Chocolate is sexy. Chocolate is sensuous. Chocolate even produces the same sensation as falling in love does -- or so says one study. Chocolate contains the same naturally occurring chemical, phenylethylamine, that the brain produces in increased amounts when people fall in love.
So no wonder chocolate and Valentine's Day go together.
Marcel Desaulniers, the chef at the Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg, Va., and creator of the signature dessert called Death by Chocolate, explains what makes chocolate alluring.
"Chocolate has a persona all its own. It's instantly gratifying, and in different forms and at different temperatures it delivers significantly different rewards to the palate. Death by Chocolate, a chocolate truffle, chocolate sorbet, M&Ms; -- all of them have something rewarding for the palate. Chocolate is a wonderful ingredient because of its ability to transform itself into different forms and flavors."
Though chocolate usually gets a bad rap from the health-conscious, it must be noted that it is free of cholesterol and salt, and is a high-energy food. It also went up Mount #F Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary and flew to the moon with American astronauts.
Chocolate has come a long way in its 4,000-year history. The Amazon Basin and the Orinoco Valley of South America are cited most often as the birthplace of chocolate. Now the Ivory Coast, Brazil and Ghana are the world's leading producers of cocoa beans, from which chocolate is produced.
When the conquistadors met Emperor Montezuma, the story goes, he was drinking xocolatl, liquid chocolate, from a golden goblet. The foolish Spaniards were more interested in the goblet than its contents.
By 1528 chocolate was introduced to Spain and soon became the nobility's favorite drink. Over the years, chocolate in all its forms gained popularity across Europe. Ironically, today, the Spanish have the lowest per capita consumption of chocolate on the continent. The Swiss consume the most chocolate -- 22 pounds a year per capita. By comparison, Americans consume about 11 pounds per capita.
As for flavor preference, Europeans favor bittersweet chocolate, Americans go for milk chocolate. In fact, 90 percent of American chocolate sales are milk chocolate.
If you're thinking of a chocolate gift for your valentine, why settle for a box of commercial sweets? Instead, make your own spectacular chocolate truffles. Then see what happens.
EBONY AND IVORY CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
7 1/2 ounces white chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
Place the white and dark chocolates in separate stainless steel bowls. Heat cream in a 1 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Pour 1/4 cup of boiling cream over the white chocolate and the remainder over the dark chocolate. Allow to stand 4-5 minutes. Stir each with a separate whisk until smooth and allow to cool 1 hour at room temperature. Refrigerate 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Portion 36 heaping teaspoons of dark chocolate into separate mounds on the paper. Top each with a level teaspoon of white chocolate. To fashion truffles, roll each portion of chocolate in your palms in a gently circular motion, using just enough pressure to form smooth rounds. Frequently wipe your hands clean during the process of rolling. Roll the rounds in cocoa until completely covered. (Truffles may also be rolled in finely chopped nuts and shredded coconut or enrobed with chocolate ganache.)
Truffles may be refrigerated for several days. Bring to room temperature before serving, which will take 15-20 minutes. If truffles absorb the cocoa during refrigeration, simply roll in more cocoa before serving. Makes about 3 dozen.
Adapted from "Death By Chocolate" by Marcel Desaulniers (Rizzoli, 1992).