Sweetique

Easter Countdown

2010-03-09T10:11:00.002-05:00

We're getting ready for Easter, one day at a time. Once you've got your general logistic planned -- family feast, private celebration, or something in between -- it's good to make yourself a timeline.The bunny here clearly isn't ready for the arriving guests, and we don't want to be in this position.

We've got just about four weeks to get ready, so we can divide the upcoming tasks up that way:

This week, decide on the place, time, and guest list. Talk with anyone else who should be involved in the decision. Go ahead and order your Sweetique Eggs, too. Make any travel arrangements now.
Next week, send out the invitations and plan the menu. If you need to shop for Easter baskets, outfits for the children, or supplies for houseguests, go ahead while the selection is good.
The following week, assign potluck duties, have family portraits made if that's part of your tradition, and clean and decorate the house.
The week before Easter, shop for food and do advance preparations for the meal. Confirm with your guests and arrange airport pickups and so forth.

When the big day arrives, you'll be calm and ready to enjoy it.

Easter Countdown

2010-03-08T13:02:00.000-05:00

Easter Sunday this year is on April 4th, just about four weeks away.That means it's time for the Easter Countdown.

Easter is second only to Thanksgiving for festive family dinners in the U.S., so right now is the time to start making your plans.The first thing to consider is the guest list:

Can you get the whole family together in one place, at one time? If so, consider the possible locations. If there are too many people for anyone's dining room, you have other options, from renting a pavilion in the park to setting up a buffet and having everyone balance plates on their laps. Just figure it out now, so you won't have last-minute problems that interfere with the pleasure of the occasion.
Do you have to divide up? Blended families, divorced families, unmarried couples whose families still expect them home for the holiday, and families with two sets of grandparents in distant cities all have to be prepared to compromise. Now, before anyone has baked anything, have those conversations. Maybe the kids can have breakfast and attend church with one family, and join the other for dinner. Maybe you can feast with one side of the family at 1:00 and the other at 6:00. Maybe brunch on Easter Saturday would work for one family just as well as Easter Sunday dinner. Planning ahead avoids hurt feelings.
No family? Plan a gathering with friends on the big day, so none of you has to feel like you're missing out. If you're the only singleton in your set, or all your friends are leaving town to be with their families, tell someone -- chances are, one of the families you know would love to add you to their guest list, but they won't ask you if they figure you're going to be with your parents.
And some people don't want to take part in a big family meal, either with their own families or with others. Make another plan right now, so you can tell all the well-meaning people inviting you that you can't join them, because you've made other plans. If those plans involve you, a Sweetique egg, and your cat, no one needs to know. It's the telltale deer in the headlights look and "Uhh.... I... uhh... I don't think I can..." response to invitations that gets you dragooned into social events you don't want to be part of.

Get On Our Email List!

2010-03-05T19:24:00.000-05:00

We send luscious emails, with special offers and information. You will imagine the scent of chocolate as you read, and the experience will just generally improve your day.

Head right over to our contact Sweetique page, and tell us you want a free subscription. That way, you won't miss a thing!

Bread and Chocolate

2010-03-04T10:39:00.002-05:00

When I was a little girl, we used to have bread and chocolate for a snack. This was in France, so it was a matter of begging the cook for a nice crusty roll, tearing it open, and tucking in a bit of good chocolate. On a special occasion, bread and chocolate might even be a croissant and chocolate, though this involved getting the croissants from a bakery.

In the U.S., we can't keep things this simple (though I think we might like it, if we make sure to have the same high quality of simple ingredients). Here are some American takes on bread and chocolate from around the web:

The pains au chocolat have French names, but they are the chocolate pastries we eat here in America, not the pain au chocolat of my French childhood. The last one reminds me both of French Toast and the infamous Scottish deep-fried chocolate sandwich, but all of them involve bread and chocolate in some way. Let us know which ones you prefer!

The World's Oldest Writing?

