Hot Cocoa & Hotter Cars

A Cocoa & Conversation Vignette, by Valerie Williams-Sanchez

One of the most rewarding parts of whipping up a batch of premium hot cocoa is the visual treat of seeing cocoa powder release its chestnut color and rich scent into milk. Valrhona cocoa powder in particular creates deep, vibrant and ruddy hues that emerge and merge, signaling the true luxury experience at hand.  

The sumptuous color exudes decadence.

Lush and luscious, varied tones of the chocolate spectrum are finding their way into other facets of upscale lifestyles, particularly on U.S. and international roads and highways.

Awash in an automotive field of S.U.V.s and sedans offered in mind-numbing arrays of grey, a few models of various makes stand out for their rich exterior color, tones evocative of velvety smooth experiences with cocoa, both hot and cool. 

But such hues for car coatings don't suit everyone. Saturated earthen tones, including brown, claimed less than 10% market share of the automotive paint industry, according to reports from PPG Industries, a leader in pigments and color coatings.

Each year the Troy, Michigan-based company hosts the Automotive Color Trends Show and publishes statistics from and for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). In 2012, PPG released report data that quantified and reinforced the status quo. As in years past, more colorful tones came up woefully short against perennial, global favorites white and black, which rank #1 and #3 respectively.

Top Automotive Exterior Colors

• White -- 22%
• Silver -- 20%
• Black -- 19%
• Gray -- 12%
• Red -- 9% 
• Natural -- 8%
• Blue -- 7%
• Green -- 2%
• Other colors -- 1%

(source PPG Industries media release www.ppg.com,  2012)

Rich and luxurious tones of brown, nonetheless, are making gains. A precursor for concept and production cars to come, some 19 of the 64 new colors PPG introduced in 2012 were in the brown spectrum, including Chocolate Brown (RAL 8017), Chestnut Brown (RAL 8015) and Terra Brown (RAL 8028).

“The palette being developed for the automotive segment continues to be influenced by culture, nature, fashion, interior design, color popularity and new pigment technology,” according to a release from PPG Industries following the show.

In the world of automotive, hot cocoa hues seem reserved for refined palettes which, more and more, are turning luxury touring cars and active Sports Utility Vehicles into chocolate-dipped chariots. Just peruse offers in the luxury automotive competitive set and findings will confirm, hot cocoa color is top-shelf special, included in product offers which can and do demand premium pricing.

Great chocolate of any type ain't cheap.

Earthy, organic tones appear on models which can hover in the highest pricing echelons of the luxury segment. Often offered as a custom coating, spangled, glossy and shimmering cocoa tones can fetch from $475 to $720, or higher, depending on the model and automaker.

“Our consumer research has clearly shown that color is critically important to car buyers,” said Jane E. Harrington, PPG manager, color styling, automotive OEM coatings. The translation to auto makers: exterior color can be a deal-breaking proposition for many, according to PPG statistics.

In 2011, PPG surveyed consumers and found that 77 percent said exterior color was a factor in their automotive purchase decision. And, nearly half, 45 percent of respondents said they would prefer a wider range of color choices, data which could be driving OEM's investment in succulent colors, despite recession-driven dips in industry sales.

Color to Cruise and Savor

Like choosing a beverage to sip or swig, those shopping for large luxury cars and larger, premium SUVs – more frequently than those looking for high-performance coupes, compacts and sub-compact sedans – have more than a few chocolate tones from which to choose.

Mocha Match-ups by Make and Monikers (listed alphabetically)

• Acura – Amber Brownstone
• Audi – Teak Brown Metallic (for Q5 and Q7 only)
• BMW -- Mojave and Marrakesh
• Infinity – Midnight Garnet and Dark Currant (QX only)
• Jaguar – Caviar and Caviar Metallic
• Lexus – Fire Agate
• Mercedes Benz – Cuprite Brown and Mystic Brown
• Volvo – Terra Bronze (XC60) and Twilight Bronze (S80)

A sampling of luxury automakers' offers suggests that while cocoa connoisseurs enjoy performance, more chose to cruise in cocoa, rather than race. The indulgent tone is often concentrated on offers for full-sized sedans and more substantive SUVs. Typically, sports suspensions and racing performance product lines eschew cocoa-tones.

