Volume 2 Issue 18

January 12 , 2007

Lettitor
By Heather Holbrook

          High Resolution
      So. How are those New Years resolutions going for you?Yeah, me too. But let’s cut ourselves some slack and stick with it a little longer. Today I resolve to eat more chocolate. And I can do this if I keep my other resolution to run three days a week. Seems that January is jut a respite between the indulgent months of December and February; between eggnog and sugar cookies and well, chocolate and more chocolate. So even though the month of the valentine is still weeks away, I find myself thinking about chocolate.
      On the island last week, I came across a winterized version of the neighborhood lemonade stand on Atlantic Ave where Eva Bourland and Elliott Lyles were selling cups of hot chocolate for 50 cents. But Elliott quickly disclaimed, “My mom won’t let us use the stove,” so the beverages were cold. So I slipped them a few bucks and sipped on my cold chocolate and chuckled all the way home.
      One January many years ago, I did Outward Bound survival school in the North Carolina mountains. Trail-less hiking, snow camping, cave dwelling & spelunking, fording icy rivers with a 50 pound pack…that kind of adventure. The food, believe it or not, was actually pretty good, but there was nothing sweet to eat except for a dried apricot here or there. At one point we tried to pitch camp on the side of the mountain the in the dark, and the wind ushered in a sleet storm and blew our tents away. One of our leaders was a fine Belgian lad and wise beyond his years. He had a special stash of killer chocolate to break out in case the going got tough. Out it came- those smooth Belgian braids of the good stuff made us almost forget our hardship and we survived the night.
      Travel and chocolate go well together. Another January in Paris my best friend and I visited a tea and chocolate salon called Verlet. Cozy and elegant, we reveled in its steamy chocolate bowls of beauty. That hot chocolate was divine, but my favorite to date was found one hot, hot summer in New York at City Bakery on 18 th between 5 th and 6 th. Even though it was July I was thrilled to place my cup under a fountain of thick hot chocolate and plop in a couple of homemade marshmallows and unceremoniously slurp it down.
      Rooting through my pantry I see sugar, cocoa, a leftover Christmas chocolate bar…I believe I will heat up some milk and get busy. So bottoms up, islanders. Cheers to our New Year with a stiff gulp of cocoa. Look inside The Island Eye News for some recipes old and new and mix up a batch for the neighbors. Better yet, y’all take a thermos down to the beach and savor the day.

Death by (hot) chocolate
By Heather Holbrook

       What a way to go. Messy and sweet, the following hot cocoa tastings were performed in the Island Eye News office with additional comments made by the staff including Kristin Hackler, Ashley Ullrich and Laurie Sharon. I personally hadn’t consumed this much chocolate since my family’s vacation to Hershey, Pennsylvania.
      We at The Island Eye News rolled up our sleeves on a rainy Thursday and taste-tested several types, brands and styles of hot chocolate. Unscientific to be sure, here are 10 cocoas mostly found on the shelves of local stores. Do not try this at home. But if you do, may we recommend lite microwave popcorn to be an excellent palette cleanser.

Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate flavor with Marshmallows
      A classic American taste of childhood. Made with hot water, its salty/chocolate flavor and unusual brownish pink color was offset by perfect little pretend marshmallows floating on top. Reminiscent of sleepovers and ice skating, this one seemed to be the perfect baseline for our study.

Godiva Chocolatier Hot Cocoa Chocolat Chaud Classic Milk Chocolate
      Much more multi-dimensional, the Godiva lives up to its name with its packaging promising “a luxuriously rich experience”. Plus it says it in French, so it automatically tastes better. Even though I am supposed to take two sips and move on to the next cup, I finish this one off. Made with butter oil and no salt, I really like this one’s chocolate flavor.

Harris Teeter brand Old Fashioned Hot Cocoa Mix, Rich Chocolatey Flavor
     (Poor Kristin had to drink this one.) She says: Nice little froth on top, made with hot water so very thin overall, but pleasant. Individually packaged hot chocolate always reminds me of being a kid, growing up in Pennsylvania. In the winter, anything hot was a treat. With whipped cream it tasted much better, adding a creaminess that powdered milk in the mix can’t do. Next time make your packaged hot chocolate with milk. (Excellent advice!)

Ghirardelli Old Fashioned Hot Chocolate, Chocolate Hazelnut
      Broad chocolate taste with undertone of sweet hazelnut. If you are into variety, this is a nice one to try. Laurie Sharon took a few sips: It smells great and it tastes wonderful on the first sip, but after that it just turned to chalk in my mouth. It was really weird.

Schokinag European Drinking Chocolate Extreme Dark (79% cocoa content)
      Tiny bitter curls of shaved chocolate, dark as night. It calls for five heaping tablespoons per cup of heated milk. Hardly sweet, it is a nice departure from the candystore quality of some of the others. Ashley Ullrich says:You can really taste that dark chocolate. I can't really decide whether or not I like it. It's bitter and has an aftertaste that I don't like. It smells better than it tastes. Kristin disagrees: I LOVED the Schokinag dark. There's nothing like that pure, dark chocolate that tastes almost like a fruity, cherry liquor and practically no sweetness to it at all. It makes an excellent, true European hot chocolate. Still, it can't hurt to add a little whipped cream. Everything tastes better with whipped cream.

Hershey Chocolate bar, melted, with heated milk
      Straight-ahead milk chocolate in a cup. I appreciate its lack of powder. Very different from Hershey syrup, by the way. Tastes just like a giant Hershey Kiss left in the sun on the dashboard to your car. In a cup.

