Chocolate Critters

Is your New Year’s resolution to be a little more daring?  To try something new?  To challenge yourself?  If so, we’ve got the perfect goal for you.

Eat a chocolate covered bug.

Gulp.

We’re not even sure if we can do it.  But there are a lot of great reasons to start munching away.

Insects are actually high in protein, especially larvae.  Larave is also high in fat, but the good kind of fat.  Insects are also a good source of B vitamins and minerals like zinc and iron.  The UN Food and Argriculture Organization has calculated that dried caterpillars have a higher source of protein than beef and fish.

Giant Queen Leafcutter Ants are considered a delicacy when dipped in Belgian chocolate.  They are actually said to boost the immune system and provide an energy boost.  And they taste…nutty!  And who doesn’t love Reese’s for its combination of nuts and chocolate?  Same thing, right?

But Dutch scientist, Arnold van Huis, takes the benefits of chocolate bugs one step further: they could solve the global food crisis.  He argues eating bugs is beneficial for several reasons.  First of all, it is environmentally friendly.  Secondly, it can improve nutrition.  And lastly, it is cheap.

“The FAO has already predicted that only rich people will be able to buy beef in 20 years’ time.  If your Big Mac costs you $100 and your Bug Mac costs you $4, people will change to a Bug Mac,” he said.

The European Union even awarded $4 million in grant money for the reasearch of bugs as a food source.

In Thailand, bugs are already a regular food source.  Vendors set up along the side of the road, displaying an array of bugs to be consumed.

We are not sure where we stand on eating bugs yet, but we do love our chocolate.  Maybe 2012 will be the year we just might be persuaded to try one.

Taste of Chocolate Festival – Harvard Square

Harvard Square Chocolate Festival

Harvard Square’s finest restaurants and cafés will embark upon a three-day Chocolate extravaganza!

Join us January 27 – 29, 2012.

Chocolate lovers rejoice! The Harvard Square Business Association and Harvard Square Chocolate Tours are pleased to announce the 2nd Annual Chocolate Festival! This three day event includes Dining in the Dark at UpStairs on the Square and Nubar, where diners will be blindfolded and have their senses heightened as they indulge on chocolate meals. Fire + Ice will host Death by Chocolate, a Murder Mystery, where diners will experience delectable chocolate treats and an interactive theatre experience. For those who would like to learn more about the intricacies of chocolate and the chocolate making process, “The Art of Chocolate Tasting” will be hosted by Russell House Tavern and Finale will host “An Evening of Wine and Chocolate”. On Saturday from 1pm – 2pm, Deguglielmo Plaza (in front of Crema Cafe at 27 Brattle Street) will be the location of a free chocolate sampling event featuring delicious chocolate treats from Harvard Square’s finest purveyors along with prizes and entertainment!

Dining in the Dark at Nubar

Friday, January 27th at 7:00 p.m.

Bill Flumerfelt invites you join him for his “first time” ever Dining in the Dark at Nubar, 16 Garden St Cambridge, MA The concept of eating in complete pitch-black originated with Jorge Spielmann, a blind clergyman from Zurich. When guests ate at his home, some would wear blindfolds during their meal to show solidarity with their host and to better understand his world. What his guests, and others around the world have discovered, is that blindfolds heightened their taste of sense and smell, making their dining experience more enjoyable. Founded by David Goldstein, the creator of Boston Chocolate Tours, Mystery Café, and the award-winning TeamBonding, Dining in the Dark provides New England with its first taste of this new dining concept. Reservations are to be made through Nubar. The price per person is $65 and the capacity is 35 attendees.

Nubar, 16 Garden Street – http://nubarcambridge.com/

Saturday, January 28th
Harvard Square Chocolate Treasure Hunt
From 11am-2pm
Stop by our table at Deguglielmo Plaza (27 Brattle Street) to purchase a map which will start your Harvard Square Chocolate Treasure Hunt! The treasure hunt can be completed in as little as 45 minutes but guests are free to take their time and enjoy the square and take as long as they need to complete the hunt. All of the proceeds from the maps, on sale for $1.00 each, go to support the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter.

