“Whosoever says truffle, utters a grand word, which awakens erotic and gastronomic ideas…”

Jean-Anthelem Brillat-Savarin (1755 – 1826)
French magistrate and gastronome

Chocolate, nowadays, is eaten world-wide in various solid forms such as chocolate bars, chocolate moulds, filled chocolates, cake decorations etc. However, possibly the most luxurious form of all is the chocolate truffle which, just like its highly prized namesake – the fungus – has become synonymous with luxury, decadence and the ultimate indulgence … hence the term, “sheer truffle bliss”.

A French invention of about eighty years, the basic nature of the truffle is its ganache centre, which is enrobed with a thin coating of dark, milk or white couverture. Ganache, essentially, is a combination of chocolate and cream, and can be flavoured with anything from fruits, nuts or cream to herbs or liqueurs. The couverture, which is a chocolate coating of guaranteed superior quality, provides a crisp ‘snap’ as you bite into the truffle, whilst the inner ganache holds its charm and remains intensely chocolaty and velvety smooth.

Chocolate, due to its cocoa butter component, has the unique quality of having a melting point that matches, almost exactly, our body temperature. This allows the truffle to start melting the moment you put it on your tongue, thus releasing a heady burst of flavours which gently explode into warm sensual liquids around your mouth.

We, at Amelie, consider good truffles to be the crème de la crème of chocolate confections. And so, we have gone for the very best!

The secret of our specialist chocolatier, lies in the careful choice of their ingredients … natural, fresh and definitely no preservatives! To guarantee the constant high quality couverture and chocolate, only the best ‘Criollo’ cocoa beans are used to create their unique blend.

Considered to be ‘the prince of cocoas’, Criollo is known as the original cocoa tree. Reserved for use in only the very finest chocolates, Criollo is the rarest and most expensive variety of cocoa and prized for its exceptional flavour and intense aroma.

High class liqueurs – for example our kirsch truffles contain pure kirsch liqueur from the Black Forest, superior nuts like freshly roasted macadamias and walnuts, natural fruits and exotic spicy infusions are used to create the vast array of our traditional, adventurous and yes … even mildly eccentric selections of truffles.

So why not try one of our superb collections. Choose from our 270g Traditional Continental Truffle Selection, our exquisite gift box of Champagne Truffles – sheer indulgence! – or our box of exotic Wacky Truffles which include amazing flavours such as raspberry and strawberry chilli, cardamom, wild cranberry, Campari orange and Vodka lime.

We wish you a truly sensational truffle experience!

“Chocolate, of course, is the stuff of which fantasies are made. Rich, dark, velvety-smooth fantasies that develop the senses and stir the passions. Chocolate is madness; Chocolate is delight”.

Judith Olney
American Chef

Chocolate … the gastronomic temptress! Chocolate tempts us with its rich, seductive flavour, its thick creamy texture and its power to soothe our minds. It contains approximately 300 natural chemical compounds which affect our brain chemistry and thus, our moods.

How does this work?
Chocolate causes the release of certain neurotransmitters such as endorphins and other opiates that can help to reduce stress and lead to feelings of well being and euphoria. One of the more interesting neurotransmitters released by chocolate is phenylethylamine. This ‘chocolate amphetamine’ causes changes in the blood pressure and blood-sugar levels, leading to feelings of excitement and alertness. Phenylethylamine, also know as the ‘love drug’, causes an increase in heart rate and a feeling not dissimilar to being in love.

Examples of other chemicals found in chocolate are anandamide and theobromine. Anandamide, similar to a chemical found in marijuana, contains properties that cause the production of the neurotransmitter dopamine, a wonderful chemical that elevates the mood and increases sexual arousal and response. Theobromine has properties that lead to mental and physical relaxation, as well as acting as a stimulant, similar to caffeine.

