Cocoa Butter

Q. What is the difference between white chocolate and regular chocolate? Amy Hamel Santa Cruz, Calif. A. White chocolate, if it can be called that, is a confection that does not contain any chocolate; that is, there are no cocoa solids in it whatsoever. Each cocoa bean has about 50 percent fat, called cocoa butter, and 50 percent liquid, which is the chocolate part. Cocoa butter can be made into white chocolate by the addition of sugar and an emulsifier, plus flavoring.

Dear Polly: Is brown rice really better for you than white rice? - Gayle Dear Gayle: Brown rice is definitely a better nutritional bargain than plain polished white rice. Not only does brown rice have valuable fiber that is almost totally lacking in white rice, but brown rice has appreciably more protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, folic acid, biotin, inositol and choline than white rice. Brown rice is a valuable grain food; white rice is little more than a starch.

White chocolate is sweet seduction, socking our senses with a power punch of cocoa butter so rich and ferocious that we are left swooning at the mere prospect of another bite. It's also something of a fraud. To its devotees, white chocolate is the ultimate of confections, but for cocoa purists who insist on a dark complexion and bitter nuance to their chocolate, white chocolate is nothing more than a charlatan, a masquerader. Technically, the purists are right. Most governments' standards define real chocolate as a confection with at least 10 percent chocolate liquor (an extract of cocoa beans possessing most of their color and all of the flavor)

One good thing about having a friend who is famous for her addiction to all things chocolate: There's never any problem figuring out an appropriate present to bring when visiting. The only difficulty, given that everyone gives her chocolate, is in deciding just what sort of chocolate to bring. The only solution? Pure selfishness. She's getting the chocolate I like best - white chocolate, subtlest and most suave of all chocolates going. Many chocophiles are undoubtedly rising up even now to protest that white chocolate isn't really chocolate at all. The Food and Drug Administration agrees.

Even as a ban on cocoa exports was declared Monday in the West African nation of Ivory Coast, the largest cocoa ship ever to sail from there to the United States was in Camden, unloading 18,600 metric tons of the beans destined to become succulent chocolate, creamy icings, and cakes. The effects of the one-month ban are unclear, but officials say the maiden voyage of the Atlantic Tramp still bodes well for the Camden and Philadelphia ports, which receive 70 percent to 80 percent of all U.S. cocoa bean imports from Ivory Coast - the world's largest cocoa producer - Ghana, and Indonesia.

It's always interesting when scientific studies say good things about foods that we have a passion for - especially when they're foods associated with some degree of guilt. Given this, I'm sure that many will be pleased that today's topic is chocolate. There's little doubt that chocolate would appear near the top of any list of favorite food flavors. This taste, which has been cherished by many cultures throughout history, has a definite ability to please the palate. But chocolate is routinely censured for its hefty burden of saturated fat, its caffeine content, and its reputation for aggravating acne, provoking allergies and causing tooth decay.

I'm always suspicious when people tell me they don't like chocolate. How can you dislike the world's most sensuously rich, almost naughty ingredient? It forms the basis of some of the best sweets we know: Truffles, brownies, hot fudge and more. American chocolate consumption is up to an all-time per capita high. We consume about 11 pounds each a year - though not as much as the Swiss, who take in more than 20 pounds per year. The fruit of the cacao tree has been consumed for more than 3,000 years.

For many, a day without chocolate is incomplete. For others, a chocolate dessert is an occasional indulgence to be anticipated excitedly and savored slowly. The recipes that follow are intended for chocolate lovers of all kinds. Each recipe captures chocolate at its very best, whether in a rich cookie, fudgy brownie or seductive tart. They serve as a celebration of this most sybaritic and well-loved food. After all, chocolate stands in a class by itself and as such deserves unabashed admiration.

UNCLE BEN'S FAST COOKING WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE. $1.49 per 14-oz. box. Bonnie: This new product makes cooking brown rice a breeze. You can now enjoy brown rice just 10 minutes after adding it to boiling water, in lieu of the 50 minutes it takes to make Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Rice. This is because Uncle Ben's Fast Cooking Brown Rice has been pre-cooked then dried, making this essentially a dehydrated product. Brown rice is richer in nutrients than its polished white cousin.

