Tag: Belgium;

More than a Trifling Experience of Belgian Chocolate Truffles

A chocolate truffle is a collection of chocolate sweets. This mouth watering confection us usually made with a round ganache of chocolate core covered with a powdered cocoa or chocolate. It is actually named after the truffle fungus because of their physical similarities.

A ganache is a French term which refers to the concoction of heavy cream and chocolate. It is usually produced from cream of heavy consistency which is boiled and then dispensing it on top of chopped up chocolate. This concoction is mixed until it finally is perfectly smooth. The ratio and proportion of the ganache will vary depending on the kind of chocolate the chocolatier wants. For truffles, the usual ratio is two parts of chocolates is to one part of cream.

There are basically four kinds of chocolate truffles that have been circulating the chocolate world. These three are the Swiss truffle, European truffle, American Truffle, and the Belgian truffle.

The Swiss truffle is produced from the combination of chocolate and a boiling concoction of butter and dairy cream. This mixture is then gradually transferred into casts for setting. Eventually cocoa powder is sprinkled unto the chocolate casts. The Swiss truffle should be eaten up within days of production since it has a short shelf-life.

American truffles are shaped like half an egg which is covered with chocolate. It is a combination of milk or dark chocolates with coconut oil that is hardened and butterfat. The Canadians also has their own version which includes the additional ingredients of peanut butter and graham crumbs.

European truffles is created from a base made from powdered cocoa, powdered milk, and fats as well as syrup which then results to a palatable truffle which has oil-in-water essence.

Finally, the Belgian truffle is a produced from Belgian chocolate and ganache. The ganache may be mixed with certain liquors and essences. Mixtures of truffles are formed into long strands or balls, covered with powdered cocoa, dipped with icing. The Belgian chocolate truffles, compared to its Swiss counterpart, are richer in chocolate and are less sweet. It is considered as the best type of chocolate truffle in the world of chocolates.

Belgian truffles are easy to make even for neophyte chocolatiers. You only need the following ingredients to start with: cooking chocolate, sifted instant coffee, egg yolk, sifted sugar icing, and unsalted butter.

To make the truffles, break down the chocolate into small pieces and melt it in a pot. The pot should be heated by a bigger pot filled with boiling water. This is called the au-bain-Marie method. Then add up the butter and mix it until it melts. Next, do away with the chocolate and butter combination pot then mix in the egg yolk, icing sugar, coffee and then let this mixture chill down. Check the mixture from time to time to ensure that it will not become very hard.

Then, when the chocolate seems a little solid, scoop a teaspoonful and shape it into balls. You can roll it in your hands to get that rounded effect.

As for the covering, combine the powdered cocoa and the sugar icing in a mixing bowl. Then sprinkle it unto the balls of chocolate you have made.

The truffles should be then stored in the fridge for a longer shelf life.

So, you can either make your own truffle or travel to Belgium to buy the famed truffles yourself. Plus, you even go on a sight seeing adventure while munching on the truffles as you travel.

The Reasons Why You Should Start a Belgian Chocolate Store

The Reasons Why You Should Start a Belgian Chocolate Store

Many people today are now starting their own small business in order to have more freedom and also to earn more money. However, you have to consider that not all small businesses are successful. This is because owners of unsuccessful businesses failed to study what most people want and what the demands are in the market today. Sometimes, entrepreneurs have the right idea but the wrong product to sell in their business.

So, before you start any your own small business, you have to consider what your consumers want in order to make your business a success.

To give you an idea on what kind of business is ideal, you have to think of an item or a food that people really loves and one that never grows old. One such food idea is called chocolates. You have to admit the fact that a lot of people loves to eat chocolate. Even dieting people loves eating chocolate and they openly admit that they even cheated at least once on their diet by sneaking in the kitchen in the middle of the night just to eat chocolates.

So, if you are planning to put up a store, you should consider selling chocolate products in order to satisfy the cravings of your potential clients. Since chocolates are very popular all over the world, you can be sure that you will never run out of enthusiastic clients.

However, you have to remember that people are also very picky about what kind of chocolates they want. First of all you have to consider the fact that cheap chocolates dont give the taste that people always look for in a chocolate. This is why you should consider selling only the finest chocolates in order for your chocolate store to be always frequented by chocolate enthusiasts. Always remember that cheap chocolates will never make you successful.

One kind of fine chocolates is Belgian chocolates. You have to consider that Belgium produces one of the finest chocolates in the world. If you yourself love chocolate, you may have heard of Godiva and Callebaut chocolates. These chocolates are Belgian chocolates, and if you know your chocolates, you will know that Godiva and Callebaut are definitely the finest chocolates in the world.

Although fine chocolates from Belgium are on the expensive side, you can always buy them in bulk to save money and order online to enjoy additional discounts and promos. You also have to consider the fact that if you sell only the finest tasting chocolates, you can be sure that your store will be frequented by chocolate lovers.

