Tweet Sweet

Here’s a recent tidbit I found on the Scharffenberger FAQ page that asks that very question:

Q: Does your chocolate spoil?

A: Eventually every food product will go past its prime. Dark chocolate, however, is one of the longest lasting and most stable foods you can buy. Our dark chocolate has a shelf life of approximately 18 months. If held properly, chocolate can last for years. That being said, many people wrongly identify the phenomenon of fat or sugar “bloom” as “spoiled” chocolate.

The best way to store a chocolate bar is in a cool, dry environment where it will not come in contact with heat or moisture. There is usually no need to refrigerate dark chocolate that you will use within 8 months to a year of purchase. If you live in a very hot or humid area and must refrigerate your chocolate, we suggest wrapping it tightly in an extra layer of plastic wrap to help protect the aroma and flavor. Always allow the refrigerated chocolate to warm to room temperature before eating. We suggest that you never freeze chocolate.

So what about that stuff that looks like mold? That white or grayish tint on it when it’s old?

Q: Why does chocolate sometimes get a white or gray sheen on it?

A: There are two possibilities for this: 1) the cocoa butter has “bloomed” because the chocolate got warm enough for the cocoa butter’s crystalline bonds to break and re-form in a “sloppy” pattern (”fat bloom”); or 2) condensation of water on the chocolate’s surface has caused “sugar bloom”. Neither type of bloom damages the chocolate for cooking purposes, but both make the chocolate grainy for eating out-of-hand.

So I ran across an article in Yahoo News today entitled Dunkin’ Donuts raids Krispy Kreme turf. It basically talks about Dunkin’ Donuts, with it’s emphasis in the Northeast, beginning to expand into the South and Southeast where Krispy Creme is king.

The article compares the two donuts like this: “Dunkin’ Brands Inc. is invading the South with a different sort of doughnut — thicker and cakier than the traditional Southern treat from Krispy Kreme, which is lighter, sugar-glazed and served hot.” It says that Dunkin’ Donut’s coffee, which is almost as popular as its donuts is one of the items that will help it stand up to Krispy Kreme’s when it moves into the south.”

My favorite donut as a kid - Winchell’s
I remember LOVING donuts as a kid. It was the perfect blend of bread (which I loved) and sweet (hey, I love sweet) and it was deep fried! I would always ask my mom to take me to Winchell’s which was the primary donut chain here growing up in Central Utah. They had this one donut that was about the size of 5 regular donuts that I would always order. Even though I ate “one” donut, it was practically like eating a whole half-dozen. I also liked twists and maple bars - I always felt like I was getting more donut for my buck.

But suddenly Winchell’s dissappeared. First the one in Orem, Utah on the main drag (State Street) was replaced by a check cashing place (those are the plague aren’t they?), and then the one in Provo, Utah on another main drag (University Ave) sat empty until they tore it down to build a new eating complex. Where was someone suppose to get a decent donut in this town?

Krispy Kreme comes to Utah
Then came Krispy Kreme into town in a big way. One if its first locations was on University Parkway right by the I-15 exit in Orem. I don’t know if it was the several year lack of donut locations, or just the typcial frenzy in Utah of a “new” place coming to town, but there were lines outside the store for days and days after it’s opening. Getting a hot Krispy Kreme was on everyone’s list. I just still think it’s amazing that there were several years between the closing of all the Winchell’s until someone stepped into fill the missing hole. I remember hearing several people mention - why doesn’t Dunkin’ Donuts move in?

So back to the article subject of Dunkin’ Donuts versus Krispy Kreme. I may be different than most, but I like LOTS of donut places to enter the market. The more the merrier. I get into different donut moods. One day I want a light crispy warm donut, the next a thick bready sweet donut. Isn’t life in its essense about having choices? Hogi Yogi, a local-brewed sandwich and frozen yogurt store jumped into the game over the past couple years and joined a donut store called “Glazies” to their family of locations - a thick bready donut that I love. Our company gets Branbury Cross donuts every-other friday, thanks to one of our energetic coworkers who knows that the sugar always gets us through the end of another week. I’ve heard about Tommie’s Donuts that are located in a couple gas stations around town - but never had a chance to try one of those.

What’s your favorite donut?

While in Cancun, Mexico last weekend, we asked the concierge where we should go for my friend’s birthday. She recommended La Destileria just a mile from our hotel. After a full dinner we came to dessert, and I was much too full to have anything too heavy, so I ordered ice cream. Our peppy waiter (I wish I had this guys energy!) recommended I try the Cinnamon Ice Cream. It sounded delicious, and so I order it. It came in a tall glass with a swirled brown cone on top and tasted just as good as it looked. Now I’m on the lookout for more. I hear that Ben and Jerry’s has a ice cream called Gingerbread Man that is similar, so I’ll have to give it a try. (It could only be seasonal here.)

One of my friends ordered a Banana and Caramel Crepe for desert that he said was quite tasty. Rather than rolling the crepe, they make it like a hobo’s purse (see picture below), and fill it with bananas, fresh whipped cream and toasted walnuts. It’s baked and and then served covered with cajeta (a carmel sauce made with goats milk) and cinnamon ice cream. My friend was surprise at how warm it was on the outside, yet nice and cool on the inside. Quite a nice treat after a hot day on the beach.

I’d like to encorporate some of these unusual finds into Tweet Sweet. Dessert choices that are different from the usual rich chocolate cake, tiramisu, New York cheesecake selection you get at every other eating establishment. So I guess more traveling, and more reviews!

I feel like I should say “Welcome to my Blog” or something like that since this is my first posting of this blog. Or I think I should talk about Tweet Sweet in general terms, or in terms of this blog. I also feel like I should explain that I’m not much of a writer, or even write “testing testing testing” and then see how it looks before I make this live. But it’s live, and it’s here for all of you to read.

Tweet Sweet? What in the world is that? Well, it’s all about a dream of mine that started bouncing around in my head a couple years ago. Well, maybe it started when I was born, but became more vivid in the past couple years. Tweet Sweet is my dream to create the greatest sweet shop of all time. A website you ask? No, a REAL sweet shop - the whole brick and mortar, bell-on-the-door, touch-feel-smell-savor shop.

And then, why in the world would I need a blog then? Since the Tweet Sweet only exists in my mind (right now) - my life is filled with all these opportunities to gather ideas from places I visit, people I run into, and crazy thoughts of what would make a sweet shop a fun place to visit. And my blog is a place to record these ideas, to share and take comments on, and to take the dream closer to a reality. (Oh, and practice this whole “blog” thing as well)

Much more to come, thanks for stopping by!