I had never seen a chocolate fountain, where liquid chocolate is pumped out of the top of a 3-foot circular pyramid to cascade down to the base – such a feast for the eyes prior to the delight for the taste buds – until I attended my first Chocolate Cult at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel a few years ago. All you do is immerse your strawberries, or other fruit, on a stick into the chocolate current and savour the resulting delight. Alas, it is all over in a few seconds, but what seconds they are.

The chocolate at Badrutt’s palace is supplied by the Valrhona company from near Lyons, who are renowned for their high quality products, including the vintage Grands Crus of chocolate made from the harvest of a particular year from a specific plantations in South America or the Caribbean.

So with the finest ingredients and a top chocolatier, the occasion is guaranteed to be a success. On offer were caramelised Mandelsplitter (chopped almonds) covered in white, milk or dark chocolate, warm hazelnut chocolate cream and white and milk chocolate Champagne pralinés in the shape of the characteristic tower of the hotel. Regular visitors to the Palace will know these feature as decoration on many cakes in both summer and winter seasons.

I make a short pause from this dégustation, which warrants your complete concentration, and take a look through the huge windows of this splendid Grand Hall of the hotel, built in 1896. Down on the lake a yachting regatta is in progress. Above you can see the last vestiges of the winter’s snow – hanging on for a few more days before they are covered again. Indeed, winter starts early in these parts, and a good thing too. Meanwhile, back in the Grand Hall, some excited children who shrieked with delight on seeing the chocolate buffet are now as quiet as mice with pink napiary on hand for mother to ensure clean faces afterwards.

Returning to the chocolate, needless to say the Badrutt’s chocolate cake à la maison featured, with sponge and ganache filling, topped with fresh raspberries and blackberries and sprinkled with flaked gold; well, this is St Moritz! Then there were chocolate tartlets with cherries soaked in brandy also strewn with flaked gold and, separately, flakes of dark chocolate flavoured with candied oranges which are also hand-made at the hotel by the four-man team of confisiers in summer, ten-man in winter. One particular successful combination was a chocolate mousse with a mango coulis, also available with sliced passion fruit.

Mr Gerber, his apron aptly splattered with authentic-looking chocolate stains, assured me that I could have whatever I wanted, but shouldn’t I really call it a day? I had more tea to refresh the palate and finished off with a cherry which had been marinating all winter in cognac and then encased in chocolate. Just perfect. I decided to leave the chili-flavoured chocolate till next time and left for a much-needed walk round the lake.

Written by Bob for ZURICH4YOU

Copyright: ZURICH4YOU

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Ken Reist is a partner at ZURICH4YOU, a website tailored to the needs of the growing Expat and International Community in Zurich, Switzerland. Visit the site at http://www.zurich4you.ch to learn more about life in Switzerland, to read articles about living and working abroad and to find out more about news and events for the local expatriate community.
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We all know about Godiva and its exquisite chocolate collection. Today, better part of the world knows about Belgian chocolates or has savored the lingering taste of it on their mouths and they also know that a box of Belgian chocolates makes a wonderful gift. Available online are a number of gourmet chocolate outlets that you can explore. So which online stores are famous for what in gourmet chocolate? Let’s take a quick look:

MarieBelles New York: Excellent blend of chocolates that have great ingredients. Exquisitely packed like precious jewels in Italian boxes, these chocolates are hand painted and have an ever lasting class and style about those. They also offer a wide range of flavor to choose from. If you can already feel your mouth watering, then do pay them a visit; warning though you may find them irresistible.

Lake Champlain Chocolates: Based out of Vermont, these chocolates are a great union of authentic chocolate making along with modern ingredients giving it a touch of heritage and making it contemporary at the same time. New York Times calls it some of the best chocolate in the country.”

La Maison Du Chocolate: The house of chocolate in French is a haute couture collection of French chocolate with hazelnuts and glazed chestnuts. Try these to taste European chocolate making at its finest.

“One bite of these handcrafted morsels will change the way you think about chocolate forever” says Recchiuti Confectioneries. Twists and turns are added to the age-old chocolate recipe by introducing bites of grapefruit and caramel. These chocolates also feature hand painting of San Francisco life by Paul Madonna. Yes, you are not just taking home a box full of chocolates but also work of art.

“Two generations later, we consider it our daily mission to seek out both an inexhaustible supply of the finest cocoa the world has to offer and, along with it, an equally endless amount of the happiness and pleasure that chocolate has to offer” says Michel Richart, the founder of the wonderful French chocolate boutique Richart Paris in 1923. Check this out for some jaw dropping options.