As well as, and possibly as a result of these proven properties, chocolate has a long association with enhanced virility and has been used as an aphrodisiac for over 3,000 years. Indeed, it is said that Montezuma, the last Aztec Emperor, drank fifty ‘pitchers’ of xocotlatl or ‘chocolate water’ to give him extra potency before visiting his harem. Other users included Madame du Barry , Louis XI’s mistress, who gave it to her lovers, and Casanova who, it is said, was ‘fond of chocolate’s divine properties’ and considered it an elixir of love.

Bearing all this in mind, is it any wonder that chocolate plays such an important role in matters of emotions? Whether being given as a token of passion, or being consumed for comfort by a jilted lover, chocolate has long been associated with expressions of love and is, more than likely, why it is so closely associated with Valentines Day.

Soft, smooth and deliciously creamy…

White chocolate is, for the most part, dismissed by connoisseurs as not being real chocolate and is said, because it contains no cocoa solids (or cocoa liquor), to only vaguely resemble chocolate.

It does, however, have its own delicious, creamy and different flavour, and remains extremely popular, with a serious and committed following.

White chocolate is made with cocoa butter, sugar and milk and as cocoa butter is one of the main ingredients of the cocoa bean, white chocolate, with its very appealing smooth texture and ivory appearance, should be allowed to take its righful place in the world of chocolate.

Like its milk and dark counterparts, its cocoa butter content provides it with the unique quality of having a melting point that matches, almost exactly, our body temperature, thus allowing it to start melting the moment you put it on your tongue … an infinitely satisfying and luxurious sensation!

White chocolate is made by combining approximately 20% cocoa butter with milk solids and sugar. It is flavoured, mostly, with vanilla, however it successfully lends itself to many other flavours as well.

We, at Amelie, pride ourselves on never compromising on quality as well as sourcing products to satisfy our customers’ requirements. So why not try our superb Amelie White Belgian Chocolate Selection for a truly sensational white chocolate experience!

richly seductive & velvety smooth

Milk chocolate, decadent and delicious, remains, unsurprisingly, the most popular variety of chocolate in the world!

The production of milk chocolate, as we know it today, was first perfected in Switzerland in 1875 when sweetened condensed milk, instead of water, was added to chocolate, resulting in a much sweeter, smoother taste than dark chocolate. Milk chocolate quickly became popular and the chocolate variety of choice.

Luxurious and velvety smooth, it starts to melt the moment you put it on your tongue. This is because good milk chocolate has the unique quality of having a melting point that matches, almost exactly, our body temperature.

What makes good milk chocolate?
It’s all to do with the percentage of cocoa solids used in the making of the chocolate. Cocoa solids, also known as cocoa liquor, is the dry, powdery, non-fat component of the ground cocoa beans, and is what gives chocolate its characteristic aroma, flavour and colour. Good quality milk chocolate should contain no less than 30% cocoa solids. When the percentage of cocoa solids in milk chocolate is reduced, more fat and sugar need to be added to compensate for the reduced flavour.

The fatty component of the ground cocoa beans is cocoa butter, and is what provides chocolate with its smoothness and low melting point.

We, at Amelie chocolat, pride ourselves on never compromising on quality. By sourcing our milk chocolates from some of the best chocolatiers across Europe, we are able to offer our customers a minimum 30% guarantee.

So why not try our superb Amelie Milk Chocolate Selection or Champagne Truffle Selection for a truly sensational milk chocolate experience!

richly seductive & velvety smooth

Classic dark chocolate, produced by traditional methods, still remains the preferred choice of chocolate connoisseurs and aficionados.

Also referred to as “bittersweet” or “semisweet”, good dark chocolate contains a high percentage of cocoa solids, resulting in the wonderful and intense aroma that sets off stimuli and reaches the taste sensors of your mouth even before you have placed the chocolate on your tongue.

What makes good dark chocolate?
Dark chocolate is defined by the characteristics of the cocoa content which can be from as little as 30% to as much as 99%. This is, of course, all a matter of taste.
However, at Amelie, our experience tells us that the best dark chocolate should ideally have a cocoa content of between 50% and 70%. The cocoa content comprises a combination of cocoa liquor and cocoa butter, the pure components of the cocoa bean. Cocoa liquor, is the dry, powdery, non-fat component of the ground cocoa beans, and is what gives chocolate its characteristic flavour and colour. So, the higher the percentage of cocoa liquor, the stronger, richer and darker the chocolate. In cheaper chocolate, where the percentage of cocoa solids is reduced, more fat and sugar need to be added to compensate for the reduced flavour.

