Chocolate cheesecake by Nigella Lawson

Today we're going to watch Nigella Lawson preparing her chocolate cheesecake. Bon appetit!

Nigella Lawson - old-fashioned chocolate cake

Looks pretty delicious and not complicated, why don't give it a try? :-)

Chocolate tasters not needed anymore?

Malvern Instruments launched its new device to measure the quality of chocolate. "The Morphologi G3 analyses chocolate in terms of particle size, shape and intensity to provide an easy and reliable method for determining mouth feel." While it's not really an alternative to tasting panels, maybe it is some step forward in the field of quality control and therefore will make our chocolate experiences more predictable.

Lovely promo video from British chocolatier

Chocolate fueled car

"University designers have come up with a Formula Three model racing car which is powered by chocolate oils." :D

More :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/coventry_warwickshire/8034540.stm

Child labor - bitter truth about chocolate

International Labor Rights Forum published 2009 Chocolate Company Scorecard concerning the issue of child labor in chocolate production. 

"The major US chocolate companies signed an agreement in 2001 (called the Harkin-Engel Protocol) committing to ensuring that they were not purchasing cocoa beans harvested by the worst forms of child labor, but in 2009, children continue to work in West African cocoa farms."

Results (progress 2001-2009) :

"The bitter" (the worst results) : Hershey, Mars, Nestle

"The semi-sweet" (right direction): Godiva, Ghirardelli/Lindt, Starbucks, Dagoba, Endangered Species Chocolate

"The sweetest!" (the most committed): Sweet Earth Chocolates, Divine Chocolate, Equal Exchange. See Commitment to Ethical Cocoa Sourcing

Amedei No 9 wins 2009 Academy of Chocolate Golden Bean award

Finally! The results of the 2009 Academy of Chocolate awards announced. 

The Golden Bean. Best bean to bar dark

• THE GOLDEN BEAN Amedei - No 9
• Gold Amedei - Porcelana
• Gold Amano - Madagascar
• Gold Amedei - Toscano Black 70%
• Gold Valrhona - Manjari
• Silver Domori - Il Blend
• Silver Domori - Teyuna
• Silver Amano - Montanya
• Silver Amedei - Toscano Black 63%
• Silver Amano - Ocumare
• Bronze Domori - Puertomar
• Bronze Domori - Puertofino
• Bronze Valrhona - Caraïbe
• Bronze Amano - Jembrana
• Bronze Amedei - Toscano Black 66%

Best House Dark Chocolate Bar

• Gold William Curley – House Blend 70%
• Bronze Hotel Chocolat - Blend 2
• Bronze Hotel Chocolat - Blend 3
• Bronze Auberge du Chocolat – Auberge bar

Best Flavoured Dark Chocolate Bar

• Gold Valrhona – Manjari orange
• Gold Paul A Young Fine Chocolates - Black Cardamom and stem ginger
• Silver Beschle – Grand Cru Trinitario au Fleur de Sel et Pistaches
• Silver Oberweis – Cumin & Pistachio
• Bronze Valrhona – Guanaja grue
• Bronze Thorntons – Macadamia
• Bronze Amedei – Extra dark chocolate bar with avola almonds
• Bronze Co Couture – Rum & raisin blend II

Best Milk Chocolate Bar

• Silver Theo – Jane Goodall 45%
• Silver Michel Cluizel – Grand Lait 45%
• Bronze Michel Cluizel – Mangaro Lait
• Bronze Amedei – For You ‘Gocce Cioccolato Al Latte’
• Bronze Thorntons – Venezuelan 38%
• Bronze Amano – Ocumare Milk Chocolate

Best Flavoured Milk Chocolate Bar

• Gold Amedei – Milk chocolate with hazelnuts
• Gold Co Couture – Honeycomb, blend IV
• Gold Sir Hans Sloane – Mandarin cranberry
• Silver Thorntons – Tonka Bean
• Bronze Domori – Latte sal
• Bronze Paul a Young Fine Chocolates – stem ginger with fennel seed
• Bronze Kaoka – 32% Milk with caramelised almond pieces
• Silver Theo – Jane Goodall 45%
• Silver Michel Cluizel – Grand Lait 45%
• Bronze Michel Cluizel – Mangaro Lait
• Bronze Amedei – For You ‘Gocce Cioccolato Al Latte’
• Bronze Thorntons – Venezuelan 38%
• Bronze Amano – Ocumare Milk Chocolate