"A pit stop en route to New York Auto Show for City Bakery Hot Cocoa in my XC60. Volvo calls the color Terra Bronze. To me, it is hot cocoa."

On the other side of the cash register, Judy Ray of Crevier Motors BMW, in Santa Ana, Calif. said she has observed that brown tends to attract a more subtle customer than those looking for status grey.  

Ray said, chocolate tones "seem to be preferred by those looking to please their own palette, lifestyle and emotional preference."

Climate, culture -- which can effect the way colors are regarded -- and gender, a determining factor in color-blindness, can affect the way colors, including brown, are perceived. They are but a few factors that impact popularity and take-rates.  

In the BMW line-up, brown is reserved for larger, touring models and is altogether absent in the "M" line racing performance brand. Ray said this could be attributed to the idea that those who buy brown, value luxury over aggressive, sporty performance.

This could also be true at Mercedes Benz. Brown turns up as an AMG custom color, one to be special-ordered. It is not a color typically shown as a demo. At Infinity, their largest SUV, the QX is shown only in brown-wannabe, Dark Currant. Similarly, Audi has corralled its cocoa offerings in one series. Teak Brown and its heavy metal sibling – Teak Brown Metallic, seem to account for the label's brown option, colors only offered on the Q5 and Q7.

"Exotic colors [are] for exotic cars," according to Leslie Kendall, curator at Los Angeles-based, Petersen Automotive Museum. Antique cars hold their design integrity in their original colors, enhancing a car's design personality, according to Kendall. This is most important when color is part of a car's I.D. This is also when color can dramatically affect the value of a vehicle and impact the authenticity of a restoration.   

Petersen also described how auto coating palettes can and have taken cues from most anywhere, including trends and movements in culture and art. Petersen pointed to eras of industrialism and modernism, as well as artistic movements like art deco which served as a catalyst in the 1930s for car design and their complimentery colors which, in the instance of shades of gold and brown, were pulled directly from military palettes, drawn from tones associated with flight, and metropolitan factories and buildings to, later, their antithetical muse, nature.

The Petersen collection is widely and most popularly known for its antique car collection as well as historically and anatomically correct historic restorations. When talking about restored cars, Kendall said, color authenticity is key, and color correctness is an element worth tending to and maintaining when addressing the artistry of any automobile.

Car collecting enthusiasts pay big money and lots of attention to such details.

Renown for their eccentric extravagance, Concours d'Elegance autos and their owners go all out, presenting their cars -- and themselves -- in full regalia, hoping to grab the attention and win admiring glances and the approval of judges who rate restored cars for their authenticity, Kendall said.

In such an environment, tones of milky chocolate and darkest, bitter mocha color are synonymous with sophistication, according to Kendall who pointed to the museum's founder and namesake as an example.

Mr. Petersen himself, Leslie recalled, counted a 20-story brown skyscraper, an opulent personal airport terminal and private jets replete with chocolate accents and brown décor, and even a chestnut brown Bentley, among his prized possessions. Kendall said, "brown is a color of maturity." It's clear, in these applications, brown is simply the color of sweet indulgence.


© 2013 Valerie Williams-Sanchez. All rights reserved. 

Read, Drink, Love

How better to celebrate St. Valentine's Day than to snuggle up with those most dear to you to share a bit of "liquid love." For this Cocoa Chronicles, I give my gift to you, Valerie's Valentine, my personal recipe for a rich and delicious, hot cocoa.

A creative melange of flavors for when you're feeling really indulgent, this blend features Valrhona (French) and Callebaut (Belgian) chocolates along with a couple of surprises. More layered and full than your everyday blend, it is well worth a try. So grab your favorite sipping cup, and maybe even a bit of toasted and buttered crusty French baguette, curl up in your slippers and robe and enjoy.

Valerie's Valentine Hot Cocoa

Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 Cups Grated Callebaut Milk Chocolate (33% cocoa powder)

3 Cups Whole Milk

4 Tblsp Turbino Raw Sugar

1 1/2 Tblsp Valrhona 100% Cocoa Powder

1/4 tsp Vanilla Powder

1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon (optional)

1/16 tsp Sea Salt

1/16 tsp White Pepper

1/8 tsp cornstarch

Method:

Freeze Callebaut milk chocolate for 15 min., then use a grater to shred 1/2 cup. Set aside. 