2010-03-03T15:52:00.000-05:00

Researchers in South Africa have found what they believe might be the oldest human writing, or at least the oldest attempt to convey information graphically. The writings, 60,000 year old ostrich eggs with regular patterns of scratches in geometric shapes, look very intentional and quite different from random markings.

Linguists, pointing to the fact that current residents of the area used to mark ostrich shells with geometric patterns to show ownership, suggest that the decorated eggs are in fact an extremely early evidence of human language. The speculations, reported in New Scientist, contrast with the traditional view that true language began about 50,000 years ago.

While some have always held that some sort of symbolic representation of communication must have been present among homo sapiens as part of the definition of the species, putting the origin of language at about two million years ago, writing has been thought to be a much later development.

Having seen the images, we think that they may be the forerunners of the "Picturesque" design of Sweetique Chocolate Easter Eggs, which you can see in the photo above, on the right.

Chocolate and Coffee

2010-03-02T09:58:00.002-05:00

Chocolate and coffee have a lot in common. Both come from tropical plants, both have undeserved bad reputations when it comes to health and growing bodies of evidence for their benefits, both have complex flavors that go well with many other foods, both inspire levels of dedication and fascination amounting to obsession.

No wonder they go so well together!

There are some obvious ways to enjoy coffee and chocolate together. First off, you can mix them up in a cup. One part espresso and two parts steamed milk give you cafe au lait to begin with. Put a tablespoon of sugar and two tablespoons of cocoa powder into the cup before the hot liquids for a cafe mocha. Gild the lily by topping it with whipped cream, a drizzle of honey, and chopped almonds, and you have something perfect for a party.

Chocolate coffees are an intriguing innovation. Godiva makes a Chocolate Truffle Coffee which brews up like ordinary coffee. It isn't sweet or chocolate flavored, but it does have a special luxurious finish which makes it very nice for after dinner.

You can also serve hot, strong black coffee with your favorite rich chocolate dessert. The two will balance each other perfectly. Better yet, make a Gateau Moka or Tiramisu to carry the coffee and chocolate flavors through the entire dessert experience.

Try a square of chocolate with a cup of your favorite coffee, slowly savoring both. This is a good way to get your daily dose of antioxidants.

Serious about the combination of chocolate and coffee? Don't miss chocolate-covered coffee beans. Not for the faint of heart or people who want to go to sleep soon -- perfect for decorating a mocha cake.

National Pig Day

2010-03-01T11:43:00.000-05:00

It is March 1st, National Pig Day.We're not quite sure what people usually do to observe National Pig Day, but it's clear that this is the perfect day to discuss the latest chocolate fad: chocolate bacon.

We've been ignoring this fad, because frankly it doesn't sound that appealing to us. We have to try stuff before we tell you about it, after all. We have to test those recipes and check out the chocolate we offer and look at the raw data for the studies.

We have not been able to persuade ourselves to try chocolate bacon.

You can buy bacon-flavored chocolate, in candy bars, made by everyone from Bella Mia to the haute chocolate Vosges. But you can also make your own chocolate-dipped bacon. Instructables has complete step-by-step instructions for homemade chocolate bacon. The authors tried a variety of chocolates and types of bacon and other pork products and reported fully and, it seems to me, fairly on their results.

We feel that we are off the hook. If you decide to make chocolate bacon, please tell us how it turns out. Shudder.

Oprah's Chocolate Stage Set

2010-02-26T17:53:00.000-05:00

Oprah replicated her stage set in chocolate.

We're not the first ones to tell you this, probably. There's been a lot of talk about it, as there always is a lot of talk about whatever Oprah Winfrey does. But we don't quite get why people are up in arms over this.

I mean, didn't we tell you earlier this month about the model of The Great Wall of China built in chocolate? It isn't as though this is the first use of chocolate for sculpture (or building, if you can't quite see this described as "scultpure"). We've also shown you chocolate fashions, and it seems likely that that chocolate wasn't even eaten after its artistic use.

Is this actually more wasteful than the butter sculptures that used to be a feature of county fairs? Do you think all that food in movies and magazine photo shoots actually gets eaten? Do we need to talk about your Hallowe'en Jack o' Lanterns?

