February is Heart Month and I have previously written about all the amazing heart-healthy food you can get at the Port Moody Winter Market.
From berries to kale to oats, you can definitely do well by your heart at the winter market.
Thankfully, chocolate can also be a part of a heart-healthy diet. So let’s cave to the February marketing juggernaut — even after Valentine’s Day — and learn what we can about chocolate.
There are three chocolate vendors at the winter market, as well as a multitude of bakers that use chocolate as an ingredient. Lucky us!
At Cocoaro, Margret — who was recently featured in an article in The Tri-City News — is a chocolate master who actually makes chocolate, from bean to bar.
Margaret starts by sourcing fine cacao beans from suppliers who are working with good organizations, projects and communities in cacao-growing regions. These supply chains are traceable to small farms where the farmers are paid better than fair wages for their cacao. Then the beans are sorted for size, defects and debris.
The sorted beans are roasted in small batches and roasted differently depending on the variety and the flavour that she is trying to get from them. Cracking and winnowing — the separation of the husk from the nib — is the next step. The nibs are the inner part of the bean that is used for the chocolate.
Then the nibs are ground and “conched” in a machine called a melangeur that shears the nibs until they are smooth. Depending on the chocolate, Margaret adds sugar and/or other ingredients. The grinding continues until the desired texture and flavour are achieved. Finally, again depending on the chocolate, it may be set to age.
When it is ready, the chocolate is tempered (changing temperature to make it snappy and shiny) and moulded into bars. All the bars are hand-wrapped and packaged in traditional handmade Japanese paper.
Drunken Chocolatier is another chocolate vendor at market. Carina makes outstanding little works of art with a focus on the fillings. Poor woman travels around to the different distilleries and craft breweries, tasting and choosing products that become the yummy centres for her chocolates. She will often use fruits and vegetables that she has chosen directly from the vendors at market.
The final chocolate vendor at market is Solasta Chocolate. After being a professional photographer for many years, Martin turned his love of nature and travel into creating beautiful chocolates that reflect the natural surroundings. Martin’s passion for travel is reflected in the unique flavour combinations he uses in both his filled chocolates and bars. My favourite is the rosemary and sea salt bar, and Martin also makes a series of sugar-free bars that make eating chocolate almost guilt free.
So here is proof, once again, that you can get almost anything at market. Stop by on Sunday and get your fill of all that is fresh, local and heart-healthy.
Like chocolate.
Karen Curtis is the Lemonade Lady (www.kicslemonade.ca) at the Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam farmers markets. Her column runs monthly.
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NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE OAT BARS
Makes 16 to 20 bars
Prep time: 15 minutes; total time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup butter
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups rolled oats
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
¾ cup chunky peanut butter (or another nut butter)
Directions
Line an 8-inch-by-8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Heat over low-heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Add the oats, cinnamon and kosher salt. Cook, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes.
Pour half of the oat mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread out the mixture evenly, pressing down.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and the peanut butter. Heat on high in the microwave, in increments of 40 seconds, stirring in between each increment, until melted and fully combined.
Pour four fifths of the chocolate mixture into the pan over the pressed oats, reserving about quarter cup for drizzling. Top with the remaining oats and drizzle with the remaining quarter cup chocolate mixture.
Refrigerate for 4 hours, or until set.
