Chocolate:the ultimate palate pleaser

It’s down to the wire now. Christmas shopping has reached critical mass. For those of you who, unwisely, did not follow our advice two weeks ago and are now in crisis mode, we generously have decided to come to your rescue yet again with the perfect last-minute gift. Ta da!

You don’t have to worry about whether or not it will fit, or if they already have it or even if they’ll like it, ‘cause nobody, from Montezuma to your mother-in-law, doesn’t like chocolate!

From as early as 600 BC, Americans have been yumming up chocolate. The Mayans regularly consumed a bitter beverage made from cacao, water, corn and chili peppers. The Aztec emperor was so crazy about this hot chocolate that he drank 50 golden goblets of it every day; thick as honey, dyed red and flavored with chili peppers. When he was done, he threw the goblets away. He believed it strengthened his purpose when he visited his wives.

When Cortes, the conquistador, arrived, he was more interested in the discarded golden goblets, but he did take some cacao beans back to Spain. The Spanish substituted sugar and spices for the chili peppers and created a tasty drink that spread throughout Europe like Starbucks.

The notion that you could eat chocolate was unknown until the 19th century, when in 1847, Joseph Storrs Fry Jr., a British chocolate maker, combined melted cocoa butter, sugar and cocoa powder to create eating chocolate. In 1875, the Swiss got into the act and added powdered milk — and milk chocolate was born. The method was based on the research of a pharmacist, Henry Nestlé. Yes, that Nestlé!

The next refinement took place in 1879 when Rodolphe Lindt, another Swiss, invented the conching process, using a machine (shaped like a conch shell) in which heat and metal rollers pulverized cocoa and sugar particles to a smooth consistency. These were the first chocolates that melted on the tongue.

One of the greatest pleasures of eating chocolate is that it literally melts in your mouth due to the fact that cocoa butter melts at 97° F, just below human body temperature. In addition, chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a mild mood elevator that releases endorphins in the brain and sugar releases seratonin. The combination produces feelings of pleasure.

The Swiss should be the happiest people in the world because they consume more chocolate candy per capita than anyone else in the world — a whopping 21.2 pounds a year. U.S. consumers eat about 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate annually, making per capita consumption about 12 pounds per year.

The figures are not yet in for Laguna Beach, but with two high-end chocolate shops in town and a third opening soon plus one on Coast Highway catering to the tourists, we are certainly doing our patriotic best to increase these numbers.

These days artisanal chocolates have developed a following and a connoisseurship rivaling wine snobbery. Chocolate has classifications besides shades of milk and dark, having to do with the place of origin.

If it is a single origin chocolate, all the beans come from the same place. This kind is very trendy and priced accordingly. Some chocolates even have vintages even though chocolate does not improve with age.

Would you care for some Michel Cluizel’s Premier Crus de Plantation Chocolate from the Dominican Republic? Puhleez! While researching this article, we tasted quite a few different chocolates and decided that all chocolate is good and some is even better. Yes, this is a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it!

At Rue de Chocolate in Peppertree Lane, Cosima, the manager, when asked what was her best chocolate, replied that, “It’s really a matter of personal taste and each has its fans,” which explains why she carries a great variety from many different chocolatiers — but she thinks Belgium makes the best quality chocolate.

All her nuts and chews are made by a Laguna craftsman. Chocolate truffles come from such well-known artisans as Michelle’s, CFC Chocolates, Moonstruck and Lake Champlain.

Wrap your mouth around one of these: bittersweet chocolate cream, cacao rouge ganache, extra bittersweet chocolate Lab (shaped like the dog) or legendary dark. We really loved the legendary dark because of its ridiculously creamy texture and excellent dark chocolate crust. In-house they make chocolate covered strawberries.

Rue de Chocolat also carries caramels by Fran’s, the best Australian licorice, cordials, jelly beans, gummy bears and chocolate body frosting in mocha and wild cherry flavors. For Christmas, there is a large selection of “shaped” chocolates, which is to say chocolate in the shape of Santa, teddy bears, dolls, etc.

The Laguna Food Gallery has been taken over by the dynamic mother and daughter duo of Francesca Peterson and Amy Easterly. Their dream of owning a business together was realized this past August. In addition to their gourmet food lines and wine, they have chocolates from Fran’s, Intemperantia, Joseph Schmidt and Boule.

Our personal favorite here was the intriguing chocolate covered caramel dusted with fleur de sel. This is the most interesting and delicious combination of flavors we’ve tasted in a long time; an extraordinarily dark and buttery caramel enrobed in excellent dark chocolate topped with flakes of smoked sea salt. Wow!

If you want something other than candy to satisfy your chocolate yearnings, how about trying the Barefoot Contessa’s Outrageous brownie mix, chocolate cupcake mix or Stonewall’s triple chocolate cookie mix? You can top anything with Stonewall’s chocolate peanut butter sauce, mocha expresso sauce or raspberry liqueur hot fudge.

In both of these boutiques, the ladies are just wild about packaging. They will make you beautiful custom boxes or baskets that will be designed according to your tastes and budget. Be sure to give these gifts to someone who will open them when you are around!

Rue de Chocolate, Peppertree Lane, (949) 494-2372

Laguna Gourmet Food Gallery, 424 Forest Ave., (949) 376-1615

The Chocolate Soldier, 1200 So. Coast Highway, (949) 494-4462 (opening soon)