Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Wedding Door Gift: The Pink Theme








Another cute wedding door gift option, which your guests would be happy to receive.



No longer available. Sorry.

Wedding Door Gift: Playful Bride n Groom

Out of stock. Sorry.

Was browsing for chocolate boxes and found this cute door gift box. 2 pieces of chocolates could fit into this box.
A great way to thank your guests for participating in your auspicious day!





Monday, March 23, 2009

Chocolate Facts

The Health Benefits of Chocolate: Can Chocolate Benefit Your Health?

Chocolate is one of the most popular sweet-tasting treats in the world and has been for centuries. But part of the myth surrounding chocolate is that if it tastes so good, it must be bad for your health. But the surprising news from the scientific community is that this reputedly decadent treat actually has some health benefits, especially if you choose your chocolate wisely

Is Chocolate A Health Food? Chocolate contains more than 300 chemicals, and has been the subject of a number of studies by universities and other scientific organizations.

Here's a quick rundown of the results. (Note, we have no way of proving or disproving these claims so we offer them here as a stimulus for further research. If you're really interested in the subject, this may provide you with a starting point.)

* Cacao, the source of chocolate, contains antibacterial agents that fight tooth decay. Of course, this is counteracted by the high sugar content of milk chocolate.

* The smell of chocolate may increase theta brain waves, resulting in relaxation.

* Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a mild mood elevator.

* The cocoa butter in chocolate contains oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fat which may raise good cholesterol.

* Drinking a cup of hot chocolate before meals may actually diminish appetite.

* Men who eat chocolate live a year longer than those who don't.

* The flavanoids in chocolate may help keep blood vessels elastic.

* Chocolate increases antioxidant levels in the blood.

* Mexican healers use chocolate to treat bronchitis and insect bites.

* The carbohydrates in chocolate raise serotonin levels in the brain, resulting in a sense of well-being.

What Chocolate Won't DoThere are many myths and half-truths about the effects of chocolate on the human body. Here are the latest findings on several of them.

* Studies show that chocolate is not a causative factor in acne.

* Cacao contains the stimulants caffeine and bromine, but in such small quantities that they don't cause nervous excitability.

* Chocolate is not addictive.

* Chocolate contains stearic acid, a neutral fat which doesn't raise bad cholesterol.

* Chocolate doesn't make you 'high'. You'd need to eat a huge quantity (about 25 pounds at one sitting) to feel any noticeable effect.

Other Benefits of Chocolate....

* contains essential trace elements and nutrients such as iron, calcium and potassium, and vitamins A. B1, C, D, and E.

*Cocoa is also the highest natural source for Magnesium. Magnesium deficiency is linked with hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, joint problems and pre-menstrual tension (PMT or PMS).

* The fat in high quality plain chocolate (although technically a 'saturated fat') can be considered cholesterol free as it does not fur up the arteries or contribute to high cholesterol levels.

Most part of the article is being extracted from http://www.momscape.com/.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Home Made Chocolate Family

Today went to the training centre to collect my spatula which I had left behind in the kitchen. Met the trainer, Chef Steven who was busy cleaning the kitchen that his students had messed up yesterday. There were lots of chocolate coated finger prints on two of the chillers' doors - definitely our fine work of art *u*

Was also browsing at their shop showroom and ended up buying some dark chocolates of Ariba and Mara Clasifi variety and white chocolate. Was informed that Ariba is much bitter compared to Mara. Yesterday, we were using Felcor Rondo dark chocolate/couverture. For your info, the dark variety has greater cocoa butter content and less sugar compared to white or milk chocolate. In addition, the dark chocolate variety is healtier as it has anti oxidant. So for those who are watching their waistline, go for the dark choc variety which has less sugar content and good supply of antioxidant.

Also bought some nice box packaging to display the chocolate, as you would see from the photos, to better display their varieties. As the chocolates are handmade, their sizes may varies but attempt to have a consistent size will be practised.











Friday, March 13, 2009

Chocolate Discovery

Today attended a chocolate making course and made fantastic discovery of this mouth watering candy.

I've attended it as I've always loved chocolate especially the feel of the cocoa melting slowly in the mouth, tasting its buttery and bitter sweetness filling the mouth and awakening my senses with its aromatic cocoa smell..... Apparently there's some fruity taste and smell which are associated with berries that only some people are able to identify especially those who enjoy berries unlike in Malaysia, as berries are not grown locally. That explains the burst of various tastes that is unique and makes me feel good. However, back to reality, this exotic taste could only be enjoyed on a fewer scale due to its high pricing.

I've never liked our local chocolate except for Cadbury brand as they are usually very sweet, hard and lack of that buttery cocoa taste.

Today's training has helped me to better understand our Malaysian cocoa bean better and the reason for the high cost of chocolate.

Making chocolate has many steps which require lots of work and patience which explains its costing besides the cost of raw material which are imported. The cocoa bean in Malaysia is apparently acidic therefore tastes sourish. Beans from other countries are used achieved the desired tastes.

I had fun during the training, believed the other participants enjoyed themselves as much as I did.

We were taught the basics of making chocolate using dark chocolate, ganache and praline, my favourites!

The photos in this blog displayed the varieties of chocolates that we were taught to make and they truly are mouth watering! I could hardly stop myself from licking my fingers and eating the left overs in the mixing bowl.

Since the chocolates are home made, no preservatives are being used (hooray!). Furthermore, the chocolates would only be made upon receipt of orders therefore they are fresh!

The photo showing a half bitten dark choc has soft dark ganache as its filling.

Look for more postings of my attempt to try my new venture of selling quality chocolate at reasonable price online with a touch of Malaysia's unique flavour.