BIG Chocolate EGGS

Some may wonder, what is that title all about? Well, at Coco's Chocolate Cafe this year we are doing some huge-mongous eggs and small eggs for Easter. The larger ones are about the size of an ostrich egg and will be made out of wonderfully delicious dark or milk chocolate. The best part of all? There's a SURPRISE in each one!....yes, these are for the little ones in our lives or for the Big-little ones if you so choose. ;)

Our smaller eggs will be filled with something yummy...

Easter is about Christ rising from the grave. But somehow we've translated this into chocolate bunnies and eggs. I'm not squabbling about how this came about. It's just strikes me funny. How you celebrate Easter is up to you. I hope you will want to try out our little creations and think of the wonder that a gift given to you is truly special.

Website having issues

For the past few days, our website has been having several issues. I apologize for the inconvenience this is causing. If you would like to have a menu of our chocolates, please look at the right for a link under MENUS. Or if you need further information, please email us at CocoCafe@bellsouth.net and we will get back to you as quickly as possible. Again, thank you for your patience.

Frederick T Moore.

Just give me Drinking Chocolate

There was a very nice article that came out this morning concerning our drinking chocolate. I applaud Mr.Johnson for doing his research and for giving us such a nice review. Mrs. Julie Casper, hopefully she won't mind me mentioning her name, was the sweet lady who gave me the proverbial kick in the pants to do drinking chocolate.

The inspiration for our recipe dates back a little further though to when I was in Italy working with some master chocolatiers alongside Chef Judy Witts Francini (www.divinacucina.com/). I was priviledged enough to see the inner workings of artisan chocolate makers such as Danielo Vestri (www.vestri.it), Roberto Cantinari (www.robertocatinari.it), Simone de Castro (www.simonedecastro.it), and several others as part of the Tuscan Masters program with EcoleChocolat (www.ecolechocolat.com). During this time, I experienced some of the most wonderful chocolates that you can ever imagine. Andrea Slitti is the master of drinking chocolate in Italy; he originally was a coffee roaster and turned to chocolates later in his career. He has a whole range of crazy and exciting flavors that we tried. My very first drinking chocolate was a hazelnut laden one. It had crushed hazelnuts and a syrup mixed into it. I thought the portion was way too much (roughly 12 oz) but the taste was awesome - rich and molten and nutty. I honestly didn't think this would be something I would try again...until I ran into Mrs. Casper....The recipe hinges on two things: the base chocolate used and the execution of melting it. If you start with crap chocolate, then you will reap what you make. Don't complain to me. Go with the good stuff! Then, it's just the process of how you make it. This takes a little practice because you want to add just the right amount of heat, which chocolate doesn't like. Too much heat and you have scorched earth. Too little heat and the chocolate will just float around teasing you like a school yard bully....

A lot of the recipes I received are tucked neatly away in my little binder of recipes that I hope to recreate and share with you. Drinking chocolate is just one in the arsenal of flavors that people can try out and hopefully enjoy.

Chocolate Rain????

Ok quickly.....Don't ask for an explanation but I found this to be funny in kind of a twisted way and hopefully won't....well, you be the judge.

Cheers.

Video

Would you like some water?

You know there are times when I just don't have a good feeling when developing a recipe? Today, I was having one of those days. We are working on a new chile truffle in our little kitchen for Valentine's Day's orders. [We will showcase it next week.] However, there came a moment today when I couldn't taste anything anymore and I didn't realize it. What I was tasting were I think after-effects from the constant assaults my taste buds were undergoing. Then it hit me, I really can't distinguish the intensity anymore of one recipe to another....that's not so good. I decided I needed some verification of exactly where I was....it is kind of like being lost in the woods....you just need someone to point you to the way out.

It was change of shifts at the cafe, so I had the freshest tastebuds coming onboard to try out our newest treat. They took one bite. That's it. One bite. They almost hyperventilated and told me, in no uncertain terms, that they were turned off for some time to spicy/hot foods....verification? Did I see the path yet? Am I looking in the right direction? One strike against the new recipe. [staff people can be rather....honest to a flaw - I wouldn't have it any other way]. I apologized to them and said that I may have missed the mark a bit. You know it's like a plane landing...sometimes you go a bit too far down the runway....they replied, "You ran it into the ocean, Fred!!!"

Next step, I took some to my darling children....they are rather discriminating when it comes to chocolate. Most anytime I have them taste test a new concoction, they give me the thumbs up....not so this time. My son could not give me an immediate thumbs up or down because he was too busy sucking down glasses of water to scream. My daughter decided when she saw big brother wince in pain after eating his test piece, there was no way she was going to eat her portion. Ok what I need is some person(s) that usually likes hot and spicy foods to try it out and give an honest opinion....some feedback please....I need more data....that will come tonight. Thankfully, my ever resourceful wife, Elaine, has tracked down some kind South Asian folks that are quite happy to light up their tastes to something a little on the more dangerous side....I'll let you know how that turns out. Tomorrow, back to the drawing board as it's said. Adios for now.

Chocolate Bliss

You know, I love a little competition...especially when it involves one of my favorite foods...chocolate!! http://www.chocolatedreams.org/ is having a little smackdown at the Churchill Downs Triple Crown room on February 25, 2008, and your's truly has been invited. Now what I don't know is exactly what to showcase...should it be something I already have in the cafe? Should it be thematic, like a horeshoe? Or, could it be a new creation? Hmm....I'm thinking something new....Tell me your ideas! [Please no chocolate dipped chipmunk ideas...Elaine already shot that one down....]

I hope everyone has had a great Holiday season and is ready for 2008!! This year is all about flavors. We will have some hot, some not, some smooth, some rocky, some just melt in your mouth and drip all over your shoes....

Christmas Chat

From time to time, you need someone to give you a boost in your business with creative ideas. Judy Witts Francini (divinacucina.blogspot.com) is such a person. She is all about thinking up new things for me to try. I feel fortunate enough to have someone who cares enough to help me keep my focus on creating and trying and stretching my chocolate dreams. What's in the works you might ask??? Well, check back and I'll post, eventually, some photos, some comments, some needed insights...ciao for now.