So if you're curious about what I do in between promoting my books (by the way, did I mention I have a free short at Phaze Books, called A Daring Twist? Go to the free erotic short stories page for it. Also, check out my homepage for news on when my latest anthology, Metropolitan Passions, Volume 1 comes out. It features my M/M short, Why, Why Zed?), I basically blog about chocolate. Not just Twix, either. I'm talking the good stuff - the brand names with accents and umlauts from places like Costa Rica and Switzerland. Rich in antioxidants, bold in flavor, it's a snack that offers some health benefits, provided you don't sit on your tush all day and wolf it down. Indeed, I limit myself to about two ounces a day. I almost have to, for some of the chocolate I buy is so rich I really don't need more than that. I find, also, that chocolate helps me with my writing.
You see, consumption of chocolate triggers the release of endorphins, which help make you feel goooood. The better you feel, the more apt you are to write hot romantic scenes. Yes, I do sometimes joke about needing to swallow all of Hershey, PA to get the novel written, but I've had few complaints so far.
What's the best chocolate for writers? I've been asked to make recommendations before, and truthfully I cannot give a definite answer. I can tell you, however, what I prefer best: a dark single origin solid, usually around the 70-75% cacao level, where the taste is not too bitter and not too sweet. The bar should snap loudly and easily when broken and give off a rich aroma. If I had to pick five must-haves to keep near the keyboard, I would choose these (in no particular order):
Endangered Species Supreme Dark (72%) - Strong snap and a smooth finish, great in moderation. You can find this brand in most organic and health food type stores. Look for the labels with the wild animals.
Chocolpologie Dark (71%) with Burnt Caramel and Sea Salt - Recommended only if you like savory stuff mixed with chocolate. It's a thick bar permeated with strong, sharp flavors.
Sea salt is a great compliment, provided there isn't too much of it. You might have to order this one online.
Green and Black's Dark (70%) - A popular organic bar, found in most grocery stores these days. Strong aroma and flavor, good beginner bar for those new to dark chocolate.
Patric Chocolate (67%) - Probably some of the best dark chocolate I've ever had! This company makes bars in micro-batches, thereby preserving the flavor of the bar and the integrity of the brand. You'll have to order these online unless you can find them in a specialty shop.
Waialua Estate Dark (70%) - Excellent stuff! The cacao is grown entirely in Hawaii o on the Dole plantations by the Guittard Chocolate company. You can actually taste pineapple in the finish. You'll have to search for these.
And if do you find some, send some my way?
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4 comments:
And if you're not a DARK chocolate person? (Or is milk chocolate considered the ebook of chocolate publishing?)
I've seen these brands at the store. My favorite (since I'm diabetic but a chocoholic) is Dove Dark Chocolate Sugar Free Truffles with Dark Chocolate Creme. A mouthful and that's just the name! They're sold in bagged candy over by the mints and so on. Not expensive, and a serving counts as one carb with 3 g of fiber. Anytime you get fiber and chocolate it's good - but usually tastes yukky. However, these Dove Truffles are so rich I've never been able to eat a full serving, which is five pieces. I am lucky if I can manage two. Seriously. I keep them in a lovely lead crystal jar with a lid so they even look decadent inside it.
Alessia - I used to love milk chocolate, but the older I've gotten, the sharper the flavors I seem to crave. I would never have touched mustard greens growing up altho my mom loved them. Now I love them, especially splashed with hot pepper sauce (Tabasco). I've always loved spinach, even right out of the can, and my mother served it cold with vinegar drizzled over it. I use malt vinegar now. Nice thing about it is I can indulge in an entire can and not go over any limits. It's a free food for my lifestyle eating habits.
ps - the darker the chocolate the higher the sources of antioxidants and other sources of nutrition. Milk chocolate is creamier due to its high fat content. Sorry. :(
If you love chocolate you have to try Equal Exchange www.equalexchange.coop which has a couple of dark chocolates and Rapunzel Organic Swiss Chocolate www.rapunzel.com which has a dark chocolate with hazelnuts. Both are wonderful and make my tongue happy.
For milk lovers, if you can find them, definitely look for Vosges Chocolates and milk varieties of Endangered Species. The Vosges bars are usually around 40%, so they're not too sweet.
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