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Mother's Day 2011

Grocer's Daughter Chocolate — Thu, 05 May 2011 00:59:58 +0000

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GROCER'S DAUGHTER chocolate

Mother's love is peace, it need not be acquired, it need not be deserved. -Erich Fromm

A Mother's Day Gift Box

$30

What beautiful, bright creations we have packaged for mom! Â She will enjoy a six-piece bouquet of bonbons: Lavender, Basil, Hummingbird, Honey, Sea Salt Caramel and Berry Caramel. We then add two items celebrating our local fruit, the Very Berry Bar and Cherry Pumpkinseed Puddles. The ultimate prize however, may be the chocolate Moon Box filled with our chocolate covered almonds.

Please note: Â This box is not on our website. Â Just give us a call at 231-326-3030 and we will help you personally!

Our Mother's Day gift to you, is an amazing brownie recipe!

Olive Oil Brownies

Yield:16 brownies

4 oz. 70% dark Grocer's Daughter Chocolate

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 t sea salt

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1/8 t black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Â Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Â Set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate over low heat, stirring frequently. Â Or melt in the microwave at 4o% power, if you prefer. Â Whisk in the olive oil until well blended. Â Set aside to cool.

Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Â In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. Â Fold in the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Â Pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with chocolate drops if so desired.

Bake for 20 minutes/ 18 min in convection oven. Â The brownies will be done when the top is dry and crackly, and a toothpick inserted in the center will emerge with moist crumbs. Â Place the pan on a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.

Miriam and Luis are friends who belong to Ecuador's Quichua/native population. Â We are mentoring them in creating Casa de Chocolate in Otavalo in the Andes Mountains. A group of generous women in northern Michigan have given them a micro-loan to start their business of the chocolate cafe' and a small hostel. We will donate 10 % of the mother's day gift box to their cause.

Please take a moment to read her story.

Mother's Day is another marker indicating warm weather ahead. Â Please remember when the mercury creeps above 72 degrees standard shipping is no longer an option. Â Contact us by phone, 231-326-3030 or e-mail and we can discuss your options.

One of the early calls to celebrate Mother's Day in the United States was made by Julia Ward Howe. Â Her "Mother's Day Proclamation" was written in 1870 as a pacifist reaction to the loss of sons to the American Civil War. Â Howe believed women had a responsibility to shape their societies at the political level.

Warm Easter Wishes

Grocer's Daughter Chocolate — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:14:09 +0000

Celebrate Easter andSpringtime with

Chocolate

Featured Creations

Bucktooth Bunny(Dark or Milk)

4 1/2 inch, solid chocolate bunnies in either dark or
milk.Â The eyes are accented in white chocolate.

Approx. weight 3.5 oz
$5.50 each

ChocolateÂ Eggs

(Dark or Milk)

The milk chocolate egg is filled with our milk chocolate coconut ganache. Â For our vegan bunnies, the dark chocolate egg is filled with our apricot ganache.

Approx. weight 1.6 oz
$4.00 each

Giant Carrots

(Dark or Milk)

7 inch solid chocolate carrots in either dark or milk with hand-painted white chocolate accents.

Approx. weight 2.2 oz

$4.00 each

Bunny Lollies

(Dark or Milk)

5 inch solid chocolate bunnies on a convenient stick.

Approx. weight 1.9 oz
$3.00 each

To place an order, please call us at 231-326-3030 or send us an e-mail at mimi@grocersdaughter.com

This Month's Recipe from Mimi

Decadent ChocolateÂ Tort with zest this cake is very chocolaty…. and yes, it only bakes for 18 minutes. The cake is moist and fudge like and very delicious and serves many- you will cut thin pieces!

Heat the oven to 425 degree F
Butter a layer cake pan and cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom.1 lb chocolate/scant 3 cups coarsely chopped Â (55 % to 65% cocoa content)
150 g or 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons of butter
4 eggs (large)
1 Tablespoon of sugar
Zest (very finely grated) of one small or 1/2 large orange or one lemon (preferably organic)
1 Tablespoon of flour (unbleached white)

Place Â the chocolate and butter in a heat- proof bowl over simmering water to melt completely.

Stir intermittently to combine. Remove from heat to cool slightly.

Place eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with mixer on high until volume has tripled in 5 to 10 minutes.

Reduce mixer to low and add zest, mix another 5 seconds and add flour.

Fold 1/3 of the egg mixture into chocolate mass and stir to combine. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the rest of egg mixture carefully, taking care not to deflate the mass.
Pour into the cake pan and smooth the top. Bake for 18 minutes in the middle of your oven. Remove pan and let cool completely on a rack. If necessary run a knife around the edge of cake. Peel off the parchment paper. Transfer Â the cake upside down to cake platter. Do not move this cake again.

Topping: Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake through a sieve or make a ganache topping (see recipe below). You can serve a raspberry sauce and/or whipped cream with this decadent dessert.

Ganache topping:
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of 55% to 65% good quality dark chocolate, chopped.

Heat the cream to a simmer in a small very clean pot. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Place a lid on pot and let sit for 1 or 2 minutes. Stir the chocolate ganache until smooth texture and pour over cake using a metal spatula to distribute. Â Alternately you can flavor this ganache with a table spoon of zest.

Enjoy!

Give Chocolate, Give Love

Grocer's Daughter Chocolate — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:48:43 +0000

Chocolate is the traditional gift given on February 14th.

We've created a luscious delightful array of wonderful flavors that will please you, your loved ones or someone you think deserves your special attention!

