World Chocolate Day
Today is World Chocolate Day. Not to be confused with International Chocolate Day, which is September 13th. (Actually, that is confusing, but I don’t make the rules. If I did, every day would be World Chocolate Day or International Chocolate Day or whatever you want to call it.) And what better day than World Chocolate Day to tell you what chocolate-y things I’ve been up to?
(It was a thought to wax poetic about chocolate today, which would have incorporated things such as chocolate having the ability to transform people’s days, inspire new businesses, and even ignite passionate debates on social media… but it’s easier (and a more fun!) to tell you about my latest chocolate exploits.)
First off: Chocolate bark! I chose white-and-milk chocolate swirled bark with oreos as my first attempt at chocolate bark. Mine actually turned out thick enough that it should have been called “chocolate log” or something similar instead of chocolate bark, but, hey, it still tasted amazing. Chocolate bark is incredibly easy to make, or if it would be if I wouldn’t turn into such a production by taking pictures at every stage. Unwrap chocolate, take a photo. Melt chocolate, take a photo. Smooth chocolate out onto a flat cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, forgot to take a photo. Add dollops of melted white chocolate, swirl it in using a knife, press in chopped oreos, stick it in the freezer for a few minutes, and all that’s left to do is break it up or chop it into pieces. (That, and…you guessed it. Take a photo.)
I have no idea why it took so long for me to try chocolate bark. The possibilities are endless. I’ve seen s’more chocolate bark (chocolate with marshmallows and graham crackers), bark with almonds and pomegranate….
Next up: Fudge. (Also incredibly simple; recipe is here.) There was this party and I said I’d make fudge. But the question is, should the fudge be with cherries (because fudge with cherries is scrumptious) or without cherries (who needs cherries, fudge is rich and creamy and perfect all by itself)? When it doubt, make both. And no, there was not one single piece left to bring home at the end of the evening, so it must have been considered, you know, edible. (Kidding. I kept hearing “amazing” and “awesome”. No credit to me. This fudge practically makes itself.)
(I call this one “The Leaning Tower of Bark-a”.)
Last but not least, I had the pleasure of trying a new chocolate, a delicate, stunning mini bar called Marou Tien Giang. Marou is made in Vietnam from beans grown in Vietnam. The exquisite packaging and molding aside…mmmmm was this chocolate fine! Rich and dark and the perfect size to eat in one sitting (as I like more than 1-2 bites of chocolate at once). I posted a pic on Instagram.
That’s all for now…I’m gearing up to make my first chocolate ganache filling for homemade molded chocolates and that may be my next story. Unless it turns out that making ganache filling for homemade molded chocolates is spectacularly boring, in which case I’ll tell you about this incredible bar of… no. I don’t want to give it away.