Welcome to the official launch of Chocolate Month here at The Culinary Diplomat.  Throughout the month of February, we will pay homage to the sultry sweet that has inspired conquests – political and romantic alike – for thousands of years.  Chocoholics around the world: unite! Our Chocolate Month series will travel the world high and low in search of some of each region’s most decadent or unique chocolate concoctions, and I’ll share some of my personal favorite chocolate recipes.

I’ll be honest – anyone who knows me knows that every month is chocolate month for me, and every day is chocolate day.  It is a rare day when I eat nothing containing chocolate. Dark chocolate in any form is my poison of choice, but I do make every effort to keep a balanced diet, so I’ve found ways to satisfy my chocolate cravings with more nutritious, less caloric variants.

Join The CD for our Chocolate Month tour!  Some highlights to expect:

– This week  (2-7 February), we search the globe for the world’s best hot chocolate, and I’ll offer a devlishly spiked hot chocolate recipe, as well as the Angel’s hot cocoa recipe (vegan, paleo, and no sugar added – yes, it is actually decent) to suit your diet.

– We’ll travel to Belgium and the Baltic States, where we’ll hit the hot spots that any traveler must try, or inspire you to find or create your own unique creations.  Europe definitely knows its chocolate!

– I’ll offer an extremely rich, almost flourless chocolate brownie recipe made with whiskey or liqueur-spiked cherry preserves – just in time for Valentine’s Day!

– We’ll talk about wine pairings for chocolate to create simple but sensual dessert experiences.  Wine and chocolate play so well together, why not plan ahead?

– I’ll offer my recipe for spiced superfood chocolate cookies – friendly to most diets, nutritious, and plenty of chocolate.

These are just a few of the posts you can expect to see throughout February to celebrate Chocolate Month.  Stay tuned!