The fatty component of the ground cocoa beans is cocoa butter which provides chocolate with its unique claim to being the only food to melt at body temperature, thus slowly flooding the mouth with each delicious, individual flavour.

Of course, we also now know of the healthy properties of dark chocolate. It contains antioxidants which fight the destructive molecules that are implicated in heart disease and other illnesses. It also contains cocoa phenols that have been shown to reduce blood pressure. On a lighter note, it’s theobromine content boosts the serotonin and endorphin levels in our brains, giving us a feeling of well being.

It goes without saying that the techniques, styles and recipes of the chocolatier are vital components in the production of good quality chocolates and as we, at Amelie chocolat, pride ourselves on never compromising on quality, we have sourced our dark chocolate selections from some of the best chocolatiers across the continent.

So, with a minimum 50% cocoa guarantee, why not try our Amelie 265g Dark Chocolate Selection or our decadent Assorted Chocolate Liqueur Selection or Cherry Liqueur Selection for a the ultimate dark chocolate experience!

“The devine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food”
Montezuma (1480 – 1520)
Aztec Emporor

Chocolate is made from cocoa, which comes from the cocoa bean. This is fruit-like pod that grows on the cocoa tree, also known as Theobroma Cacao which, literally translated, means “Food Of The Gods”. These tropical trees have been cultivated in South America for over 3,000 years.The story of cocoa begins with the ancient kingdoms of Mexico and Central America. The Aztec, Mayan and Toltec tribes believed that the cocoa bean had magical powers and they used cocoa during the many traditional ceremonies that played significant roles in their lives. They ground the cocoa beans and mixed them with various spices such as chillies, cinnamon and ginger, to make a spicy, frothy drink call Xocolatl.

It is believed that Christopher Columbus was the first to bring cocoa beans to Europe when, in 1502, he returned to Spain from Nicaragua with many treasures, including cocoa beans, to present to King Ferdinand. The Spanish king and queen, however, were distinctly unimpressed and did not realised how important cocoa beans were to become. Indeed, it was to take almost twenty years before the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez succeeded in penetrating the Aztecs, by then under the rule of the Emperor Montezuma, and realise the commercial possibilities of the cocoa bean.

Aztec astrologers had predicted that the mythical plumed snake god, Quetzalcoatol, would return to the Aztec kingdom in the year 1519. So when Cortez landed in Mexico in the same year, the Aztecs mistook him for their returning god and welcomed him to their capital.

During his conquest, Cortez saw that cocoa beans were used in the preparation of the royal drink xocolatl, which means ‘warm liquid’. It was said that Montezuma drank fifty pitchers of xocolatl every day and so, as a mark of respect, he served it to the Spaniards in golden goblets.

By the time Montezuma realised that Cortez was not the snake god, the Spaniard had conquered the Aztec kingdom and made the capital, Tenochtitlan, the capital of The New World.

Cortez had also noticed that cocoa beans were used as a form of currency by the Aztecs and decided to establish a cocoa bean plantation to ‘cultivate’ money. This proved to be a very profitable business. Cortez expanded and established plantations from Mexico to Trinidad and Haiti, and carried on to establish a plantation off the west coast of Africa. Indeed, to this day, Latin America and West Africa continue to be the principal centres of cocoa cultivation.

After its introduction into Europe, cocoa remained within the Spanish courts for almost one hundred years. It was extremely expensive so was only affordable to the aristocracy. The Spanish were so successful in keeping the cocoa bean secret from the rest of Europe, that when Sir Francis Drake, and other sea captains, captured Spanish galleons, they would throw the bags of cocoa beans overboard, considering them to be worthless.

