June 6, 2009 at 7:41 am (Chocolate Friends)
Tags: alan wong, chocolate souffle, hawaiian chamber of commerce of northern california, hawaiian fusion cuisine, kuli i ka nu'u, roy yamaguchi, roys of hawaii
A few nights ago, I attended the Five Star Aloha Gala Affair honoring Roy Yamaguchi who received the Kuli I Ka Nu’u award which recognizes the actions and accomplishments of individuals who have added to the richness and diversity of Northern California and become leaders and role models for kama`aina (people with ties to Hawai’i) and Bay Area communities.
It was hosted by the Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce of Northern California and the proceeds of the event benefits scholarships to Hawaiian students. Jade Chocolates donated a large bamboo steamer gift set for the silent auction.
I couldn’t pass up an event for Roy Yamaguchi, who helped shape the cuisine of Hawaii, known as “Hawaiian Fusion© Cuisine”. His food is ingenius, and his chocolate souffle, is unsharable in my book.
Roy Yamaguchi previously was awarded the James Beard “Best Pacific Northwest Chef” award. To date, there are 35 Roy’s of Hawaii restaurants. It’s a must that you try his butterfish and his chocolate souffle. There is also a great prix fixe menu.
Here’s the handsome Roy Yamaguchi in the middle, me on the right and my friend Christina on the left.
Also at this event was Chef Alan Wong, new anchor Jan Yanehiro, and my friend Bela.
In 1994, Wong was recognized by Robert Mondavi Winery as one of 13 Rising Star Chefs in America. In 1996, he was awarded the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Pacific Northwest. In 2001, he was awarded Chef of the Year by Santé Magazine. Also in 2001, Gourmet Magazine ranked one of his restaurants number six in a listing of America’s Best Fifty Restaurants. And in 2006, Alan Wong was a guest judge in the TV show, Top Chef .
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May 29, 2009 at 6:27 am (Recipes)
Tags: easy recipe, easy chocolate recipe, kid-friendly recipe, rice and chocolate
As promised, here’s yet another recipe that I served up at my Chocolate Intimate Affair party I threw a few weeks ago. The chocolate is melted, rather than tempered, making this recipe quick and easy. There’s only 3 ingredients and is suitable for kids to make as well.
6 oz. dark chocolate (60%-65% cacao)
3 cups rice krispies
raspberries or other fruit, optional
Over a double boiler, melt chocolate. Take bowl off of the heat and pour in the rice krispies until all of the cereal is coated. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Take a tablespoon and scoop up cereal and mound onto foil. Gently press fruit onto top of mound.
Place baking sheet in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to set the chocolate.
If topped with raspberry, you can store these up to two days covered loosely with aluminum foil. Makes approximately 45 pieces.
Variation: Try puffed brown rice instead of rice krispies. It will be less sweet with a chewier texture.
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May 24, 2009 at 3:57 am (Recipes)
Tags: mango nib salad, nib, nib recipe
Fresh mangoes are my absolute favorite fruit. This simple recipe is quick and easy and full of flavor. The toasted nibs adds crunch and nuttiness and is an excellent alternative for those who are allergic to nuts.
1 package spring mixed greens
1 ripe but still firm mango
5 tablespoons flavored balsamic vinegar (I used Champagne Pear by Bellindora)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup cacao nibs
Take a knife and peel away skin of mango. Cut down length of mango, on both sides of the seed being careful not to cut into the seed. Take one side of the cut mango and slice into slender pieces. Set aside.
Take a dry pan and over medium heat, roast nibs for 2-3 minutes. Be sure to move nibs around in the pan while dry roasting.
Whisk vinegar and olive oil until well blended. Add packaged greens to a bowl and toss with vinegar and olive oil. Take half of nibs and toss into salad. Place salad onto plate and top with mangoes and remaining nibs.
a note about nibs: When you use nibs, be sure to check for foriegn debris and shells. It is not uncommon to find pieces of shell in a bag of nibs.
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May 23, 2009 at 1:30 am (Shows and Samplings)
Tags: business after hours, chamber of commerce, grand expo, san francisco chamber of commerce
Jade Chocolates recently joined our local Chamber of Commerce just in time to participate in it’s largest event, Business After Hours Grand Expo 2009 held at AT&T Park club level.
Here’s a photo of our table scape. Was it the beauty of the display or the cute guy behind the table that attracted so many attendees to our table??? By the way, that’s A.C., he recently came on board with Jade Chocolates and is in charge of marketing and sales in the LA area.
