Enjoy Some Dark Delights (NAPSA)—Longthe sophisticated dessert ingredient of chefs worldwide, dark chocolate is assuminga place of prominence in supermarket baking aisles across the U.S. Home bakers are moving away from flat, sugary sweet desserts and exploring the full range of complex flavors only premium dark chocolate can provide. With more recipes calling for dark chocolate and some even spec- ifying the percentage of cocoa for the best results, premium choco- late makersare providing the highest-quality line of baking chocolate. One recently announced a new formula improvement to its awardwinning dark baking chocolate, with more richly intense chocolate flavor than ever. It’s also expanded its line to include a new 70 percent cocoa extra-bittersweet bar. Said Steve Genzoli, Head Choco- latier at Ghirardelli Chocolate Com- Recipe Contest Think your chocolaterecipe is the best of the best? Enter Ghirardelli’s “Is Your Dessert Intense Enough?”recipe contest. You could win a Hawaiian Family Cruise, trip for two fo San Francisco, new kitchen appliancesor lots of indulgent Ghirardelli chocolate. Entries must be received by December 15, 2005. Look for contest ad in the November and Decemberissues of Ladies Home Journal and entry form and contest details at Ihj.com/intensechocolate or ghirardelli.com. @ 2. Look for premium brands which have a very fine grind. This allows for easy melting of the chocolate into a noticeably glossy smooth texture. 3. Consider chocolate offered in quantities consistent with recipe pany, “Bakers are beginning to explore and appreciate the rich fla- requirements. Chocolate formed deliver, from balanced sweetness to lets bakers add the exact amount necessary for the best results. vor range dark chocolate can moreintense burstsofflavor.” To help consumers select the proper level of intensity for their baking chocolate, Ghirardelli is the first nationally available baking brand to include cocoa percentage information on its packaging. By knowing the cocoa percentage, consumers can precisely match product to recipe and personaltaste. Genzoli adds that while personal taste is the ultimate deciding factor in baking chocolate selection, there are some basic guidelines. Here’s whatto look for: 1. Not all baking chocolate is created equal when it comes to quality. Check the ingredients list for pure ingredients such as real vanilla and no artificial flavoring or preservatives. in smaller, easily breakable pieces is not only easier to work with, it 4. Choose baking chocolate based upon quality and intensity. Premium quality chocolate will perform and taste better in recipes. Chocolate offered in various cocoa percentages lets you select the precise balance of sweetness and chocolate intensity for your taste. 5. Experiment with chocolate intensity. Baking chocolate can range from unsweetened (100 percent cocoa) to extra bittersweet (65 to 70 percent cocoa) to bittersweet (50 to 60 percent cocoa) to semisweet (35 to 45 percent cocoa). Use a higher cocoa content chocolate to really bring out the chocolate intensity in your dessert or use a lower cocoa content to highlight and complement anotheringredient.
