The Perks of Perfect Percolation…

… or how I learned to brew the perfect cup of coffee.

Java, Joe, Brew, Sludge.  Call it what you will; coffee is integral to the social proprieties of many cultures.  It is a concoction that provides the lubricant to many an interaction.  In our own family, it was a ” right of passage” signaling (with the addition of cream and sugar) that one was becoming an adult, after which coffee became a thing of beauty–something to always look for in its best presentation.

Yes, coffee snobs are we–it “ain’t purty” yet alas, it is what it is.  Anything less would be ordinary and a diminishment.  With that said, below are the steps to making your own perk perfect:

1. INVEST IN A BURR COFFEE GRINDER.   It’s amazing what a difference that one thing makes.  When you grind coffee you increase the surface area of the coffee bean that is exposed to air hastening the release of the oils that give it its rich flavor. Grind coffee right before you use it.
   

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2. Buy Good Coffee.  The better coffee you start with the better beverage you end with. Chocolaterie Stam has a full line of European style and flavored coffees roasted by an artisanal Iowa roaster.  They roast in small batches and ship weekly to our stores ensuring that the freshest coffee possible is each Chocolaterie Stam location.
3. KEEP YOUR DRIP COFFEE MAKER AND COFFEE POT CLEAN.  Coffee oils cling to everything and once they’re deposited they start growing rancid.  Wash out your pot and filter basket every time you make a fresh pot and clean your coffee maker once a week. Descale it once a month. And do remember to clean the shower heads up under where the filter basket goes
4. USE ENOUGH COFFEE   The biggest mistake that people make when making coffee in a drip coffee maker is using too little coffee.  You should use a full tablespoon of ground coffee for every 8 ounces of water.  Measure it out the first few times and you’ll be surprised how much coffee that actually is.
   

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5. USE FRESH, COLD WATER.  Some people recommend using distilled water with all the minerals and impurities removed.  Frankly, distilled water is good for your machine, but it makes flat tasting coffee. If your tap water is good for drinking, it will make good coffee.  If it’s not, use a water filter or use spring water.
6. AVOID THE TEMPTATION TO USE THE BREW PAUSE.  The first cups or so of coffee will carry most of the coffee flavor.  If you pour that off and return the pot to fill the rest of the way, the first cup of coffee will be very strong, and the rest of the post very weak. Practice patience, grasshopper.
7. TAKE THE COFFEE OFF THE WARMING PLATE WHEN IT’S DONE BREWING. Coffee left on the warmer plate will continue to “cook”.  Instead, pour any coffee that’s left over into a thermal pot, preferably one with a vacuum seal.
8. THE RIGHT MUG. Great coffee comes from great mugs. Don’t forget it.
   

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The First Annual Milk Chocolate of Human Kindness

 

We’ve all seen it–drooping shoulders, blank stares or uncontrollable weeping–it is a body language that unmistakably comes from loss or failure. Conversely, we’ve all witnessed those who have felt great joy, whether from success, a great love or the thrill of a new adventure.

Great emotion, from either pole, often inspires its witness to act.

To rephrase, when called upon, the human condition is ready to do battle and perhaps, foster greatness.

At Chocolaterie Stam, our first love is our chocolate .  Our second, “mi amor” is for our customers.  Oh, and never to forget, our family is somewhere high up there in the mix, also.

Chocolate is a great leveler.  Meaning, it can be appropriate in any circumstance.

With that said, we ask if you know of someone who needs a little boost, a little inspiration, a little tenderness, or just an “atta-boy” or “atta-girl”, and you want to encourage them.

Like the Orbison song goes, “anything you want, you got it.”  Whether sad or happy, with chocolate, we stand ready to help.   Stam’s is proud to serve!

We announce on August, 22nd 2014, the first annual Stam’s Milk Chocolate of Human Kindness Day. On that day in participating Chocolaterie Stam stores, we will be giving away to the first 100 people who stop into our shops, a one piece box of milk chocolate (one box per customer, please) that carries a gift message to its recipient that who ever gives it, could be trying to say that  “It get’s better” or “I am so proud of you!”