If love has a flavor, it is surely chocolate. For generations, chocolate has served as a token of affection, an aphrodisiac, a prelude to romance. Yet few know its culinary merit beyond candy and desserts. More chefs are using chocolate in new ways, as a savory ingredient in appetizers, soups, salads and even entrees. Dark and bittersweet, chocolate brings out complex flavors in roasting sauces, says Kevin Sbraga, chef de cuisine at the Ritz-Carlton's Grill. Milder white chocolate (mainly cocoa butter)

Even as a ban on cocoa exports was declared Monday in the West African nation of Ivory Coast, the largest cocoa ship ever to sail from there to the United States was in Camden, unloading 18,600 metric tons of the beans destined to become succulent chocolate, creamy icings, and cakes. The effects of the one-month ban are unclear, but officials say the maiden voyage of the Atlantic Tramp still bodes well for the Camden and Philadelphia ports, which receive 70 percent to 80 percent of all U.S. cocoa bean imports from Ivory Coast - the world's largest cocoa producer - Ghana, and Indonesia.

Put concerns about climate change aside for the moment and think back to winter days when you played outside so long the snow penetrated your rubber boots, bulky leggings, even the woolen mittens clipped to your coat sleeves. Nothing could pierce that chill like hot cocoa. And even now, when commuting to work in winter has you hunching your neck and shoulders against the wind, you can probably recall the warmth of the steaming cup in your hands, the heady scent, the dark taste.

On the face of it, wine and chocolate seem like improbable paramours - like a Valentine's Day date set up by your mom. For many diners, the arrival of a chocolate dessert is a cue to push aside the goblet of pinot noir. And, unless you are an aficionado of sweet wines or fortified wines like port, the options seem limited to liqueurs, coffee or water. But when I began looking into the flavor components of wine vs. chocolate, I discovered that several affinities exist - and some of them are quite delicious.

If love has a flavor, it is surely chocolate. For generations, chocolate has served as a token of affection, an aphrodisiac, a prelude to romance. Yet few know its culinary merit beyond candy and desserts. More chefs are using chocolate in new ways, as a savory ingredient in appetizers, soups, salads and even entrees. Dark and bittersweet, chocolate brings out complex flavors in roasting sauces, says Kevin Sbraga, chef de cuisine at the Ritz-Carlton's Grill. Milder white chocolate (mainly cocoa butter)

I'm always suspicious when people tell me they don't like chocolate. How can you dislike the world's most sensuously rich, almost naughty ingredient? It forms the basis of some of the best sweets we know: Truffles, brownies, hot fudge and more. American chocolate consumption is up to an all-time per capita high. We consume about 11 pounds each a year - though not as much as the Swiss, who take in more than 20 pounds per year. The fruit of the cacao tree has been consumed for more than 3,000 years.

For many, a day without chocolate is incomplete. For others, a chocolate dessert is an occasional indulgence to be anticipated excitedly and savored slowly. The recipes that follow are intended for chocolate lovers of all kinds. Each recipe captures chocolate at its very best, whether in a rich cookie, fudgy brownie or seductive tart. They serve as a celebration of this most sybaritic and well-loved food. After all, chocolate stands in a class by itself and as such deserves unabashed admiration.

Patrick Gauthron can give more reasons why working with chocolate can be a pain more than a joy. "It's like a prima donna," said Gauthron, the owner of Aux Petits Delices on Lancaster Avenue. "It's very, very temperamental. There's a rule in chocolate: Chocolate don't wait for you, you wait for (it). " For nearly a month, Gauthron, 40, and his staff of six have been working to prepare Easter specialties. He makes a variety of chocolate eggs and animals, primarily hollow bunnies ranging from one-inch pieces costing a quarter to the nearly 3-foot model that adorns his shop window and costs $195.

In chocoholic heaven, every kitchen would come equipped with hot and cold running fudge, chocolate chips would be accepted as international currency, and the brownie would replace celery as the only snack food that contains fewer calories than it takes to digest it. Unfortunately, for all chocolate lovers, this particular vision of paradise has zero shelf-life in the real world. Chocolate might be the ultimate mental- health food, but it doesn't do much for the body, especially when it comes to fat - 15 grams in every ounce of unsweetened chocolate.

It's always interesting when scientific studies say good things about foods that we have a passion for - especially when they're foods associated with some degree of guilt. Given this, I'm sure that many will be pleased that today's topic is chocolate. There's little doubt that chocolate would appear near the top of any list of favorite food flavors. This taste, which has been cherished by many cultures throughout history, has a definite ability to please the palate. But chocolate is routinely censured for its hefty burden of saturated fat, its caffeine content, and its reputation for aggravating acne, provoking allergies and causing tooth decay.

UNCLE BEN'S FAST COOKING WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE. $1.49 per 14-oz. box. Bonnie: This new product makes cooking brown rice a breeze. You can now enjoy brown rice just 10 minutes after adding it to boiling water, in lieu of the 50 minutes it takes to make Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Rice. This is because Uncle Ben's Fast Cooking Brown Rice has been pre-cooked then dried, making this essentially a dehydrated product. Brown rice is richer in nutrients than its polished white cousin.