In a sauce pan, bring milk to a near boil, adding all of the sugar. Stir frequently to avoid boiling. Whisk in Valrhona cocoa powder, vanilla powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper.

For a thicker hot cocoa, in a separate cup or bowl, dissolve cornstarch into three or four tablespoons of the warmed liquid. Incorporate the fully dissolved starch mixture back into the warmed cocoa. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes or until thick. Reduce the flame.

Finally, add the grated chocolate stirring continuously and raise heat again and simmer. Pour chocolate through a sieve or strainer into your favorite serving cup or mug. Love!  

V~

 © 2013 Valerie Williams-Sanchez. All rights reserved.

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Spread the Love -- A Recipe for Delight.

As an added treat, Chef Kathleen Lewandowski has shared another original recipe.

Using a cocoa spread, Chef Lewandowski makes sharing the love with your Valentine just as easy as creating this decadent dish. She suggests you make her dish for a sinful breakfast in bed or, better yet, as a wonderful dessert.

"Who wouldn't love the pairing of chocolate, cheese and rich buttery croissants?" Chef Lewandowski told Valerie's Vignettes.

Chocolate & Cheese Stuffed Croissant French Toast

Recipe

Ingredients:

6 plain croissants or 12 mini croissants
3 eggs
1 cup milk1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup Nocciolata or Nutella, Hazelnut spread with cocoa
6 Tbsp butter
*optional raspberry or strawberry jam

Method:
Slice croissant and spread cream cheese on top half.
In a shallow bowl, whisk eggs with milk and vanilla.
Dip croissant in egg mixture, battering both sides.
On medium heat, melt butter in a non-stick skillet.
Cook croissant first on one side till brown then flip over and cook other side.
Spread chocolate on the bottom half and cover with top croissant half.
Serve warm and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Serves 6.
* You can also heat and add some raspberry or strawberry jam to the plate for color

Chef Lewandowski graduated in 2007 from the culinary program at The Institute of Culinary Education, New York, New York. Her culinary experience includes work at The James Beard House, Share Our Strength, as well as with Abigail Kirsch Pier 60, Great Performances and Chef Central.

Currently, Chef Lewandowski is a Culinary demonstrator and educator, making presentations to home chefs in the Tri-State area. To contact Chef Lewandowski, email her at klewandowski@nj.rr.com.

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Hot Cocoa for Dinner? 

Hot Cocoa goes savory in authentic Mexican Mole sauce. Keep the chocolate flowing in an authentic Mexican Mole Sauce. In it's traditional form, the balance of savory and spicy is achieved by using ample amounts of smokey chilies and dark chocolate. Mole served over grilled chicken, with rice and a steamed or grilled seasonal vegetable, like asparagus, is a match made in heaven that also make a satisfying and succulent meal.

Follow the link below from all recipes.com

Authentic Oaxacan Mole: http://allrecipes.com/video/800/how-to-make-mole-sauce/detail.aspx

Sisters of Circumstance

This vignette is an excerpt from a novella currently in the works. A fictional short story, it was developed through participation in Visible Ink, a writing program of Memorial Sloan Kettering.

            Ava Russell and Sarah Lipmann had been best friends since fate paired them together in the ordered chaos of a hospital waiting room more than a decade earlier. 

Sarah had endured an abusive childhood that had left her indelibly marked both physically and mentally.  Street tough from years on the run, the willowy Sarah had grown into a young woman who chain smoked cigarettes and drank eight ounce mugs of Turkish coffee.

By contrast, Ava, dark-skinned with a slight frame and jet-black coiling hair, was an orphan out of circumstance. Born into wealth, her life changed when a conservator drained her trust fund after her mother became very ill. 

The two were like oil and water, but they mixed. 

Sarah's background was desperate.  Raised in rural squalor, she was beaten regularly by her father.  Her alcoholic mother would subject Sarah and her sister to long hours of work without food.  

One day a representative from the state's child protective services showed up.  Sarah welcomed in the nice lady with the pretty smile who smelled of lilacs and jasmine.

