On September 5th at a private event in Shanghai, the Swiss chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut presented what was gloriously appointed as ‘the 4th type of chocolate’. Chocolate experts from all over the world flew to China to assist to the revolution. It sounded like a big deal: after 80 years from the invention of white chocolate, the R&D department of the company managed to develop another kind of chocolate. Next to dark, milk and white, there is now a pink chocolate called Ruby.

If you're interested in baking and confections, it is important to understand the differences between the variety of chocolate selections available before you begin. It will affect things such as the melting, dipping & coating process, or how much sugar ends up in each recipe. This can make a difference is how your chocolate looks as well as tastes.

As you know, chocolate is commonly thought of as a dessert. But, it doesn’t need to be eaten exclusively after dinner. In fact, chocolate is a fantastic food pairing for any meal. Below is a list of the top five foods chocolate pairs great with. So, prep your dishes, grab some chocolate, and get ready for the following partners in crime:

Need to keep an eye on your health? How about some chocolate? Not only is chocolate a delicious treat, but it's actually very healthy for you – if you have the real stuff that is, not candy. Here are some of the major benefits to consuming chocolate regularly.

Look in any bookstore and you will discover dozens of books to teach you the best way to pair wine and food. Ask the bartender at your local pub for the perfect beer to match your meal and you are sure to find a new favorite. But what if your favorite drink is coffee? Is the perfect culinary pairing for coffee a donut, bagel or bran muffin? No. It is chocolate.

In our last post, we talked about some common chocolate-related vocabulary words. Today we've added some additional chocolate terms to our reference list. Couverture: high-quality, glossy chocolate used by professional chocolatiers for dipping handmade confections, though it can be used for eating or baking. Couverture (French for 'covering') has a higher percentage of cocoa butter than other chocolates, enabling it to form a thinner shell.

Have you ever wondered what certain chocolate terms you have heard mean or what the chocolate product you purchased contains? Here is a listing of popular chocolate terms to reference.

Many of you have already seen the piles are colorfully packaged mini treats in your local grocery store, hardware store, heck - even the farm supply store. The impulse reaction is to not only pick some up for the cute kids who will be knocking on your door, but to have a small stash for your household (or perhaps a secret one for yourself). Instead of opting for stale chocolate "candy" made months ago and that contains preservatives, serve up some homemade treats made with real chocolate for you...

I was making my way through the skyway system in St Paul from near Rice Park to Union Depot when something caught my eye. Well, it caught my nose first: a blend of freshly ground coffee beans and chocolate. It wasn't hard to find the source. Just to my left was Legacy Chocolates, a coffee and artisan chocolate shop located in the Pioneer-Endicott building. Drawn in by the wonderful aroma, I looked around, not knowing what to get. At the front the proprietors had set out some samples of their cho...

The dog days of summer are behind us, and warm days bring the summer's bounty into view while cool nights let us sleep comfortably. It's a great time of year to experiment with new recipes. Why not combine some of the fall harvest with our famous artesanal chocolates.