The Life and Times of Good Chocolate

The Seasons of Chocolate...

2008-11-21T19:04:00.000-08:00

As with most fine things, chocolate has its season. There is a simple memory aid that you can use to determine whether it is the correct time to order chocolate dishes: any month whose name contains the letter A, E, or U is the proper time for chocolate. - Sandra Boynton, Chocolate: the Consuming Passion

Don't be a Turkey...Give Thanks on Thanksgiving

2008-11-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

Are you aware that Thanksgiving is only two weeks from now? Now if you hosting or have been invited to a Thanksgiving feast, there is nothing quite as special as giving and serving something sweet...perhaps Heidi and Arthurs chocolates?

If you are among the many who are burdened with corporate gift giving, think outside the box. Isn't it nicer to "give thanks" on Thanksgiving than at the end of the year??? The bonus is that your gift won't be one of 9 baskets in the office lunchroom that everyone is picking over. Yours will get there first and make the biggest impression on your recipient. Not only that but you set yourself apart from the rest and when you give Heidi and Arthurs chocolates. You also show that you have class and good taste. What could be better?

Coffee Mocha Guilt Free!

2008-11-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

Tip of the Day!
A great chocolate indulgence but easy on the waist-line is a Sugar Free Coffee Mocha. Every morning I spike my coffee with 2 tablespoons of my fat free hot chocolate mix, (it's sweetened with Splenda)...to die for and you get all of the benefits of dark chocolate without the calories!

Do Not Shock Your Chocolate!!!

2008-10-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Do Not Shock Your Chocolate!!!

Did you know that chocolate is meant to be eaten at room temperature and not refrigerated...or frozen? If you are wanting to hold off on eating your chocolates for a few weeks to a month or two follow this advice: keep in original packaging and wrap your chocolate as air tight as possible. To defrost from freezer, put unopened package in your fridge for 24 hours and then take out and leave at room temperature for at least 2 hours before even thinking about opening the package. If this precaution is not exercised, you run the risk of "shocking" your chocolate and creating a condition of condensation which can alter the appearance of your chocolates. You might find gray streaks, grainy texture or water drops on top of your sweets. This will not ruin the taste but will make it appear less appealing.

The Science of Chocolate...

2008-10-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

Chocolate causes certain endocrine glands to secrete hormones that affect your feelings and behavior by making you happy. Therefore, it counteracts depression, in turn reducing the stress of depression. Your stress-free life helps you maintain a youthful disposition, both physically and mentally. So, eat lots of chocolate! Elaine Sherman, Book of Divine Indulgences

The 2008 Emmy Awards Celebration

2008-08-19T18:12:00.001-07:00

We are very proud to announce that Heidi and Arthur's Chocolates have been deemed Emmy worthy! Our chocolates will be included in the People Magazine goodie bag that is being distributed to the guests of the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA, for this year's Emmy Awards on September 21, 2008. We are thrilled that People Magazine agrees with us that our chocolates are second to none. We wish all the nominees the best of luck and hope you enjoy our treats!

Chocolate Fact

2008-08-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the largest producer of cacao beans in the world is Ghana? Cacao trees only grow within 10 degrees latitude of the equator? A cacao pod holds about 45 cacao beans and is contained in a big pod that has a fleshy, mushy fruit surrounding the beans. It looks and tastes nothing like chocolate as we know it when harvested. Not exactly what you pictured in your mind, is it?

Chocolate for your health!

2008-08-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

The common misconception is that chocolate is full of sugar and bad for your health and waist line. I say misconception because good quality dark chocolate is definitely not “bad” for you and happens to have a myriad of very real health benefits. Although chocolate is everywhere and has been easily accessible for a long, long time, Americans are just discovering what most of Europe has known for a quite a while…Chocolate is good for your health.

Now some of you may say that the hype of chocolate being a health food is a fabrication that the big chocolate companies came up with to promote their cause. While I can’t say that I blame them for good marketing, and they have funded some of these studies, there is no denying that some of their claims are legitimate.

Dark chocolate contains high levels of flavanoids, polyphenols and antioxidants which ultimately promote cardiovascular health. Chocolate’s antioxidant properties push stress levels down and also help fight any foreign bodies that can cause illness.

It is also not a myth that consuming chocolate makes people happy. The chocolate bean contains phenyl ethylamine – the same chemical that is released in your brain when you fall in love; leading to that increase in the pounding of your heart, butterflies in your stomach and all the rest of those feelings that make the beginning of a relationship so exciting. This chemical reaction that goes on in your brain when you consume chocolate triggers the release endorphins. Endorphins give you a feeling of elation and contentment, which, by the way, helps lower one’s blood pressure.

Welcome

2008-07-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

Hi to all my fellow chocolate groupies. I am the Heidi of Heidi & Arthur Chocolatiers. We are gourmet chocolate artisans who aim to give you exquisite oral gratification that you can have anytime, alone or otherwise. Welcome to our blog and we hope that you will share your chocolate preferences, experiences and whatever else you would like to share, as long as your significant other doesn’t mind! We will try to keep you up to date on everything chocolate, (the food not the phone), and if you have questions, if I don’t know the answer on the spot, I will find out and get back to you quickly.

It is our desire to get the word out, especially to those who say that they” aren’t really into chocolate”, why they should be. Those who aren’t “chocolate people” yet, have probably just never experienced good chocolate. This is not their fault so I won’t hold it against them. Just a few years back, I too was not in the know.

The big chocolate companies who stock the supermarkets and drugstores with those very familiar and nostalgic confections are catching up by breaking into the higher end market offering higher % chocolates. I do appreciate their progressiveness but there is still a big difference between chocolate that has a shelf life of weeks and that of chocolate that can still be eaten six months later and taste the same as the day it was bought. Is there even an expiration date on those bags? How many of us have found our kids trick or treat bags in February and said to ourselves, “they’ll never miss it anyway”, and eaten that Snickers bar with satisfaction? This is because extra ingredients have replaced the natural goodness of real chocolate to extend shelf life and the chocolate itself is just a small percentage of what goes into those treats.

I will continue on this topic later as my truffles need to be coated and rolled…can you imagine that they have been naked all night? Don’t worry though as they are under lock and key.

Until later and have a decadent day!