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GIFT: Gourmet Flavored Hot Chocolate

December 8, 2012 at 8:52 am · Filed under Beverages, Kosher Nibbles


Chai & Mighty is one of four flavored hot
chocolates from gourmet producer Lake
Champlain Chocolates. Photo by Elvira
Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

   Hanukkah begins tonight, so today’s gift suggestion is kosher-certified.

For Hannuakh, Christmas or other occasion, gourmet hot chocolate is a delightful gift during the chillier months.

What makes hot chocolate “gourmet?”

Higher quality ingredients, for starters: the cocoa powder or chocolate shavings are better to start with.

Second, gourmet hot chocolate comes in delicious flavors that make the gift extra special. We tried these, from Lake Champlain Chocolates, a fine producer of chocolates and confections:

  • Aztec Hot Chocolate, spiced with cinnamon, a hint of cayenne and vanilla
  • Chai & Mighty Hot Chocolate with chai spices
  • Mocha Hot Chocolate, flavored with coffee and cinnamon
  • Mountain Mint Hot Chocolate, flavored with sprightly mint
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    If you don’t want flavors, try:

  • Traditional Hot Chocolate
  • Old World Hot Chocolate made of chocolate shavings (also called drinking chocolate)
  • Old World Drinking Chocolate
  • Organic Fair Trade Hot Chocolate
  • Winter Hot Chocolate, the Traditional Hot Chocolate in a festive winter-themed tin

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    If you don’t want sugar, try:

  • Organic Fair Trade Unsweetened Cocoa, and add a noncaloric sweetener

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    Buy them online at LakeChamplainChocolate.com.

    Purchase three or more tins by December 9th and enjoy a 15% discount.

    THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COCOA & HOT CHOCOLATE

    Yes, there is a difference: Here it is, along with related terms such as Swiss hot chocolate.

      

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    PRODUCT: Chocolat Rouge Wine

    December 8, 2012 at 8:30 am · Filed under Giftable, Wine

    Chocolate and red wine pair well together. So the inspired producers of ChocolatRouge wines have created a line of dessert wines that blends rich chocolate flavors into quality red wine. Instead of the traditional dessert wine technique, which uses late harvest, sugar-laden grapes, ChocolatRouge infuses chocolate flavors into dry red wine.

    We tried two of the three bottlings. We enjoyed both; one in particular has made it onto our personal holiday gift list.

    Dark Red Blend: We’ll use the vintner’s description, “reminiscent of chocolate-dipped red berries with a soft velvety finish.” The chocolate notes are subtle; if you didn’t know the chocolate was there, you might think it was a conventional red dessert wine.

    While Dark Red Blend is charming, our favorite is Milk Chocolate Flavors: We ordered a case for holiday gifting

    Milk Chocolate Flavors: Looking like chocolate milk in a wine bottle, this treat is a chocolatey, creamy and rich. It reminds us of a chocolate shake blended with some red dessert wine…

    		 
    Dessert wines made with chocolate. Photo courtesy ChocolatRouge.com.
     
    …so much so, that the next time we open a bottle of red dessert wine, we’re going to blend in some chocolate milk to see if we can achieve something similar. Unfortunately, the contents of Dark Red Blend were consumed by THE NIBBLE team before we had a chance to make and add chocolate milk.

    While Milk Chocolate Flavors is also a dessert wine, it’s an anytime chocolate treat.

    We didn’t have the third variety, Sweet Red Blend; but based on our satisfaction with its two siblings. we’ll certainly pick up a bottle when we come across it.

    The ChocolateRouge website has recipes for lovely winetails (wine-based cocktails): Café, Cherry Cordial, Julep, Milky Way, Orangette, Red Velvet, Spiced and Winter Sangria. But we enjoyed drinking both bottles chilled, straight up.

    There’s a store locator on the website.

    You can also order it on Amazon.com for $12.99/bottle.
      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Cooking Ingredient Substitutions

    December 8, 2012 at 8:25 am · Filed under Cooking & Baking


    Need buttermilk for a recipe? Check out the
    substitution below. Photo courtesy Wisconsin
    Milk Marketing Board.

    		   How many times have you started to make a recipe, only to find out you don’t have enough (or any) butter, honey, flour or other ingredient?

    Don’t panic: A perfectly good ingredient substitution is as close as your browser. Just look up “ingredient substitution” and the item for which you need a substitute.

    In many cases, you’ll never notice a flavor change. In others, the flavor will be a bit different but just as good (for example, a basil accent instead of parsley).

    No saffron? Use turmeric. No soy sauce? Use Worcestershire. No beer? Use chicken broth.

    Here are some of the most common ingredients you may need to substitute:

    COOKING INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS

  • BAKING POWDER: 1 teaspoon baking powder = 1/3 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • BROWN SUGAR: 1 cup brown sugar = 1 cup white sugar plus 2 tablespoons molasses
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  • BUTTER: 1 cup butter = 1 cup margarine or 7/8 cup vegetable oil
  • BUTTERMILK: 1 cup buttermilk = 1 or 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup
  • CHOCOLATE: 1 square unsweetened chocolate = 3 tablespoons cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter or other shortening
  • EGG: 1 egg = 1 heaping tablespoon soy flour plus 1 tablespoon water
  • FLOUR, ALL PURPOSE: 1 cup all-purpose flour = 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • FLOUR, SELF RISING: 1 cup self-rising flour = 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 salt and enough all-purpose flour to make 1 cup
  • FLOUR, THICKENER: 1 tablespoon flour = 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch or 2 teaspoons quick-cooking tapioca
  • HERBS: 1 tablespoon fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs; if you don’t have the particular herb, use what you do have
  • HONEY: 1 cup honey = 1-1/4 cups sugar + 1/4 cup water
  • HOT PEPPER SAUCE: 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce = 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper + 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • KETCHUP: 1 cup ketchup = 1 cup tomato sauce + 1 teaspoon vinegar + 1 tablespoon sugar (or, use a noncaloric sweetener for “diet ketchup”)
  • LEMON JUICE: 1 teaspoon lemon juice = 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
  • MILK: 1 cup whole milk = 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water
  • ONION: 1 tablespoon of dried minced onion = 1/4 cup raw minced onion
  • YOGURT: 1 cup yogurt = 1 cup buttermilk

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    Do you have a favorite go-to ingredient substitution? Let us know.

      

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