Best International Chocolates for Valentine’s Day

(Gerry Furth-Sides, photos courtesy of Brigaeiros and American Heritage Chocolates) Chocolate defines Valentine’s Day as much as flowers and wine.  Brazilian Brigadeiros, TINY B chocolates are the newest on the market and American Heritage defines the best of American regional sweets.  The sweets are perfect as hostess gifts or as a remembrance to guests  in their pretty little box.

Brigadeiros have an interesting history.  They were invented by Brazilian women in the mid-1940s as a product to sell to raise funds for the women’s rights-conscious presidential candidate—Brigadier Eduardo Gomes.  They were the Brazilian HOPE posters of their day!  Brigadier Gomes didn’t win the election, but “brigadeiros” became a national tradition and are still made across Brazil to this day.  Now, tinyB founder Renata Stoica (a Sao Paolo native who now lives in San Francisco) is using her old family recipe to bring the tradition to America. You can learn more about her story here: //www.tinybchocolate.com/pages/about-us

As if AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate Gourmet Hot Cocoa paired with these AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate decadent chocolate is enough on their own and in honor of Valentine’s day  Chef Daniel Skurnick of the Michelin star Le Coucou in NYC created recipes for special home baked treats to pair with a rich cup of Gourmet Hot Cocoa.

The recipes incorporate the brand’s newly introduced Tablet Bars perfect for those looking for a historic chocolate experience. . The chocolate is inspired by recipes from the 1700s. One bite is like having a tasty history lesson. Some also use AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate Finely Grated Chocolate. Whether baking a gift for friends, loved ones, or experimenting with a prized family recipe, our Finely Grat­ed Chocolate is your perfect partner in the kitchen. An artisanal dark chocolate, the intriguing taste will surprise and delight you.

Chocolate Torrone Recipe

1 ¾ cups  Granulated Sugar

¼ cup Honey

1 cup Water

250

g

1 cups

Honey

170g

½ cup

Large Egg Whites

60g

2 each

Salt

2g

¼ teaspoon

Almonds, toasted

100g

1 cup

Pistachios, toasted

100g

1 cup

Hazelnuts, toasted

100g

1 cup

AMERICAN HERITAGE™ Tasting Squares, chopped

100g

1 cup

Combine sugar, first measurement of honey, and water in medium pot. Bring to a boil. When mixture

reaches 245°F, start cooking second measurement of honey in a small pot by itself. Meanwhile whip the

egg whites and salt in an electric mixer with the whip

attachment. When pure honey mixture reaches

265°F, pour quickly but carefully into the whipping whites down the sides of the bowl. Continue cooking

the sugar mixture over high heat. When sugar syrup reaches 305°F pour into whipping whites in the same

fashi

on as the honey. Whip on high speed for 4 minutes. Remove the bowl and whip from the machine.

Stir in the toasted nuts and stir to combine. Add the chopped chocolate and mix until just distributed.

AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate feature no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, Kosher, Rain Forest Alliance™ Certified, and 57% Cocoa. Conceived of, and crafted by, a dedicated team of historians, AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate is the result of painstaking years of research by a multidisciplinary team of more than 115 experts from around the globe. Culled from the archives of some of the most venerated historic institutions, libraries and private collections in America, and in consultation with leaders in food history – from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, The dedicated team has developed a chocolate product with a flavor profile drawn directly from the annals of chocolate’s historic past.

What makes AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate unique is how it taps into the stories of our collective past – from chocolate’s Mesoamerican roots, dating back over 3,500 years, to its place in the lives of European and Colonial American families.

AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate is sold in over 100 living history sites, museums and specialty gift shops nationwide as well as on Amazon. Additional information and recipes can be found here at (//AmericanHeritageChocolate.com