Florence Finds: Chocolate Tasting

Last week we went to a chocolate tasting and had a crash course in all things cocoa.

Here's a few takeaways from the mini lesson on the process of making chocolate as we know it:

The difference between "cocoa" and chocolate - cocoa is a raw material, chocolate is the finished product.

Cocoa has only 100 flowers that can turn to fruit - it matures after 6 months and produces 30-40 cocoa seeds with the pulp fermented and distilled then dried (kinda like coffee).

Chocolate is a product of cocoa and cocoa mass, cocoa butter (main part of the flavor), and sugar. White chocolate is made with just cocoa butter & sugar, hence the lighter color from the butter. All chocolate is produced in Europe (especially Italy), where the highest quality of chocolate is made.

What's the origin of name? Cacacau / chocolatl (the Aztec name for it) means "food of the gods" and made from the cacao trees in central and South America as well as west Africa.

Chocolate bars were invented in Italy - not Switzerland as everyone thinks, and is known for a special kind of chocolate with hazelnuts called Giandua. 

Richard Lindt invented milk chocolate (to be eaten in bars as we know it now) in Switzerland in 1875.

The types of chocolate include: forastero- strong & bitter, sour (80% of the worlds production), criollo- delicate but intense flavor 7% of the worlds production and quite expensive, and one other.

You need to pair chocolate with sweet wine to melt the sweetness of the chocolate and the wine together to taste best & need a high alcohol content. It can be a very fragrant (white) and also tannic (red wine) to drive the saliva to come to your mouth and mix with the sweetness to make it more flavorful.

Now that you have a few fun facts on chocolate, on to the tastings!

School of Eataly

Vin Santo

This is a very sweet wine and pairs pretty well with the chocolate.

The first time I had Vin Santo I wasn't really a fan, but it was alright with the chocolate!

This was on the Chianti tour I went on too, see my post about the history of it here.

Sauce Tasting #1

First up was the vegan chocolate sauce - it was so good and we were the first people to ever taste it since they were meeting with executives and buyers the next day about it! Too cool!

We honestly had no idea it was vegan until it told us at the end.

Bar Tastings #1-3

The first bar seemed to melt very fast but was oh so good! Definitely my favorite of the three and pretty light in flavor.

The second was quite dark & bitter and 70% cocoa - it tasted much darker and richer. The flavor was a little strong for me but not bad.

The last was also dark but more bitter, coming in at a whopping 80% cocoa. I wasn't a huge fan of this one as it was too strong for me but for dark chocolate lovers - this one's for you!

Hope you all enjoyed your chocolate lesson and see you in the next post!

Ciao for now!

Wines, Meats, Cheeses & Oils - Oh My!

Hi everybody! I had the opportunity to go to the Chianti Region of Tuscany a few weeks ago and it was such a great experience!!

The trip consisted of multiple vineyard tours, a typical Tuscan meat shop, and a Tuscan town with a Chianti castle.

Here are a few highlights from wine tour, below:

First Vineyard: Tenuta del Palagio

During the first tour, we sampled a couple reds, vin santo and a few different types of olive oils - or "green gold" as its known in the culinary world.
One in particular, Moraiolo (black olive), extra virgin olive oil goes best with pasta and bread.

For those who don't know, Vin santo is a very sweet wine. When I say sweet - I mean SWEET. I like sweet wine but this was a little bit much for me. Priests used it for holidays and is typical of Tuscany, produced by farmers and in the countryside and would be used for guests when they came over. 

We also learned how to properly "taste" the wine. First, how to hold the glass.  Use the 1,2,3 trick  and count on your hand. Thumb and index should be on the stem and the middle finger should be on the underside of the glass, with the index and middle making a scissors.
Now that you're holding on to it correctly, tilt the glass over a white surface (napkin, plate, anything white) to observe the color & clarity of the wine. A dark ruby red indicates a good red wine, while a bright & clear white is another good sign. If the red is really orange, the wine is usually too old and not drinkable. 
Afterwards, smell your wine to get an idea of what's inside. Once you find something, swirl it and repeat to see if you find a different ingredient this time. 
Once you have a feel for it, take a small & quick sip to shock your mouth - it gets it ready for the alcohol.
For your second sip, "chew" the wine by swishing it around your mouth to take in the flavor.

