Chocolate On The Brain II

~
One thing about Chocolate on the Brain... it doesn't stay gone long :-) Michelle in her reply to my last post on Chocolate on the Brain mentioned Ghirardelli brownies. I've seen the brownie mix, but have never bought it.

I haven't eaten a lot of Ghirardelli products. I have tasted their chocolate squares. It has been a long time, but I remember them as being very decadent.

Ghirardelli Chocolates has an interesting web site. They have an outline history of chocolate entitled: The Rich History of Chocolate (found under chocopedia)... too much for me to quote here. There is also a history of their company: The Ghirardelli Story .


One brand of chocolate that I have depended upon my almost 40 years of marriage has been Baker's Chocolate.

I have made many brownies with the Unsweetened Chocolate. I tried the one-bowl recipe and it just does not taste as good as their old recipe.

I also have used their baking chips in cookies. When I was young I thought using imitation chocolate chips was just fine... until I used Baker's real chocolate chips. What a difference! I also learned to use real vanilla instead of imitation vanilla.... best to pay more for a better quality product.

Who does not love a German Sweet Chocolate Cake! German Chocolate Cake was originated in the U.S. at Walter Baker & Company. In 1852, Sam German created a sweet baking bar named in his honor (BAKER'S German’s Sweet Chocolate). Then in 1957, a Texas woman sent a cake recipe using German’s Sweet Chocolate to a newspaper in Dallas, causing a spike in the sales. Hence, the birth of German Chocolate Cake!

The Story of La Belle Chocolatiere
(from the Baker Chocolate web site)

La Belle Chocolatiere has graced the BAKER’S Chocolate package for more than 122 years, making her the oldest product trademark in America.

Her story is one of romance and intrigue that began in a quaint chocolate shop in Vienna, Austria, in the mid-18th century.

In 1745 an Austrian nobleman, Prince Dietrichstein, stopped by a chocolate shop in Vienna to try a wonderful new chocolate drink people were talking about. His waitress was Anna Baltauf, daughter of an impoverished knight. Prince Dietrichstein was taken by the young lady, and despite objections from his family, he soon married Baltauf, making her a princess.

As a wedding gift, Prince Dietrichstein commissioned a portrait of his wife by the famous Swiss painter, Jean Etienne Liotard. Liotard posed Princess Dietrichstein in her 18th century chocolate server’s costume, commemorating their “love at first sight.”

The portrait of Princess Dietrichstein was displayed at the Dresden Art Gallery. It was there that Henry L. Pierce—then president of Walter Baker & Company—saw the painting. Pierce was captivated by it, and considered the portrait an ideal image for BAKER'S Chocolate.

In 1883, Pierce registered the image as a U.S. trademark, and named the silhouette “La Belle Chocolatiere.” For the next several decades, La Belle graced not only BAKER'S ads and packages, but also premium items and BAKER'S Chocolate squares.

To this day, each square of BAKER'S Unsweetened and Semi-Sweet Chocolate is emblazoned with the image of La Belle, and she still graces each box and container of BAKER'S Chocolate products. The original portrait of Princess Dietrichstein still hangs at the Dresden Gallery in Germany, where it is one of the museum’s chief attractions.

When my children were at home I used to make candy with them. Of course, I used Wilton Candy . Our favorite was the peanut butter cups. I made my children hollow chocolate candy rabbits at Easter and hollow chocolate tin soldiers for Christmas. Solid ones would have been too much sugar for them. I think I gave my candy molds away or else they are hiding somewhere in the house.

Who knows... I may have Chocolate on the Brain tomorrow :-)

******************

I heard from the gastroenterologist's office yesterday. The biopsies showed that I have a candida infection in my esophagus and stomach. Probably because of all the antibiotics I've taken the past few months. I take Diflucan for a couple of weeks and it should clear up.

******************

Though the circular round-and-round of routine be the bulk of life's affairs, make an occasional jutting diversion - of fun, love, or something that will outlast you - so the shape and motion of your life shall resemble the round life-giving sun with bright rays shining forth from all directions. -- Destin Figuier