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?

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A whole day!

The Dutch are crazy about licorice, or as they call it, drop, with the highest per capita consumption of licorice in the world (almost 4 1/2 pounds per person per year) giving the Dutch drop market a total value of $225,157,500.

In honor of the day we have posted a craft project*

You will need:

Waxed Dental floss (generic brand will do)

Embroidery needle ( we got ours at Hobby Lobby for a couple of bucks)

38 pieces (about 1/2 Chocolaterie Stam All Sorts Licorice

Latex gloves

Mouse pad

• Step 1:  Cut dental floss to length of about 34 inches
• Step 2:  Thread embroidery needle with the dental floss
• Step 3:  Count out a variety of shapes and colors from the Stam All Sort Selection
• Step 4:  While wearing the latex gloves Insert threaded needle into middle of the licorice shapes and continue until all 38 pieces are threaded.
  
• Step 5:  Tie off both ends together making sure the licorices are tight to each other
  
• Step 6:  Trim ends of the floss, and ta-da!
  

We also created a matching bracelet by threading elastic through a few pieces!

If your licorice is unmanageably hard, it’ll soften right up after a few seconds in the microwave. Five seconds is usually just about right, but BE CAREFUL! Licorice will heat up very quickly and can cause serious burns.

*Young children should be supervised at all times while making candy necklaces. For safety reasons, plastic craft needles should be used to create holes in sweets instead of the sharp metal variety. Also, exercise commonsense when it comes to consuming edible jewelry that has been excessively handled and worn. Consider having the kids make edible jewelry specifically for eating and others just for wearing. Eating candy necklaces that have been played with and/or worn is not recommended.

Coloring Contest

Print this page to get started!

Des Moines: To enter online, post your masterpiece on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #ColorMeHoppyDSM. Be sure to tag Chocolaterie Stam on Facebook (or mention @StamDesMoines on Twitter). You can also drop off your art in store and we’ll proudly put it on display!

You can find more details about the contest here.

 

Can’t hold a candle to us!

As I wax lyrical (pun intended) about myself and my relationship to my family’s chocolate, it occurs to me at one time in my upbringing my Cousin Ginger would always make Christmas candies as a present.  It was always a special gift given with love, always appreciated, and it was often made with old fashioned ingredients.  Intuitively, you would think that with a classic, original recipe, it would be wholesome and without any artificial additives.  How untrue!

Cousin’s “go to” in this case was to make chocolate fudge with food grade paraffin.  I’ve a copy of one of her favorite recipes below:

Martha Washington Chocolates
(Makes about 5 lbs)

Melt 1/4 lb. of butter or oleo and add 1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, 2 lbs. powdered sugar, 1 can coconut, 1 pt. chopped fine pecans.

Mix together, roll into small balls and dip in chocolate mix.

Chocolate Mix

Mix 12 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate with 1 bar (1/4 lb) of paraffin (melt over low heat or double boiler). Stick toothpick in balls, dip into chocolate mix.  Drop on wax paper to cool.

Horrors!  Carnauba wax is used in so many things from make-up to caramel apples.

Buyers beware!

At Chocolaterie Stam, you can be assured that no wax has ever come close to our chocolate.  Even as we have followed the family’s tried and true, we never come across using paraffin as an ingredient.

Stam Chocolate Christmas Store display

My warm and fuzzy memories of my cousin’s Christmas gift, always reminds me that she did her best with what she was given.  It was from her hands and heart.

But still…  My gift to you is our guarantee that no wax, or paraffin, will ever be in Stam Chocolate.  In fact, no one can ever hold a candle to us!