"Hello Sarah," the mysterious woman said from outside the screen door. "My name is Ann.  I'm here to talk to your dad."

Sarah presumed Ms. Ann had come to attend to the business of grown-ups, so she let her in and went to find her father.

Ms. Ann spent more than an hour talking with him in the kitchen.  After Ms. Ann left, Sarah heard her father's footsteps coming fast through the house.

"Sarah!" he called out.  He spoke angrily gasping for air. "Where are you?"

Before she could respond, she felt her father's palm connecting with the right side of her face.  He slapped her so hard that she fell off of her stool.

Yelling unintelligibly, he dragged her by her hair out the door and tied her to the railing on the deck. Blood spilled from her mouth where two front teeth had been loosened by his blow. 

Her father was furious that Sarah had let Ms. Ann inside the house.  He was angrier at the interrogation that had ensued.  His brutal and unforgiving actions now were intended to make his point clear.

He left Sarah sitting on the back porch for two days without food and with a warning that “This spot is the closest you will ever let strangers into our home again."

The night he untied Sarah, she ran away and never looked back.

***

Sarah became a ward of the court after she was picked up by police. She had blacked out partying with new friends she'd meet on the streets.  During her intake physical, she had shown signs of brain trauma and was sent to the hospital for testing.

The nurse performing the procedures cooed soothing comments.  "You're doing great.  We're almost done."

Sarah arched her back away from the prick of the final syringe.  “Owe!” Sarah whined, squinting one eye and slouching toward her side.  

More than three years as a runaway, Sarah had begun chronically cutting herself.  She bore fresh and healed razor marks which encircled her wrists like cobweb bracelets.  Sarah's scars were exposed as she lifted her blond hair up and out of the way of the nurse performing the spinal tap.

"Okay! We're all done," the nurse said cheerfully. 

Sarah reached around her back to rub and sooth the tender spot.

"Who is we?" Sarah grumbled under her breath.  "I'm the one getting poked, bitch.”

She cut her eyes and pursed her lips as she slid down from the examining table.  Walking slowly as if bound by shackles, Sarah moved through the doorway of the hospital examination room.  Her face was expressionless and her eyes glazed.  She sat down next to another girl there, Ava.

"What happened to you?" Ava asked.

Sarah replied with silence.

"Hey!" Ava said again trying to get a response.  "What's wrong with you?”  Ava started to feel a growing discomfort being alone in the room with the despondent teen.

"Huh?" Sarah finally grumbled in reply.

"Are you all right," Ava said. "Should I call someone?"

"No." Sarah muttered. "I'm all right.  What's wrong with you?"

“Me?" Ava said in disbelief.

"Yeah," Sarah said.  "What's your problem?  You ain't never seen nobody chill-axin' before?"

Ava was afraid, but more afraid to show her fear.  Suddenly, her composure broke and she began to cry.  "I hate hospitals.  Everyone is sick and people are so fake.  The nurses won't tell you anything and they act like they don't know you’re here."

"Why are you here?" Sarah asked.

"My mom," Ava whispered.

"Ya mom? What's wrong with your mama?"  

"She has cancer," Ava answered.

Seeing her mother Camilla dying had been difficult for Ava.  A woman of means, Camilla had undergone months of chemotherapy and appeared far from the woman she had once been.

Camilla’s cancer treatment had been aggressive, but radiology scans had shown that it had now spread throughout her body.  She was in the end stage, and Camilla’s doctors were simply trying to keep her comfortable.

During Camilla’s battle, a deceitful, appointed conservator proceeded to drain Ava’s trust fund.  The conservator and all Camilla’s money disappeared before anyone took notice.  With no other family to support her, Ava was sent to a group home. Ms. Ann was the social worker charged with overseeing Ava. 

During visits with Camilla, Ava didn't have the heart to tell her mother of her desperate situation.  Instead, she quietly climbed into the hospital bed and rested her head on her mother's shoulder, until Ms. Ann came in to lead her away.

Seated side by side in the hospital waiting area, Sarah and Ava -- two girls whose worlds had seemed so drastically different -- were suddenly very similar.

From that day forward, Sarah and Ava would have each others' backs. They would become best friends and forge a friendship that would rival family ties.  Beyond their circumstances, they would become sisters in spirit.