No purchase necessary, no gimmicks.  Just be human, caring, and stop by a participating Stam’s, and think that chocolate… especially Stam chocolate, might make a difference.

The cow jumped over it, Neil Armstrong landed on it, and…

…we’re over the moon for this recipe.  In honor of the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20th, we present our version of the moon pie.

The first Moon Pies were made by the Chattanooga Bakery in 1917 and were based upon requests from hungry coal miners. When a Chattanooga Bakery salesman visited a company store that catered to coal miners, the miners told him they wanted something solid and filling, because they often didn’t get time for a full lunch. When the salesman asked them how big the snack should be, a miner framed his hands around the moon hanging in the sky and said, “About that big.”

Chocolaterie Stam  Mini Moon Pies
The easiest way ever to make this vintage classic, this recipe calls for just four ingredients, and takes less than 10 minutes to make! Enjoy a nostalgic favorite in no time at all!
Makes 12

24 Vanilla Wafer cookies
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup Chocolate Stam dark chocolate drops
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions

Lay vanilla wafer cookies out on a clean work surface, curved side up. Place ½ cup of mini marshmallows in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave them for 15-20 seconds, just until melted and fluffy.

Working quickly, spread about 1 ½ tablespoons of melted marshmallow on the curved side of 6 vanilla wafers. Press a second wafer on top, curved-side down. This will give your final cookies a flat top and bottom (just like the original Moon Pies!)

Repeat with the second ½ cup of marshmallows.

In another small microwave-safe bowl, melt Stam dark chocolate drops with coconut oil for 30 seconds. Stir and return to microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir once more and return to microwave, if needed. Chocolate will melt before it gets hot, and your goal it to get a smooth chocolate without it actually being warm to the touch. This will keep your chocolate from mottling as it cools.

Plunge cookies into the chocolate mixture. Transfer to a piece of parchment paper. Once all cookies have been dipped, place them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to all the chocolate to harden.

C’mon Lucky 7! It’s World Chocolate Day All Week Long at Stam’s

 

As chocolatiers, we may have the happiest job in the world. We get to spend our days melting and blending and filling (and tasting!) and selling our world-class confections, and we think that makes us some pretty lucky people.

July 7th (lucky number 7/7) is World Chocolate Day! (Appropriately, this year’s digits (2014) add up to 7, as well. Jackpot!) To celebrate this auspicious day, we’ve planned a week of extra-special specials in our Ingersoll store.

Day One: Monday, July 7, 2014 Roll the Die Day
Come in to Chocolaterie Stam on Ingersoll and roll a die at the time of purchase for your discount. You’ll save 10 times your roll, so a 6 will get you 60% off your total!

Day Two: Tuesday, July 8th 2014 Choc-o-Let’s Make a Deal!
We’ll give you a 10% discount, which you can choose to use, or risk it all for a chance at a prize worth up to $10. 

Day Three: Wednesday, July 9th, 2014 Dealer’s Day Off
The croupier has the croup, so the cashier has to make the deal today. If you draw the high card, you’ll win a 10% discount on any purchase (excluding wine). If the dealer wins, better luck next time!

Day Four: Thursday July 10th, 2014 Better Luck This Time!
Our stakes are higher today, but you can’t lose! Draw the high card and win a 20% discount on any purchase (excluding wine). If the dealer wins, it’s your lucky day: you still get 10% off!

Day Five: Friday, July 11th, 2014 Five-Finger Discount (Rock, Paper Scissors)
Purchase $25 or more and play Rock, Paper, Scissors at checkout. If you win, you’ll get $5 Stam gift card. If you don’t win, it’s out of your hands. LOL

Day Six: Saturday, July 12th, 2014 Four of a Kind Gelato Day
Today you can score a special foursome of 2 oz. gelato and sorbetto selections for $7. Our signature gelati and dairy-free sorbettos are hand-crafted using traditional Italian techniques and ingredients. We partner with Picket Fence creamery to create some the most extraordinary frozen treats we’ve tasted.

