Liquid Chocolate

The blissful chocolate!

If there is one weakness that a lot of people have, it is chocolate. Steeped in history and one of the foods that dominates so many of the major holidays, it is no wonder that chocolate is so popular.

Cocoa beans that make the chocolate are made from the fruit of the cacao tree which is native to South and Central America. In fact, not long after his discover of America, Christopher Columbus found cocoa beans and took them back to Europe. (If we’re going into the technical side of things, he didn’t actually discover them; he in fact stole them from a trader’s ship!)

Not only an iconic food, chocolate also reached ‘super food’ status recently. As superfoods are usually high in nutrients and great for your health, a lot of people are doubtful as to the benefits of eating chocolate, and of course excess chocolate is bad for you, especially processed bars with excessive amounts of sugar that have been added to the cocoa beans.

However, the raw cacao bean has many health benefits. In fact, dark chocolate and cocoa are higher in antioxidants than fruit! Eating it in moderation has its benefits, but as with everything else, balance is the key to a healthy diet. There is no doubt that recipes for hot chocolate are extremely delectable when served as desserts, entrees and in drinks.

The delectable melted chocolate…

You will have heard of the chocolate gateau, chocolate fondue served with strawberries, or luxurious hot chocolate, but have you heard of chocolate main courses such as chocolate nut pasta or chocolate lasagne? Chocolate is an extremely popular ingredient in Italy and is regularly added to entrees to boost the flavour of the dish.

Chocolate fondue is a great thing to serve if you have a dinner party you want to throw for friends. Pots of melting chocolate or a chocolate fondue fountain is a great novelty idea and a great conversation point too! If you leave plenty of things for our guests to dip into the chocolate such as platters of fruit or marshmallows, they won’t want to leave.

If you’re feeling experimental, using dark chocolate in a savoury dish such as chilli con carne can really bring out the strong flavours. Or if you want to make some chocolate chilli bites for appetizers or a spicy yet sweet snack, making this doughy treat can be a popular hit with chocolate lovers too.

Remember that chocolate doesn’t just have to be sickeningly sweet; it can have a bit of a kick and a certain amount of attitude as well. Experiment with your uses of chocolate and you are sure to find some fantastically chocolaty recipes from Recipebridge that you totally fall in love with.

Have you got any favourite chocolate recipes that you want to share? Feel free to Tweet us or post them on our Facebook page!