© 2012 Valerie Williams-Sanchez. All rights reserved.

This work also appears in Sloan Kettering's 2014 Visible Ink Anthology, http://ow.ly/MqDXp. 

Hot Cocoa and Conversation with Friends

It is hot cocoa season 2012, and after a long respite, Valerie's Vignettes is waxing nostalgic about, what else? Hot Chocolate! This time 'round, the conversation is expanded to include a little help from my friends, The Cocoa Chronicles' guest contributors.  
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Anthony Rainone is an established writer of mystery and other genres of fiction.  His vignette is a memoir of sorts, a nod to his youth, his mom and of course, hot cocoa.

 

A Cocoa Chronicle Vignette -- by Anthony Rainone

One of my earliest memories of hot cocoa is a happy consequence.  In the winter, my mother would make me and my siblings hot cocoa by shaving bittersweet chocolate into heated milk and then adding sugar to taste.  On the day of my sixth birthday – a cold January afternoon, my older sister met me at the school bus stop to walk me home.  She told me that a package had come in the mail for me. While a birthday card from a relative wouldn’t be surprising, a package was downright intriguing.  Who sent me something?  Our house was only two blocks from the bus stop, but the anticipation made it seem like miles!  I raced into the kitchen and there on the table was a brown paper wrapped box.  I tore through the wrappings and discovered inside a big red boat with white sails.  Man, it was a thing of beauty.  Unbeknown to me, my mother had noticed an offer on the chocolate label for a red boat.  My mother sent in the label.  Fate added its own peculiar twist to deliver that boat on a special day.  Maybe best of all: in the hold was a packet of cocoa!  The boat is long gone and so is my mother.  But that memory will stay with me forever, especially on those winter days when I have a cup of hot cocoa.

-- Anthony Rainone is a novelist and screenwriter.

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Anne Shisler Hughes is a freelance writer and cultural journalist, covering art, design and history as well as food for Edible Queens, QueensNYC.com, and Fruit of the Forest. 

"Le Chocolat Chaud," a Cocoa Chronicle Vignette -- by Anne Shisler Hughes 

What do Americans call breakfast?  It’d be great if each of us could muster up something involving protein, even better if that plate could be served hot.  Or if we could attain a humble bowl involving truly untouched whole grains, wholesome dairy, or a piece of fruit.  But I’m willing to bet that most of our country – both for the sake of the limited early-morning palate and for that of the early-morning rush – go with a combination of bread and sweets. 

While those enormous boxes of cereal with their dusty stream of sugary bites is perhaps okay for filling the insatiable bellies of teenage boys, none of the rest of us can really pull it off.  But hear this, America, for all of our excess and highly-processed habits:  the French have no business scoffing at us – their petit déjeuner is simply one big chocolate fix, with pains au chocolat and endless chocolate spreads and especially, especially, chocolat chaud, the precious morning bowl of hot chocolate. 

So eager are they to consume this stewy delectable that they can’t even be bothered with handles on cups.  The sweet stuff is served in not-terribly-small bowls that are gingerly lifted with both sets of fingers and sipped accordingly. 

I’ll give the French this – there is a proper way to prepare chocolat chaud.  Start by heating milk in a saucepan, add in small pieces of bittersweet chocolate, stirring as they melt, let boil for a few minutes and, if desired, add a little light brown sugar.  It’s rich and creamy and is the perfect anecdote for day-old, crumbly baguette. 

The French are busy, too, and they occasionally purchase readymade varieties. Nearly all of the great chocolate shops make and sell their own specialties of the house in cans: Maxim’s, Angelina’s, Chapon, MarieBelle, and Pierre Herme.  There are also many brands available in grocery stores such as Poulain Grand Arome, Monbana, Le Gamin et le Chocolat, and many others.  Demand for a morning treat as beloved as this must be met from as many different angles as possible.  

If you make your own chocolat chaud from scratch or purchase it to prepare on the fly, don’t be afraid to dive right in - sip at it, soak pieces of bread in it, waft in the aroma.  The French do it.


-- Read more of Anne Shisler Hughes' musings at her blog: theglobalgrocery.com.    

