Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Magic and Passion of Chocolate

When I'm feeling really ghoulish, which has been a major theme in my life lately, there's one thing that helps me get through the hell. A very magical ingredient called....Chocolate!

Everyone has their own preference for how they like chocolate; milk, white, dark, bittersweet..Me, personally, I'm a dark chocolate witch! I like it spicy, biting, and decadent as it can be. And we really know that the reason that adults buy chocolate candy on Halloween is NOT for the darling little trick or treaters. It's for us! I mean, come on...Didn't you always dig through your Halloween bag looking for the best chocolate candy? I did. Forget the lollipops, smarties, etc...I wanted the real stuff. I wanted to win the golden ticket that would gain me entrance in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. I never liked either of the movie versions, they just didn't capture the seductive quality chocolate has for me.

The Aztecs and the Mayans knew what they were doing. The Aztec ruler Montezuma reportedly drank up to 50 cups of chocolate each day so that he could keep his harem of 600 women happy. And I bet he succeeded! To spend the night in a Mayan brothel, one had to hand over a handful of cacao beans. And then there was one of my favorite characters in history who also had a passion for women and chocolate...Casanova. He preferred chocolate over champagne. Smart man!

Kitchen Witch's know that chocolate has certain magickal powers and use it with great care and love. I have two favorite movies that blend chocolate and magic together. The first is  "Like Water, for Chocolate." The book is also full of wonderful recipes (not all with chocolate though). There's love, jealousy, passion, and beauty. Perfect for indulging oneself in both chocolate and fantasy. The second chocolate movie (which also happens to me one on my top 5 movie list) is "Chocolat" with the delicious Johnny Depp and the ethereal Juliette Binoche. Chocolate in this movie represents all that is sensual, feminine and powerful. Naturally, there were those who repressed their hunger for this aphrodisiac and suffered for it. Aphrodite, who I believe is the Goddess of Chocolate wreaks havoc on those who forbid themselves of their chocolate fantasies.


The Seventeenth-Century church officials believed that those who "indulged" themselves with chocolate were the minions of the devil. If I lived back then, my soul would have been in perilous danger. If I ended up in hell, so be it, as long as I could burn with chocolate.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite chocolate recipes that I fell in love with after seeing the movie, "Chocolat."

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Ingredients: 3 oz. Mexican Chocolate (which most Latino markets carry or if you can't reach one, you can substitute bittersweet chocolate tempered with a few dashes of cinnamon and just a small touch of sugar. Not too much sweetness because that's the beauty of this drink).

3 cups of milk or water

A dusting of cinnamon on top

Chop the chocolate in a blender or grate by hand. Bring the milk to a boil in a small sauce pan. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate. Using a whisk, hand mixer or blender, whisk the milk with passion until the chocolate melts and the milk is frothy.

Sprinkle with the cinnamon and drink immediately.

If this doesn't warm up your heart and body, then I don't know what would. So, do you like chocolate? Do you have a favorite chocolate candy or recipe? I'd love to know them...from one sinner to another.

14 comments:

Mother Moon said...

Like Water to Chocolate is by far one of my favorite movies... I simply love it too pieces.... almost as much as chocolate... :-)

Like you I love the spice dark chocolate.. although I will admit that Lindt white chocolate can have me hiding in the corner enjoying myself too.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

They say that the existence of chocolate is proof that God is female. (Not that WE need that proof, but still, hahahahahaha!)

Ashley L. Evans said...

I too am a dark chocolate lover, my new way to indulge this is reece's dark chocolate pieces, they are just yummy!

Becki said...

What a great post! I love chocolate. I sell an Aztec sipping chocolate from Dove that has the cinnamon zing to it - YUM!

Unknown said...

I love bitter sweet chocolate and Mexican Hot Chocolate! No super-sweet packets of "cocoa mix" for me! My fave chocolate recipe? This is it, hands down. Very rich!

Flourless Chocolate Cake (from the ex-NYC restaurant The Quilted Giraffe)

Heat oven to 325 degrees
Butter and flour a 9” springform pan.

9 oz bitter sweet imported chocolate, coarsely chopped
7 tbls unsalted butter
6 large egg yolks
2 tbls Cognac
Pinch salt
½ warm water
8 large egg whites, room temp.
light whipped cream

In the top of a double boiler, melt chocolate with butter. In a bowl combine egg yolks and Cognac , then stir gently into melted butter & chocolate. Add a pinch of salt and warm water. Mix gently. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Separately, beat the egg whites until just stiff. DO NOT OVER BEAT! Fold in 1/3 of the chocolate mixture. Gently, fold in remaining egg whites.

Pour into buttered and floured 9” springform pan, bake for 20-25 minutes or until center is barely set. Cool on rack, loosening springform after 15 minutes. Transfer cooled cake to a plate. Serve with whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Lyn said...

I'm a dark chocolate witch too!

There's a company here which makes organic dark chocolate with chilli and lime. OMG. That's all I'm saying.

Mother Moon said...

Seeker.. goodness even a recipe for a chocolate cake how kind of you for sharing...

Wendy said...

Mother Moon, I also love white chocolate and Dove makes this incredible white chocolate ice-cream, love it!

Debra, LOL...Of course the Goddess would create it, she creates all things that are decadent and delicious :)

Dreamer, I didn't know about Reese's making dark chocolate now..I love peanut butter and chocolate, hmmmm, maybe I'll hop on over to the store today, thanks for letting me know...I think ;p

Becki, can you give me the addy. of where you sell this? I would love to buy some!

Oh Seeker, you've done me wrong, lol...My mouth was watering as I read your recipe. It's raining outside now and I think it's the perfect time for making a rich, decadent cake. Thank you SO much for the recipe : )

Lyn, that chocolate sounds so good. It reminds me of a treat right out of the movie,
Chocolat". I love the combination in the chocolate. Yummm..

Rue said...

Wendy - now you have me getting ready to run to the store for a fix! I love dark chocolate too - but I'll take any kind - it's all bliss to me!

Great post!

Unknown said...

Mmmmmmmmmm.......

Illustrated Ink said...

You've picked one of the best topics ever! ;) Chocolate is so seductive...I enjoy both dark and milk. I love the scene in "Chocolat" when the town mayor cracks and starts devouring all of the chocolate in the window display. That could so be me! ;)

Mmmm, Mexican Hot Chocolate, will definitely have to make some as the weather gets cooler!

luna petunia said...

I love the chocolate that has a bit of anjo chile in it! Yummy!!

The Artful Gypsy aka Wendy the Very Good Witch said...

Deliciously wonderful post Wendy! I found that we have 2 things in common other than just our name....1.)We both LOVE dark chocolate! and 2.) We both LOVE the movie "Chocolat", and have it as one of our top movies. I could watch that movie over and over. Chocolate is one of my major food groups...but I am definitely a 'dark' kind of girl! I'm drooling just thinking about it...ha!

Speaking of the Aztec link to Chocolate...that reminds me of an exhibition we went to see at a Museum in Chicago about 8 years ago. It was the 'Chocolate' exhibit and it was all about the history of Chocolate etc. But the thing that I remember most, is that you got several pieces of yummy dark chocolate at the end. (I was pregnant at the time, so of course the food is about all I remember of Chicago...ha!) That, and the snow in April! Think I might go now and eat some chocolate and watch the movie...thanks! :o)

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