On your third sip, swallow it and count for how long the flavor lasts in your mouth - higher numbers mean better quality wine.

Next Stop: Typical Tuscan (Siena) Meatshop

Here we got to taste mozzarella gelato with bits of prosciutto on top - actually better than it sounds! 

Definitely try it if you get a chance! After the gelato, we went to sample some of the meat. 

Tip: if the tail is left on the meat, it is a higher quality of meat & more expensive than the others offered. Such a nice stop for a little snack! We then got to "sample" different kinds of wine from the vending machines that were inside: you loaded a wine card with either $5.00 or $10.00 depending on how much you wanted to try. Once the card is loaded, pop it into the machine and choose/sample a couple wines - each sample is only a couple bucks! Some of the wine was pretty expensive too, such as Brunello, so it was a bargain to just try it for a few dollars.

2nd Vineyard

Hey there's me!

My adorable friend, Nikki, posing with the Chianti Rooster

This spot was wonderful. We tried a few Chianti and Chianti Classico wines, as well as truffle oil and grappa too! In order to bear the name "Chianti", the wine must be made of at least 80% San Giovese grapes and be made in the Chianti region. The Chianti Classico has one more step: it has to have the stamp of a black rooster on it as well. If a bottle says that it's "Chianti Classico" and does not have it - it's a knockoff.

What's the difference between Chianti & Chianti Classico, you ask?

Chianti Classico is a higher quality wine & more expensive but both are good quality - you can't really go wrong with either.

Next was the truffle oil - otherwise known as liquid gold or the diamond of the kitchen. The reason for the rarity of truffles are that only dogs (or pigs but sometimes they eat them) can search and find them. They also have a very short season, right in September where festivals are held in their honor. This is why both the black and also the white truffles are so expensive, however they will last you a while since you only need a few drops of the oil. It is quite strong and very aromatic. White truffle is harder to find & more expensive than black - white is mostly used in oil and cooked dishes while black can be used for spreads and also cooked & eaten on its own.



Lastly was the Grappa. I didn't enjoy this too much, - you take it as a shot and it tastes like moonshine. It is processed similarly to vodka but made of a particular grape instead.

Last stop, Chianti Castle

In the town, we found this cute little dog sign.

It means - "I wait for you here" and used for dog parking

Too cute!

One last tip I learned on this trip, but wasn't planned, was actually from another guest like me. A girl we talked to during the trip said that if you are starting to feel a cold or sickness coming, eat a clove of garlic. Make sure to eat it with something though since it can make you throw up if you have an empty stomach!

Well, that's all I got!

Overall, this trip was amazing and definitely well worth the forty-five bucks.

Still playing catch up with my posts since I have way too many things to share with all of you but expect some more posts soon.

Ciao ciao!

Anyone Can Cook: Pesto Pasta

For those who don't know, I'm a big Disney fan.

I had to do a project on him in 3rd grade as a famous Chicagoan and have watched almost all his movies since the beginning of time - it grew from there and never stopped.

Taking a cue from a Chef Gusteau (Ratatouille), one important thing I have to remember while being in the country of food is simply this; "anyone can cook".

With this in mind, I am no expert. I throw things I think work well or attempt a Pinterest find and hope it goes well.

Since I am taking a few cooking classes here, I thought, why not share the (learning) wealth?

I'm going to start a little series called Anyone Can Cook along with what I'll be making. I started this blog to be able to not just show fashion, but all aspects of life - including the one I am currently working on which is cooking!

Without further adieu, here it goes! Comment what you think and let me know if you try it!

One thing I cooked last night that is so easy (and so delicious!) is pasta with pesto and cheese.

I'm not a huge meat sauce person so pesto was a great alternative to add flavor.

