Chocolate mallows—inspired by our Sapporo trip

On a recent family trip to Japan, I was amazed at Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido. It’s probably the most unique airport I’ve seen.

Part carnival, part shopping mall, it has everything to keep waiting passengers entertained, prodding arriving passengers to spend a few hours there before proceeding to their hotels in the city, and departing ones to arrive there early, so they can have time to enjoy all the facilities before boarding their flights.


Imagine a world of chocolates, for instance, which occupies an entire section of the airport. Here, one shop after another sells pastries, ice cream and chocolates, particularly Japan’s famous Royce brand.

There’s also a showcase factory where visitors can view the many stages of chocolate making, as well as a museum that traces the origins of cacao.

My daughters were ecstatic over the Hello Kitty Happy Flight, which reminded them of their childhood. Here their favorite Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty, My Melody and Little Twin Stars greeted them in every corner.

In the pretend airplane, Hello Kitty was dressed as a flight attendant, while at the European Plaza, Sanrio characters posed beside replicas of famous landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

There was also a short musical presentation starring Sanrio characters.

Back in the Chocolate World, we viewed a display of vintage chocolates cans and packages. Some of the chocolates may no longer be in the market, while others have modernized their wrappers and packaging.

I was especially drawn to Whitman’s chocolates in the familiar yellow sampler box, with its assortment of nougats, chocolate-dipped nuts and vanilla cups.

Milky Way and Baby Ruth bars in old-fashioned wrappers also triggered feelings of nostalgia.

Also on display was a recipe for King Mallows, made with marshmallows and Nestlé’s milk chocolate bar. I remember that chocolate bar well—a thin block of chocolate emblazoned with the word Nestlé on it, its wrapper clearly branded Nestlé in bright red color.


Unfortunately, Nestlé seems to have stopped production of this variant.

Still, the recipe looked so enticing. Hence, soon after returning to Manila, I tested it in my kitchen, using Nestlé’s semisweet chocolate morsels as substitute for the chocolate bar. Not only did the recipe work, the chocolate marshmallow bars were also scrumptious.

Here’s the recipe. With only two ingredients (plus the shortening for greasing the pan), it’s easy and simple to make. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill in the refrigerator before cutting it into squares and gobbling it up.

Nestlé’s King Mallows

The original recipe for this used king-size Nestlé milk chocolate bars. Since it’s no longer in the market, you can use Nestlé semisweet chocolate morsels instead.

Ingredients
Shortening, for greasing the pan, or nonstick cooking spray
2 12-oz packs Nestlé semisweet chocolate morsels
2 c mini marshmallows



Use the shortening to lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 8x8x2-inch pan, or use a pan of similar size. Alternatively you can spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Melt one pack of chocolate morsels in a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is smooth.

Spread the melted chocolate on the greased pan. Sprinkle the mini marshmallows on top of the chocolate. Melt the second pack of chocolate morsels in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Spread over the marshmallows.

Cover the pan and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours, or until firm. Before serving, cut into squares. Makes about 16 squares.

Cook’s tips:

Make sure the chocolate morsels are at room temperature, not cold, before you melt them. If the morsels are cold, or have been chilled, they won’t melt easily.

If you’ve chilled the chocolate morsels, take them out of the refrigerator and let them rest at room temperature for one to two hours before melting them.

Melt the morsels one pack at a time so they’ll be easier to stir.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Candy company, scientists team up to save chocolate from extinction by 2050

Candy company Mars and scientists from the University of California are working on a technology that will ensure cacao plants can grow amid climate change.

According to a 2014 research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, if “business as usual” continues, countries that produce cacao will increase in temperature by 2.1°C.

The world’s leading producers are Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Indonesia. The African countries count for over half of chocolate production globally.

The higher temperatures in West Africa would mean a lack of rainfall, which will cause cacao plants to die.

A solution would be to plant on higher ground. However, as in the case of Ghana, agricultural land is limited because forests are being preserved as natural habitats.

According to Business Insider, UC Berkeley geneticist Jennifer Doudna is leading the partnership with Mars to save chocolate with a genome editing technology called CRISPR/Cas9. Doudna herself has contributed research on it.

Mars, known for M&Ms, Snickers and 3 Musketeers, pledged $1 billion to reduce its carbon footprint by over 60 percent by 2050.

Part of this funding goes to UC Berkeley’s biosciences building where cacao seedlings are stored in refrigerated greenhouses.

Under the supervision of Myeong-Je Cho, the director of plant genomics, the plants’ DNA will be transformed to survive in a dryer climate.

The CRISPR/Cas9, a tool which finds a target DNA, binds an enzyme called Cas9 to the DNA and cuts it.

Projects in Doudna’s research lab aim to help farmers in the developing world. For instance, cassava DNA is being modified so that the crop doesn’t produce as much of a harmful toxin when it is in hotter temperatures.

Other potential uses are editing human genes—possibly producing controversial “designer babies”—and eliminating human diseases.  Niña V. Guno /ra

source: technology.inquirer.net

A little chocolate each week may help prevent a heart flutter, study says

Indulging in a little chocolate each week maybe be linked with a lower risk of developing the heart rhythm irregularity atrial fibrillation, according to new Danish research.

Also known as a heart flutter, atrial fibrillation affects more than 33 million people worldwide, and one in four adults are likely to develop the condition at some point in their life. However, it’s not clear what causes it or how to prevent it, and there is no known cure.