We hope there are plans to make proper use of the chocolate and that it won't all be thrown away, but we also think that there are worse things being done in the world.

Cocoa Meringues

2010-02-25T11:40:00.000-05:00

Meringue is a wonderful confection of air and sugar -- no fat, few calories, and a wonderful melting texture. There are many different kinds of meringue, including Italian meringue made with hot sugar syrup, Swiss meringue which is cooked, and French meringue, which we're using here to make a light and airy treat.

Some people like to use cream of tartar or other tricks for meringue, but it isn't necessary if you do it right.
Meringue tips can help if you're a neophyte or if you've had trouble before. Mostly, you need a dry day and no oil on any of your utensils.

Classic Meringues with Cocoa

4 egg whites
2.5 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Continue beating while gradually sprinkling in sugar and then cocoa. Pipe or drop meringue by spoonsful onto parchment-paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 200 degrees, 25 minutes for chewy meringues or an hour for crisp ones. Drizzle with melted chocolate, if you like.

When You Can't Have Chocolate

2010-02-24T14:17:00.000-05:00

The girls in the office have responded to the chocolate vs. vegetable smackdown with serious questions. Some have given up sweets for Lent, some are on diets, some have diabetic people in their households, and they don't want to hear that chocolate is better than brussels sprouts unless we can assure them that they can eat that chocolate without concern.

We are delving deep into this question for them.

First, we don't mean to suggest that cookies -- even our highly delicious and wholesome Sunflower Mix Cookies -- are more nutritious than brussels sprouts.Or even that chocolate is.

That sprout, for example, contains 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein, while dark chocolate contains 2 grams each of fiber and protein and 10 grams of sugar. The sprouts are the winners there. The chocolate gives you 10% of the iron you need for the day, while the sprouts give only 7%, so the chocolate wins on that count -- but the sprouts beat the pants off the chocolate when it comes to vitamin A. Chocolate wins on flavanoids, antioxidants, and magnesium. The sprouts have no fat, though, and the chocolate has 11 grams.

So, yeah, when it comes to sugar and fat, the brussels sprouts are the better choice. People on diets should have lots of brussels sprouts and just some chocolate. Fortunately, you don't need a whole lot of chocolate to get the health benefits.

So here are our recommendations for those who are cutting back on chocolate because of fats and sugars:

Get the data. It's true that chocolate has more fat and sugar than green vegetables -- but often about the same amount as your favorite breakfast foods or snacks. You can swap an extra slice of pizza for an ounce of chocolate and save half the calories without taking in any more sugar or fat.
Have a small amount of the good stuff, instead of more of the less luxurious stuff. An ounce of fine chocolate is more satisfying and healthier than a drugstore candy bar.
Go with cocoa powder. Cocoa-dusted fruit and nuts, hot chocolate made from scratch with water, or meringues made with cocoa powder give chocolate flavor and flavanoids without fat.
For diabetics, chocolate can be a good surprise -- the sugar in dark chocolate is used more slowly by the body than that in white bread, for example. Choose a higher cacao content (our example is 65%, but you can go higher) and enjoy it with a meal to slow absorption. Check with your health professionals to be sure of the right amount for you.

Giving chocolate up for Lent? We can't help you there. But plan on having a Sweetique Egg for Easter.

Are You Too Rich to Appreciate Chocolate?

2010-02-23T09:18:00.002-05:00

A study from the University of British Columbia finds that wealthy people don't enjoy chocolate (or other simple pleasures) as much as the rest of us do.

Researchers conclude that a sense of entitlement -- the feeling that you can have whatever you want whenever you want it -- leads to lessened enjoyment of small happy moments in life.

Even those who aren't yet rich, but are plotting to become rich and spend much of their time and energy on this goal lose a measure of their ability to delight in the simple joys.

If you are rich, we suggest that you titillate your jaded palette with a Sweetique Egg, which might be new to you. Fortunately, you don't have to be rich to get one, so the rest of us can enjoy them, too, knowing that we'll get maximum pleasure from them.