Gourmet chocolate is not for all. It does make a hole in your wallet and are not available in the supermarket round the corner. But these are ideal for gifts within the family or as a corporate gift. It does seem incomprehensible from the day when chocolate was first discovered and drunk as a mere bitter drink!

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But do you know the history behind Belgian chocolates? Do you know that most Belgian chocolates are handcrafted? Do you know how many tons of chocolates are exported from Belgium every year? If you do not, then go ahead and read about some of the interesting facts about chocolate, how did it all start and what is it today?

Chocolates were discovered as early as the 15th century, drank as a bitter concoction and considered to be a cure for diseases (Yeah! Wish chocolates could cure ailments; no body would have shied away from medicines).

At one point of time cocoa was considered sacred.

In old days cocoa seeds were roasted, grinded, mixed with spices and made into a bitter drink. It is said that only the affluent could afford it.

Many used cocoa seeds to buy gold in those days.

Adding sugar to the erstwhile bitter drink was an amendment that came from the European nobles, laying the path that eventually took the confectionery world by storm.

Chocolate was introduced to the Belgians in the early 1900s. What they made out of it is now history.

The uniqueness in Belgian chocolates is in the creation of “praline”. Praline is the chocolate shell filled with soft milk chocolate that melts in the mouth. The praline was then given the shape of shells, which was hand-crafted to reach perfection.

The praline being very soft, packaging was introduced for the chocolate shells which came to be known as “ballotin”. So these special chocolates came to be known as “ballotin de praline”. The wonderful chocolate, the eye-catching packaging made these chocolates great gifts since then.

Even today many chocolate makers create the pralines by hand in Belgium.

Belgium produces over 170 thousand tons of chocolates every year.

Today Belgian chocolates may have nut covers, liqueur filling, dark chocolate filling, and crispy shells.

If you are traveling to Belgium, know that there are a number of chocolate events that take place through out the year. From sampling chocolates for free to getting valuable insight into the manufacturing process, Belgium has over the years become a chocolate connoisseurs’ heaven.

The most important ingredient that makes Belgian chocolates so delightful is the careful selection of the cocoa beans, which are the finest in the world. Often the cocoa seeds are still hand picked as the legend goes.

The remaining ingredients are also chosen with great care.

Today Belgian chocolate industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. Available in almost everywhere all over the world, some authentic Belgium chocolates and some not so much so, if you are a chocolate lover then getting to know the darker side of life; the Belgian chocolate is a must.

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The Global Cocoa, Chocolate and Sugar Confectionery Manufacturing industry is primarily engaged in the following: (1) shelling, roasting, and grinding cocoa beans to make chocolate cocoa products and confectioneries; (2) production of chocolate candy products where the chocolate ingredient is bought from producers; (3) making a range of sugar and non-sugar candies as well as chewing gum from ingredients such as starch, fruit, preservatives, emulsifiers, flavorings etc.

Report Contents

The Key Statistics chapter provides the key indicators for the industry for at least the last three years. The statistics included are industry revenue, industry gross product, employment, establishments, exports, imports, domestic demand and total wages.

The Market Characteristics chapter covers the following: Market Size, Linkages, Demand Determinants, Domestic and International Markets, Basis of Competition and Life Cycle. The Market Size section gives the size of the domestic market as well as the size of the export market. The Linkages section lists the industry’s major supplier and major customer industries. The Demand Determinants section lists the key factors which are likely to cause demand to rise or fall. The Domestic and International Markets section defines the market for the products and services of the industry. This section provides the size of the domestic market and the proportion accounted for by imports and exports and trends in the levels of imports and exports. The Basis of Competition section outlines the key types of competition between firms within the industry as well as highlighting competition from substitute products in alternative industries. The Life Cycle section provides an analysis of which stage of development the industry is at.

The Segmentation chapter covers the following: Products and Service Segmentation, Major Market Segments, Industry Concentration and Geographic Spread. The Products and Service Segmentation section details the key products and/or services provided by this industry, highlighting the most important where possible to demonstrate which have a more significant influence over industry results as a whole. The Major Market Segments section details the key client industries and/or groups as well as giving an indication as to which of these are the most important to the industry. The Industry Concentration section provides an indicator of how much industry revenue is accounted for by the top four players. The Geographic Spread section provides a guide to the regional share of industry revenue/gross product.

