Past Newsletters
Vol 2 No 8

In Pursuit of Chocolate

Chocolate Sensations From Scenic Mendocino Village

It was once said by a well known bon vivant that, “Good living is an act of intelligence, by which we choose things that have an agreeable taste rather than those which do not.” And in keeping with this philosophy, we take great pride in introducing you to exceptional confections that are sure to delight your palate!

Chocolate Shortbread with chocolate chunks is my most favorite. I have never tasted a more scrumptious cookie… all that butter and not one egg! This recipe was created exclusively for C & H Clubs by the Mendocino Cookie Company, and so when you munch on them, remember they are making their debut. The Double Fudge cookies run a close second... how could a true chocolate aficionado resist! Both rich chocolate cookie doughs are made from only the freshest and most genuine ingredients, including semi-sweet premium chocolate from the Guittard Chocolate Company, and toasted walnuts. “These are cookies are to die for!”

A Cookie Store Designed for Gourmands

In the heart of scenic Mendocino Village, three hours north of the Golden Gate Bridge, on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, you will find the Mendocino Cookie Company. It’s just across from the Firehouse (10450 Lansing Street). Can't find it? Ask anyone of the 978 residents… they have all been there many times!

This family owned shop specializes in fresh cookies, baked goods and the best coffee and espresso drinks in town. Fifteen different varieties of award winning cookies are baked daily guaranteeing freshness.

Held Captive

The Youngers knew they belonged in Mendocino… they had often talked about moving to the North Coast but what would they do for a living? Beverlee took a thorough inventory of all the existing businesses, and noticed that there was no place to pull up a chair, enjoy great coffee and munch on divine cookies. So with a little sweat and imagination, she converted an old empty gas station and their business was born. When the Mendocino Cookie Company opened its doors, Beverlee Younger was in the kitchen with her household mixer, baking cookies a dozen or so at a time.

That first summer, husband Don and son John assisted, but when winter came, Beverlee ran the cookie company single-handed. A second location in Fort Bragg was added in 1998, just eight miles north of the original store, and today, Three generations of family and 26 dedicated employees work together to develop new recipes and ensure customer satisfaction with a personal touch.

Bev's Loyal Patrons say…

“Sensational Goodies Make Perfect Anytime Gifts”

As with any company that provides superior and exclusive products, the Mendocino Cookie Company has spawned quite a following of loyal customers over the last 17 years. In fact, there are many who come by daily to get their fresh baked delectables and will go nowhere else for them!

Gordon is one such customer. Coming almost everyday for the past 10 years, he’s a fixture at Beverlee’s shop. “Gordon has a snit if we don’t have his chocolate shortbread ready for him,” she says. “If the girls see that we’re getting low, they always hide some for him.”

One year Gordon received a special Christmas gift from Beverlee and the girls in the kitchen. “We made a special batch of chocolate shortbread, filled a mason jar with it and gave it to him as a present,” she recalled.

Gordon, in turn, helped Beverly with a little experiment. “We gave Gordon his gift before Christmas and asked him not to open it until February 1^st. We wanted to see how fresh our product would stay with the quality ingredients we use.”

Gordon took the jar home and let it sit on his shelf as Beverlee requested. This guy has a lot of self-discipline! “He said that when he finally opened up the jar and took his first bite from the month and a half old shortbread, he couldn’t tell the difference between fresh baked and the one he held in his hand – it was that fresh.”

This was no real surprise to Beverlee who uses only fresh, quality ingredients in her cookies that contain no preservatives. You don’t get that homemade fresh taste without that kind of quality control.

Guittard Chocolate
Only the Best Ingredients

One of the many reasons the Mendocino Cookie Company has such devoted customers is the fact that only the highest quality chocolate is used. Holding to this superior standard sets Beverlee’s enterprise apart from other cookie confectioners. It is no wonder that she chose only Guittard Chocolate Company to supply her chocolate.

One Family’s Passion
To Gary Guittard, President and CEO of Guittard Chocolate Company, and a fourth generation Guittard, chocolate is not just one of life's most delightful culinary treats; it is his passion. Guittard Chocolate, one of the nation's oldest chocolate manufacturers, has been making premium chocolates for the confectionery and pastry trade since 1893.

The fourth generation Guittards moved into the consumer market with the April 2000 introduction of the E. Guittard line of chocolates. This line is made from the world's most select cocoa beans using small batch manufacturing and the time-honored vintage methods Gary remembers being employed by his grandfather. The chocolate-making skills first honed in France at Guittard’s original company have been carried through four generations here in America.

A Heritage of Divine Indulgence
Some of Gary Guittard’s fondest childhood memories are of exploring his grandfather's chocolate factory on San Francisco's Embarcadero, marveling at the equipment, savoring the heady aroma, and indulging in an occasional sample. He quickly became enchanted with the process that transforms small, bitter beans into America's most craved food substance.