Also, Congratulations to Denise Chenier of mylocal121.com and Rebecca White of rebeccarealtor.com! They both won Jade Chocolates’ four bar set at the event.
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May 19, 2009 at 8:00 pm (Recipes)
Tags: chocolate recipe, chocolate soup, chocolate-coconut soup, Guittard recipe, Mary Cech
I served up this rich chocolate soup at my Intimate Chocolate Affair party. This recipe is taken from the book by Maricel Presilla, called “The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural & Natural History of Cacao with Recipes”. The soup is silky, full of flavor and extremely rich.
The recipe is adapted by Mary Cech, the pastry chef who teaches at the Napa Valley branch of the Culinary Institute of America. Slightly modified version of Mary Cech’s version of the recipe, she calls for fresh bananas instead of caramelized and serves with honey-cocoa wafers. According to the recipe, the recipes makes 4 servings in standard sized bowls. I used little sipping cups as a starter appetizer and can serve 8-10 people.
CHOCOLATE-COCONUT SOUP
The text in red are my notes.
- 4 ounces Guittard chocolate ( I used 72% cacao Coucher du Soleil, Mary calls for 70% cacao Onyx), finely chopped.
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons coconut syrup (such as Monin or Torani)
- 2/3 cup sweet dessert wine, such as Beaumes-de-Venise, vin santo, or sweet sherry. (I used Il Santo Baroncini)
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Caramelized Bananas
- 1 banana
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
To make the soup, combine the chocolate and coconut milk in the top of a double boiler over simmering water and stir until the chocolate is melted. Add the coconut syrup, wine, butter, and sugar. Stir until the butter and sugar are smoothly dissolved.
To serve, instead of ladling into 4 bowls as Mary suggests, I used little sipping cups and served this as an appetizer. I find that the soup is extremely rich and having an entire bowl would be overwhelming.
To make the caramelized bananas, slice bananas into coins. In a small bowl, add sugar and bananas and coat well.
Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and heat over medium high. Add the banana mixture.
Cook the bananas until light golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the bananas (if you smell them browning or see color in the pan, flip them right away).
Gently flip the bananas over to brown. This will take about 1 minutes.
Add soup to a cup and add bananas. Serve immediately.
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May 16, 2009 at 1:56 am (About Me, Shows and Samplings)
Tags: alejos cellars, APA Asian-Pacific American Heritage month, female winemaker, grandfather, merlot, muscato, pinay, Tondi Bolkan, tondi navarette-bolkan
If you haven’t already heard, May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. It’s a time to reflect on the contributions of those who have helped shape the past and for those who will shape the future. This year’s theme: ‘Lighting the Past, Present, and Future’.
PAST: Historically, the month of May was when the transcontinental railroad, laid mainly by Chinese immigrants, was completed back in 1869. My own great-great-grandfather on my Chinese grandmother’s side was a part of this era. My family has a long history in California and in San Francisco, in particular. I’m especially proud of my grandfather’s contibutions. He didn’t change history for Asians on a grand scale but he sure did change history for our family. So let’s all raise our glasses in honor of the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who continue to form this great country of ours.
PRESENT AND FUTURE: Speaking of raised glasses, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to a fellow female entrepreneur. Tondi Bolkan is a winemaker and has been making wines for prominent Napa and Sonoma wineries for 10 years. She as ventured out and created her own brand, Alejos Cellars and has released two wines: the 2006 Pinay Muscato and a 2005 Tondi Bolkan Merlot.
She brought her wines to my chocolate party I threw just a few weeks ago, where it was well recieved by all. It was a small chocolate venue and I limited the attendees to women only. What a pleasant surprise for everyone to meet a female winemaker!
She named her muscato, Pinay, a term used for Filipina, in honor of the people of the Philippines. The 2006 Pinay Muscato grapes were whole cluster pressed and fermented under cool temperatures in stainless steel tanks for lifted aromatics, then arrested at 6% residual sugar. The grapes are from central California where Muscat is allowed to thrive. This vintage had a long, yet cool growing season, so the grapes were allowed to ripen and keep its acidity.
The Merlot was created from grapes from the Oak Knoll district on Napa. 2005 was considered a cool vintage, yet lengthy with record crop levels. The longer hang time allowed for flavors and sugars to develop in unison. After fermenting to dryness, the wine aged 26 months in a mix of American and French oak. Aromas lift of cherry blueberry with an underlying hint of sage. Soft and coated, the palate holds with ripe plums and dark cherries.