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Gerry Wendel lives in Southern California, and is the Founder/Owner of 2 businesses, ModlandUSA (a marketing consultancy) and Groovy Reflections (specializing in one-of-a-kind hand tie-dyed t-shirts). Her writing ranges from nostalgic and pop culture pieces to tips on social media, market research, and branding.

"Hot Chocolate on Ice," a Cocoa Chronicle Vignette -- by Gerry Wendel

How lucky was I as a kid to have my very own, almost private, ice skating rink?

An asphalt basketball court that saw little use was located right behind the town firehouse. During the cold New Jersey winters, the firemen, including my Uncle, would take turns squirting a fresh coat of water on the existing ice. The newly smoothed surface was ready for another evening of skating!

Several nights a week I’d make that eight minute walk to the rink, thermos in hand and skates dangling from my shoulder using the laces as purse straps.

Sometimes a friend or two would be there. It didn’t matter. I was there to skate! Upon arrival, if it wasn’t already on, I’d flip the switch that would flood the court in fluorescent light; you didn’t think I was skating in the dark, did you? Seated on the bench, I’d shed the fur lined rubber boots and switch to skates, removing the plastic blade protectors moments before hitting the ice. My thermos stood proudly on the bench, keeping that all important hot chocolate ready to warm me with piping hot liquid.

No instant hot cocoa here! Warmed milk over the stove, a few tablespoons of Nestlé’s Quick, and lots of stirring with a wooden spoon created that delicious elixir.

Time to skate! For some odd reason I enjoy skating backwards most of all. I was able to fly backwards at lightning speed. For what purpose? Who knows? Guess it was a challenge.

Break time! A little hot chocolate; sometimes shared with friends.

Back to the ice. Go home? Fuggetaboutit!

Sometimes my dad would come and pick me up.

Good night, skating rink! Until tomorrow…

Oops. Wait dad! Go back! I need to turn off the light.

-- Visit Gerry Wendel's blogs: www.modlandUSA.blogspot.com and www.groovyreflections.blogspot.com

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Leslie Fields-Cruz is a storyteller whose preferred media are stage, film, and television, particularily public television. 

"TV Time and Hot Cocoa," A Cocoa Chronicle Vignette -- by Leslie Fields-Cruz

When I was a little girl I remember winter evenings in California, sitting on the couch with my siblings drinking a cup of hot cocoa and watching TV. For a kid who loved chocolate as much as she loved watching television, TV time and Hot Cocoa was truly a treat.  

But the activity of watching TV has changed so much since then. My parents placed several restrictions on our viewing time (no TV until homework and chores were complete, or, no TV programs with strong sexual innuendos like SOAP or Love American Style), and we only had about five or six channels to choose from back then, appointment-viewing TV was one of my favorite things to do.  Nowadays, with the ability to watch programs on any and every device invented since the turn of the century, I wonder if there’s something that we’re missing from the very act of appointment viewing.

Perhaps I miss the way in which appointment viewing taught siblings how to get along. Many of my big brother and my verbal fights were around who controlled the TV dial.

“I sat down first!” I'd say.  “So!" He'd counter, "you already watched your program, now it’s my turn.”

Other times, he'd bark, “I said MOVE! I can’t see!" Or even: "I’m still WATCHING that!"

Which always drew the inevitible response: "I’m telling, MOM!”

Although we had different tastes, I learned to appreciate science fiction (Star Trek, Twilight), and superhero cartoons (Justice League), as much as he learned to appreciate old movies (Casablanca), musicals (Singing in the Rain), and insipidly stupid sit-coms (The Brady Bunch).

We agreed on another thing, too: we both liked hot cocoa. Nowadays, there are few disagreements my brother and I can’t resolve. More, I still enjoy appointment TV-viewing whether it is done on a Saturday morning via laptop, while on a train rushing towards the city with a smartphone, or curled up in an easy chair with an IPAD. 

But most of all, now married with children of my own, I still like my cup of hot cocoa sitting on the couch with my family, watching TV on a cold winter’s night.

-- Leslie Fields-Cruz is Vice President of  Operations & Programs for National Black Programing Consortiam in New York. Check out some of her favorite tales on, "AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange" streaming at www.blackpublicmedia.org, or the WORLD Channel, at worldcompass.org -- hot cocoa and couch, sold separately.   

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