It's Getting Close...

How should we put this?  Our excitement is through the roof!  Chocolate Fest is only 1 week away!

Arts for Learning has been very lucky to have great partnerships with the media, our vendors and sponsors, volunteers, and supporters.  We can't wait to celebrate this delicious day of chocolate with you on October 20 from 12 - 4 p.m. at the Harrison Center for the Arts.

Parking: 

Delaware Street has open parking on both sides as it is a one-way going north. Volunteers will be outside of the Harrison Center should you need assistance.

What to expect upon arrival:

Expect to enter through the main entrance off Delaware Street.  When you arrive through the main doors, the Arts for Learning staff and volunteers will greet you and collect/sell tickets.  The gym will be to the right and up a few stairs. The Harrison Center has limited wheelchair accessibility.  Please see a volunteer for assistance.

What to bring:

The most important thing to bring - an appetite!   The vendors will be happy to take one of your 10 sample tickets in exchange for a delicious treat of your choosing.

For kids:

Our professional roster artists will be performing in "The Underground", so please stop by so you can see our mission in action!

Thanks again to all involved and we'll see you next Saturday!

You're Going to Love This!

This next recipe is a favorite from Mallory Doyel, our Director of Communications, and she thinks you'll really enjoy it!  It's a quick, delicious dessert to serve 6-8 of your closest friends.  Don't forget to bring these friends to Chocolate Fest on October 20 to the Harrison Center!

Chocolate Fudge Tart

Ingredients:
flour for sprinkling

12 oz ready-made unsweetened pie dough

confectioners' sugar, to dust

1 1/4 cups golden granulated sugar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

6 eggs, beaten

Filling
5 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

6 oz butter, diced

Decorate
2/3 cup whipped cream

ground cinnamon

1.) Preheat the oven to 400F.  Roll out the pie dough on a lightly floured counter and use to line an 8-inch/20-cm deep loose-bottom tart pan.  Prick the dough base lightly with a fork, then line with foil and fill with pie weights (optional).  Bake in the oven for 12-15 mins, or until the dough no longer looks raw.  Remove weights and foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the dough is firm.  Let cool.  Reduce the oven temp to 350F.  

2.) To make the filling, place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water until melted (this can also be done in a microwave).  Stir until smooth, then remove from the heat and let cool.  Place the sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and eggs in a separate bowl and whisk until well blended.  Stir in the butter and chocolate mixture. 

3.) Pour the filling into the pastry shell and bake in the oven for 50 minutes, or until the filling is just set.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving with whipped cream sprinkled lightly with cinnamon.

4.) Enjoy!

No one can deny, this pie is sure to satisfy!

Choco-Let's Meet More Vendors!

The Arts for Learning Chocolate Fest vendor list is growing and growing! Our 7 exciting new vendors will provide some of Indianapolis area’s best products and samples for our chocoholic attendees.


Abbott’s Also – Handmade delicious chocolates and caramels. Abbott’s is a family owned business with a candy factory and store in Hagerstown, Indiana. Lucky for us Indianapolites, Abbott’s also has a store located in the Clearwater Crossing Shopping Plaza.

Selling: Gismos (Turtles) made with their famous handmade caramel centers.

Endangered Species Chocolate – A chocolate vendor that gives back to local and global communities! Endangered Species creates premium natural and organic, milk and dark chocolate bars and gifts. Help support species, habitat and humanity while eating decadent treats.

Selling: 3 oz. Natural Chocolate bars – Milk Chocolate with Almonds, Dark 72% with Mint and Dark 72%

Hubbard and Cravens – Custom-roasting the most enchanting coffees and importing over 20 of the finest classic and rare teas from the East. Hubbard and Cravens is dedicated to providing its 5 neighborhood locations with the highest quality products.

Selling: The perfect coffee to compliment chocolate tasting.

Chef Joseph’s at the Connoisseur Room – Our wine vendor is voted one of the Top New Restaurants in Indianapolis Monthly for 2012!  Chef Joseph’s renowned monthly wine dinners and live entertainment are sure to please.

Selling: Tastings of chocolate appropriate wines.

The Chef’s Academy - Committed to providing well-rounded, hands-on, career-focused education in the areas of culinary arts, pastry arts and hospitality and restaurant management. Arts for Learning is proud to host a local culinary school for Chocolate Fest. 

Selling: TBD

Schakolad Chocolate Factory (pronounced shaq-oh-LAD) - One of the truly custom retail chocolate boutiques in the business. A three-generation European family-style recipe is used to create high-quality and beautifully designed chocolates.

