The Chocolate Fudge Cafe

Purchase Fair Trade
and Organic Ingredients for Your Triple Fudge Brownies.

The terms, free trade and fair trade sound a lot alike, but there is a vast difference in what they mean. Purchasing products sold in a free trade market may sound like a good deal, but many of the people growing, harvesting, processing and packaging things like bananas, coffee, cocoa beans and sugar are not free. According to CNN Freedom Project, the small farms along the Ivory Coast in West Africa, where 70 to 75 percent of the world`s cocoa beans are grown, use slave labor in the cacao fields that includes an estimated 200,000 children forced to work against their will.

Purchasing Fair Trade items is one way for compassionate consumers to ensure that field workers and others are paid a fair price, often above the market standard, for the work they do and the products they produce. It also helps to ensure that children are free to enjoy their childhoods rather than working the fields.

Fair Trade chocolate is often also organic chocolate and the large farms using slave labor cannot afford to follow the stringent requirements needed to earn the right to label their products, organic. Buying and using Fair Trade chocolate not only helps hardworking people in developing countries, but also supporting organic farming is good for the environment and the lack of pesticides and chemicals is good for your health and the health of your family.

So, treat your loved ones to Triple Fudge Brownies, a treat that is deliciously decadent while being globally guilt-free.

Triple Fudge Brownies

Ingredients: (all can be purchased organic and/or fair trade)

5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 eggs
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat your oven to 350 F. with the rack set to one level below center.

Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the pan with enough parchment or aluminum foil to hang out over the long ends to make the brownies easier to remove from the pan, if you like.

Melt the bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Stir the chocolates and butter until all three are melted and smooth.

Whisk in the cocoa, stirring until it is completely incorporated. Set this mixture aside to cool down a bit.

Beat together the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract and salt until they are combined.

Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture with a wooden spoon until they are thoroughly blended.

Add the flour a bit at a time, beating it into the chocolate egg mixture until you have a smooth batter.

Fill the baking dish with the batter and smooth it into the corners with a rubber spatula. Bake the brownies for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife blade inserted into the middle comes out carrying a few moist crumbs but no obviously wet batter.

Let the brownies cool completely before cutting them. 

Now that you’ve started with the finest and fairest chocolate, you can bake your brownies in a Rangemaster, one the finest quality ovens in the world.  They come in a variety of really fun colors!

If you’re a fan of hot chocolate, you probably have a favorite organic blend that mixes instantly with hot water. Although today’s organic hot chocolate blends are known for their superlative rich, chocolate flavor, you may have noticed subtle differences in each cup you drink. If this is the case, you may be surprised to know that these differences are caused by the mineral content in the water you’re using.

Water has a natural mineral content that can make certain foods taste slightly salty. You’ve probably noticed how salt and calcium deposits can build up on your shower walls; if so, you’re already aware of the mineral content of your tap water. With the exception of distilled water, which has been boiled to remove mineral deposits, all types of tap and bottled water contain a certain amount of minerals. The trick is to choose water that contains just the right mineral level so that your drinking chocolate isn’t overwhelmed.

The good news is that in order to get a truly flavorful cup of hot chocolate, you need to use water that has some amount of mineral content. If you use distilled water, your chocolate mix will taste decidedly weaker. In this case, that pinch of salt that brings flavor to your food is also necessary to bring flavor to your water and, therefore, to your organic drinking
chocolate. Any type of overly processed, distilled or filtered water (also called softened water) can actually result in a weak, flavorless beverage.

If you decide against using bottled water and turn on the tap instead, you may have inconsistent results. This is because the “hardness” in tap water can vary greatly from city to city. Hardness is the term that is used to identify the level of magnesium carbonate in water. The harder the water, the higher the mineral content and the more deposits it will leave on your bathroom walls or in your coffee brewer. Likewise, the harder the water, the more you’ll be able to taste that subtle saltiness in your chocolate.

Because of the level of hardness found in most tap waters, many hot chocolate and coffee aficionados prefer using bottled water for their beverages. Just about any type of bottle water should taste fine, as long as it’s not distilled. If, however, you’d like to try tap water, you’ll want to get a hardness testing strip from your local hardware store. This will give you an idea of the level of mineral content found in your municipal water supply. In most cases, you’re going to have a much lower content and a much more acceptable flavor for your hot chocolate if you use bottled water instead.

