Modular systems are just plain smart, allowing you to tailor a design, change it around, and swap out individual components easily. So why not apply the principle to chocolate? Yes, chocolate. For her graduation project at ECAL, Elsa Lambinet collaborated with Swiss chocolatier Blondel to create customizable confections from interchangeable components--thereby realizing the fantasy of design-sensitive chocoholics everywhere.
Called “Sweet Play,” the project uses three types of chocolate and a range of toppings and fillings: dark chocolate has place for fruit, milk chocolate features indentations for nuts, and the white chocolate can hold liquids. All three have slots for receiving fillings such as waters, nougat, and caramel. “Participants get to mix and match ingredients for hours and hours as they gorge themselves on custom confectionery goodness,” writes Lambinet, whose concept fittingly earned her a master’s degree in luxury.
One ounce of dark chocolate can boast plenty of health benefits and antioxidants.
However, you have to be careful about which brand of chocolate you buy.
All dark chocolate is not created equal.
Healthy Dark Chocolate Brands
Godiva 72% or 85% Cacao Chocolate Bars: Are not processed with alkali. This means the bitter taste along with those fantastic health benefits are still in tact.
Lindt 70%, 85%, or 90% Cacao Bars: Also not processed with alkali.
Brookside Dark Chocolate with Pomegranate or Blueberries: Even though this is processed with alkali, it contains a hefty serving of antioxidants from the fruits.
Endangered Species Dark Chocolate Bars: Created ethically and sustainably so you can feel good about eating your sweet treat.
Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Squares: Uses no cocoa powder as to intensify the chocolate flavor; Uses cocoa butter and liquor instead.
Chocolove Bars
Green & Black's Organic Bars
Organic Taza Chocolate Bars
Less Nutrient Rich Chocolate
Dove Dark Chocolate: Processed with alkali or, also called "Dutch processed", means that the acids in the chocolate are neutralized, and many of the antioxidants are lost.
CocoaVia Supplement Packs: These are similar to Crystal Light, except they have flavanoids (the main chocolate antioxidant) added in. You will get some health benefits from this, but it is more important to eat the whole food that contains the fiber.
Hershey's Special Dark
Dark Chocolate M&M's
Milky Way Midnight
Nestle Dark Hot Chocolate: Still contains trans fat!
Key Takeaway Points
You want to try to choose dark chocolate that is greater than 70% cacao and check the ingredient list to make sure it contains no alkali, but once you get to 90% or 99% cacao, the chocolate has very little sugar and will taste extremely bitter. Proceed with caution. Overall, if we're going to indulge in chocolate, why not make sure you are getting all those antioxidants as well? What is your favorite dark chocolate?
This week marks the last dash of the holiday season, when the final presents are plucked off store shelves for safe keeping under the tree. (A gentle nudge to holiday procrastinators -- if you haven't started your shopping, now might be a good time to get moving.)
If Santa's elves have already done the heavy lifting on your Christmas list, maybe it's time to think about stocking stuffers -- those pint-size, portable presents that are something of an exclamation point to your declaration of holiday sentiment. The great thing about these gifts is that they don't have to cost much to leave a big impact.
Here are 20 ideas for stocking stuffers to encourage a year of physical activity, good eating and less stress. After all, there's no better gift than good health.
1. Dark chocolate
Here's the skinny on dark chocolate -- it's been touted for boosting mood, lowering blood pressure and improving cardiovascular health. Credit the main ingredient, cocoa, which is the source of good-for-you flavonoids that provide the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect.
But quality and quantity are two important considerations. Milk chocolate, in addition to having more sugar and less fiber than dark chocolate, is made with less cocoa so it doesn't convey the same benefits. Instead, look for dark chocolate that's made with at least 70 percent cocoa. Also, keep in mind that dark chocolate is still high in saturated fat -- although it doesn't appear to raise bad LDL cholesterol levels -- and calories.
Servings: Makes enough tempered chocolate for the candied hazelnuts and honeycomb. Note: Tempered chocolate is chocolate that has been treated in such a way that it is smooth, shiny and has a nice snap to it when you bite into it. It's a technique of candy making that is all about combining the proper ratio of melted chocolate with unmelted chocolate in order to achieve just the right temperature and consistency. It's not difficult to do. It just takes some attention — and the results are definitely worth it.
Nancy Silverton's dark tempered chocolate. (Myung Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Set a metal bowl over a pot of water or fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring the water to a simmer (not a boil) over medium-high heat. Add 11 ounces of the chocolate to the bowl set over the water and warm the chocolate without stirring until it melts and becomes thin and liquid. Take the bowl off the heat and add the remaining chocolate, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until all of the chocolate is melted. Use immediately.
Each year we take one for the team and head to the New York Chocolate Show to sample the latest sweet offerings. A few trends popped up, including blueberries, almonds, raw, gluten-free, various drinking chocolates, and long thin bars, "fingers," or in one case, bacon strips. What follows are the high points from the show, the companies and chocolates that caught our eyes, er, palates.
Les Cinq Amandes
In addition to Sicilian almonds covered in very thin layers of colorful sugar, Les Cinq Amandes' collection (above) includes unexpected chocolate dragées featuring rhubarb, meringue, and apple. (Fivealmonds.com, 877-328-6757; phone orders only) Maha Chocolate
Almonds also take center stage at Maha Chocolate where the specialty is rich dark chocolate clusters. Their lavender version is pleasantly floral and not soapy. (Mahachocolate.com, 866.969.6242) Fika
A Swedish espresso bar with three New York locations, Fika has a limited online shop featuring Håkan Mårtensson's chocolate confections. Keep an eye out for the newest truffle, a knockout combination of dark chocolate, goat cheese, and sea salt. (Fikanyc.com, 646-837-6588)
Prestat
As the Queen of England's Royal Chocolatier, Prestat has held the "Royal Warrant" for 35 years but is just arriving on U.S. shores. Focusing on the New York market for now, Prestat will hopefully expand to the rest of the country in the near future. Their English Mint Crunch is bright with mint, and gets its crunchy texture from Demerara sugar. (Prestat.co.uk, +44 20 8896 8699)
Gnosis Chocolate
Gnosis Chocolate bills itself "the world's most nutritious chocolate" and can check off the organic, raw, and vegan boxes. All skepticism aside, they make a mean hot chocolate (above). Samples of the Mayan style one were warmly infused with cinnamon and cayenne. The immunity version wasn't on tap but boasts ginseng, echinacea, and lucuma. (Gnosischocolate.com, 877-4466747) Xocolatti
At their Soho location and in their online shop, Xocolatti (choco-latti) offers chocolate in unusual guises. Coconut pineapple crumbles are like a fancy-pants trail mix, while slates are the thinnest of all chocolate bars and feature international ingredients and flavor profiles that include saffron, rose hips, tiramisu, and masala spices. (Xocolatti, 212-256-0332)
Co Co. Sala
This chocolate lounge in Washington, DC has an online chocolate boutique offering their solid Co Co bars (above) and specialties like chocolate covered bacon strips (smoky and thankfully not chewy) and their new gingerbread Hot Co Co Pop for making hot chocolate at home. (Cocosala.com, 202-347-4265)
One ounce of dark chocolate can boast plenty of health benefits and antioxidants. 