As regular chocolate consumption, especially of dark chocolate, has been shown to be beneficial for other heart conditions, the team behind the new research wanted to see if chocolate could also help reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation.

The researchers looked at data from 55,502 (26,400 male and 29,100 female) participants, aged between 50 and 64, who were taking part in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Study.

Participants reported on their usual weekly chocolate consumption, with one serving classified as 1 ounce (30 g).

Although they were not asked to specify what type of chocolate they consumed, most chocolate eaten in Denmark is milk chocolate, which has a minimum 30 percent cocoa solids.

The team also gathered information on participants’ diet and lifestyle at the beginning of the study, including information on heart disease risk factors such as smoking. Participants were then monitored for an average of 13.5 years.

The results showed that the diagnosis rate of atrial fibrillation rate was 10 percent lower for those who are 1-3 servings of chocolate a month than it was for those who ate less than 1 serving a month.

Those who ate one serving of chocolate a week benefited from a 17 percent lower risk of atrial fibrillation, and those who increased this to 2-6 weekly servings benefited from a 20 percent lower risk.

Those who ate one or more servings daily showed a 14 percent lower risk.

When they looked at any sex differences between the results, the findings showed that the association seemed to be strongest for women when they ate 1 weekly serving of chocolate (21 percent lower risk), and strongest for men when they consumed between 2 and 6 weekly servings (23 percent lower risk).

As an observational study, no firm conclusions can be made, and certain factors could affect the health benefits of the chocolate, for example adding milk.

However the team still concluded, “Regardless of the limitations of the Danish chocolate study, the findings are interesting and warrant further consideration, especially given the importance of identifying effective prevention strategies for [atrial fibrillation],” which have so far proved elusive.

The findings can be found published online in the journal Heart. KI

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Your Favorite Peanut Butter Cup Might Soon Be Getting a Serious Upgrade

If you could have two good things at the same time, then why not do it? Old-school favorite Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups might soon come out with a version stuffed with Reese’s Pieces. As Eater says, “So meta.”

The news comes from a leaked photo on Facebook. On the other hand, a Hershey spokesperson neither confirms nor denies the product with the following statement:

“Guess you’ve heard about the #Cupfusion,” the spokesperson said in an email to Eater. “A leaked photo on Facebook of a potential new Reese’s Cup filled with Reese’s Pieces has led to a social explosion filled with conversation and speculation online. The Reese’s Facebook and Twitter feeds have been flooded with thousands of comments from the brand’s most loyal fans, begging for the rumors to be true.

“Would Reese’s make consumer dreams come true and bring together two beloved favorites — Cups and Pieces — into one mind-blowing delicious cup of goodness? You’ll just have to keep watching as it unfolds!”

Looks like Reese’s is out to build the hype first, whatever they are up to next.

What do you think? Should Reese’s Pieces-stuffed Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups be a thing? Can you say that twice as fast?

[Eater]



Photo courtesy of The Crepes of Wrath

source: preen.inquirer.net

Chocolate's source is over 9 million years old, scientists find

The plant that we use to make chocolate diverged from its closest relative almost 10 million years ago (Ma), according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

The researchers looked at Theobroma cacao, the source of chocolate, and analyzed both its chloroplasts and nuclear DNA. They found that the genus Theobroma split from the genus Herrania around 12.7 Ma, and that Theobroma had a faster rate of diversification compared to other branches in its family.

The study also found that T. cacao diversified from its “most recent common ancestor” 9.9 Ma, and said that this means that it has had a lot of time to end up with a significant diversity within its own species.

This finding means good news for the chocolate industry and agriculture—most plantations only use a small percentage of the diversity available, and this lack of variation in cultivated cacao plants means that they’re vulnerable to pests and diseases and may not be able to adapt to climate change.

“Studies of the evolutionary history of economically important groups are vital to develop agricultural industries, and demonstrate the importance of conserving biodiversity to contribute towards sustainable development,” said Dr. James Richardson, lead author of the study and a tropical botanist at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. “Here we show for the first time that the source of chocolate, Theobroma cacao, is remarkably old for an Amazonian plant species.”

The study said that wild varieties of T. cacao could be used to introduce greater diversity in plantations. — Bea Montenegro/TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Chocolate fashion, design show dazzles in Paris

Dazzling chocolate sculptures are dominating the 20th annual Salon du Chocolat show in Paris, held at the Chateau de Versailles.

A four-meter-high chocolate King Kong made by French chocolate company JeanPaul Hevin stole the show, thanks to its true-to-life appearance.

"It originated from the King Kong movie. It took dozens of sculptors about two months to accomplish this sculpture," said sculptor Richard Orlinski.

Orlinski said it is a challenge for him and his team to finish the giant chocolate gorilla due to the unstable temperature.

At the other side of the exhibition hall, a design called "chocolate waltz" with vibrating liquid chocolate highlighted the show.

"Actually, the movement of this design is showed in two aspects. First, the vibration creates different shapes of chocolate; second, the chocolate colors in different zones are not the same, thus showing various of pattens and able to change constantly," said designer Romain Duclos.

Not only chocolate, pastry, sweets and other confectionery food are being showcased at the salon.

The exhibition is expected to be attended by almost 13,000 participants, according to the organizers. It opened on Wednesday and will run until Sunday. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com