If you use a beverage processor, such as a coffee brewer, to make your hot chocolate, it’s important to make sure that all mineral deposits have been thoroughly cleaned out of the machine; otherwise, they`ll be absorbed into the water and your coffee will taste salty. Likewise, if you boil your water in a pot, make sure to rinse out all mineral deposits after each use.

If  you’re considering a bottled water  for your organic hot chocolate, or for your coffee and tea drinks, try a good brand like Angel Springs.com. You can rest assured that the bottled water you choose will contain a lower mineral content than your unfiltered tap water. Bottled water will also give your hot chocolate, as well as your other beverages, a satisfying consistency so that each cup will taste as good as the last.

Sign-up to receive David Wolfe’s Sacred Newsletter and
receive a free ebook delivered to your email entitled “The Latest Word on SuperFoods: Raw Chocolate!”

Click on the book or the link to go to David Wolfe’s site:

http://www.sacredchocolate.com/sacred-newsletter.html

     This site has a lot of great information about cacao; how it’s grown, etc., plus         many wonderful recipes like this one for Cocoa Balls.

See the full recipe at the cacaoweb site: http://www.cacaoweb.net/cocoa-balls.html

Cocoa Balls

In many cacao-producing countries the cacao beans are locally used for making “cocoa tea”. The fermented beans are ground to a fine paste, mixed with spices, and rolled into balls which are dried (in Jamaica and some other countries the ground cocoa is rolled into sticks or made into cubes  instead of balls). These balls (or cubes or sticks) are used for making “cocoa tea”, which in other countries is called a “hot cup of chocolate”.

The cocoa balls contain both the cocoa powder and the cocoa butter which is naturally present in the cacao beans (the  cacao beans contain approximately 50% cocoa butter) which means that the flavor of the final “tea” is very rich and similar to making hot  chocolate using a dark chocolate bar dissolved in hot milk/water mixture.

For years I didn’t have any luck with homemade organic chocolate brownie recipes, they always came out hard and I had to resort to the nasty boxed mixes that still have trans fats, until I found this recipe at allrecipes.com. These are so soft and yummy! But I’ve adapted and tweaked it a little. Note: these are more of a cake-like brownie, but very moist and dreamy.

ORGANIC CREAM CHEESE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Ingredients:

(Use as many organic ingredients as you can find and are willing to pay extra for, I’ll make note below of where I do and do not use organic.)

photo by swruler9284

• 4 (1 ounce) squares German sweet chocolate (I didn’t have that on hand so instead used 4+ ounces of organic chocolate chips)
• 5 T. organic butter
• 1 (3 ounce) package organic cream cheese, softened – I make it myself with our fresh/”raw” milk (it’s SO easy to make, by the way)
• 1/4 c. sugar – I use organic evaporated cane juice sugar – (or equivalent Agave)
• 3 eggs – preferably from a local farm with pasture-fed chickens
• 1 T. all-purpose flour – I use half organic whole wheat pastry flour (which I grind in my grain mill) and half Bob’s Red Mill unbleached, unbromated white flour
• 1/2 t. organic vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. sugar (see note above)
• 1/2 t. no-aluminum baking powder
• 1/4 t. sea salt 
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (see note above)
• 1/2 c. chopped crispy pecans (optional)
• 1 t. vanilla extract (see note above)

1. Melt chocolate with 3 T. of the butter over very low heat. Stir constantly until smooth. Set aside to cool.
2. Cream remaining 2 T. butter with cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add 1/4 c. sugar. Cream until light and fluffy. Blend into this 1 of the eggs, 1 T. flour and 1/2 t. vanilla. Set aside.
3. Now beat the remaining 2 eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually beat into them 3/4 c. sugar. Continue beating until thickened. Stir in the baking powder, salt and 1/2 c. flour. Add to this the cooled chocolate mixture. Blend well. Stir in the nuts and 1 t. vanilla.
4. Spread half of the chocolate batter into an 8×8? buttered glass baking dish. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the top. Then drop the remaining chocolate batter by tablespoons over the top of the cream cheese mixture. Swirl through batter layers with a spatula or knife for a marbled effect.
5. Bake in a preheated 350* F (175* C) oven for 35-40 minutes. Cool in the pan. Cut into squares or bars.
6. Being the chocoholic I am, I then sprinkle more chocolate chips on the top after the brownies come out of the oven – they melt into a yummy frosting.
7. A few notes since I just made this again: I doubled the recipe for a 9×13, and it took about 45 minutes, but oven temps can vary, so keep an eye on it. (I pulled it out when it was soft on top and felt almost set, but not too firm – I don’t like them too done.) Lastly, the chocolate color is lighter than in the picture above, so don’t worry if yours don’t look just like that! (It has that swirled look to it, though.)