Selling: Chocolate Lollipops and Truffles

Xchocol’Art – Take a journey through your taste buds! Organic, fair-trade, single origin chocolate tastes different than any other. Xchocol’Art will help you appreciate the unique taste and characteristics of bean-to-bar chocolate.

Selling: Zotter Organic Fair-Trade Chocolate, Xchocol’Art Organic Truffles, Mediants, Bars and other enticing delicacies.

Have a Chocolate Fest in Your Very Own Home!

The Young Audiences/Arts for Learning Chocolate Fest at the Harrison Center is almost three months away! For all of you who love creating chocolate confections at home, our staff would like to recommend their favorite chocolate recipes which we’ll be posting continuously before Chocolate Fest. Suppress those chocolate cravings with our first recipe using an ingredient from your garden, thanks to our Summer Intern, Kerry Jessup.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins



Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup minced zucchini

• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I use larger, milk chocolate chips)

• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Combine the egg, oil, milk, lemon juice and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in zucchini, chocolate chips and walnuts. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden brown. Yields 12 muffins.

Current Chocolate Fest Vendors and their Specialties

Young Audiences/Arts for Learning is proud to announce our current Chocolate Fest vendors. Their outstanding support for arts education in Indiana deserves our business. Don't mind if we do!

Below are descriptions of our vendors and the products they will sell at the Harrison Center for the Arts on October 20.

Chocolate for the Spirit – Decadent chocolates made with exotic ingredients. Inspiring founder and artisan Julie Bolejack is committed to bringing some of the best chocolate ingredients from around the world to the Indianapolis City Market.

Selling: Toffee, truffles, BonBons, bark, bars, brownies, and cookies.

The Best Chocolate In Town – Hand-Made and Hand-Packed beautiful chocolates on Mass Ave. A perfect gift idea for any occasion! Find The Best Chocolate In Town’s chocolate at R Bistro downtown, Chatterbox Jazz Club, and 20 more locations!

Selling: Truffles, caramels, and peanut butter crunch.

Oakley’s Bistro – Oakley’s team is dedicated to creating desserts that are pleasing to the palate as well as the eye. This near north side restaurant has a slew of delicious dessert plates including a Chocolate “Opera” Cake (our personal favorite), Cheesecake in a Jar, and Crème Brûlée.

Selling: Spices, t-shirts, salad dressing and more.

Sun King Brewery – An independent craft brewery located in our own downtown Indianapolis! Some of the most popular beers include the light and crisp Sun King Cream Ale, the gold-medal winning brown hazelnut Scottish Wee Mac, and the west coast style Osiris Pale Ale.

Selling: 3 – 4 different craft beers.

Hoaglin Catering – The best dessert catering on Mass Ave! Hoaglin locations across Indianapolis are known for their approachable signature desserts, such as the Turtle Dessert Bars, Hoaglin Brownies, and Pistachio Cherry Chocolate Dessert Bars.

Selling: Gift boxes of dessert bar bites and gift cards to Hoaglin To Go & Marketplace and Stardust Terrace Café on the canal.

Just Pop In! – A popcorn confection masterpiece in Broad Ripple and the Indianapolis Airport! Our first Chocolate Fest collaborators are Just Pop In! and Sun King Brewery, who have created the Dark Chocolate Sun King Osiris Pale Ale Popcorn, available for tasting on October 20. What a creative partnership!

Selling: Mini bag sizes of many different flavored popcorn.

Thanks to all who have committed to Chocolate Fest; we hope to see more vendors in the upcoming weeks!

America's 10 Favorite Chocolate Candies

Chocolate Fest 2012 may be five months away, but one of the biggest "chocolate" holidays just passed. In honor of all the chocolate bunnies and candy bars you may or may not have still lying around the house, here is a list of America's 10 Favorite Chocolate Candies (from an article published by CNBC in June 2011).

Did you know America spends more than $7 Billion dollars on individual-sized chocolate candy bars, bags, and boxes in one year? Here is where most of that money goes!

10. Almond Joy - Revenue Generated: $60.8 million
The Almond Joy bar was created in 1946 by Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing. It’s made of sweetened coconut, topped with two almonds and covered in dark chocolate.




9. Milky Way - Revenue Generated: $70.2 million
Created in 1923, the Milky Way was named after the popular malted milk shake, not the Milky Way galaxy. It is made of chocolate malt-flavored nougat and caramel-covered milk chocolate. At the time the time of its creation, it sold for just a nickel.