Best Flavoured Milk Chocolate Bar

• Gold Amedei – Milk chocolate with hazelnuts
• Gold Co Couture – Honeycomb, blend IV
• Gold Sir Hans Sloane – Mandarin cranberry
• Silver Thorntons – Tonka Bean
• Bronze Domori – Latte sal
• Bronze Paul a Young Fine Chocolates – stem ginger with fennel seed
• Bronze Kaoka – 32% Milk with caramelised almond pieces

Best Ganache filled chocolate – flavoured or plain

• Gold William Curley – Amedei Chuao
• Gold William Curley – Toasted sesame
• Gold William Curley – Japanese black vinegar
• Gold Chococo – Gorgeous ginger
• Gold William Curley – Rosemary & olive oil
• Gold Paul Wayne Gregory – Coconut bonbon
• Gold Rococo – Passion fruit & mango
• Gold Rococo – Rose & Lychee
• Silver Paul a Young Fine Chocolates – 10yr Glenmorangie
• Silver Paul Wayne Gregory – Salted caramel bonbon
• Silver Melt Chocolates – Peanut butter and raspberry
• Silver Auberge du Chocolat – Spices
• Silver Hotel Chocolat – Caribbean rum ganache
• Silver Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé – Ancho chilli and lemon oil
• Silver Hotel Chocolat – Caribbean fruit ganache
• Silver Paul Wayne Gregory – A hint of liquorice bonbon
• Silver Melt Chocolates – Olive oil caramel
• Silver William Curley – Framboise
• Silver Jean-Paul Hevin – 1502
• Silver Cocomaya – Pomegranate
• Bronze Paul a Young Fine Chocolates – Sichuan pepper & mango
• Bronze De Bondt Paul – Lemon
• Bronze Prestat – Strawberry
• Bronze Theo – Rum raisin
• Bronze Melt Chocolates – Banana, coconut & passion fruit
• Bronze Cocomaya – Assam chai
• Bronze Rozsavologyi csokolade – Raspberry & cherry palinka

Best Filled Praline or Bonbon

• Gold Pralus – Barre Infernale Lait
• Silver Sir Hans Sloane – Coffee
• Silver Sir Hans Sloane – Roasted almond
• Silver William Curley – Sea salt caramel
• Silver William Curley Piemont hazelnut
• Silver Paul a Young Fine Chocolates – sea salted almond rocher
• Bronze De Bondt Paul – Hazelnut praline
• Bronze Booja Booja – Hazelnut crunch truffle
• Bronze Sir Hans Sloane – Almond

Best Dark Truffle (unflavoured)

• Gold William Curley – House dark
• Silver Paul a Young Fine Chocolates – 70% Chuao
• Bronze Paul a Young Fine Chocolates - Los Ancones truffle 67%
• Bronze Lauden – House dark truffle
• Bronze Sir Hans Sloane – Dark truffle
• Bronze Rococo – House truffle

Best Milk Truffle (unflavoured)

• Silver Sir Hans Sloane – Milk truffle
• Silver William Curley – House milk

Best Dark Organic Chocolate Bar

• Silver Pralus – Le 100%
• Bronze Valrhona – Cao Grande Dark

Best Milk Organic Chocolate Bar

• No awards given

Best Drinking Chocolate (unflavoured)

• Gold Paul a Young Fine Chocolates – Aztec drinking chocolate
• Gold Pralus – Cacao show drinking chocolate
• Silver Bonnat – Copeaux 100%
• Silver William Curley – house blend
• Silver Bonnat – Tablette à Cuire
• Bronze Rococo – house blend
• Bronze Sir Hans Sloane – Dark drinking chocolate
• Bronze Bonnat – Copeaux 80%
• Best Drinking Chocolate (flavoured)
• Bronze Amedei – Chocolate in tazza

Best Packaging

• Gold Tcho – 6 bar gift box
• Silver Rococo – Round box
• Bronze La Molina – The cretti book

http://www.academyofchocolate.org.uk