Day Seven: Sunday, July 13th, 2014 Luck be a Lady Happy Hour
We made it to the end of the week without losing our shirt, yet we still have one more special up our sleeves! On Sunday, July 14th, between 2 and 5 pm, ladies get two-for-one gelato, cremosas, Italian sodas, and coffees.

Play the Gelato Lotto!

You can win a Chocolaterie Stam Gelato Party for 6 people! Print this word search and correctly fill it out.  Return to any participating Chocolaterie Stam with your email address and we will draw one random winner each week until September 1st.  We must have a valid email to contact the winner otherwise we will continue to draw until we have selected a winner. No purchase necessary to win.

Lift a glass to Chocolate!

Here’s the skinny.  First off…. GET GOOD CHOCOLATE!

The more sugar in the chocolate, the more sweetness we need to consider for the wine. #1 rule of thumb when pairing up desserts with wine; the wine should always be perceived as sweet as the chocolate. When it comes to chocolate, the higher the percent of cocoa, the less sugar in the chocolate

So to make wine and chocolate pairing easier, you may simply refer to the tables below.

Red Wines and Chocolate Pairings
Wines	Chocolate
Beaujolais	Extra Dark Chocolate
Cabernet Sauvignon	Dark Chocolate
Merlot	Dark Chocolate
Pinot Noir	Dark Chocolate/Milk Chocolate
Sangiovese	Dark Chocolate
Zinfandel	Dark Chocolate

White wines have a light body which goes very well with milk chocolates. But if you are feeling adventurous, you might also experiment with white wine and white chocolate pairing.

When it comes to dessert wine, you should toss the rules about wine and chocolate pairings. Champagnes seem to go well with almost any type of chocolate, while Port and Sherry are on opposite ends of the chocolate spectrum.

White Wines and Chocolate Pairings
Wines	Chocolate
Chardonnay	White Chocolate
Riesling	Milk Chocolate
Sauvignon Blanc	Milk Chocolate

When it comes to dessert wine, you should toss the rules about wine and chocolate pairings. Champagnes seem to go well with almost any type of chocolate, while Port and Sherry are on opposite ends of the chocolate spectrum.

Dessert Wines and Chocolate Pairings
Champagne & Sparkling Wine	Almost any kind of Chocolate
Port	Dark Chocolate
Sherry	White Chocolate

Next Month, we will show specific bonbons and chocolates from our Chocolaterie Stam selections that will pair best with the wines above.

Our gelato can be g-free.

(If gelato is “g-free,” does that mean it’s ‘elato?)

Once or twice a week we field questions about our gelato and its appropriateness for people living gluten-free.

In most of our stores, we not only have gluten free gelati but also they are made with a local organic milk from Picket Fence Creamery. Only when seasonal or unusual flavors are added do we have a gluten included in our gelati. Flavors such as Red Velvet Cake or Apple Pie actually have flour ingredients associated with those desserts.  Otherwise, we are gluten and often can be dairy-free (for those lactose intolerant).  If the frozen dessert is a sorbetto which is only fruit, sugar and water added then there isn’t any dairy included in the recipe. To be sure, though, just ask your Gelato or Chocolate concierge at any Chocolaterie Stam. They should be knowledgeable and will help you stay “g-free”. Sampling is encouraged and we hope our Gelato will make you ‘elato!

 

 

The best of times…for chocolate.