Saturday, January 28th
Harvard Square Chocolate Sampling Event
From 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Deguglielmo Plaza (27 Brattle Street) will play host to an array of chocolaty samples from restaurants and shops from across Harvard Square.

Saturday January 28
Art of Chocolate Tasting
3:00PM

” The Art of Chocolate Tasting” Guided by our master chocolatier Tim Brown, The Art of Chocolate Tasting explores the rich history of chocolate and the cacao bean, from the mountains of Peru and its divine history among royals, to the sweet delicacies we all enjoy today. Reservations are to be made at www.tasteofchocolate.com Tickets are $25 per person with a capacity of 30 attendees.
Russell House Tavern, 14 JFK Street,

Call 781-784-7469 or buy tickets online:

http://www.littleurl.net/9be4f3

Saturday January 28
An Evening of Wine and Chocolate
6:00PM

“An Evening of Wine and Chocolate” explores the rich history of wine AND chocolate. The focus is on fun while taking a systematic approach to tasting wine and pairing it with chocolate. You will discuss how chocolate is made, from bean-to-bar, and fine wine from vine-to-glass, and, of course, there’ll be plenty of tasting. Reservations are to be made at www.tasteofchocolate.com. The tickets are $48 per person and the capacity is 25 attendees.
Finale, 30 Dunster Street,  http://secure.tasteofchocolate.com/reservations/standard/?location=boston

Saturday January 28
Death by Chocolate (Murder Mystery Dinner)
Fire + Ice
7:00PM

The Mystery Café is America’s Original Murder Mystery Dinner Theater, serving up both meals and laughter since 1986. As Boston’s premiere source of interactive entertainment, you’re not just watching our original comedic plays while dining on a gourmet three course dinner, you are actually a part of the show! Count Chocula welcomes you to ChocoCon 2011! Lady Godiva and Billy Wonka have come together to announce their newest creations. Their innovations are the Golden Ticket to chocolate success! Help Wonka sort through the clues and interrogate the suspects. Find out who was willing to go so far as to cause a… DEATH BY CHOCOLATE! http://www.mysterycafe.com/deathbychocolate/index.html

Tickets are $49.95 per person with a capacity of 150 attendees.
Fire + Ice, 50 Church Street,

Buy tickets at 781-784-7469 or Purchase online: https://secure.mysterycafe.com/reservations/new

January 29th
UpStairs on the Square – Dining in the Dark

6:30PM
Mary Catherine Deibel and Deborah Hughes invite you join them for their Dining in the Dark at Upstairs on the Square, 91 Winthrop Street, Cambridge. The concept of eating in complete pitch-black originated with Jorge Spielmann, a blind clergyman from Zurich. When guests ate at his home, some would wear blindfolds during their meal to show solidarity with their host and to better understand his world. What his guests, and others around the world have discovered, is that blindfolds heightened their taste of sense and smell, making their dining experience more enjoyable.
In keeping with the theme of Dining in the Dark and to encourage open sensory paths, the menu for this event will be a surprise to participants. The offering consists of wonderful winter cuisine with a decadent chocolate surprise for dessert. Reservations are to be made through UpStairs on the Square. The price is $60 per person.
UpStairs on the Square, 91 Winthrop Street, http://www.upstairsonthesquare.com/happenings.php

January 28th & 29th
Harvard Square Chocolate Tour
11:00 a.m.
Harvard Square’s exclusive 2 ½-hour walking tour highlights a bustling center of activity, Harvard Square that embodies all that is Cambridge. This historic area is rich in culture, architecture – and of course, fine chocolate. Learn the history and life of chocolate, how luxury chocolates are created, and much more. We can think of no more fun way to spend a weekend afternoon among friends where students and academics mix with tourists and locals to crowd the sidewalks and restaurants learning about and enjoying chocolate. This tour is a great for kids too and we have special kids pricing! Reservations are to be made by calling 781-784-7469 Tickets are $48 with a capacity of 14 attendees per tour.

http://www.bostonchocolatetours.com/tours/boston/harvard-square/

Here are some of our destinations where you can experience the best chocolate in Harvard Square!
L.A. Burdick who many consider the premiere chocolate shop in the area known for their hot chocolate and their homemade truffles.