Antioxidants in Chocolate

2010-02-22T15:24:00.001-05:00

We know that chocolate contains antioxidants, but this chart from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was an eye-opener! This is a comparison of the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scores for a variety of foods.

Dark Chocolate: 13,120
Milk Chocolate: 6,740
Prunes: 5,770
Raisins: 2,830
Blueberries: 2,400
Blackberries: 2,036
Kale: 1,770
Strawberries: 1,540
Spinach: 1,260
Raspberries: 1,220
Brussel Sprouts: 980
Plums: 949
Alfalfa Sprouts: 930
Broccoli Florets: 890
Oranges: 750
Red Grapes: 739
Red Bell Pepper: 710
Cherries: 670
Onion: 450
Corn: 400
Eggplant: 390

We assure you, we're not trying to diss your favorite fruit and veg. You should continue to feed your kids broccoli and oranges -- but not till after they've eaten their chocolate.

Chocolate Filled Easter Eggs

2010-02-19T15:44:00.003-05:00

We're beginning to see instructions for how to make chocolate-filled eggshells at home.

It can be done. After all, it is a tradition in some parts of Europe to do this. Here's what you do.

You must blow the eggshells out and clean them, and then boil them in vinegar water to sterilize them. Blowing eggs involves poking a hole at each end with a pin and blowing through one of the holes to force the egg out at the other end. You'll then need to color the eggs, and arrange straight pins on foam to hold the eggshells (the ones you don't break while coloring them) without smudging the color.

Then you must temper some chocolate. Ours are a special blend of milk and dark chocolate with hazelnut praline, so you won't get quite the same effect, but you can try. Temper the chocolate, or when you crack the egg it won't look pretty at all. Each egg requires nearly two ounces of first-quality chocolate, so you'll spend as much to make quality chocolate-filled eggs at home as you would to buy them ready-made. Not counting the spilled and wasted chocolate, or what gets burnt or seizes while you're trying to temper it.

Never mind. Soldier on.

Fill the eggs with the melted chocolate through one of those pinholes. Close up the other one, or all the chocolate will run out.

Let the eggs set and then clean them up, since you will have gotten them very messy while filling them. You'll also have to do something with the egg you blew out of the shells.

Frankly, we think you probably would be wiser to buy Sweetique Eggs, Some things -- cookies, say -- are honestly better when you make them at home with love. Other things are better when they're made by experts.

Sweetique Egg Centerpieces

2010-02-18T06:51:00.001-05:00

Sweetique Centerpieces make a fun, edible decoration for Easter parties.

Chocolate, Pleasure, and Strokes

2010-02-17T06:15:00.001-05:00

A new study has examined and analyzed data from earlier studies which suggested that regular chocolate consumption may reduce the risk of strokes. Researchers have concluded that the evidence -- drawn from studies including up to 44,000 subjects -- supports this conclusion. People who eat the equivalent of a bar of chocolate a week are 22% less likely to have strokes that those who do not.

There are still some questions on the table, though. While it seems likely that the flavanoids in chocolate are the reason for this effect, the evidence is not that clear cut. No studies have isolated a chemical component and tested it in isolation. The evidence supports the conclusion that people who eat chocolate are less likely to have strokes -- but not that chocolate itself reduces strokes.

For example, researchers can't eliminate the possibility that people who enjoy life are both more likely to eat chocolate and less likely to have strokes. It could also be that eating chocolate makes people happier and more relaxed, and that being happier and more relaxed reduces the likelihood of strokes.

Until this question is resolved, it seems that the best advice is this: eat chocolate, be happy.

Mardi Gras!

2010-02-16T10:30:00.003-05:00

Today is Mardi Gras -- "Fat Tuesday," the day for using up all the luxurious foods in the house before Lent begins with its dietary restrictions. Mardi Gras isn't the only name for the day, though.

Shrove Tuesday is another name for this day, since people would be shriven, or given absolution following a confession, at the beginning of Lent. Its' also called Pancake Tuesday -- it used to be that eggs and cream and butter were forbidden during Lent, so careful housewives would make pancakes to use up what they had on hand. In communities in the United States and in the UK, Pancake Tuesday is celebrated with pancake races, in which racers flip pancakes in skillets as they run.