Peanutbutter
      The addition of creamy peanut butter to the Hershey cocoa was a pleasant surprise. We used an organic ground peanut butter rather than Skippy for easier meltability. As I did not use the Cup o’Reeses recipe (see Recipes), all I can say is that this should prove to be a hit with the younger set. And it is easy to do. Kristin and I sipped this one in silence.

Suchard Hot Chocolate syrup
      Made in a Tassimo machine from Target, with T-disks of chocolate syrup. Wow, push a button and out comes a nice cup of steaming chocolate. Definitely a two-dimensional syrupy chocolate flavor, but you can’t beat the convenience.

Mickey’s Really Creamy Cocoa Chocolate Mint
      Disney does chocolate. Kristin says its flavor is not too overwhelming, thicker than the grocery store brand even though it was made with water. No one asks for a second cup. Especially since we saved the Big One for last.

Spanish Chocolate Caliente
      Almost indescribable, it is a veritable chocolate pudding cloud in a cup. Okay so it did not come from a mix, but the ingredients are pretty straight-forward (see Recipes). The addition of corn starch, however, gives it a density that none of the others can match. Another surprise: it is not very sweet. But be warned- one cup is all you need. Pictured here, note how the spoon stands at attention.
      So there you have it. Although the Aztecs would not recognize their beloved chocolate beverage here, we who braved ten cups of the brown stuff were very happy to submit our taste buds to the task.

Celebrating Scotland’s favorite son

      To celebrate Robert Burns’ birthday is to celebrate the Scottish. Burns was a remarkable poet. Writing in the late 1700’s, his poetry was the first widely accepted literature written in the Scottish vernacular. In his short life (Burns’ was only 47 when he passed away) he wrote over 550 songs and poems.
      Once a year, on or around January 25, families and communities all over Scotland gather together and hold a Burns’ Supper. The proceeding generally follow the same outline, but celebrants are welcome to be as formal or casual as they wish. No matter what, the evening ends in laughter, good music, excellent whisky and wonderful memories.

Gather
Celebrants mingle about, brush up on their Burn’s poems and enjoy a little pre-supper whisky.

Meal - Welcome Grace
The celebrants are called to the table and the host give the traditional Selkirk Grace. This is followed by the first soup course.

Parade of the Haggis
The evening's highest bit of pomp. The chef, carrying in the haggis, follows the piper in a more or less dignified procession through the hall . The chef lays the haggis, on its groaning trencher, before the chairman at the high table. (If you have to ask what haggis is, please skip to the bottom of the page).

Address to a Haggis
A previously designated reader recites this poem over the haggis. A gill of whisky is offered to the piper, chef and reader and with alacrity, the haggis is sliced open with the finely honed edge of a ceremonial dirk (though any old knife will do). The meal is then served with all its composite courses and copious helpings of ale and whisky. The traditional sides to this meal are neeps and tatties, known to us as mashed turnips and mashed potatoes. Interestingly enough, the Scottish do not like milk or any sort of spice in their potatoes. They just mash and serve.

Interval
After the meal there is a brief interval while the table is cleared or the celebrants retire to another room for the rest of the evening's festivities. The chairman needs to keep the guests focused and facilitate the flow of the songs, toasts and poetry that are to follow. Time to refill your glasses!

Song
A good warm-up for the Immortal Memory, a musically inclined guest, or two, may sing a Burns song.

Immortal Memory
The chairman, or designated speaker, delivers the Immortal Memory address. This should be a rather serious and careful consideration of the life and art of Robert Burns. It may be a general, biographical sort of speech, or may address a specific aspect of the Bard's work that is relevant to the particular group of assembled celebrants. This speech should be long-winded enough to remind the guests that this isn't the office Christmas party, yet not so long as to induce cramping, dry-mouth, or ringing in the ears (about 25 minutes). This speech always ends with standing guests, raised glasses and an offered toast to the immortal memory of the Bard of Ayr.

Songs, Music & Readings
Now, in loose order, deftly orchestrated by the chairman, follow the other poems, toasts, songs and addresses of the evening. Celebrants who have arrived with selections to read take their turn entertaining the others. In many of the small towns in Scotland, the local primer school children recite Burn’s poems from memory. One of their favorites being “To a mouse”.

Toast To The Lassies
A traditional Burns Night ritual, this toast should be a light-hearted lampoon of the lassies' (few) shortcomings. Illustrations from Burns, or from first hand knowledge of the subject, may be used.

Reply From The Lassies
Always delivered with grace, charm and wit, this savaging of the lads' crude dispositions and social inferiority is always accepted with good humor by the men present.

Tam o' Shanter
No Burns Night is complete without a recitation of the great narrative poem.

Songs & Poems
The chairman may play it by ear and keep the readings going as long as the guests are willing and attentive. Alternatively, the evening may evolve into a bacchanal of music, song and dancing. Either are acceptable.

Closing Remarks From The Chairman
When an end to the festivities has finally arrived the chairman should thank the guests for their attendance, good cheer and high spirits. A few reciprocal remarks, or a toast, may be made by one of the celebrants and a vote of thanks offered to the host, chairman, chef, piper, etc.

Auld Lang Syne
The traditional end to any Burns Night - indeed, an appropriate end to any evening spent among the company of friends - is the singing of this sentimental Scottish song. It always helps to have the correct lyrics printed out for the, by now, groggily satisfied celebrants.