Gary's passion followed him into adulthood so his father suggested he get some experience in the business before joining the family business. Gary worked with a food broker for a couple of years to understand distribution, then spent time in marketing and sales for the bakery supply industry. He joined Guittard in 1975 to work side-by-side with his brother Jay and his father Horace A. Guittard, the company Chairman. Noting that home cooks were becoming increasingly sophisticated in their demands for quality baking chocolate, Guittard created the company's first line of chocolate chips for the home baker.

After the untimely deaths of his father and brother, Gary began running the company with his family of employees, many of whom had been there for 20 years and remain at Guittard's side to this day. Under his guidance, Guittard Chocolate continues to thrive. 

Developing A Chocolate Palate

Chocolate can be heavenly, mellow, sensual, deep, dark, sumptuous, gratifying, potent, dense, creamy, seductive, suggestive, rich, excessive, silky, smooth, luxurious, celestial. If it is none of these things, it is either not quality chocolate…or not real chocolate. That’s right, there are lots of chocolate imposters out there! The following precepts will help you become a true epicure in all matters chocolate.

How to Sample Chocolate

• Look at it - it should be dark (unless it’s milk chocolate), shiny, and smooth
• Smell it - it should have a breathtaking full-bodied aroma.
• Break it - it should break clean and make a cracking sound
• Taste it - it should have a full-mouth taste with no unpleasant aftertaste. The taste will stay on your tongue long after the chocolate is swallowed.
• Melt it - it should melt smooth and not grainy.

Short Scoop On A Scottish Tradition
Shortbread in a Class of Its Own

The British Empire may have lost world power and momentum during the last 500 years, but there are no signs of a slow down in the empire that has grown around shortbread. Sold in millions of tons around the world, its fame is largely due to the talents of Scottish bakers, and to their determination that shortbread should not be classed as a common biscuit.

Years ago, a government tax tried to claim shortbread was a “biscuit” … how ridiculous cried the Scottish Association of Master Bakers! “Scottish shortbread has a long and distinguished ancestry as a “speciality item of flour confectionery,” argued the bakers. Of course they won hands down… apparently there are times when tradition is more powerful than money! There’s hope for us all.

After perusing some websites about Scottish history…fascinating stuff… I think it is safe to assume that Scottish shortbread dates way, way, way back. There is a shortbread named Pitcailhly Bannocks, and the Pictish people were first mentioned in Roman literature in 296. The name "Pict" is said to have come either from a latin word meaning "painted ones" or another meaning "fighter." Both of these accurately depicted the Pictish people. If you are interested in learning more, below is a link that will take you to a compendium of links about Scotland an her often turbulent history.
 http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/links.htm

Old festive shortbreads were made by the rural communities and shaped into large round bannocks or wheels, or they were baked as rectangles and then broken up into uneven chucks for serving. Later shortbread was often baked in round molds with various designs, and served at high teas. The following article is reprinted from Yankee Magazine’s Yankee Holiday Kitchen. Find out more about this great little magazine at New England.com

Even the Crumbs Are Good: Shortbread Cookies

For many years my Aunt Ciss made imprinted cakes of shortbread for Christmas and New Year. They were so pretty -- well wrapped, on a white paper doily, finished with white tissue paper and a narrow red ribbon with a bit of holly in the bow. The pretty tin was always returned to be filled another year.

This is truly a Scottish tradition to share with friends and family. The custom is to serve it to ring in the New Year, usually at midnight with "a wee dram," or on the New Year's Day tea table.

When my three sons were growing up, there was always excitement: "Here comes Aunt Ciss; hope she has shortbread!" Aunt Ciss was always going to show me how to make it but could not give me a recipe because she just did it by doing it. Then she passed away. The recipe, and her shortbread molds, were gone.

I tried many recipes, but my sons would say, "It is good, Mom, but not like Aunt Ciss's." Then finally, success. One grandson in college says, "Grandma, even the crumbs are good." (The mail is not kind to it.)

After scouting for shortbread molds for years, I finally found some. Now, I hope, my shortbread is an authentic tribute to Aunt Ciss and my Scottish heritage.

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted after measuring
1/2 cup cake flour, sifted after measuring
1 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
Heat oven to 350° F.

In large bowl combine dry ingredients. Add butter and stir mixture with a fork until a soft dough forms. Divide dough in half. Press evenly in bottom of two 8-inch cake pans that have been very lightly sprayed with nonstick vegetable spray and then wiped out. Spread dough disks to about 7-1/2 inches wide and flute the edge with a spoon or finger.

Prick all over with a fork, then score with a sharp knife into small squares, being careful not to cut all the way through. Bake until light golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack and serve or store.

-- by Marie Davidson Mehl, Surfside Beach, South Carolina

If you plan to use shortbread molds available at specialty cookware stores, be sure to use the kind that you bake the dough right in, not the ones that just press a picture into the surface. The molds hold heat, so bake at 325° F to avoid over-browning. Combine dough carefully to avoid introducing air bubbles and prick thoroughly, but not all the way through.

Dough will keep at cool room temperature if you want to use only one mold. Be sure the mold is completely cool before shaping the second batch of shortbread.

Makes 2 disks, 16 large, imprinted wedges or about 24 small, irregular cookies.