South American coffee in Genevan Scot's mug with Alpine cow milk, Swiss chocolate on an Irish potter's plate. Wintry chill outside by Mother Nature.

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – I always thought the characters in Stieg Larsson‘s and Henning Mankell’s Swedish novels drank coffee endlessly out of nervousness or boredom, despite their crime-chasing lives.

Our icy winter weather with days on end of sharp winds and sub-zero temperatures on Lake Geneva have made me reconsider that this might just be a reaction to too much cold weather.

I’ve tripled my coffee intake in the past two weeks, sitting in front of the computer.

Migros, Dubai and the Emirates camels bring us desert elixir chocolate

BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss supermarket chain Migros will undoubtedly have chocolate Santas and trees for the holiday season, but this year it’s come up with an unusual Christmas treat: a milk chocolate foil-wrapped camel fit for the Three Kings of Christmas lore.

The supermarket will stock them in 100 of its shops.

It notes that at least 21 percent of the milk is powdered camel’s milk from camel stables in the Emirates. Camel’s milk has been considered by desert nomads “since the start of time to be an elixir”. The other ingredients: natural Bourbon vanilla, acacia honey and selected cocoa beans.

The 130g treat was designed by chocolatier Al Nassna de Dubai and sells for CHF19.

Max Havelaar's fair trade chocolate (photo, Max Havelaar)

A GenevaLunch news story on Kraft, which this year bought out Cadbury, moving some of its tax base to Zurich prompted one reader and former Cadbury fan to write that he’s looking for new chocolate companies. I suggested he check this list of chocolate companies on wikipedia.

His search reminded me that if you live outside Switzerland or you’re new to the country it’s easy to lump all Swiss chocolate together, and it deserves a closer look. Switzerland, this tiny country of only 7.4 million, consumes more than 68,000 tons a year of the 106,000 tons of chocolate it produces, although an unmeasurable but probably large portion is bought by tourists.

The chocolate the Swiss themselves eat

There are three basic types of Swiss chocolate, to my thinking: products manufactured by large companies like Kraft and Nestlé, chocolate made by smaller manufacturers, and artisanal chocolates.

I’ll buy the last one any day: Switzerland has several extraordinary specialists in handmade chocolates, and I tend to write about these. But they are not in the everyday budgets of most of us, and the shops are not always convenient.

Supermarket selections of the largest manufacturers’ chocolates are good, affordable and easy to find, with a range of quality and prices. These are the ones my family buys to pack in their pockets for the ski slopes. Visiting friends and family from abroad are usually happiest taking these home. I find them mostly too fatty and sugary, but that doesn’t stop me from eating them.

The third group, smaller manufacturers, most of whom are more active in Switzerland than abroad, survive in the Swiss market because they have special products or are niche chocolate-makers. They make some very good products and are affordable, so if you’re looking for something cheaper than artisanal chocolate, but want to buy something you won’t find in 75 other countries, consider these.

Chocolat.ch brings together one group of them and several of the smaller companies are members of the Association of Swiss Chocolate Manufacturers, Chocosuisse.

One of the stellar companies listed there is Chocolat Bernrain/Chocolat Stella, who have been producing organic chocolate for more than 15 years and who were one of the early companies to produce chocolate without added sugar. They mostly make private-order chocolate for other companies but if you’re north of Zurich or in Ticino consider visiting their factory stores for a taste of a very special Swiss manufactured chocolate product.

In French-speaking Switzerland Favarger in Versoix is famous for its Avelines. Its shop is well worth a visit. The town of Courtelary, in the Bernese Jura, is home to Camille Bloch, famous for its Ragusa bars, filled with praline and whole hazelnuts (the dark chocolate ones are wonderful). The bars were born as the result of shortages during the second world war, but they are hugely popular with the Swiss.

Villars, in Fribourg, has a shop that is fun to visit, and it is one of the few non-artisanal chocolate-makers producing reduced-sugar bars. They use stevia as a sweetener.