However, you dont have to exclusively sell Belgian chocolates. You can also provide cheaper and locally made chocolates in order for people who cannot afford to purchase fine chocolates. There are also cheaper brands of Belgian chocolates that you can consider. You have to remember that you should always keep the price as low as possible in order for you to get a lot of profits and also a lot of customers. Always remember that just because it’s Belgian doesnt mean that you have to mark up the price a lot.

To attract and keep customers, always price your Belgian chocolates reasonably. These are some of the things you have to remember when you are planning to put up a chocolate store with Belgian chocolates as your products.

Pure Belgian Chocolate: Providing You with the Highest Quality Chocolates

Pure Belgian Chocolate: Providing You with the Highest Quality Chocolates

It is a fact that chocolates are well-loved by people. In fact, since Columbus’ discovery of chocolate in the Americas, it was used by the ancient Aztecs as a sacred drink. Chocolate was held so valuable that it was used by the Aztecs to trade it for their gold. It was even part of the Aztecs’ monetary system.

Up until today, chocolates are still considered as the best candy in the world. In scientific forms, chocolates have been found to be a natural high blood pressure medicine. Research has found that it decreases the risk of high blood pressure and it also keeps your heart healthy by keeping the normal flow of blood going.

Some people even claimed that chocolates are a great antidepressant food. People have claimed that after a bite of chocolate, depressed people instantly smiled. This is why chocolate is also regarded as the “happy food”. Indeed, chocolates are very irresistible to eat. Diet fanatics even confessed that they cheated on their strict diet by eating chocolates during the duration of their dieting. They even said that chocolates were their number one enemy and that they always lost. They said that they would sneak to the kitchen in the middle of the night just to have a bite of chocolate.

This is why chocolates were also nicknamed as the guilty pleasure food.

First of all, after its discovery and introduction to civilization, people just became hooked into chocolates. In fact, many aristocrats and royalties all over the world cherish chocolates and some monarchy has been found that they kept stashes of chocolates in palaces. You also need to consider that chocolates were held so valuable that many countries have perfected the recipe and kept it a secret for a very long time.

One country that perfected the craft in chocolate manufacturing is Belgium. If you are a chocolate lover, there is a great chance that you have eaten Belgian chocolate before. If Godiva and Callebaut sound familiar, then you know your Belgian chocolates. If you have tasted pure Belgian chocolates before, you know how delicious it can be and you know that you can never get enough of Belgian chocolates.

There are pure Belgian chocolates available in the market today. You have to consider that these chocolates are made of premium quality cocoa beans from the south. Belgians have been making chocolates for centuries and because of this experience and expertise, they have perfected the recipe for having the best tasting chocolates in the world.

You can order pure Belgian chocolates. Although it may be priced expensively, you have to consider that once you have tasted one, you will surely ask for more and say that it’s worth every penny. Some people who have tasted pure Belgian chocolates said that they felt like floating after tasting the chocolate. You have to consider that this is because of the chemical property that chocolates have. It will make you feel euphoric and as mentioned before, it is described as the “happy food”. Combined with the Belgian secret recipe for manufacturing chocolates, you can definitely be sure that you will taste a one-of-a-kind chocolate that will make you ask for more.

Whether you want to make chocolate delicacies, or you simply want to eat pure chocolate, pure Belgian chocolate should be your choice. It will make any chocolate delicacies taste far greater than ever before.

Belgian Chocolate Pralines: The Successful Story of Jean Neuhaus

From the 18th century, the Belgian chocolate has risen in fame. In 1912, a chocolate genius Jean Neuhaus created a new procedure and increased its popularity ten-fold. He used a “couverteur” which is a specialized chocolate version. It is also the pralines cold shell. But it is different from the American sugary treats found in most candy shops. Chocolate pralines from Belgium are filled with varieties of flavored creams or nougats, such as hazelnut, fruit, more chocolate, or coffee. Some of the chocolatiers in the time of Neuhaus could duplicate his pralines complex flavors.

Jean Neuhaus successful years were after the end of the First World War And this time, Louise Agostini, his wife made another breakthrough by creating the ballotin or praline box, significant type of pralines preciously made by hand. It has a very practical green and gold packaging embossed with letter “N”. Because Jean never patented this ballotin, it became the design favored by all chocolate manufacturers in Belgium since its creation.

The creativity of Jean Neuhaus led to the development of new methods for applying a precise standard quality to all praline productions. They ensured that the finest ingredients are selected to produce chocolates of high quality. He became the unfaltering source of ideas for creating new pralines. Even the Royal Family of Belgium is one of his satisfied customers. In 1918, The Prince of Wales and Prince Leopold have visited the Neuhaus shop to try what everybody is talking about in town.
In 1923, the son-in-law of Jean Neuhaus Adelson de Grave was initiated in praline manufacturing and was taught the secret of the family’s business. His creations also brought additional distinction to the Neuhaus Company. His son Pierre also contributed his genius by helping his father create Tentation and Caprice and opened other Neuhaus shops outside Brussels.