From The Nourisher

Chocolate Avocado Pie by Anand

Crust
1 cup pitted dates – soaked for 20 min
2 cups desiccated coconut

Filling
2-3 avocadoes
3 Tbsp of Agave syrup optional
½ cup of coconut butter
10 Tbsp of raw cacao powder
2 cups dates (pitted)
1 Tbsp zest of an orange (optional)
2 Tbsp raw cacao butter (optional)
1 Tbsp desiccated coconut (optional)

Directions
Process the crust ingredients until a sticky dough is achieved. Press the dough firmly into a 9 inch pie dish. Put in the fridge to set. For the filling, melt, dehydrate at 45°C, or double boil the cacao butter. Process thoroughly the remaining ingredients into a smooth creamy, unctuous mousse. Add the cacao butter. Spread onto pie crust and eat right then or place in the fridge for later. Decorate with desiccated coconut and orange zest.

Discover Chocolate (cover photo from amazon.com)

Review
“Clay Gordon’s Discover Chocolate is clearly a labor of love. A thorough and informed guide, it offers valuable insight for those with a passion and desire to learn about the world of chocolate.”
—Jim Goldman, President, Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.

“In tasting chocolate with the same passion and precision as wine critics do wine, Clay Gordon has elevated the whole idea of appreciating chocolate to new heights.”
—W.R. Tish, former editor of Wine Enthusiast magazine and founder of www.wineforall.com

“Any fan of Clay Gordon’s website chocophile.com will find all its enjoyable qualities combined in this book: a first-time explorer’s spontaneous enthusiasm, an insider’s perspective, and a refreshingly personal conversational style. I am impressed especially by Clay’s nuanced but substantive approach to the art of tasting chocolate. Discover Chocolate will be an original, insightful, and informative addition to any chocolate-lover’s library.”
—Maricel Presilla, culinary historian and author of The New Taste of Chocolate

“Clay’s thorough and meticulous investigation on chocolate is the foundation for this comprehensive book that leaves very little undiscovered in the marvelous world of enjoying chocolate today.”
—Michael Antinorsi, Owner, Chuao Chocolatier

“Discover Chocolate is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the complex world of chocolate today. Highly informative and easy to use, Clay Gordon’s new book is the ultimate guide to chocolate, just as the subtitle promises.”
—Alexandra Leaf, chocolate educator, cookbook author, and culinary historian

Product Description
There’s a difference between a chocoholic and a chocophile, and Clay Gordon is decidedly in the latter category. It’s not enough for him to simply love this rich indulgence; he is equally addicted to the finer points of choosing it, just as a wine aficionado enjoys researching different varietals and developing a taste for particularly fine ones.

In Discover Chocolate, Gordon opens a world that extends far beyond cookbooks and coffee-table books that feature assorted gooey shots. Yes, his primer is packed with more than a hundred gorgeous photographs of chocolate and truffles, but this is a guide that also includes a handy rating system, a field guide for discerning among different types and styles of chocolates, an overview of how cacao becomes chocolate (including maps of where cacao is grown), advice for pairing chocolate and wine, and, perhaps most important of all, how and where to shop for the best chocolate in the world.

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, and Clay Gordon is there to help you relish every drop of it, discerning why you like certain types but not others and generating a personal list of favorites. This is the book every true chocolate enthusiast has been craving.

This delicious and very healthy recipe can be found on pg. 173 of “Naked Chocolate” by David Wolfe and Shazzie, with a very nice photo.

These tortillas are made from all raw ingredients and are slightly spicy, slightly chocolatey, and oh so versatile.  Makes 6 tortillas

Grind the flax seed into a fine powder using a spice mill.  Finely chop the garlic.  Chop the spring onions.  Add all the ingredients to the food processor and blend until smooth.  The dough should be thick and sticky.   Place six equal amounts on Teflex sheets, flatten out into circles and dehydrate for about four hours.  Turn the tortillas over, remove the Teflex sheets so air can circulate more and dehydrate for a further one or two hours.