A special addition to the list is Max Havelaar, the fair trade company, which provides a list of online shops that offer fair trade chocolate as well as a list of Swiss sales points for its chocolate products. It has yet to convince Swiss consumers to eat more fair trade products, which account for only half a bar for every 100 sold.

Light, smooth but hard top, very moist in the middle (and yes, it is fully baked!)

There is nothing that beats just-warm brownies and a little glass of cold milk when it is snowing. The first snowfall of the season is exciting and everyone heads outdoors. By the second or third, snow starts looking like work, people get cold, and the kitchen beckons. A good way to keep family and friends busy and happy is to put them to work making brownies.

This is my adaptation for Switzerland of an old James Beard brownie recipe, which I consider one of the best. Susan Mosse in Ireland, a wonderful cook and baker, introduced me to it 30 years ago, and it wasn’t new then.

Notes: some ingredients have varying amounts as a matter of taste only. This recipe is from the bad old days of calories, sugar, fats, and it simply isn’t the same if you use substitutes, so don’t. Invite a crowd to avoid eating them all yourself if the calories worry you.

Swiss cooking chocolate has some sugar in it, so US recipes calling for unsweetened chocolate have to be adjusted, as has been done here.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (115 grams) softened butter – no substitutes!
180-200 grams Swiss baking chocolate (menage)
1-1/2 cup (340 grams) granulated sugar
2 eggs, 50-60 grams
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup (250 ml) white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 to 1 cup broken walnuts

Melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat, stir well.
Stir in sugar.
Beat in eggs and vanila.
Quickly stir in flour, salt and nuts, just enough to lightly mix.

Brownies in my favorite old pan, cooling briefly on the ledge, snowy garden behind - we are not good at taking the chef's advice to leave them for 2 hours

If you cut them too soon, the slices tend to collapse, but they still taste good

Spread into non-stick or buttered pan, 8 x 10 inches, or 9 x 12 inches (21 x 26 cm or the equivalent volume).

Bake at 180C or 170 in a fan oven, 35 minutes for the smaller pan size, 30 minutes for the larger, and five minutes less if you have a fan oven. Do not overbake!

To test for doneness: the top will  not spring back like a cake when you touch it, but it should resist a bit. Use a sharp knife or baking tester stick, which should come out clean when put into the center.

IMPORTANT: Cut into squares with a lightly buttered or greased knife (I use a plastic salad knife) while still slightly warm, but let cool for two hours, to set, before eating.

Dark chocolate with pecans, chez Tristan, Bougy-Villars, Switzerland

Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – You still have a couple days left to sample artisanal chocolates and buy them at a discount at several chocolate boutiques in the region. Chocolate Week, the brainchild of Neuchatel’s chocolate-makers several years ago, was adopted by Vaud five years ago and more recently by Fribourg and Geneva. The idea is to introduce local chocolate lovers to hand-crafted chocolates, which not only taste good, but tend to use better products, have less sugar and lower fat content. Here’s the list of who is participating and what they’re offering in 2010. The chocolate week ends Saturday 6 November. Some of my favourites don’t take part officially, but they won’t object if we celebrate by stopping by.

Personally, I’ve done my bit by stopping in at Tristan’s chocolate boutique in Bougy-sur-Villars, one of my favourites in the region, where I stocked up on presents for the family (including me). He has two new chocolates which are now on my “best” list since my last visit in July, a dark chocolate with pecans with extraordinary flavour and a Cambodian pepper chocolate which is quite different from his Tasmanian or pimiento pepper chocolates. Less bite, more elegant pepper flavour and feel. I also bought rosemary, green tea in dark chocolate and myrtle chocolates.

Swiss pavé sesame, chez Tristan, Bougy-Villars, Switzerland

Myrtle, if you’re not familiar with it and are seeing “myrte” in the shop, is not myrtille, or blueberry. Myrtle comes from a shrub, and is akin in flavour to juniper and rosemary. It was used years ago in making Italy’s famous mortadella, but juniper is more commonly used for that now.

I am heading out the door to Morges soon to try one of the Vaud bouchon specialties, which I’ve never had. I’ll report back soon on that, with a photo.

