Monthly Flavors for February – Cupid’s Busy Month
February, the month of love! Valentine’s Day is here, and chocolate is in the air. This is the time to ply that special someone with
As you can tell by my headline this month, we are experiencing some serious heat in the Bay Area this month. In June we were already hitting the high 90’s, and it is not likely to go down by much this month! So, I thought this month I would focus the flavors on different foods and drinks people around the world consume to keep cool. I won’t guarantee that these chocolates will cool you down, but they won’t hurt!
There are some fun holidays this month! In Australia, July 4 marks the beginning of NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee) Week, a week dedicated to the celebration of Australia’s native peoples and their cultures. This month we also celebrate the Fourth of July in the US, which is a celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. In France, we celebrate 14 Juillet, or Bastille Day on July 14. On July 14, 1789, a crowd stormed the Bastille, a fortress-prison where people were held after (often arbitrary) royal indictments. The next year in 1790 was the first Fête de la Fédération to celebrate the country’s new national identity post-Revolution.
Swelter
Moroccan Mint Tea White Chocolate Ganache
Morocco borders the Sahara Desert, the largest hot desert in the world. The traditional way to handle the heat is with hot mint tea with plenty of honey. It also happens to be one of my all time favorite drinks! From my visit to Morocco I was told that this tea is to help cool you down when it is too hot, warm you up when it is cold, and helps digestion. All in all, a delicious tea no matter what you need. This ganache is very bright with fresh mint, then evolves with the earthy undertone of gunpowder green tea and floral honey sweetness.
Scorch
Lemon Myrtle Milk Chocolate Ganache
NAIDOC Week is a week-long celebration of the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders that came from protests starting in 1920 over the treatment by the Australian government. In 1938, there was a large protest (one of the world’s first civil rights protests) on Australia Day (Jan 26) through Sydney to get representation for Aboriginals in Australian Parliament. The protest was known as the Day of Mourning, and is still held today. Aboriginal Day was declared in 1940 to be the Sunday before Australia Day until 1955, when it was moved to July. I decided to make this ganache with lemon myrtle which is native to Australia. Lemon myrtle has been used by the native peoples in Australia for centuries as a spice or herb in cooking as well as for medicinal uses for coughs, colds, skin lesions, and upset stomachs.
Roast
Coca-Cola Dark Chocolate Ganache
Coca-Cola originates from Georgia. Georgia is known for being hot, humid, and did I mention hot? So many people love to reach for a cold soda when it is hot. Coke was actually supposed to be a non-alcoholic wine substitute. I can’t say that it hits the same spot as a glass of wine, but a cold glass of coke is certainly thirst quenching on a hot day!
Blazing
Witbier Milk Chocolate Ganache with Watermelon Popping Candy
When I think about celebrating July 4, I think about beer, barbeques, watermelon, and fireworks. Growing up in San Diego, it was always a hot day and we were outside the whole time. Once I was old enough to drink, I loved having a cold beer, eating a ton of food, and enjoying the dazzle of fireworks. I tried to put that experience in a chocolate with this one. I used Alagash’s witbier for this and you can really taste the coriander and orange, with the pops of candy adding a whole layer of fun!
Piquant
Bird’s Eye Pepper, Cayenne, and Szechuan Peppercorn Chocolate Caramel
Peoples throughout the world, such as India and Mexico, have often claimed eating spicy food will help cool you down in hot weather. The idea is to make you sweat, and that will cool you off. While the theory may be fairly logical, the main issue is that not everyone sweats when eating spicy foods, and people’s thresholds vary widely. But, whether or not it works, this caramel is definitely spicy! I used a mix of bird’s eye pepper, cayenne, and Szechuan peppercorns to make this an explosively spicy chocolate.
Chaud
Black Currant and Champagne White Chocolate Ganache
The storming of the Bastille was a huge turning point in the French Revolution. July 14, 1789 started with an angry crowd breaking into the Hôtel des Invalides, stealing the canons and ammunition, and the subsequent take over of the prison. The crowd was backed by the guardes françaises, who normally protect public buildings, showing the dissent for the monarchy and the feudal system throughout the French people. While there weren’t any particularly politically important prisoners being held at the Bastille as the time, the message was very clear. The Bastille represented royal authority in the center of Paris, and the people had taken the symbol of the monarchy’s abuse of power and toppled it. Today, le 14 Juillet is celebrated with a military parade up the Champs-Élysée and fêtes populaires (parties or festivals) throughout France. This chocolate is based on the kir royale, a drink made with champagne and black currant liquor.
Cookie Flavors:
S’mores Bar
S’mores are such an inherently American summer treat. I’ll be honest, I am actually not a fan of them myself. I just don’t like marshmallows very much. These little bars, however, are pretty damn addictive. It is basically a s’mores version of a Rice Krispy treat, and it just hits all the right flavors and cravings you didn’t know you had.
Coconut Macaroon
The coconut macaroon is also a quintessential American treat, though grabbed from the French a long time back. They are very popular for Passover with Jews, as they are sweet and crunchy and don’t have any flour! They are also a longtime favorite of both of my parents. These little coconut bites are perfect for a warm day, or just because!
This is a good choice, we promise. You’ll get promo codes, new flavors and product info. We send out no more than 3 emails a month. Go ahead and press subscribe now!
February, the month of love! Valentine’s Day is here, and chocolate is in the air. This is the time to ply that special someone with