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IX maltatoday, Sunday, 5 april 2015 This Week Fine food of the week Celebrating Easter the chocolatey way Easter marks the end of the period of Lent and fasting and chocolate is a little reward for the fast. Chocolate eggs are synonymous with Easter even though they are a relatively new feature, with the first chocolate eggs being exchanged as gifts in France and Ger- many in the early 19th centrury. Chocolate making today bears very little resemblance to the original xocotlatl that the Spanish colonialists discovered from the Aztecs. Christopher Columbus discovered the co- coa bean in the New World where local tribes had built a culture of worship around the holy bean, though it wasn't until Cortez discov- ered the monetary and nutritional value of chocolate, 17 years later that chocolate came to Europe. e Aztecs brewed their own party drink that they called xocotlatl – a bitter-tasting drink made from roasted ground cocoa beans with peppery spices and hot peppers. ough not to the taste of Spanish conquerors, they were intrigued by the monetary value of the cocoa bean, which was used as payment for slaves and was thus known as the "gold of the New World." e Spanish monks then enhanced the drink with sugar and vanilla, with some de- scribing the drink as delicious and nutritional and the clergy banning the drink as it was lust arousing. e myths that chocolate caused pleasure were around even then and have lived on to this day. e effects of chocolate have been studied extensively and it has been concluded that the brain treats chocolate as a drug with pharma- cological actions occurring in the brain. Chocolate contains cannabinoids, the com- pounds responsible for the high of marijuana, though the concentration is too low to cause an effect. e compounds which do have an effect are caffeine, tyramine and tryptophan, which convert into feel-good chemicals dopamine and serotonin. Today a number of different types of choco- late are available. Cocoa powder: is unsweetened powder is pulverized, partially defatted chocolate liquor. Cocoa powder gives an intense chocolate taste and is available in "Dutch-processed" (alkalized) or natural varieties. Unsweetened chocolate: Also known as "bit- ter" or "baking" chocolate. is is pure choco- late liquor, composed solely of ground cocoa beans. Although it looks and smells like choc- olate, it has a bitter taste and is not meant for consumption on its own — it is best used in cooking, when it can be combined with sugar to make it more palatable. Dark chocolate: Chocolate that contains chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla and leicithin (an emulsifier). ere are no milk solids added in dark chocolate. e cocoa content of commercial dark chocolate bars can range from 30% (sweet dark) to 70-80% for extremely dark bars. Bittersweet chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate also fall into the "dark chocolate" category. Bittersweet chocolate: Chocolate contains at least 35% cocoa solids. Most bittersweet bars contain at least 50% chocolate liquor, with some bars pushing 70-80% chocolate liquor. is chocolate often has a deeper, more bitter flavour than sweet dark or semi-sweet bars. Semi-sweet chocolate: is is primarily an American term, popularized by Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips. Semi- sweet chocolate contains at least 35% cocoa solids, and is generally assumed to be darker than sweet dark chocolate, but sweeter than bittersweet. However, the lack of regulations regarding sugar content means that these classifications are relative and not consistent across brands. Sweet dark chocolate: is "dark chocolate" in the sense that it does not contain milk solids, but it still has a high percentage of sugar and is much sweeter than other types of dark chocolate. Many brands of sweet dark choco- late have only 20-40% cocoa solids. Milk chocolate: In addition to contain- ing cocoa butter and chocolate liquor, milk chocolate contains either condensed milk or dry milk solids. Milk chocolate must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor, 3.39% butterfat, and 12% milk solids. Milk chocolates are typically much sweeter than dark chocolate, and have a lighter colour and a less pronounced chocolate taste. Milk chocolate is more difficult to temper properly and more prone to overheating. White chocolate: White chocolate gets its name from the cocoa butter it contains, but does not contain chocolate liquor or any other cocoa products. As a result, it has no pronounced chocolate taste, but commonly tastes like vanilla or other added flavourings. By law, white chocolate must contain a minimum 20% cocoa but- ter, 14% milk solids, and a maximum of 55% sugar. Makes 10 nests Ingredients 225g plain chocolate • 50g butter • 2 tbsp golden syrup • 100g corn flakes • 30 chocolate mini eggs or little eggs made from • sugarpaste Paper cake cases • A baking tray with shallow pans • Method 1. Put ten paper cases into pans in the baking tray. Break the chocolate into squares and put them in a large pan. 2. Add the but ter to the pan. Dip a tablespoon in some hot water, then use the spoon to add the golden syrup. 3. Heat the pan gently, stirring the ingredients all the time, until the but ter and chocolate have completely melted. 4. Turn of f the heat, then add the corn flakes to the pan, tr ying not to crush the flakes. Gently stir them into the chocolate, until they are coated all over. 5. Fill the paper cases with the mixture. Using the back of a teaspoon make a hollow in the middle of each nest by pushing the flakes up the sides. 6. Arrange three mini eggs in each nest. Then put the tray in the fridge and leave it for about an hour to set. 7. Take the nests out of the paper cases and put them on a plate. Keep them in the fridge in an air tight container. Eat them within three days Recipe of the week Easter chocolate nests Chocolate releases chemicals in the brain that create a feel good factor