And lucky for me, one of the participating chocolatiers is in Saint Prex, Boillat, and they’re offering 10 percent off on chocolate, a dangerously good deal. We’re doubly blessed, with a second excellent chocolate maker, Alexandre, right in the old town section of Saint Prex, and his busy, tiny shop is one of the nicest places around for morning coffee. With a bit of chocolate, of course.

Not bad for a town of 5,000.

Warning: once you develop a taste for this kind of chocolate you may find it extremely difficult to settle for the popular big commercial brands, although I did just receive a last-minute additional request from an overseas family member to whom I am shipping some of Tristan’s chocolate, at his request: “The Lindt chocolate in the red package is really good. Like… Lindor but in bar form? Creamy in the middle? That one was really good, feel free to send some of that. I have finished all the chocolate you brought over by the way.”

Related news story on Barry Callebaut financial results, the International Cocoa Agreement, 4 November 2010

The most popular post on National Public Radio‘s web site right now is about a 26-page brownie recipe published by – guess who? The US Pentagon. The story is fun reading and the notion of such a long recipe is mind-boggling but the answer to my question is disappointing: apparently they are not so good.

My favourite recipe, after trying scores over the years, remains the heavy-on-butter, heavy-on-sugar, James Beard classic chocolate brownies version. I limit myself to making these once a year, and unlike the Pentagon, I never make them with the idea they have to last several weeks: they’re gone before they have a chance to cool properly.

In fact, I know what I’ll be doing this weekend, in addition to making a fresh rhubarb pie, so I’ll be back with photos of the brownies soon and additional notes on making brownies using Swiss chocolate.

Chocolate fountains are the rage these days. You see them at dinner parties, weddings, all sorts of celebrations. This article gives you all the in’s and out’s, from mini fountains to giant ones.

Most Swiss chocolate makers make a special chocolate to be used in fountains. I would advise asking their opinion before attempting this, because it can be tricky and even dangerous. Last winter, I heard a story about a naked teenager falling into an oversized chocolate fountain in a party in Cologny and then running through the cold streets of Cologny before ending up in the hospital (escorted by the police).

This guest blog is by Edwin Hall, owner of the Chocolate Fountain Directory in Devon in the U.K.

What is a chocolate fountain?

A chocolate fountain is a device for serving chocolate fondue. It comes in many different sizes: mini, medium, large and extra large, depending on the number of guests you wish to cater for.

The fountain has multiple tiers over a heated basin at the bottom. The chocolate is melted in the basin and then pulled up through the augur and continuously flows over the tiers. When it flows over the tiers, guests are able to select a condiment they would like to dip into the fountain, using a skewer. They then select a dip of their choice and coat their item in delicious, warm melted chocolate….heaven!

Essentially, a chocolate fountain is composed of two parts. The base is the motor and a heater. The heater is designed to transpose heat through the base to keep the chocolate in liquid form.  The motor drives the screw in the upper part of the fountain.

This is an Archimedes screw, weren’t they clever! This is thought to have originated around 600 BC, but I bet they never thought of a chocolate fountain then. The screw lies in a tight cylinder in a vertical fashion with several holes at the bottom of the screw. The screw lifts the chocolate to the top of the cylinder from where it flows over several plates and down the fountain to be recycled again. This is the basic premise of a chocolate fountain, because the chocolate is thick, there is no need for a pump as the screw is a better means for lifting the chocolate up.

Why have a chocolate fountain?

Chocolate fountains are a new and impressive form of entertainment. They create a fantastic focal point at any major event and provide your guest with a unique and interactive way of treating themselves to luxurious fondue chocolate.

Chocolate fountains are a great solution for weddings; they are a wonderful dessert or can be used for an evening buffet. Some people choose to have a chocolate fountain rather than a wedding cake,  because chocolate fountains are interactive and people can help themselves to as much as they like when they like.

What should you consider when booking a chocolate fountain?