Our Red Heart Box contains two Raspberry Heart Truffles, two Orange (with a hint of Grand Marnier) Truffles, two Cherry Truffles, two Pomegranate Truffles, one Apricot bon bon (vegan) and two Sea Salt Caramels.
$25

A beautiful six piece box wrapped in a ribbon of handwoven all natural Sinamy fiber offers two Raspberry Heart Truffles, two Orange Truffles, and two Sea Salt Caramels.
$11.50

Two Hearts Back-to-Back – 65% dark chocolate drizzled with organic raspberry.
$4

Apricot Heart – A substantial truffle (equal to the weight of 2 1/2 regular truffles) created with 65% dark chocolate filled with organic apricot and orange zest (vegan).
$3

ToÂ order one of the items above,Â call us at 231-326-3030.

Thank you~
Mimi

P.S.Â If your sweetie swoons for one of our traditional treats, they're all available on our website.

Holiday Greetings from Grocer's Daughter Chocolate!

Grocer's Daughter Chocolate — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:03:19 +0000

Our Empire store is becoming more green. Our building is bold and colorful and, more importantly, our packaging is much more eco-friendly.

We welcome you inside our boldly-painted shop to savor a few new products…

Our high-cocoa chocolate honey caramels are adventurous and delicious and come in these four flavors: bold smoked sea salt, sultry espresso, divine hazelnut and luscious raspberry.

The caramels are a special treat for the holidays and will stay fresh throughout.

A 2-box is $4.50, 4 for $8, 6 for $11, or 12 for $22.
Add $8.50 for Priority Mail to ensure safe and timely delivery.

These luscious caramels are made from 65% dark Rainforest Alliance-certified high cocoa content chocolate, cream, and local honey. We use no corn syrup in our production.

We're open 7 days a week from 10AM to 5PM EST, and our phone number is: 231-326-3030.

Call us to place your order today, in time for the holidays.

Hot Chocolate Recipe.

Grocer's Daughter Chocolate — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 19:25:01 +0000

This is a 7 oz bag of our Rainforest Alliance Chocolate, 65%, as it comes to us in chunks for easy melting. We sell these at the shop for munching or to use in recipes at $5.50 a bag. While the weather is still chilly outside I thought I would share our Hot Chocolate Recipe with you.

HOT CHOCOLATE

a handful of chocolate chunks

1 cup water

1 cup milk

Melt the chocolate in the water until it has completely dissolved. The chocolate melts better in water, making a smoother cup. Then add the milk and heat it to desired temperature. Be sure not to boil the milk. Using a whisk helps to make a nice blended frothy cup.

* for a more interesting version try adding one or more of the following: cinnamon, any type of hot chile, cloves, or fresh ginger.

St. Patricks Day features…

Grocer's Daughter Chocolate — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 19:07:59 +0000

More new truffle flavors are here in the spirit of the Irish Holiday. The first is our Irish Cream truffle, shown left, with Bailey's in the ganache and the second is our Stout truffle, shown above, with Guiness beer in the ganache. They are both regular price and can be added to any box by ordering over the phone.

New Products.

Grocer's Daughter Chocolate — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 17:29:30 +0000

We never sit still around here even during the cold winter days. We have created some new products over the past month, some are ready for their debut and others are still in process. Pictured above is the new WALLY BAR. ($6) It's a framework of chocolate with Wally's own trail mix blend: dried cherries, dried cranberries, sesame sticks, sunflower seeds, cashews, and maple caramelized almonds. Isn't it wonderful to eat something delicious that is good for you to? My sister and I used to barter favors for the chocolate pieces in our trail mix on long hikes as kids. With this bar theres plenty on chocolate to go around.

Pictured to the right is the ($6) NUTS N' MORE BAR with pistachios, dried blueberries, and hazelnuts atop solid 65% chocolate of course. Need antioxidents, protein, or fiber? This bar is jam packed with yummy goodness.

We have also decided to stop being dark chocolate snobs. We have finally found a milk chocolate that is up to our standards, it is a creamy, fruity 38% Chocolate. We are excited to offer the following in milk chocolate:

ZEN BARS: $2

HEART PUDDLES: $3.50/two puddles

LOLLIPOPS: $2.50

Now for the "almost there," projects. We are making MAPLE LOGS and FIREWOOD. The MAPLE LOGS are a mold that looks like a log about the same size as our truffles filled with a new ganache that has maple syrup, and spiced pecans. This recipe is finalized but we are still working on packaging. The FIREWOOD will be a molded chocolate also, filled with a hot and spicy version of our Mayan truffle ganache. This recipe has yet to be completed and the mold will be a slighty different shape than pictured below.

We are also coming out with a log bar. This recipe is still in the works but will probably be filled with something similar to our vegan truffles. We are hoping to create a bar with a longer shelf life than most of the truffles. So look forward to something like a caramelized cherry chocolate filling.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Grocer's Daughter Chocolate — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:57:42 +0000

Just in time for Valentine's Day we have come up with some gift sets for you. You won't be able to buy them through our website since they are only temporary for the season but we will be here 10-5pm to take your orders over the phone everyday except Tuesday.

These Sets are packaged with red ribbon and flower petals and come with a gift card that you can customize for your Valentine.

All Love Set: ($40) This set includes our Signature box of sixteen truffles featuring two heart shaped raspberry truffles, plus a set of heart shaped puddles: Raspberry and Hazelnut Coffee, a bag of Maple Nib Mix, a honey caramel filled Turtle, and our newest creation a Chocolate Heart with dairy-free ganache using cocoa pulp.

Love Me Do Set: ($17) This set includes a new four box of truffles including, Mayan, Lavender, Honey, and a heart shaped Raspberry flavor. You also get a set of heart shaped puddles, Raspberry and Hazelnut Coffee, and our new Chocolate Heart with dairy-free ganache using cocoa pulp.

Hope to hear from you and have a great Valentine's Day!