Crema Café, this Harvard Square favorite won Boston Magazine’s award for Best Coffeehouse.

Lush specializes in making highly effective, 100% vegetarian (and over 70% vegan!) products for bath, hair and body that are loaded with fresh, natural ingredients including cocoa.

Sweet Cupcake, Harvard Square’s newest favorite cupcake bakery.

JP Licks invites you to enjoy some of the best ice cream and hot chocolate in the region.

Finale Dessert Company is known around the world for their delectable and decadent chocolate desserts!
You’ll pick up plenty of samples as you go, plus tips on tasting, buying and storing fine chocolate.

Not to be missed, a gian cacao bean at the Harvard Musuem of Natural History!

A seven minute walk from Harvard Square, check out Harvard’s Ware Collection of Glass Models of Plants, handcrafted by Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka between 1886 and 1936 near Dresden, Germany. The collection consists of more than 4,000 amazingly realistic glass models of flowering plants, 3,000+ on display – and includes dozens of ‘edible’ plants once used in the study of Economic Botany. 192,000 plus museum visitors/year admire cashew nut, pineapple, banana, Cacao, chocolate, blueberry, cranberry, two kinds of coffee, mango, etc. so skillfully crafted that you’d swear they were real.

Chocolate’s Rich History

Not only is chocolate delicious, but it has a rich history as well.

The first to discover the cacao pod were actually monkeys!  Contained inside the cacao pod is not only the cocoa beans from which our favorite chocolate products are derived, but also a sweet, white pulp that encompasses the beans.

The pulp is juicy and refreshing, tasting like fruit, and monkeys would crack open the pods, eat the pulp, and spit out the beans.  They were throwing out the best part!

Today, Brazil is the only country that uses the white pulp of the cacao pods.  The pulp is used to create a sweet drink.

But thanks to monkeys, the beans spread, helping cacao trees grow all over South and Central America.

And even once the beans were discovered as edible, it was a long time before they became the chocolate we are familiar with now.

Mayans were among the first to use the cacao bean.  The beans were ground up to create a drink.  But rather than sugar and milk, the Mayans added spices, water, chilies, and sometimes even corn.  These drinks were very nutritious and not nearly as delicious as chocolate as we know it today.

The Aztecs followed, using cacao beans for currency.  Chocolate as a currency.  Can you imagine a daily struggle over whether to eat your money?

But among the wealthy, cacao was used for a drink as well.  Their drink was cold and frothy.  Montezuma was rumored to drink 50 cups a day!

And once the Spanish arrived to the New World, chocolate began to develop into the forms with which we are familiar today.

New Chocolate Trends

There are some unique chocolate products that have come about this year.  If ever you are looking for a twist on your daily fix, check out any of the items listed below:

Cookies and Corks offers a new way to enjoy wine and chocolate-with cookies!  There are three boxes, each with a different wine as well as three unique flavors of cookies that are thoughtfully paired with the respective wine.  The white wine box offers a peanut butter chocolate cookie, the sparkling wine offers an interesting sea salt chocolate oatmeal cookie, and the red wine box makes sure your chocolate craving is satisfied with a espresso chocolate peanut butter.  A box of wine and cookies has just redefined girls’ night in.

CocoXan offers “functional chocolate”, particularly for that time of the month.  Their tagline?  ”Un-bitch yourself.”  Their chocolate is made with ingredients with anti-inflammatory properties to help you “un-bitch yourself.”  Does it work?  Or will even just a Milky Way bar suffice around that time?  The verdict is out.

