Happy World Chocolate Day… as the saying goes
“As long as there is chocolate, there will be happiness.” Wayne Gerard Trotman
There are days and there are days, and then there’s a special day for CHOCOLATE! We never had days so deliciously marked when we were young, though chocolate was an inherent part of holidays, festivities, birthdays, actually most celebrations. That charm of chocolate was second to none. It made everyone happy!
From the almost emaciated looking Cadbury bars and 5 Star bars we bought locally in India in the 1970’s to the grand kilo slabs of Cadbury Dairy Milk and Maltesers from the UK, Hersheys bars from the States and then the triangular Swiss Toblerone, there was always much to look forward to when visitors from overseas arrived. I can never forget the Cadbury’s vintage red netted chocolate filled Christmas stockings that my aunt would religiously bring for us from the UK, the gold foil covered chocolate coins she would slip in secretly! That was what chocolate dreams were made of!
True to the words by Mariska Hargitay – “Chocolate is the first luxury. It has so many things wrapped up in it: deliciousness in the moment, childhood memories, and that grin-inducing feeling of getting a reward for being good.”
As I began blogging, chocolate was an integral part of my pantry. Chocolate paired with everything! No trip the the US was complete without big bags of Ghirardelli or Nestle Toll House chocolate chips and tins of cocoa powder. My first stop was always the chocolate aisle in grocery stores, filling the cart like chocolate was going to get extinct. That glee when we flew back home and reached out for the loot! Chocolate always brought joy!
And then when Penguin Random House India invited me to write a cookbook, how could it be anything else. It was always going to be CHOCOLATE! I loved everything about bringing it to life – writing the recipes, the thoughts that inspired each, styling the frames, then shooting them! It was a wholly consuming affair but so worth it at the end of the day. My daughter designed the entire layout of my cookbook and I loved how good it looked in print. The cherry on the cake, a foreword by Marryam Reshii, an absolute honour for me!
The idea of a chocolate book is credited to my sweet friend Bina who blogs at A Bit Wholesomely, one she pitched while we were driving around Hyderabad several years ago. I am grateful to Penguin Random House India for believing I could do it, for my family and friends who rallied around me. You can buy a copy here on Amazon. It’s available worldwide now on Amazon and in bookstores too.
These are all memories of a lifetime and when I think of chocolate, I have so many around it, and I bet you do too. I love working with chocolate, I love creating desserts with chocolate, I love styling around chocolate and nothing can stop me shooting it!
So Happy World Chocolate Day to you. Have a delicious one. I leave you with a round up of a few chocolate recipes and you can find a load more HERE! I hope this inspires you to head to the kitchen and stir up some deliciousness!
I’ll leave you with one of my favourite quotes on chocolate …
“May your life be filled, as mine has been, with love and laughter; and remember, when things are rough all you need is … Chocolate.” Geraldine Solon
Do tag me on Instagram at passionateaboutbaking if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!