In May, we mentioned the famous writer Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. ”  We found it heartening that Chocolaterie Stam carries a “kikker” or chocolate frog and subsequently promoted them in his hometown of Hannibal, Missouri to great reception. This month we wanted to continue our literary journey through chocolate and after a “Google” search we found that Charles Dickens wrote of a chocolate drink in his remarkable tome, “A Tale of Two Cities”.  Below we cite the passage:

“Yes. It took four men, all four ablaze with gorgeous decoration and the Chief of them unable to exist with fewer than two gold watches in his pocket, emulative of noble and chaste fashion set by Monseigneur,  to conduct the happy chocolate to Monseigneur’s lips.  One lackey carried the chocolate-pot into the sacred presence; a second, milled and frothed the chocolate with a little instrument he bore for that function; a third presented the favored napkin; a fourth (he of the two gold watches) poured the chocolate out.  It was impossible for Monseigneur to dispense with one of these attendants on the chocolate and hold his high place among the admiring Heavens. Deep would have been the blot upon his escutcheon if his chocolate would have been ignobly waited on by only three men; he must have died of two.”    From a Tale of Two Cities. Chapter VII.

Well, wasn’t Monseigneur a little high on his self?  La di dah!

Fortunately  we haven’t quite the class struggle that 19^th century Britain experienced, though inspiration has struck, and we offer a more democratic (and less laborious) version of a chocolate beverage.

A TALE OF TWO CHOCOLATES 

INGREDIENTS:

1 TBSP (1/2 OZ) TORANI DARK CHOCOLATE SAUCE

1 TBSP (1/2 OZ) TORANI WHITE CHOCOLATE SAUCE

1 CUP (8OZ) MILK

2 SHOTS ESPRESSO*

INSTRUCTIONS:

STEAM TOGETHER MILK AND TORANI SYRUP.  POUR INTO A 16 OUNCE GLASS AND ADD BREWED ESPRESSO*.

SPOON A THIN LAYER OF FOAMED MILK OVER BEVERAGE.

*CAN SUBSTITUTE 1/2 CUP STRONG BREWED COFFEE 

It doesn’t take four men, and two gold watches to make a great chocolate drink for our customers at Chocolaterie Stam.  Nevertheless we want you to be treated like gentry at one of many shops. Please stop by and let us consider you royalty with our service and chocolate.

Chocolaterie Stam Pineapple Tapas

Serving Suggestion

Boca is what Central Americans call them. In Mexico, they are known as botanas. In Spain, they are called tapas.

Designed to encourage conversation, the serving of tapas, allows social interaction without the concern of eating an entire meal.  Also, in some countries it is customary for diners to stand and move about while eating tapas.  It is a cuisine that is exquisite, yet informal.

 

Stam Chocolate Pineapple Tapas

Ingredients:

Chocolaterie Stam 70% Extra Dark Chocolate Drops
1 pineapple
*Optional:  toasted almonds, toasted coconut, or graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

Core and peel fresh pineapple. Slice into 1 1/2 inch slices making them rings.

Place in large non-stick skillet and grilled on medium to high heat until slightly golden. Turn and repeat on the other side until all are toasted. Set aside to cool. Tamp pineapple rings lightly with paper towels to remove excess moisture (moisture may cause your chocolate to seize).  After cooling, cut rings into sixths and place at the end of a toothpick or skewer.

Melt Chocolaterie Stam 70% Extra Dark Chocolate Drops on low heat either in double boiler or microwave method.

Once melted, dip the skewered pineapple chunks in the 70% Extra Dark Stam Chocolate and place on wax paper covered tray.  Place in refrigerator until set.

*After pineapple is dipped in chocolate and before chocolate is set,  place the skewered fruit on a bed of optional toppings.

We at Chocolaterie Stam want you think about our chocolate the same way—sophisticated yet approachable; in other words, delicious and affordable.  Can you think of other ways to combine chocolate and fruit for your next intimate gathering?

National Jumping Frog Day is May 13th

 Looking for a way to celebrate a Tuesday?

It has been 148 years since Mark Twain published his first truly successful piece of writing. Known originally as Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog, the subsequent The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is a story that was later, to Twain’s surprise, found to bear a striking resemblance to an ancient Greek tale.

Regardless of his unintentional plagiarism, we find the story charming and clever. We wish that we had known him, and that he had tried our “kikkers.” (Kikker is the dutch name for frogs.) Made with pecans, caramel and chocolate the kikker is Stam’s version of the famous “turtle.”