Love the taste of red velvet cupcakes but looking for a healthier alternative?  The Republic of Tea now sells Red Velvet Chocolate Tea, made with South African rooibos tea.  The Republic of Tea offers an entire line of chocolate teas with other unique flavors, including coconut cocoa and strawberry chocolate.  You can also find chocolate tea at The Spice and Tea Exchange, our partners on our Georgetown Tour.

Is White Chocolate Chocolate?

Some people will argue white chocolate is not actually chocolate.  It certainly doesn’t look like chocolate as we know it, and it doesn’t smell like chocolate.  But it is called white chocolate, so isn’t it, indeed, chocolate?

During the chocolate making process, cocoa butter becomes a by-product of the cocoa bean.  To create white chocolate, the cocoa butter is combined with milk, sugar, and other flavoring ingredients, but none of the cocoa bean is included.  Some would consider white chocolate not chocolate because none of the cocoa solid is part of the end product.

However, if you were to smell cocoa beans and raw cocoa butter, it is the cocoa butter that would have the distinct chocolate smell.  The cocoa bean doesn’t smell sweet at all.  And cocoa butter did come from the cocoa bean.

So, is white chocolate chocolate?  You decide.

An Interview with EHChocolatier

Elaine is the owner of EHChocolatier in Boston, Massachusetts.  We sat down to ask her a few questions about-what else?-chocolate.

1. What inspired your love of chocolate, and how did you get started?

Want S’more Chocolate?

In honor of National S’mores Day (which was yesterday), we are sharing some recipes for unique, but equally delicious, s’mores.

Chocolate Strawberry: Graham crackers + marshmallow + strawberry preserves + chocolate (add a banana for an extra treat!)

Grasshopper: Graham crackers + marshmallow + an Andes mint

Turtle: Graham crackers + marshmallow + chocolate + caramel + nuts

Peanut Butter Cup: Chocolate graham crackers + marshmallow + peanut butter, chocolate (or just put a peanut butter cup in the middle)

Nutella: Graham crackers + marshmallow + Nutella

Oreo Cookie: Chocolate graham crackers + white chocolate + marshmallow + Oreo cookie crumble

You can also substitute dark chocolate for milk chocolate in any of the recipes for a more decadent dish.

So grab yourself a stick and start roasting!

Maria’s Pastry Shop – An Authentic Italian Bakery

Our Partner of the Week this week is Maria’s Pastry Shop, one of the wonderful stops on our Faneuil Hall / North End Boston Chocolate Tour.

Maria was only 14 years old when she began working at this bakery.  Every day after school, Maria would head to the bakery to help the owner and baker, and when he decided that it was time to retire, Maria had acquired enough capital and knowledge of the business to buy the bakery.  For the past 30 years, Maria has been running the bakery as her own family establishment, and during the Big Dig hers was the only business in the area to remain open and feed the workers each day for lunch.  If you’re looking for an authentic taste of Old World Italy right here in Boston, you  have to visit Maria’s.

A Phantom Gourmet Hidden Jewel: http://www.phantomgourmet.com/Showpage.aspx?content=restaurant&id=3032

http://mariaspastry.com/

First-Grader Stands Up Against Chocolate Milk Prohibition

First-grader Aidan Kohn Murphy of Lafayette Elementary in DC testified this month before the D.C. Council why he believes the ban on chocolate milk in his school should be reversed.  His eloquent testimony, detailed charts (see below) and extensive research  hints that he might have had a little help from his parents, but we have no doubt that the idea was his own.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/58417723/Aidan-Kohn-Murphy-Chocolate-Milk-Testimony

Chocolate Stanley Cup

Check out the Chocolate Stanley Cup – I sure hope the Bruins get to eat it!

Hershey's Chocolate Stanley Cup

The cup is nearly three feet tall and made out of over 150 pounds of Hershey’s milk chocolate.  It’s a true-to-size replica of the original Lord Stanley’s Cup (which the Bruins of course just received last night)!

Making of the Chocolate Stanley Cup