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Home › Articles › Special Features › Chocolate for the Six Senses

Chocolate for the Six Senses

Vosges Adds a Little Spice to the Sugar

By Belinda Clarke

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The Parisienne cocoa contains cacao and cinnamon intertwined with vanilla and fresh orange peels.

Bianca, meaning "purest" in Latin, best represents Vosges' ideal of white chocolate. The Bianca cocoa pairs velvety, pure ivory chocolate with imaginative ingredients from around the world. Lemon Myrtle, indigenous to the aboriginal people of Australia, is a refreshing flavor with hints of lemon grass and Kaffir lime leaves. Lavender brings a bouquet of floral fragrance reminiscent of a traditional English garden, and Madagascar vanilla bean from the African coast is an alluring herb with a hypnotic aroma. Lastly, the Aztec Elixir offers "lingering aromas of the roasted cacao" made with cinnamon and chilies crushed in water. "The 'bitter water' arouses the deep mahogany swirls and fills the golden chalice. Just one sip and the powers exude the famed elixir of the Aztecs, 'Xocatyl,'" says Markoff.

If you're ever in Chicago, you can visit one of Vosges two boutiques located downtown. There you can sample some of the amazing flavors and admire how beautiful chocolate can be. Otherwise, you can log on to the Vosges Web site at www.vosgeschocolate.com and let the electronic images tickle your palate. The company also has a catalog that includes information on new products, special promotions and the Truffle of the Month Club, which makes an extravagant gift at $400 for a whole year.

Chocolate
Good for the Heart

Take heart, chocolate lovers: Just in time for Valentine's Day, a report published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association says that chocolate is good for your heart. Researchers at the University of California at Davis reviewed a number of recent studies on chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, and its health benefits. They found that flavan-3-ols, the main flavonoids found in cocoa, are associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

"Cocoa contains the same nutrients found in other plant foods, including minerals and specific antioxidants that help ward off diseases such as heart disease," says registered dietitian and ADA spokesperson Althea Zanecosky. "In addition, oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil, makes up one-third of the fat in chocolate and has been shown to be beneficial for heart health."

Nutrition experts advise, however, consuming chocolate in moderate amounts and incorporating a wide range of foods including fruits and vegetables, teas and red wines.

Zanecosky offers some tips on how to appreciate fine chocolate:

  • "Chocolate is best tasted on an empty stomach," says Zanecosky. "The proper temperature of the chocolate should be between 66 and 77 degrees F. Never put your chocolate in the refrigerator – it will cause the cocoa to separate and form a white 'bloom.'"
  • "If you are trying several different chocolates, always start with the one that has the least cocoa, most likely a milk chocolate – unless it's white chocolate, which has cacao butter and no cocoa at all," says Zanecosky.
  • "When tasting dark chocolate, let the chocolate sit in your mouth for a few seconds to release its primary flavors and aromas," says Zanecosky. "Then chew it a few times to release the secondary aromas. Let it rest lightly against the roof of your mouth so you experience the full range of flavors. Finally, enjoy the lingering taste in your mouth."

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