In 1978, the Neuhaus Chocolate Company was put under the management of Claude Poncelet and Jean-Jacques. Their goal of making Neuhaus the world’s most famous brand was clear to capture the foreign markets. Thus, more Neuhaus outlets were opened in Japan, Canada, Guadeloupe, Colombia, United States, and other capital cities in Europe.

In 1991, Neuhaus became the leader in the luxurious praline sector industry in Belgium as well as in Luxemburg. Their well-defined strategies for marketing and international networks kept Neuhaus in maintaining an enviable position in the market. Modern technology investment also contributed to the success of Neuhaus, but one-third of praline productions remained handmade. In 2000, King Albert accredited Neuhaus as their chocolate supplier.

Neuhaus Company has remained in the chocolate industry until today. The legacy of Jean Neuhaus continues to make the best Belgian chocolate pralines. Their technical advantage among other chocolate manufacturers is the couverteur storage before use. In the process of making chocolates, the fine grinding of cocoa beans is first done. Afterwards, it is mixed with cocoa butter and sugar and then smoothened through tempering. Adding heat during the process must be carefully done. Many chocolate companies received the chocolates in solid forms. It means they have to reheat it to become usable. But Belgian chocolate companies often received the chocolates in a heated tanker after the tempering process. Chocolates that are not cooled retain most of its aroma.

Belgian chocolates can be expensive. However, those people who have tasted it revealed that nothing can compare with its true quality. And this is what Belgian chocolates are known for throughout history.

Belgian Chocolate Gift Baskets: A Truly Wonderful Treat For Everybody

Belgian Chocolate Gift Baskets: A Truly Wonderful Treat For Everybody

Belgian chocolates provide many options that can meet everybody’s needs when talking about chocolates. Belgian chocolates have become the food of the champions, the indulgences of wealthy people, the sole favorite of the average masses, and the lures of lovers. Yearly, Belgium can produce about 172,000 tons of chocolates from 2,000 chocolate outlets all over the country. So, the supply is unlimited for your gift baskets.

Chocolate gift baskets are increasingly becoming popular. Belgian chocolates have soothing tastes that fits any age group. Belgian chocolate gift baskets can work effectively because most everybody is a chocolate lover. Some people just love chocolates with particular flavors and some don’t care about the brands anymore as long as it is chocolate. People have different reasons why they like chocolates. Some like its sweetness, some like its bitterness, some like its nuts, and some like its caramel fillings. Others may prefer white chocolates. Different varieties of Belgian chocolates in gift baskets can satisfy chocolate lovers all day. Belgian chocolate gift baskets suit all types of occasions.

Most kids also love to receive such gifts during special occasions. Rose or heart shaped Belgian chocolates are perfect for your gift basket if it is intended for your girlfriend. She could never resist such a wonderful treat. In addition, Belgian chocolate baskets can be combined with a bottle of wine if you are planning for a romantic evening. Chocolates are known to be aphrodisiacs. It is associated with simple sensual pleasures upon consumption. Some studies revealed that serotonin as well as other chemicals such as phenethylamine is responsible for mild sexual stimulation. However, giving chocolate gifts to your sweetheart is a traditional ritual of courtship.

There are also different methods when packing Belgian chocolates in gift baskets. It depends on the receiver. There are also chocolates in gift boxes already with finest materials. If you prefer this, you don’t need to make the basket gift wrapping. One good idea to make Belgian chocolates gift baskets really especial is to send it to someone you do not know really well. The recipient can be surprised that such an expensive gift is given to them. Likewise, you do not have to worry whether the person likes your gifts or not.

Low calorie Belgian chocolates are fine for health conscious people who are afraid of calories. They can appreciate it well since you are also concerned with their health as well as never deprive them of enjoying chocolate treats. Recently, some research claims the highly medicinal benefits of eating chocolates.

You can try the most sublime confection of chocolates called Belgium pralines. These chocolates are beautifully sculpted in shells concealing a central filling of surprising flavors and textures. Many chocolate manufacturers still make Belgian pralines by hand. There are also luxury chocolates which provide the best ever tasting chocolates ever manufactured. However, this is not a good gift for allergy sufferers and diabetics. Instead you can select from chocolates that are dairy-free, sugar-free, and which suits diabetic people.

The creation of Belgian chocolates is truly a genius undertaking. The manufacturers really see the importance of chocolates in the lives of many people even from the past centuries until now. These treats make people happy regardless of whatever reasons. So, never fail to incorporate chocolate gift baskets into your lives and continue the tradition in touching other people’s lives. It is only a matter of giving chocolates.