It was in 1615, when Anne, daughter of Philip III of Spain, married Louis XIII of France and took him Spanish chocolate as a gift, that chocolate drinking was introduced to France and became fashionable in the French courts. After this, the trend for chocolate drinking began to spread and after 1650, chocolate began to be sold in all the major cities across Europe.

Chocolate ‘houses’ began to appear and by the mid 1700’s, were an integral part of society. Lewes, Baron de Pollnitz wrote, in 1745, that “the average Englishman starts his day with a walk in the park, afterwards he saunters to some coffee or chocolate house frequented by the persons he would see, for it is a sort of rule with the English to go once a day at least to houses of this sort …”

In 1756 the first chocolate factory was opened in Germany and the subsequent development, in Holland, of the first cocoa press, enabled the cocoa beans to be freshly ground, thereby extracting the liquid cocoa butter. Later on, a means of alkalising the remaining cocoa powder was discovered, making it easier to mix and digest. The result was that chocolate drinks became smoother, and less fatty.

The turning point in the production of chocolate came in the 1800’s when a process for condensing milk was developed. This carried on to pave the way to obtaining chocolate and milk in a solid mix. This process, ultimately, revolutionised the production of chocolate across the world. In the 1900’s, chocolate finally became available to everyone and today, of course, chocolate is the heavenly delicacy that people, all over the world, enjoy.

CHOCOLATE
Chocolate is the product that is made from the roasted seeds of cocoa pods. The seeds are ground and processed into either liquid or solid forms and then mixed with sugar, vanilla, lecithin and other flavourings to form ‘chocolate’. Having been consumed in liquid form for thousands of years, it has only been eaten in solid forms since 1847.

First, LOOK at the chocolate you are about to taste. The surface should be smooth, shiny or lustrous, and unblemished, indicating that the cocoa butter has properly crystallised or tempered. If the chocolate has a whitish bloomed appearance, this would indicate that it has been exposed to moisture or variations in temperature and although the taste would be largely unaffected, the chocolate would loose its tantalising visual appeal.

Second, TOUCH the chocolate.  It should feel smooth and silky and should just begin to melt after being held for a few seconds.  The cocoa butter content, is what provides chocolate with its unique claim to being the only food to melt at body temperature.

Third, SMELL the chocolate as soon as it has been opened or unwrapped. You should be met with a delicious, but not overpowering chocolaty aroma. Subtle hints of fruits, berries, nuts, vanilla and other aromas are all indicators of good quality chocolate. Strong individual smells of vanilla, sugar or even nuts, are generally indicators of cheaper, and therefore

poorer quality, chocolate. Be on the look out, as well, for burnt, musty or chemical smells.

Fourth, LISTEN for the snap! When chocolate has been well made, the crystalline

structure of the cocoa butter creates the characteristic clean snap when the chocolate is broken. It should not shatter or splinter.

And finally, TASTE the chocolate. It is important to start with a clean palate as our taste buds adapt to flavours very quickly and, if exposed to other strong flavours immediately beforehand, may not respond properly to the taste of the chocolate. It is best to start with a small piece of chocolate and let it gently melt on the front of your tongue where most of your taste buds are situated. As already explained, good chocolate should start to melt very quickly, followed by the gentle release of all its flavours. This can, in itself, be an immensely satisfying and sensuous experience.

There are a number of specific characteristics to look

out for, when tasting chocolate. First will be whether the chocolate feels waxy or greasy in your mouth. This could indicate that a higher percentage of vegetable fat has been used, instead of cocoa butter. There should not be any strong single flavours and there should be a good balance between bitter, acidity and sweet. Too much sugar can dominate and take over from other flavours. It is possible to taste whether the vanilla is natural or artificial. Natural vanilla has a pure, light and sweet flavour. It should, however, be subtle, as should all other flavours of fruits, berries, nuts or spices.

It goes without saying that there are the obvious differences in taste between dark, milk

and white chocolate. Although chocolate connoisseurs will almost always ‘test and taste’ for quality, as with most things, people have their own tastes and preferences so, in spite of pointing out these characteristics, it will always be up to the individual to decide what most pleases their palate.