In many countries in Europe and South America, the entire season between Epiphany (January 6th) and Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) is Carnival., a season of celebration culminating in today's parties and parades.

In Germany, where Sweetique Eggs are made, today is Karneval or Fastnacht, the end of the season of Fasching. There are regional variations in the names and the customs, but generally Fasching is a time for dressing up and partying. It's reminiscent of the U.S. customs of both Halloween and Mardi Gras.

So go ahead and be a bit crazy today, wherever you are!

Chocolate Easter Eggs

2010-02-15T11:13:00.002-05:00

True, some of us still need to observe Mardi Gras and Lent before we celebrate Easter. But all of us can celebrate the fact that Sweetique Chocolate Easter Eggs are in stock and ready to ship!

Sweetique Eggs are natural eggshells filled with a special blend of milk and dark chocolates with hazelnuts. You crack the egg as you would a hardboiled egg, peel it, and there you have a delectable solid chocolate truffle egg. Sweetique Eggs come in a variety of bright colors and festive designs, so they make the perfect Easter basket fillers. They also make very nice gifts for Easter -- they're available in several different packaging options, for everything from gifts for children to corporate gifts.

Visit our catalog to make your selection of Sweetique eggs, and we'll ship them to you in our special padded mailing boxes, for safe arrival before Easter.

Valentine's Day Treats

2010-02-12T15:33:00.001-05:00

If you have a heart-shaped muffin tin, you can make these sweet little tarts for Valentine's Day.

First, mix up your favorite peanut butter cookie dough -- or use ours.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg

Combine these ingredients, and drop about a tablespoonful into each muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 4 oz. chocolate and stir in 2 T cream.

Take the tarts from the oven and use a spoon or a piping bag to fill the centers with chocolate.

No heart-shaped muffin tin? You can also use a regular muffin pan with this simple hack: put a paper muffin cup into each space, spoon in the dough, and set a marble at the base of the paper liner, at the edge. This will create a heart shape as the tart bakes.

Chinese New Year Chocolate

2010-02-11T08:44:00.003-05:00

This year, Valentine's Day also happens to be Chinese New Year. If you're celebrating with Chinese food, can you also serve chocolate for Valentine's Day?

Really, you can't let Valentine's Day pass without serving chocolate, can you? While the typical sweet ending for a Chinese meal is a collection of fruit such as the one shown here, there are chocolate desserts that blend well with Chinese food. This recipe is fast and easy, but sophisticated enough for party fare. You'll end up with a pale green cookie, half coated with chocolate. Serve it with fruit -- here, white peaches, honeydew melon, and blueberries -- for a lovely dessert that won't be out of place with your Kung Pao Chicken.

Green Tea Shortbread with Chocolate

2 c. butter
2 c. flour
2 T. Chinese powdered green tea
1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 oz. good-quality chocolate
1 T butter

Combine all the ingredients except the chocolate and butter with an electric mixer. Turn the mixture out onto a pastry sheet or a cutting board lined with parchment paper and roll out to a smooth sheet of shortbread. The mixture will be crumbly. Chill 30 minutes.
Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut shortbread and set carefully on a cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Melt chocolate and butter together. Hold shortbread by a corner and dip half into chocolate. Lay cookies on parchment paper till shiny and set.

Chocolate Fundraisers

2010-02-10T11:05:00.001-05:00

Chocolate hearts abound at this time of year, but chocolate with a heart is great, too. Chocolate and fundraising go together perfectly: chocolate provides a sense of luxury far beyond the actual cost, it gives a festive feeling to otherwise ordinary gatherings, and it's almost universally liked and enjoyed.

Here are a few of the organizations doing good with chocolate this month:

Read about these events to get something fun and beneficial onto your calendar or to inspire your own organization's fundraising plans for this year.

