Haute Cocoa Bijou

Love hot chocolate but not all the calories? Why not treat yourself – or perhaps Mom for May 12, 2013, Mother’s Day -- to a hot cocoa luxury that won’t go straight to the hips.

Haute Cocoa Bijou, a term coined by Valerie’s Vignettes, refers to bijou – small, elegant jewels and gems -- that come in delicious chocolate hues. The term references a multitude of precious and semi-precious gems including smoky topaz, chocolaty brown garnets and quartz gems, as well as semi-precious stones like burnt new jade, brownish wooden jasper, chocolate opal and fire agate. However, increasingly popular and distinctive in their own right, both chocolate pearls and brown or Chocolate Diamonds, a word mark owned by LeVian Corporation, reign supreme.

Chocolate Pearls are derived from Tahitian black pearls which come from the black pearl oyster, or Pinctada Margaritifera. Exceptionally sensitive to climate and water-temperature, Tahitian black pearls largely reject attempts to be artificially stimulated to create pearls. This characteristic means Tahitian black pearl cannot be easily mass-produced like cultured white pearls. This also accounts for their rarity and value. In chocolate brown pearls, the rich color is achieved through a bleaching process that transforms the naturally occurring black nacre (that is pearly substance from which pearls get their name and distinctive look) into deep, cocoa and caramel tones.

Gemology Institute of America credits New York-based import-exporter, Ballerina Pearl, Co. as the creator of the technique. Founded in 1985, Ballerina Pearl, Co. generates between $1M to $5M annually moving and manufacturing its variety South Seas pearl products, according to data from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

Introduced in 2000, Chocolate Pearls have shown a steady growth in popularity.  Most recently, their popularity has been fueled by the zeitgeist, style and Art Deco fashions seen in the film, Gatsby, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 masterwork, The Great Gatsby. 

More than a one-hit wonder, Chocolate Pearls make regular appearances on red carpet occasions worldwide, and are often selected and promoted by stylist to the stars Erica Courtney. Also worth note, women of substance and international esteem ranging from the First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Michelle Obama to fashion trailblazer Sara Jessica Parker have been spotted and photographed wearing simple and stunning stands of the modern classic.

CELEBRITY BIJOU
Diamonds or Pearls --
Which has your favorite style icons been spotted wearing?
Chocolate Pearls			Cocoa Diamonds
Michelle Obama			Jacqueline Onassis
Sara Jessica Parker			Halle Berry
Eva Marcille			Jennifer Lopez
Hilary Swank			Kelly Rowland
Keira Knightly			Katy Perry
Sandra Bullock			Taylor Swift
Katherine Heigel			Ariel Winter
Jessica Biel			Jessica Alba
			Kim Kardashian
UNCOMMON GEMS
The most common color, brown diamonds aren't all created equal.
Golden Jubilee Diamond -- South Africa -- 545.67 carats
Star Star of the South -- Brazil -- 128.48 carats
Lesotho Brown -- Lesotho -- 601 carats

 

Chocolate Diamonds -- All diamonds are considered rare and can span the spectrum from green, yellow, orange, red, black, and of relevance here, a tone of hot cocoa.  Contrary to conventional wisdom and the “4-C” scale of diamond grading (cut, color, clarity, and carat) system, which sets colorlessness at a premium, colored diamonds are rarer. Though, naturally occurring brown diamonds are among the most common and get their color from impurities, or inclusions. Historically, these diamonds which possess all the properties of white diamonds were reserved for industrial use.

These days, though, more vividly colored and named Chocolate Diamonds, are upping the game – and value – of the gemstone workhorse into a different category. Capitalizing on proprietary designs and techniques developed and perfected by Persian Master Jeweler Abdulrahim LeVian, LeVian Jewelers that also use the moniker “LeVian Chocolatiers”  has created a signature niche of confections inspired fine jewelry and gems which use black rhodium to intensify the deeply saturated chocolate tones of its characteristic diamonds. According to the company's website, the children of Mr. LeVian continue in their father’s proud tradition and family heritage of producing distinctive, richly colored original and quality fine and popularly priced jewelry.

But let’s face it. Even the most modestly priced diamond or cultured pearl can be out of reach for some. Alternately, others like the variety and  novelty of semi-precious stones. Beautifully natural, polished stones and crystals can offer everyday alternatives for jewelry-lovers of all budgets. Quality crystals can offer just as much “bling” as the quintessential girls’ best friend, diamonds. Whether striking a subtle or dramatic note in chocolate, these Haute Cocoa Bijou make a rich addition to any wardrobe for any occasion.

Valerie~

© 2013 Valerie Williams-Sanchez. All rights reserved.

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.