We recommend you consider booking you chocolate fountain at least 12 months in advance. They are very popular. You need to provide the following details to get an accurate quote:

1. 1. 1. Number of guests the chocolate fountain is to cater for.
      2. Location of event.
      3. Date of event (if it’s a midweek event you often get a good discount).
      4. Duration of event.

Most people book their chocolate fountain for the evening and, on average, chocolate fountain companies hire their fountain for a period of 3 hours in the U.K. However, every wedding/event is different, if you require your fountain during the day or for a longer period of time etc, please discuss this with the chocolate fountain company you have chosen

Home chocolate fountains

Home chocolate fountains are mini versions of the commercial ones used for weddings and events. Unfortunately there is a lot of rubbish out there and we get calls regularly from people saying that their mini fountain doesn’t work.

Here are a couple of things that will help. Only use a quality chocolate that is made specifically for chocolate fountains. This tends to be more expensive but it is the key to success.  Chocolate purchased from your local supermarket doesn’t work unless you put oil in it, a good quality fondue chocolate doesn’t require oil.

The poorer the quality chocolate, the more oil you require. This is in fact a contradiction because standard chocolate bars typically contain around 20% vegetable fat anyway, but you will still have to add more oil because of the high level of impurities. If this doesn’t work, take the fountain back to the point of purchase and tell them that it is rubbish, maybe some of the high street chains will think again about selling consumers junk!

How do you get the most out of your home fountain?

Ensure that you have a variety of dips available. The best to use are strawberries, grapes and other fruits, such as pineapple and melon, but most any fruit works really well with chocolate.

Ensure that you have skewers and enough for your guest. These are readily available at a variety of shops, especially hardware shops that sell barbecues. Also ensure that you have some large napkins as you wouldn’t want chocolate dripping all over your floor.

Finally, presentation is key. Make sure that your skewers are kept together and that you present your home fountain as clean and attractive on a surface that is easy to wipe to ensure that drips don’t spoil your display.

Cleanup time!

Finally, after your event has finished, don’t turn the fountain off and go to bed. Start by disposing of the chocolate while it is still in liquid form, as this makes cleaning so much easier.

Disassemble your fountain and put everything except the motor assembly into a dishwasher or a sink full of hot and soapy water. It should then be easy to clean.

Before packing your fountain away, make sure that it is completely clean and dry to prevent any contamination.

Links: Ultimate Chocolate Experience (photos).

Here is a great double-chocolate walnut biscotti recipe by Patricia Turo, born into an Italian family in the US, but now living in the Klosters ski resort in Switzerland. This recipe is therefore more in the spirit of Ticino, the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland.

Be careful about the quality of chocolate you use: Avoid buying the American chocolate chips in a bag. You’d be better off buying a bar of dark chocolate from your favorite local (Swiss) chocolate maker and crumbling it up into bits. The same goes for the cocoa powder. Make sure it is good quality, preferably from a good chocolate maker.

To convert the measurements, refer to How to convert measurements for American recipes.

The Rambling Epicure’s chocolate notes: countdown to Valentine’s Day

Comprehensive list of chocolate shops and visits to chocolate makers in Geneva area. Each chocolate maker makes its own special chocolate creations for Valentine’s Day, so check out the chocolate works of art at your favorite local chocolate maker.

A chocolate heart from Chocolatier Durig in Lausanne.

Organic, fair-trade chocolate at Chocolatier Durig in Lausanne. Online ordering.

From chocolate lollipop to cup of organic dark hot chocolate. Just dip lollipop into hot milk and stir for few moments et voilà, a delicious cup of hot Swiss chocolate! List of sales outlets at La Cuillère Suisse.

How did chocolate get to Switzerland anyway? They don’t grow chocolate in the Alps! Read about it here.

How to make a chocolate heart for your sweetie, but please substitute Swiss chocolate! Buy the chocolate at your favorite local chocolate maker.

Swiss chocolates, Geneva: Auer Chocolatier's Easter display

by Jonell Galloway

The best chocolate is indisputably to be found in Switzerland, and I would guess Geneva has the highest concentration of high-quality, original Easter chocolates, so I thought I’d give you a little help in finding the perfect chocolate for your needs.