If you’re living in the Bay Area, come an meet Tondi at the Wine Tasting Event with Asian Communtiy Groups on June 19th at the War Memorial Veteran’s Building. There will be 15 or so wineries sampling over 50 wines alongside Asian community groups to explore. Learn more about this event here.
Currently, Alejos Cellars can only be sold in the state of California but will eventually become available on the internet. Contact through email at tondi@alejos-cellars.com and bookmark her website when it becomes live at www.alejos-cellars.com
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May 11, 2009 at 6:28 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: alejos cellars, chocolate party, chocolate seizure, clay gordon, Tondi Bolkan, wine and chocolate
About a week ago or so, I hosted an informal chocolate themed party with a few of my closest facebook friends to get their insight on a few of my ideas, to practice my poor public speaking skills, and just to have an excuse to come together and have fun. For the affair, I made a few sweet and savory foods with chocolate.
A few of the chocolate items on the menu included:
- Spring Mixed greens tossed in extra virgin olive oil, champagne pear balsamic vinaigrette with fresh mangoes and toasted cocoa nibs.
- Coconut-chocolate soup with caramelized bananas.
- Nibby Asparagus with proscuitto.
- Chocolate Krispies.
- Fran Bigelow’s Deep Chocolate Torte.
I’ll be posting a few of these recipes in the coming posts.
I also paired a few wines with my chocolate bars. In the tasting arena, I introduced a sparkling wine from Italy called Prosecco. Clay Gordon, author of Discover Chocolate, says that Prosecco is an all around wine that generally pairs with most chocolates due to it’s lower acidity (than Champagnes) and it’s creaminess. There was also a Sauvignon Blanc and a Syrah. I also included a bottle of Domaine de Taste’s Cabernet Sauvignon which was voted as the first wine to be paired specifically with chocolates at the first annual Chocolate Seizure event, as well as a Mucato and Merlot by Alejos Cellars.
The wines were paired complementary. The Genmai bar was paired with the Sauvignon Blanc while the other wines were paired with the bittersweet bars. Everyone enjoyed the pairings and for many who gathered that day, it was their first time to taste chocolate and wine together.
I also gave a sampling of my two soon-to-be-released bars, Terracotta Warrior and Paradise. These bars are still in the research and development phase and the feedback from all was priceless. Bottom line, the Terracotta bar is ready. The Paradise bar needs some work.
To the right is a photo of three gals I went to high school with. I attribute their wide smiles from the delicious chocolates……and the wines.
Stay tuned for the following posts for recipes and more about Tondi Bolkan, owner of Alejos Cellars.
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May 9, 2009 at 6:29 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: gift show, seattle
One of my goals for 2009 is for Jade Chocolates to venture out of California. First stop: Seattle.
I didn’t do much sightseeing, it was strictly business for me. We stayed near the space needle, and while I was off to work, my family had fun visiting the nearby museums. It was four days of Seattle fun for the family while I was pushing the chocolates in a cold warehouse. Brrrrr. I may come back to this beautiful city to participate in the Seattle Gift Show in August. There’s more accounts to be made and gives me a reason to come back and finally see the famed Pike’s Place.
Most of the accounts I acquired won’t carry Jade Chocolates until the Christmas rush, so watch out for our confections this holiday season in the Seattle area and other parts of the Northwest.
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May 6, 2009 at 2:26 am (Product Information)
Tags: chocolate covered, edamame, panned chocolate
Our chocolate covered edamame is now available at the Pasta Shop in Berkeley, CA, at Kabuki Spa in San Francisco, CA, at Beacon Hill Chocolates in Boston, MA as well as on our online store. More stores to come in the following weeks…..
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March 27, 2009 at 2:03 am (Product Information, Shows and Samplings)
Tags: chocolate awards, edamame, panned chocolate, san francisco chocolate salon
So I was thinking about panning dried edamame for a while, and thought that I should go ahead and make up a batch for the upcoming Chocolate Salon in San Francisco. The production crew had previously panned edamame with several types of bittersweet chocolates and we narrowed down the winner to a single origin columbian, 70% cacao.
So we bagged up the edamame and waited for customer feedback. The edamame sold out before noon!
I don’t know when the edamame will become available online or in stores. We’re in the process of designing the final packaging. Signing up for our newsletter will alert you of our specials, updates and our debut date.
And last but not least, here’s a list of our awards from this year’s salon:
1st place-Most Delicious Ingredient Combination
2nd place-Best Flavored Chocolate
2nd place-Best Presentation and Packaging
2nd place-Best Flavored Chocolate Bar
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