International dark chocolate day
Happy International Dark Chocolate Day!
Could there be anything better than starting the day knowing that it is celebrated
Currently there are celebrations of all kinds and there is a wonderful gastronomic calendar that emphasizes the best culinary creations and ingredients that exist today.
As good lovers of gastronomy, sweets and, of course, chocolate (it couldn't be any other way, we are a caterer!), today we want to talk to you a little about the protagonist of the day.
Dark Chocolate
It is made from cocoa beans. Once they are cut and extracted from the tree, they are fermented and dried. The next step is to toast them! And that is done at different temperatures and that is when you can start to extract the part inside.
And then what happens? These inner parts are ground until it becomes a paste, or rather, cocoa paste.
With this, the base of what chocolate is is obtained, then it begins to be mixed with sugar, milk and other ingredients and that is when we proceed to make the different types of chocolates.
It has an intense flavor and a slight bitter touch. More or less depending on the percentage of cocoa it carries.
Who can resist an ounce of dark chocolate?
With breakfast, inside a yogurt with fruit, accompanying coffee,... It goes with any moment.
Benefits of chocolate
There has always been a tendency to associate dark chocolate with foods that we should not eat, and this is a big mistake!
The moderate consumption of this food provides us with a large number of health advantages that many do not take into account.
It is an excellent source of energy. It has fewer calories and sugars. Both take longer to digest so they help us activate metabolism. And what does this sum up to?
How does it give us energy to carry out our daily activities?
It is good for heart health. Did you know what an ingredient rich in antioxidants is?
It also helps us to promote blood flow correctly, thus providing good cardiovascular health.
Helps lower blood pressure. The flavonoids contained in this food help dilate blood vessels and make everything flow better.
Dark chocolate produces a feeling of well-being and helps to lift your spirits. Has it ever happened to you that when you eat certain foods, you feel in a better mood? This is due to the presence of tryptophan, which in this case is found in dark chocolate, and helps stimulate the production of serotonin.
Fiber source? Yes! Dark chocolate provides 11 grams of fiber per 100gr.
And also, thanks to this, it also has a satiating effect that helps us to quell hunger.
It can also help lower cholesterol, relieve coughs, and improve memory.
How can we not include this incredible food in our diet?
Chocolate percentage
It is very important to know the chocolate that we should choose when considering our diet. For the one that you introduce into your day to day, the more percentage of chocolate, the better, because the purer it will be and the less sugar it will contain.
It is recommended to start with a chocolate that has a percentage of 70%. It is the least bitter and if you first buy a 90% tablet and start with it, you will surely not want to continue and you will opt for another less healthy option.
You can also choose those that have some food that complements it (always from 70%) such as salt or orange zest.
You can leave the most special ones, as the word says, for a special occasion.
While sugars accelerate the aging of our skin, dark chocolate, thanks to its large amount of antioxidants, helps prevent it.
Recipes with chocolate
We associate chocolate with sweet, but we tell you that with this ingredient you can cook both savory and sweet recipes.
We all think of a brownie, chocolate cookies, chocolate cakes, even hot chocolate to enjoy with some churros or some melindros.
But, does the idea of preparing sirloin steak with red wine and chocolate come to mind? Or to prepare a chicken stuffed with chocolate sauce?
We tell you how to do it easily and getting the combinations right.
The flavor of chocolate is between sweet and bitter in almost equal parts, which is why it usually goes very well with meat, stews and casseroles. I add a unique and different touch.
What is most recommended is to use chocolate that contains a high percentage of cocoa, and the key to the success of the dish is to add it subtly to the sauce, without masking it and complementing other flavors.
Some examples:
Meats. Meatballs, cheeks, veal tail.
On the barbecue. Caramelizing the meat with a base that contains chocolate in addition to other ingredients, such as soy sauce, honey and garlic.
In salads. Whether you want to put it in small pieces (it goes very well with cherry tomato and fresh cheese for example) or if you want to add it to the sauce (it is said that it makes a very good combination with Modena vinegar).
Pastry with dark chocolate
In ESKISIT there is no lack of any type of chocolate, neither is dark chocolate. We love creating, testing and making desserts and cakes with all types of chocolate.
From a Black Forest, to the classic brownie or a buttercream cake with chocolate sponge cake and crunchy chocolate filling (which has a Ferrero Rocher flavor).
And if you need dessert for any meeting, celebration or special occasion, do not hesitate to fill out our form or write to info@eskisit.com
We will prepare the most delicious homemade desserts (with or without chocolate) for you.
Comments