Now heres something for all us chocolate lovers to get excited about… chocolate at our finger tips. Yip you guessed it, this innovative chocolate company, Ghirardelli has recently announced that they will be releasing an iphone application. This will make ordering your chocolate even easier and quicker. So imagine this… you’re on your way interstate to visit your mom who you haven’t seen for at least three months, when it suddenly dawns on you that you are going to arrive completely empty handed. No need to worry, pull out your iphone and by a few touches of the ‘buttons’ you could have a beautiful hot chocolate gift or gourmet chocolate gift basket ordered, paid for and ready to be delivered in no time at all. Brilliant – problem solved.

Yet another reason to get yourself an iphone! And yet another tool to help us chocolate addicts get our fixes.

If you aren’t familiar with the chocolate company Ghirardelli, here is a bit of information. Ghirardelli promises to ’satisfy your inner child’ by manufacturing and selling the most luxurious of chocolate ranges. Chocolates are beautifully presented and equally as tasty and therefore are suitable as gifts or simply to enjoy for yourself. They have a variety of ranges including the ‘Luxe milk chocolate’ range and the ‘Intense dark chocolate’ range, both superb. As a gourmet hot chocolate fan personally I cannot go past their chocolate premium hot cocoa. This is by far the best drinking chocolate I have tasted and I would highly recommend it.

So today Ghirardelli gets two thumbs up. The first one for a brilliant iphone application initiative and a second one for magnificent chocolate, especially their gourmet hot chocolate range.

 If you ever needed an excuse to eat chocolate, well now you’ve got it! Numerous studies have indicated that there are an array of health benefits associated with eating chocolate. In typical gourmet hot chocolate style, I prefer to drink my chocolate and that apparently this is just as good too. Moderation is still the best approach but I can deal with that.

So you want a few details about your luxurious rich treat, well here are a few:

Chocolate causes the release of endorphins. This substance is commonly referred to as the ‘happy-hormone’ as it naturally lifts our moods. In addition to giving us that feel good sensation, endorphins have also been found to be mild pain relievers and assist in reducing stress.

Chocolate is rich in flavonoids. Dark chocolate has the highest levels of flavonoids with milk chocolate coming in second. Unfortunately for white chocolate lovers, white chocolate does not contain this beneficial substance. Flavonoids act as anti-oxidants by helping the body’s cells resist damage from free radicals. Excess damage from free radicals can cause premature aging and has been linked to heart disease.

I’ve also recently found out that chocolate contains a substance called serotonin. Serotonin acts as an anti-depressant – yet another feel good property.

Saturday night calls for relaxation and recharging the batteries. Tonight once the kids are tucked away in bed, my husband and I will be putting our feet up ans watching a DVD (we’ve got “50 first dates” picked out). To add to the atmosphere we will be indulging in a gourmet hot chocolate and tonight it will be created from the Ghirardelli range – quick, easy and oh so tasty. So much to look forward to and apparently we’ll be receiving some health benefits too… this couldn’t get any better.

Eat, drink and enjoy and forget the guilt, it is not required.

 This past weekend, the 13th-14th September 2009, Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco celebrated its 14th annual chocolate festival. From all the reports I gather that this is a decadent chocolate feast that would satisfy and excite any chocolate fan. I visited San Francisco approximately 20 years ago (I’m sure a lot has changed since then). I’ve now discover the perfect excuse to plan a trip to this city… yes, you guessed it, the Ghirardelli Square chocolate festival. Imagine, 40 chocolatiers with tasting opportunities at each. A little taste of heaven all in the one place.

So obviously I’ve missed the 2009 festival but the name Ghirardelli and chocolate go hand-in-hand and so to have my own little chocolate festival at home, I decided to indulge in some truly luxurious Ghirardelli hot chocolate. Addictive stuff! Although the weather here in Melbourne, Australia is slowly beginning to warm up as we head into spring, the evenings and early mornings are still cool and I’m always looking for something to warm me up from the inside out. What a treat and so quick and easy to prepare – I love it.

Now if you are thinking that the only good reason to eat chocolate is for the taste, well you’ll be glad to hear that more and more studies are revealing an ever growing list of more reasons to indulge. Recently, it was reported that chocolate is in fact a fantastic food for your brain. Yes, apparently chocolate increases the flow of blood to your brain and put simply, makes you feel good. In addition, chocolate contains a small amount of a substance that triggers the release of endorphins. Endorphins are what are released when we exercise and naturally give us that ‘exercise high’ which makes us feel great.

If you need a reason to indulge in chocolate in any shape or form, well now you have a few more reasons. Why not give Ghirardelli hot chocolate a go, you’ll love it.

