Collins Publishers; October 1998, $35.00/hardcover
Click here to order direct
or visit
our Chocolate Bookstore for other selections.
HOT FUDGE SAUCE
Makes about 2 cups
These luscious liquids are among chocolate's crowning glories. Rich, gleaming sauces and foamy drinks are treats
to be savored in conjunction with plain desserts or to put rich ones over the top.
This is one of those really rich hot fudge sauces that hardens as it hits ice cream It's great to use as the sauce
for a brownie sundae!
1/4 cup water
1 cup light corn syrup
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup alkalized (Dutch process) cocoa powder
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1. Combine water, corn syrup, and sugar in a nonreactive pan and bring to a boil, stirring often, until all the
sugar crystals have melted. Boil 1 minute without stirring.
2. Remove from heat and add the salt and the chocolate. Allow to stand 2 minutes until chocolate has melted, then
whisk smooth.
3. Sift the cocoa into a mixing bowl and stir in enough of the liquid mixture to make a paste, then stir the cocoa
paste smoothly back into the syrup.
4. Whisk in the remaining ingredients.
5. Store the sauce in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator. Reheat over simmering water before serving.
This recipe may be reprinted with the following credit:
From
CHOCOLATE: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers
by Nick Malgieri, Tom Eckerle (Photographer);
(Harper Collins Publishers; October 1998, $35.00/hardcover
Click here to order direct
or visit
our Chocolate Bookstore for other selections.
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Chocolate for Your Health
Official: A little of what you fancy does you good!
Eat chocolate, get healthy Feeling tired, run down, under the weather? Scientists have come up with the answer
- a good dose of chocolate. Researchers have discovered that physical and emotional enjoyment, even in small doses,
can enhance immune function for hours afterwards. They believe that life's small pleasures may have a cumulative
effect in boosting the immune system over a long period.
And how did they test their theories? By subjecting people to the smell of chocolate. The research was carried
out by ARISE (Associates for Research Into the Science of Enjoyment) an international group of scientists and academics
from the fields of physiology, psychology, psychopharmacology and sociology.
Two separate studies measured how much of an antibody, secretory Immunoglobulin-A (sigA), was produced when
people had pleasant and unpleasant experiences. SigA, found in the saliva, protects against respiratory infections.
The first study examined how the immune system responds to happy and guilty memories.
Happy thoughts showed a marked improvement in mood and clearly increased immune response, while guilty ones
were shown to undermine it. The amount of SigA secreted doubled 20 minutes after happy thoughts and grew further
after 45 minutes. Even three hours later the immunity level was 60% higher than when the experiment started.
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Virtual Chocolate Adds New Section . . . The Chocolate Muse
A new section for prose poetry and more.
Virtual Chocolate's new section, The Chocolate Muse is the place on
the web to read news, essays, short stories, opinions and the like about our
favorite subject . . . Chocolate. Please come see what other chocoholics have to say, and while you're there and thinking about your favorite chocolate anecdote, send
it to us so we can share it in future updates of The Chocolate Muse.
Opening articles in The Chocolate Muse include:
- A Brief History of Virutal Chocolate
- Chart of the muses
- Like Forests For Chocolate
- Food For The Goddesses
- Chocolate Song
- Unstoppable Double-Fudge Chocolate Mudslide Explosion
- Virtual Reallity to Virtual Chocolate
- Perfect Mistake
- Chocolate Poetry
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Candy Bomber Gets Just Dessert
Recalls Berlin Airlift
By JAMES HANNAH Associated Press Writer
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - The man known as the Candy Bomber and Chocolate Pilot for his airdrops of sweets during the
Berlin Airlift 50 years ago says it gave him some of the greatest feelings he's ever known.
 ``My feeling was one of fulfillment, of
helping a former enemy - flying night and day in ice and snow and fog and not expecting anything back,'' Gail Halvorsen
said.
Halvorsen, 78, of Provo, Utah, was in Dayton Wednesday to speak at the United States Air Force Museum about his
experience to help mark the anniversary of the airlift. Halvorsen was stationed at nearby Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base in 1952 and flew B-25s.
``This is like home here,'' he said.
When Halvorsen returned to Berlin this summer to mark the anniversary of the airlift, he was approached by a German
man who said he was 10 when one of the American chocolate bars fell from the sky at his feet.
``What it meant to me was that somebody outside of the blockade knew I was here, knew I was in trouble,'' the
man told Halvorsen. ``What it meant was hope. It was a symbol of hope.''
After the defeat of Germany in World War II, West Berlin was divided into American, British and French sectors.
The three allies started the airlift June 26, 1948, two days after the Soviet Union cut off all land and water
routes to West Berlin in an attempt to push out the western forces.
The Soviets eventually gave up the blockade after nearly a year. The airlift continued through September 1949 while
ground links were inspected and restored.
Halvorsen began flying supplies into Berlin in July 1948. After arriving one day, he got in a jeep and took a movie
camera to try to get photos of Berlin. He stopped outside the airport at some bombed-out apartments and was approached
by 30 children aged 8 to 14.
The kids urged him to keep flying the supplies in and not to give up on them.
``They said, 'Some day we'll have enough to eat, but if we lose our freedom we'll never get it back,''' Halvorsen
recalled.
``These kids just blew my mind, their understanding of what was important in life.''
Halvorsen said he had two sticks of gum in his pocket and gave it to the children. He then told them to be there
the next day and he would drop candy from his plane. He said he would wiggle the wings so they would know which
plane to look for.
Without permission from his superiors, Halvorsen tied handkerchiefs to three packages of candy and dropped them
over the children.
``I can still see their faces and arms in the air waving like crazy,'' he said.
Halvorsen made secret drops two more times, each time to a bigger crowd of children.
When his base was inundated with letters from Berlin children addressed to Uncle Wiggly Wings or the Chocolate
Pilot, Halvorsen discontinued the drops to avoid being caught. However, he later decided to make one final drop.
When a photo of the plane with its tail number appeared in a local newspaper, Halvorsen was found out by his
superiors. But he was allowed to continue the drops, and other pilots also joined in. About 23 tons of candy was
dropped during the airlift.
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