Here are the items you'll need for this dish:

1 quarter of a box of pasta (whatever kind you want to use! I chose Penne Rigate)

a dash of pesto (can pick it up at any supermarket for cheap)

parmesan cheese (either already in a container or a block to grate)

drizzle of olive oil

pinch of salt & pepper

grater (optional)

bowl

pot & cover

stirrer

strainer

fork

Step 1: Take the pot and fill halfway with water, drizzle in olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Cover with a top on the stove, set to medium heat and wait until it boils.

Step 2: Once boiling, pour the pasta in and stir and change the heat setting to a little bit lower. Wait 10 minutes and check the pasta by stirring it and pulling one out; if its still hard, give it another 5 minutes, if not its ready!

Step 3: Strain the pasta over the sink and move it to a bowl. Pour the pesto on top and a dash of pepper. Mix well.

Step 4: Grate the cheese (or pour if already powdery) on top of the pasta. Mix well.

Step 5: Serve & eat - you're done!

First Two Weeks of Florence: Pink Park Goes Abroad

I apologize for the delay in posting but I am now officially living in Florence, Italy for 4 months!!

I am so happy here and cannot wait to document what's ahead.

Here are the highlights so far from my first week here.

The Food

The food here is unbelievable! Pizza, pasta, gelato, cannoli desserts - everything I've tried so far has blown me out of the water. My roommates and I have been hitting up the Central Market right next to our apartment (!!!) which has been a cheap & chic stop each time. They have booths for each food item that you order from and they make to order. The pistachio gelato from there has since gotten me on a pistachio kick and we have been frequent customers to the cannoli cart nearby. Another must try is the secret bakeries in the late night hours - once you get a location, knock on the door and a chef tells you two options. Pick one (or both) and you pay about a euro or two each! Crazy cheap & oh so good! I got a Nutella doughnut for my first time - so good!! Their menus change each night so its always fun to come back just to see what's next.

The Sights

The buildings here make you think you just walked onto a movie set. Most of them are from the 1600s onward - can't say the same for buildings in the US. The Duomo (dome) church is the focal point of Florence and is lit up each night to show off its beauty. Its also a great landmark to look for if you get lost in the city - very helpful if you are traveling from a friend's apartment or coming back from a night of dancing and just need a quick check on your direction home. Another few points to not miss are the Ponte Vecchio, the river that divides the city and is home to different silver shops and little bars/pubs lining it. After crossing it, take a hike up to the Michelangelo steps (bring a water bottle - it is steep!) to see the BEST view of the city and the hills of Tuscany. The long walk up is worth it! To make the experience more worth wild, bring a bottle of wine and drink up on the top (makes a cute picture too). When walking back home from the Ponte Vecchio, hop on the pretty carousel in the Piazza della Repubblica near the Arcone (arch). This Piazza is where all the hot shops and markets are home to, even some familiar ones like H&M and Zara. Before leaving this spot, make sure to find the Porcellino (boar) fountain. Toss a coin into his mouth & rub his snout for good luck & as a way to insure your return to Florence! One last highlight is that every first Sunday of the month, all museums in Florence are free (WHAT?). With this in mind, my friends and I ran to see the David and a few Bottichelli pieces all at the low price of zero euros - how awesome right?! I recommend waiting for these free days if possible since the rest of the museums that these were featured in did not have much of a variety of pieces besides these world renowned ones.

Venice Carnival

Carnival was crazy (and creepy at times!), so many people in costumes (and just in general). They even had a contest to pick which one was the most beautiful/creative! After buying a mask of my own, my friends and I walked around the square to take it all in. We knew we would be back again through school so we didn't waste time waiting in the long lines to see the Doge Palace and St. Mark's Basilica. We'll go when its less crowded! We also wanted to wait on the Gondola rides since we knew we had one included on our second trip so we mainly just took in the city and the camaraderie around us, stopping inside a shop or two and a church. One water taxi and bus ride later, we were back home in Florence!

I also had all my classes the following week - all of them went well, thank goodness! I'm taking a couple fashion courses (it's my major!) and a food class along with a pairing food & wine class so I can get better at cooking. I'll keep you all posted on the food classes since I think I'll be learning the most from these courses!

See you all soon - Arrivederci!