 This week in the Edmonton Journal it was reported that women actually prefer chocolate to sex! I imagine that this would leave a lot of males feeling a little uneasy… how on earth can they compete against chocolate? I am a fan of most chocolate, in particular a good cup of heavenly gourmet hot chocolate. However, I’m not sure if I prefer this delectable treat to sex. My understanding was that chocolate, in any shape or form, was in fact an aphrodisiac and therefore should possibly be enjoyed as a prelude to sex. Now this is possibly a way of having the best of both worlds.

In many ways chocolate and sex have been connected for centuries. Rather than competing they have actually existed side-by-side. For example, chocolate has always been and remains to be a fantastically romantic gift. The heart of most females could possibly be won over with a beautifully presented gourmet chocolate gift basket for almost any occasion. A Valentine gift would not be complete without at least a handful of heart-shaped chocolates.

My recommendations for a perfectly romantic evening would go something like this…

A romantic candle lit dinner, preferably outdoors in the fresh air on crisp, cool night. A light dinner will suffice. My husband recently made us a magnificent warm trout salad including grilled trout, thinly sliced red peppers and bok choy cooked for a few minutes in a pan with a dressing of soy, rice vinegar, mirin, ginger, garlic, chilli and sesame seed oil and served on a bed of fluffy rice. The focus of the meal can therefore become a rich chocolate dessert. As an undying fan of a good gourmet hot chocolate this would be my number one recommendation. Serving this hot chocolate with a few plain biscuits would be perfect. Now if there is indeed truth in the matter of chocolate being an aphrodisiac, well then the rest of the evening should take care of itself.

I believe the answer is sex AND gourmet hot chocolate.

 You may be thinking that hot chocolate is a drink for kids. Well think again. I have over the years developed a library of gourmet hot chocolate recipes and today I have one that will satisfy even the most sophisticated adult. Coming from one of the coffee culture capitals of the world, Melbourne, Australia, I have been inspired to combine my love for a really good latte, with my love for excellent quality chocolate.

Today I discovered that ‘Lindt chocolate’ will be turning 60 this year. Amazing that people have been indulging in Lindt chocolate pleasure for six decades. To celebrate this milestone, I thought it would be apt to use a high percentage cocoa dark chocolate as the base ingredient for today’s gourmet hot chocolate. Lindt has a fantastic variety to choose from but not to worry if you can’t find Lindt, as I always say, purchase the best quality chocolate you can afford and you can’t go wrong. This is your ingredient list for today:

Good quality dark chocolate (Lindt high percentage cocoa if possible)

Thick cream

A shot of either Tia Maria, Irish Cream or Amaretto (all coffee-based liqueurs)

Full cream milk

Water

You will also require a double boiler, which is the best piece of equipment for melting chocolate evenly. Using two pots stacked on top of one another, is a great make-shift option.

Begin by slowly melting the chocolate over low-medium heat. Once the chocolate is completely melted add an equal quantity of cream. Continuously stir the mixture. At this point you should add the liqueur, this will allow the alcohol to burn off slightly yet at the same time the flavors will be able to integrate perfectly. Finally add the milk and water. Continue to stir until your gourmet hot chocolate is heated to a temperature that you prefer. I recommend never boiling this mixture, heating it until just warm is perfect.

Enjoy with a biscotti on the side.

Over the years my chocolate addiction has become more and more apparent to my family and friends and so my default present come any special occasion is usually chocolate in some shape or form. Now on a day to day basis I am pretty happy with a block of fairly good chocolate but come a special occasion I am all for the really good quality stuff. ‘Koko Black’ a gorgeous little chocolate shop has recently opened not to far away from where I live (very dangerous). Anyway this is the sort of place you visit for those special occasion chocolate gifts. 

This weekend I went venturing for a Father’s day present for my equally chocolate addicted husband. Koko black was my first destination of choice. Now I had a little time up my sleave and so decided to sit down and treat myself to one of their incredibly enticing gourmet hot chocolates. Whilst I was sitting in this chocolate heaven, completely engrossed in my magnificent hot chocolate drink I came up with the perfect chocolate gift with a little twist – a hot chocolate gift. I think this gift idea was partly because I was beginning to feel slightly guilty at the fact that I was out alone indulging myself whilst my husband was at home with our two kids and partly because it occurred to me that this fabulous drink could be savoured in the comfort of our home too.

The fabulous hot chocolate gift that I purchased was made from dark Belgian chocolate and was presented in a gorgeous little bag – perfect. In addition the kids and I got our creative hats on and painted a couple of ceramic mugs one stating “Worlds greatest Dad” and the other “I love hot chocolate”. Our little gourmet chocolate gift basket could not have been complete without the inclusion of a few of dad’s favorites, these included:

• A Classic Belgian Truffle: a dark ganache with a small hint of vanilla
• Caramel mousse: a milk chocolate filled with a light caramel ganache
• Hazelnut trio: milk chocolate with a hazelnut praline
• Almond praline: a combination of milk and white chocolate with an almond praline filling