The Industry Conditions chapter covers the following: Barriers to Entry, Taxation, Industry Assistance, Regulation and Deregulation, Cost Structure, Capital and Labor Intensity, Technology and Systems, Industry Volatility and Globalization. The Barriers to Entry section outlines factors that can prevent a new company from entering this industry and also gives an indication of the extent to which this occurs. The Taxation section details all kinds of taxation that are specific or are particularly important to this industry, including taxation concessions. The Industry Assistance section refers to any government and/or other measures designed to improve the performance of this industry. The Regulation and Deregulation section details any applicable regulation and/or deregulation to this industry. The Cost Structure section details the average costs for a company operating in this industry as a percentage of total revenue. The Capital and Labor Intensity section provides a guide to the amount of capital used in production/providing a service compared to the amount of labor in the total mix of inputs. The Technology and Systems section acknowledges the latest technology and/or systems available to this industry within the country. Technology refers to machinery and equipment and systems refers to methods of production that enable better and more efficient production. The Industry Volatility section refers to the year on year fluctuations which occur in industry output. The Globalization section gives an indication of the extent to which the industry is global based on factors such as the level of foreign ownership, the proportion of demand accounted for by foreign operators and the volume of production conducted in other countries.

The Performance chapter provides an analysis of both the industry’s Current Performance and Historical Performance. The Current Performance section provides the key analysis for the industry over the past five years with key performance indicators discussed. The Historical Performance section details previously important events in the development of the industry.

The Key Competitors chapter lists the major players in the industry as well as an analysis of each major player’s activities in the industry. Market share information is included where possible.

The Key Factors chapter covers the industry’s Key Sensitivities and Key Success Factors. The Key Sensitivities section outlines the key factors that are outside the control of an operator in the industry, but are likely to have significant impact on a business. The Key Success Factors section details the factors within the control of an industry operator and which should be followed in order to be successful in the industry. Often this will include behavior that will help to minimize the effects of the Key Sensitivities.

The Outlook chapter is a key analysis section of the report and outlines expectations for the key industry indicators over the next five year period, including forecasts.

To know more and to buy a copy of your report feel free to visit :
http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=57109&rt=Global-Cocoa-Chocolate-and-Sugar-Confectionery-Manufacturing.html

Related Reports :

Confectionery Production from Purchased Chocolate in the US
http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=76738&rt=Confectionery-Production-from-Purchased-Chocolate-in-the-US.html

Chocolate Confectionery Production from Cacao Beans in the US
http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=84806&rt=Chocolate-Confectionery-Production-from-Cacao-Beans-in-the-US.html

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First of all, almost all chocolate fountains for home use will not melt the chocolate for you. You’ll need to use a double boiler or microwave oven and then transfer the melted chocolate to your fountain.

Regular chocolate is too thick for use in a fountain. It needs to be thinned out or have its viscosity lowered. This is accomplished with vegetable oil. Neutral flavored oils such as canola or safflower are added so that the chocolate flavor isn’t overpowered by oil.

Couverture is chocolate with high cocoa oil content. Anything that’s got from 32% to 40% cocoa oil is considered a couverture. Technically you’re not supposed to need to add vegetable oil to Couverture chocolate when using it in a fountain but it really depends on the chocolate. Your results may vary based on the brand that you choose. A good idea is to do a test run when you don’t have guests over and check how viscous your brand is. You can always add more oil but remember that you can’t take it out.

The best way to melt your chocolate is in a plastic zip lock bag. Make sure it’s one of those heavy duty freezer bags or use two of them just to be safe. You don’t want your microwave coated by an oozing bag of melted chocolate. For every five pounds of chocolate add a half cup of vegetable oil. You can use less oil if using courveture.

You could also add a splash of Grand Mariner or another liquor. If there will be kids at your party a splash of vanilla extract or cinnamon might be a better idea. As you might imagine a splash of flavor will only enhance your fountain. So the most important thing to remember is to get a high quality chocolate.

Set your microwave oven for one minute and then mix the chocolate by gently squeezing the bag. Be careful the bag will get hot. Oven mitts will make the squeezing much safer. Do not overcook the chocolate. When there are no more chunks you are done.

Melting chocolate in a double boiler is great but the plastic bag in the microwave method is preferred because of this last step. All you have to do is snip off one of the corners of the bag with a scissor and squeeze the chocolate directly into the fountain as if you are using a pastry bag. Don’t forget those oven mitts because the chocolate will still be hot.

A chocolate fountain is a great addition to any get together. If you follow the advice in this article, you should be on your way to a delicious time with your friends and your chocolate fountain.

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Now that you know more about setting up a chocolate fountain, why not visit GoFondue.com and learn all about cheese, hot oil and broth fondues as well. A nice cheese fondue is a great appetizer to serve before you bring out the chocolate fountain. It also goes great with wine and your guests will love it.
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