And don't forget, for spring fundraising, Sweetique Eggs are a perfect choice -- customize them with your organization's message, or go with our brilliant Easter egg designs.

What's Your Chocolate Percentage?

2010-02-09T09:15:00.001-05:00

Many plain chocolate bars now come with announcements about their chocolate percentage. "60% cacao," they proudly announce, or 70%, or 85%, at which point you should probably save it for baking. There's a widespread belief that a higher percentage of cacao is healthier and also better quality.

While this certainly can be true -- we're not going to eat those 10% chocolates -- there are other factors involved.

First, the percentage refers to the combined totals of the two substances we use from cacao: cocoa solids, or cocoa liquor or powder, and cocoa butter.

Cocoa butter has no particular flavor. It's a fat, like dairy butter, but it has some special properties. Chief among these, from the point of view of eating chocolate, is the fact that it's solid at room temperature but melts at body heat. That's why chocolate melts in your mouth so nicely. It's also mostly oleic acid and stearic acid, so it doesn't have the negative health effects of dairy butter. It contains antioxidants, so it doesn't turn rancid. Nice stuff, as butters go.

Cocoa powder is the antioxidant power house. But the percentage on the package doesn't tell you how much of the chocolate is cocoa and how much is cocoa butter.

Beyond that, there are often other ingredients in chocolate confections. A bar of seemingly solid chocolate with a low percentage of cacao is likely to have a high proportion of sugar and cheaper, less healthy fats. But chocolate may contain milk, fruit, nuts, feuilletine, and other wholesome things as well. The percentage of cacao will be lower, but the quality needn't be.

Our Sweetique Chocolate Easter Eggs, for example, contain hazelnuts blended into a special mixture of premium chocolates. The percentage of cacao isn't relevant in cases like these. Taste and mouthfeel are the criteria to use when judging the quality of chocolate treats of this kind.

Last Chance for Love Rocks!

2010-02-08T11:04:00.003-05:00

Order Love Rocks today to have them in time to give your sweetie for Valentine's Day! These red rocks are premium milk chocolate with a crunchy candy shell, and they make a great way to tell your valentine that love rocks.

Chocolate Camera

2010-02-05T08:03:00.001-05:00

You could follow the very charming instructions at Lomography to make a Chocolate Camera. However, Monday is the last day to order Love Rocks in time for Valentine's Day, so you should probably do that first.

French Macaroons with Chocolate

2010-02-04T09:30:00.001-05:00

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, people are buying lots of chocolate (you have just a few days to order your Love Rocks, by the way), but if you're thinking about some homemade expressions of affection, consider French Macaroons.

These delicate bites are getting seriously trendy, but they're not hard to make at home, and the fresh ones are much better than the packaged kind.This makes a soft, chewy cookie.

French Macaroons with Chocolate

3 egg whites
1/2 c sugar
2. c grated coconut
3/4 c. chopped pecans
3 oz grated chocolate
1 t vanilla

Beat the egg whites till stiff peaks form and gradually beat in sugar to form a meringue. Gently fold in remaining ingredients. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop batter onto sheet by teaspoonful.
Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove paper from cookie sheet and allow to cool.

Grate chocolate the easy way by breaking it up into pieces and pulsing in your blender.

Chocolate for Men

2010-02-03T11:07:00.001-05:00

Chocolate is the classic Valentine's Day gift for men to give to women. Women even give chocolate to one another in recognition of this sweet holiday. Women don't give chocolate to men in the same numbers -- but they should.

Turns out, chocolate is particularly good for men's health. A 15-year study of men's health found that men who ate chocolate were half as likely to die from cardiovascular disease as those who did not. The men who ate the most chocolate, in any form, had a lower death rate over the course of the study from all causes.

This was true even when researchers controlled for such variables as weight, alcohol use, smoking, and physical activity.

Does that chocolate gift seem too feminine? You can look for Yorkie bars -- "not for girls" is clearly emblazoned on the wrapper. These aren't sold in the U.S. We say a man should be secure enough in his masculinity to accept chocolate happily on Valentine's Day. After all, it staves off death. Can't beat that.