There is much discussion among natives of Geneva as to which is best, but purist that I am, no matter how many chocolate shops I try, I always come back to the same one: Chocolaterie Auer, located downtown in the main tram street.

They offer the traditional dark, milk and white chocolate bunnies and eggs, and even if their creations are perhaps not as aesthetically original as some others, the quality of the chocolate cannot be rivaled. There’s nothing like chocolate made straight from the bean. Industrial cocoa powder just doesn’t cut it in my book.

(While you’re buying your gifts, you might want to pick up one of their divine chocolate macaroons and a package of their not-so-fattening chocolate-covered almonds for yourself …)

Swiss chocolate rabbits, Geneva, La Bonbonnière

Gilles Desplanches, Geneva, Easter basket

Easter eggs, Geneva, La Bonbonnière

Nearby, Chocolats Rohr produces some smashingly beautiful Easter bunnies and eggs made of top-quality chocolate.

La Bonbonnière, across from the Fnac, also does good-quality chocolate “works of art”, including chocolate fountains and a wide range of Easter themes. Their chocolate pignons are as light as angel wings.

At the other end of the street, Gilles Desplanches offers a wide variety of original figures and mixtures of flavors, as well as the traditional dark, milk and white chocolate, with an extended range of eggs (some topped with dinosaurs and other interesting figures that children will love), as well as bunnies, fish, chicks, etc.

When I discovered Chocolaterie-Confiserie Christophe Berger a few years ago, the man took my heart away. He’s always coming up with new combinations: dark chocolate with figs or slivers of crunchy candied ginger; every visit brings another surprise. For Easter, he keeps to the traditional, but then Easter is a traditional occasion, isn’t it? His pastries and cakes are also of excellent quality and really worth a try, although since the shop is small, he can’t keep many in stock, so it’s best to order a few days ahead of time. And please don’t let the shabby awning put you off. There’s nothing shabby about his products!

Today I tasted a single piece of dark chocolate from Les Ephémères in Lausanne and would like to taste more. Their website shows some exquisite fine-lace chocolate eggs, some highly original flavored truffles, including absinthe and ginger, wild strawberry, and coconut and vanilla, as well as organic chocolate. This is definitely a place to check out. The organic chocolate is also available at Bio Servette in Geneva.

If you’re buying gifts for adults, you may want to steer away from the bunnies and eggs. The After the Rain spa offers chocolate baths and wraps followed by a Turkish bath for couples. All year long, Gilles Desplanches’ chocolate bar proffers up rich hot chocolate that can rival Angelina’s in Paris, as well as cold chocolate. There’s a flavor for everyone because the choice is large: salted-butter caramel, white nougat, wild mint, coconut, amaretto, Cayenne pepper and Tabasco, orange and cinnamon. We’re not talking about powdered cocoa to which you add hot water, but the “black gold” variety.

Click on images to view larger

Chocolaterie Auer
4 rue de Rive
1204 Geneva

Chocolats Rohr
3 place du Molard
1204 Geneva

La Bonbonnière
11 rue de Rive
1204 Geneva

Gilles Desplanches
2 rue de la Confédération
1204 Geneva

Christophe Berger
16 avenue Henri-Dunant
1205 Geneva

Les Ephémères
46 chemin du Couchant
1007 Lausanne

Bio-Servette
3 Route de Meyrin
1202 Geneva

After the Rain Spa
4 Passage des Lion
1204 Geneva

Suggestions:

• If you’re buying gifts, it’s wise to know whether the receiver prefers dark, milk or white chocolate. People have strong opinions and well-defined tastes when it comes to chocolate.
• All these chocolates are completely artisanal so they must be handled with care. Never put chocolate in the refrigerator, near a radiator or in the sunlight, and buy it as close as possible to the date it is to be given or eaten. Do not store near chemicals or cleaning products, or strong-smelling foods such as onions and garlic.
• Chocolate should ideally be stored in a cool, dry place at 18° C (65° F) with 50% humidity.