Two further, and very important points to note are that good chocolate very much

depends on the quality of the cocoa beans – the best being Criollo – and the quality of the chocolatier. Very simply, the better the bean, the better the chocolate. And the better the chocolatier, the better the recipes.

We, at Amelie, pride ourselves on sourcing our chocolate collections from some of the best chocolatiers across the Continent. As well as never compromising on quality, and yes … we always ‘test and taste’, we are also constantly on the lookout for new and exciting recipes that we can add to our range. So why not try out your new tasting techniques on one of our superb Amelie Chocolate Selections for a truly sensational chocolate experience! And because we always value our customers’ opinions, feel free to email us at sales@ameliechocolat.co.uk to let us know how you got on

with your own ‘test and taste’ experience and what you thought of our products. We’d love to hear from you!

Nowadays cocoa trees are cultivated mostly in West Africa. About 20% come from Central and South America, and the rest come from Malaysia and Indonesia.

The two main varieties of cocoa trees are the ‘Criollo’ which produces the best quality cocoa, and the ‘Forastero’ which is more robust, but produces cocoa of a lower quality than the Criollo. A hybrid of Criollo, the ‘Trinitario’ is now grown in the carribean.

In favourable conditions, the trunks and branches of these magnificent trees are adorned with white or pink flowers the
whole year round and it is from a percentage of these flowers that the fruit pods or cocoa beans grow.

A cocoa pod measures between fifteen and thirty centimetres long and about ten centimetres in diameter. Each pod contains around thirty to forty cocoa beans. The pods turn deep red or yellow as they ripen and are then cut from the trees with machetes. The pods are carefully split open to reveal the creamy coloured beans which, once exposed to light, darken to a deep brownish purple colour.

The beans are removed and left to ferment in large heaps, covered with banana leaves. During the fermentation process,which can take up to eight or nine days, the surrounding pulp turns into acetic acid and evaporates, leaving behind pale brown beans which, by now, have developed much of the characteristic aroma and flavour of chocolate. The beans are then dried under canopies for around fourteen days, after which they are weighed, graded and put into sacks ready to be shipped to different countries to be turned into cocoa powder or chocolate.

From Bean to Bar

The manufacturing process begins with the roasting of the beans. Time and temperature are the most important elements of roasting as they will determine the colour and flavour of the chocolate. Once roasted, the beans are then ‘winnowed’ to remove the outer shells, leaving behind the centres or ‘nibs’. The nibs are ground through a series of rollers, where the pressure and heat cause the cocoa butter to melt and separate from the cocoa liquor. The cocoa liquor is then mixed with ground sugar, vanilla and an amount of cocoa butter. It is now ready for ‘conching’, a process developed by Rudolfe Lindt in 1880.

During this process, the chocolate paste is fed into giant shell-like machines and gently ground between granite rollers. Additional cocoa butter can be added at this stage to achieve a smoother texture. Conching reduces the particle size of the chocolate paste, thus ridding it of any remaining grittiness. It also reduces bitterness by aerating the chocolate. And the result is the velvety smooth texture that makes chocolate so luxurious and sensual to eat.

The final step is to ‘temper’ the chocolate. This is a gentle warming and then cooling process to break down and then re-align the crystalline structure of the cocoa butter. The result leaves the chocolate with a delicious ‘rounded’ flavour and shiny appearance. It is now ready to be either moulded into blocks or transported, in liquid form, to specialist chocolatiers.

From the harvesting to the blending, conching and preparation, chocolate manufacturing is a delicate and often tricky process. The quality, flavour and texture of the chocolate can depend on a variety of factors from the beginning cultivation process right up to the recipes used in the final product.

We, at Amelie, pride ourselves on sourcing our chocolates from some of the finest chocolatiers in Europe who, in turn, set themselves exacting standards of excellence. By settling for nothing less than the best quality, we are able to bring to you a range of superb continental chocolates, truffles and gourmet confections.