Sunday, December 15, 2013

Theo Chocolate and a Recipe

Hey, everyone! Today's post is a super exciting recap of the team's trip to the Theo Chocolate factory. I also have a delicious recipe at the end for you guys that will be perfect for the holiday season.
 
Awkward hairnet picture with Annika
 
We entered this room with this cute background to learn
where chocolate comes from
Last Sunday, the team took a trip to Theo Chocolate. Theo is a truly incredible place for many reasons. They use only organic, fair-trade cacao beans from a few select locations in South America and Africa. This is much better for the farmers, the environment and for the taste of the chocolate. We learned that the taste of the cacao beans is determined by the soil, so the beans from each location have different flavors because the soil is slightly different in each place. We got some chocolate samples, and I could tell a clear difference in the flavors of the different types of cacao beans. Some were fruitier, some were more bitter, and more.

Roasted and cut cacao beans
 Another really interesting factor of the chocolate making process is that the beans are actually fermented! WHAT? The beans must be fermented and roasted properly before they can be shipped to Theo in Washington. The cacao beans come in a pod that's about the size of a football, and they're surrounded by a white-ish slime inside the pod. Fermenting the beans helps them separate from that slime and attain the chocolate flavor we all expect. Also, the cacao pods range from a greenish color to a purple-ish color. I had always figured that cacao beans grew in smaller, brown pods on a tree, but the pods are actually much bigger. That really surprised me.


We got to walk through the factory to see all of the machinery used to turn the cacao beans into
the chocolate bars we all love. That was very interesting, but my favorite part was visiting the confection kitchen. Theo makes some of the best caramels, ganaches, chocolate bars, and other sweet treats that I've ever tasted. Annika, who is really interested in baking, was so happy when she learned about how they make their ganaches and caramels. My favorite part about the kitchen was their usage of fresh, local ingredients. After seeing the confection kitchen, we all went a little overboard and purchased a ton of chocolate goodies after the tour. We were out of the chocolates in our 12-piece box by the day after the tour. Oops.

Hopefully you just learned a lot about the chocolate making process! Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments or via email, Twitter or Facebook. Now, here's a recipe! I made this last week and it was absolutely incredible. It was very loosely based off of a red rice pilaf recipe that I found on Instagram. I decided to use gourmet flavors that pair nicely with balsamic vinegar. I think it turned out very well, and I highly recommend this recipe as a side dish on Christmas day. Oh, and since this is a blog for kids and teens, I must remind you not to drink any of the red wine that goes in this recipe! Leave that to your parents. ;)

Balsamic Red Rice Pilaf
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
1½ cups red rice
3 small Portobello mushroom caps, gills and stems removed
½ of a red onion, diced
½ of a large red pear, diced
½ cup dried, unsulfured Turkish apricots, coarsely chopped
½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup red wine
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat 2¼ cups of water in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, add the red rice. Reduce the heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 30 - 35 minutes. Don't peek until the cooking time is up! Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

2. Dice the Portobello mushrooms. Combine all of the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Let sit for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour contents of the bowl onto a large cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender.

3. Combine the rice with the mushroom mixture in a large serving bowl. Toss with extra oil or vinegar if desired. Adjust the seasonings and serve!

Thanks for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed it. Please keep up with Teens Can Cook, Too updates by following us at all the social media handles below:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/teenscancooktoo (@teenscancooktoo)
Instagram: http://instagram.com/teenscancooktoo (@teenscancooktoo)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Teens-Can-Cook-Too/113579778813832
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdiKFPsBoLhYw2W42P7LvKQ


Stay healthy!
- Madeline


 

No comments:

Post a Comment