Recently, my dad came back from his trip to London, England...And he brought a feast of dark chocolate for me to lose myself in.
...Those who know me are well-aware that dark chocolate means Christmas morning, the best day of your life, and the perfect sunset mixed and fused into one small square of rich dark cocoa. :) Every time I've taken a bite (or five) out of the block of my 'Christmas morning' (by the way, the remnants of that dark chocolate aren't shown in this picture of course, the other square of chocolate is ;) ), I am pleasantly surprised by the power of contrasts ingrained in this little, simple food--The dark chocolate's taste is sweet and bitter, hard and soft, solid and yet easily able to melt in your mouth like a slow rush of thick volcanic lava surrounding your inner being with a total sense of comfort and, of course, enjoyment of the flavor that has just taken over you. With the adorable illustration on the box accompanied by a phrase that reads "Where the Sun always shines," I can say those are the exact words that echo whenever dark chocolate comes to my mind, especially this specific chocolate from London. And while I am of course looking forward to enjoying the authentic English tea my dad also brought from London, I can't wait to sink my teeth once again in this deliciously aromatic, dark volcanic-like set of sparks that contain a taste that I can't replace with any other. ~~MC
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6/8/2011 0 Comments A Late-Night AdventureToday, I made a simply yummy what-you-might-call late night snack. :)
All you need is a fluffy slice of whole wheat baguette (or regular baguette, if you are in the mood for something extra indulging...), dark chocolate, and rich olive oil. I actually started making this a few months ago; I would cut the whole wheat baguette in cloud-like slices, shower each in delicate drizzles of the olive oil as they sit silently and patiently on the cookie sheet, and then toast the little boat-looking snacks in the oven for a few minutes; then, the final flourish would be plopping the deeply pleasurable dark chocolate squares on top of the bread slices, and letting them melt smoothly all over the bread during an additional minute in the oven. In this picture, I was slightly overcome by a case of laziness. I had decided to toast one gigantic bread slice, as I had microwaved the chocolate squares instead of using the oven at all. The only thing I left consistent was drizzling the olive oil over the bread before adding the chocolate. But regardless of the way you make it, the purpose of this snack is to wrap yourself in an effortless pleasure that takes you away on a smoothly rendered, rich late-night adventure, before you take the adventure from the TV screen (where you were watching Late Night with Jimmy Fallon or some other late-night TV...Or Frasier, if you ask what I'd watch :) ) all the way to your comforting bed. ~~MC 1/17/2011 1 Comment Volcanic ExplosionDark chocolate. Who doesn't love it?
Actually, and unfortunately, there is an actual answer to that question...I deemed it "unfortunate" because I personally devote myself to chocolate no lighter than with 75% cocoa (or "cacao," as how they sometimes write it on the boxes..). Not only is it proven to be healthier than milk chocolate, but it also gives a stronger amount of the joy and satisfaction you would expect from chocolate in general. Also, milk chocolate is too overwhelmingly sweet, in my opinion. Every time I snack on a piece (which is not very often), the sugar has such a booming effect that I can barely distinct the taste of actual chocolate...And it makes me wonder, why not just call it "brown squares of an extremely smooth-textured version of sugar" instead of "milk chocolate"? XD ... And as to the answer of who doesn't love dark chocolate, here it this: People who love milk chocolate. :) I obviously didn't have to answer that question, but there you go! ;D When I compare the two types of chocolat, I feel like milk chocolate definitely doesn't speak the same language as dark chocolate. When you talk dark chocolate, it isn't the smack-dab-in-the-mouth-without-any-smooth-transition-between-tastes treat that milk chocolate presents. Rather, its flavor is like an intense rush of brilliant lava, the result of a volcanic boom that erupts every time you take a bite of the smooth-textured surface. Dark chocolate is what the deities' answer would be if human were to desperately implore, What is the quickest way to pure, incurable happiness? This is what I assume, because every time a moment comes during the day that I wonder how I could take a quick-second break from studies or from anything potentially stressful, I just grab a carefully crafted square of delicate goodness and pop it in my mouth, waiting for the volcanic explosion to happen once again. If you are reading this and are a loyal companion to milk chocolate, and have always thought of dark chocolate as "so bitter it's like you're eating bark" (I'm directly quoting my sister here ;) ), I hope you understand my point of view of the chocolate world, and that although I have tried warming up to the dark chocolate's sweeter, more innocent alter-ego, I find it difficult to think about it as lovingly and passionately as with the daring boldness of dark chocolate. And especially if you are an intense milk chocolate-lover, I thank you for reading this blog, because it must show how open minded you are. :) Anyhow, I'm going to end this post now, because the alarm has just gone off in the kitchen and my baked apple is ready, waiting for me to devour it. (I will bring up baked apples sometime in the future of course!). And also, on my way to the oven, I will devour another piece of dark chocolate that I store in the kitchen, after having spent this entire post talking about it... Bonne nuit, and have a chocolat! ~~MC P.S. Chocolate tip: If you want a less murky taste of chocolate, and a flavor that's more straight-forward and with a bigger punch, try storing your chocolate-y friend in the refrigerator...And by the way this works for both alter egos of chocolate. :) |
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