8. Hershey's Cookies N Cream - Revenue Generated: $80.4 million
This is the newest candy on the countdown. Hershey’s Cookies 'N' Cream first hit the candy stands in 1994. It’s made of white chocolate and promises cookies in every bite.




7. 3 Musketeers - Revenue Generated: $100.7 million
When it was first introduced in 1932, 3 Musketeers was three pieces and three flavors: vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. The candy bar is now a single piece made of fluffy chocolate-flavored nougat covered with milk chocolate.




6. Twix - Revenue Generated: $169.9 million
This crunchy cookie, caramel and chocolate bar is a relatively new to the American marketplace. It was introduced in the U.S. in 1979.





5. Kit Kat - Revenue Generated: $201.8 million
This chocolate bar was originally a British creation and called the Chocolate Crisp. It was later renamed Kit Kat, allegedly after the Kit Kat club, an 18th century Whig literacy club in England. The Kit Kat is now owned by Nestle, but has been manufactured in the U.S. by Hershey since 1969.



4. Hershey's - Revenue Generated: $249 million
This is the oldest chocolate bar in the countdown. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar was developed in 1900 by Milton S. Hershey and he charged just a nickel for his candy bar. These days, Hershey makes more than 373 million of its signature candy bar every year.



3. Snickers - Revenue Generated: $386.2 million
Introduced in 1930, the bar was named after one of the Mars family’s favorite horses. More than 99 tons of peanuts go into making over 15 million Snickers bars each day, and each bar contains around 16 peanuts.




2. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - Revenue Generated: $398.9 million
The inventor of these tasty treats, Harry Burnett Reese, was a former dairy employee of Milton S. Hershey who decided to strike out on his own and make a living in the candy business. Reese began selling his peanut butter cups in five-pound boxes for candy assortments in the 1920s, and the candy soon surged in popularity. In 1963, things came full circle when Hershey bought the company for $23.5 million. Several decades later, the candy is still a hit. The company claims if you were to line up the Reese’s sold annually, it would wrap around the earth several times.

1. M&Ms - Revenue Generated: $406.7 million
The best-selling chocolate treat on the countdown has been around since 1941. It was designed by Forrest Mars Sr. so consumers could enjoy their chocolate without having it melt in their hands. M&Ms, which was named after its inventors Forrest Mars and R. Bruce Murrie. M&Ms are red, yellow, blue, orange and green, but it's red that gets top billing — it has been the official "spokescandy" since 1952. There are now eight permanent varieties of M&Ms candies, as well as seasonal offerings.

There you have it - the countdown to America's favorite chocolate candy. The countdown to Chocolate Fest 2012 still rages on! Don't forget to come to the Harrison Center for the Arts on Saturday October 20th from Noon-4pm!

Intern Angelina

Five Amazing Things Made of Chocolate

What if the world were made of Chocolate? In honor of Chocolate Fest 2012, here are some amazing things that have been made out of chocolate!

1. Chocolate Dress - Lady Gaga may prefer to wear a meat dress, but personally I would rather add this chocolate dress to my wardrobe! This tasty creation was made by the German bakery group Lambertz in 2010 for its Annual Monday Night Party in Cologne. The dress was one of more than a hundred fashion pieces celebrating chocolate.














2. The Chocolate Room - If this were my room I would certainly eat myself out of house and home! From floor to ceiling, this entire 183-square-foot room was made out of chocolate. Seven artists used 611 pounds of chocolate to create the walls and decor, which was on display for Valentine's Day at a shopping center in Lithuania.










3. The Chocolate Car - This delicious-looking BMW was just one of many hunger-inducing attractions at the 2010 World Chocolate Wonderland in Beijing, China. Don't eat and drive!











4. The Chocolate Mailbox - What better way is there to send a Valentine to your sweetie than in a chocolate mailbox?! This over-sized mailbox is made entirely of Godiva chocolate and is adorned with hearts made of white chocolate truffles. It was created for Godiva’s Valentine’s Day celebration in 2011 at its Fifth Avenue flagship boutique in New York City.

















5. Chocolate Shoes - What is a chocolate dress without some chocolate shoes to go with it? These delicious fashion statements are the creation of chocolatier Phil Neal of the luxury West London chocolate shop, Theobroma Cacao, who wanted to combine two of women’s favorite things — chocolate and shoes. The edible shoes are part of Theobroma Cacao’s Erotique collection and are hand-crafted from Venezuelan chocolate.












Don't forget to attend Chocolate Fest 2012 on Saturday October 20th from Noon to 4pm at the Harrison Center for the Arts!

Intern Angelina

(All photographs and factual information taken from the following article on cnbc.com)