Saturday, December 31, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 31, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:

Talenti
1.) Caribbean Coconut Gelato
Good - Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup
Calories: 190 calories
Cost: $6.49 total container
Purchased: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

2.) 1/3 cup Belgian Milk Chocolate Gelato
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1/2 cup
Calories: 220 calories
Cost: $6.49 total container
Purchased: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Stonewall Kitchen
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel
Good
Weight: 2 Tb. (30 g.) / 12.5 oz. (354 g.) total glass jar
Calories: 120 calories
Cost: $n/a
Purchased: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today I made an ice cream sundae worthy of Chocolate + Coconut + Caramel Theme Week.
It was easy to imagine I was on a sunny, tropical beach somewhere, getting ready to make a toast to the New Year.

I used two different kinds of Talenti Gelato for this dessert. The Talenti Caribbean Coconut Gelato was quite good, but lacked the incredibly smooth and creamy consistency of the Talenti Belgian Milk Chocolate Gelato, due to the very finely ground coconut, and slightly lower fat content. (Note: Talenti also makes a Sea Salt Caramel gelato, but I couldn't locate this one in time for today, Day #7 of Chocolate + Coconut + Caramel Theme Week.

This gelato was fine by itself. However, I decided to guild the lilly by topping these two flavors with some Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Sauce from Stonewall Kitchen. I think a sprinkling of lightly browned toffee coconut and nut bits on the side might have been a better choice.

The Stonewall Kitchen chocolate caramel sauce would be good with vanilla ice cream with sliced fresh banana and chopped nuts.

Happy last day of the year (2011) to all.


Friday, December 30, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 30, 2011

Chocolates of the Day:

2 pieces
Russell Stover Candies, Inc.
1.) Coconut - Dark Chocolate - Good - Good +
2.) Caramel - Milk Chocolate - Good
Weight: .5 oz. + .434 oz. = .934 oz. (26.6 g.) for 2 pieces
Calories: 126.6 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $9.99 total bag/package for 4 different chocolates
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

Are you all sick of reading about chocolates yet? I hope not, because this past week, I passed the "I've-eaten-more-than-1,900 different-chocolates" mark (over a period of more than five years). When I started this chocolate adventure, I thought I'd run out of chocolates to try. However, there is almost no chance of that happening. So, join me as I carry on this daily practice into 2012.

On to today's chocolates: two, individually wrapped pieces from a large, Russell Stover (based in Kansas City, Missouri) assortment bag that contained four different flavors. I chose the Coconut and Caramel pieces -- because this is Day #6 of Chocolate + Coconut + Caramel Theme Week. Of the two, I preferred the Coconut covered in dark chocolate; however, eating both pieces together seemed to improve the flavor of both.

Russell Stover is (according to their website) the largest manufacturer of boxed chocolates in North America. Russell Stover and his wife Clara first cooked up small batches of chocolates in their Denver, CO, bungalow in the 1920s; the company has evolved significantly since then. I've found the quality of Russell Stover chocolates to be fairly consistent over time. This may or may not be because of preservatives, or rapid turn-over on store shelves (resulting in fresher chocolates). As companies grow this big, I'm guessing they have all their production and delivery processes down to a science. According to a Funding Universe article (from more than 10 years ago), Russell Stover maintained their own line of refrigerated delivery trucks, to help ensure freshness.


ChocolateBet: December 29, 2011

Chocolates of the Day:

1.) 1 serving
Trader Joe's
Golden Caramel Swirl in French Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Cream (Super Premium)
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1/2 cup (100 g.) / 1 Quart (946 mL)

Calories: 260 calories
Cost: $4.49 total container
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Mountain View, CA

I'll kick off today's entry with a random observation: It's impossible to do a Chocolate + Coconut + Caramel Theme Week without thinking about German chocolate cake frosting. If it didn't already exist as a wonderful complement to chocolate cake, then someone would have to invent it.

What do you call chocolate + vanilla + caramel + ice cream? I'd call it a great start. Now, to make this Trader Joe's  Golden Caramel Swirl ice cream an official entry for Day #5 of Chocolate + Coconut + Caramel Theme Week, I sauteed some chopped pecans with coconut shreds in a tiny pan. The result: a great German chocolate topping for ice cream. Unfortunately, my sloppy pan-to-dish presentation and this photo don't do this dessert justice.

2.) 1 piece
Russell Stover
Coconut Wreath
Good +
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.)
Calories: 140 calories
Cost: $0.50 for 1 wreath
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

To amp up the crunchy coconut quotient today, I also enjoyed this Russell Stover Coconut Wreath. Russell Stover has been cranking out chocolates since the early 1920s; and the company's chocolatiers have been experimenting with chocolate, coconut and caramel for quite some time. For a brief moment I felt like I was eating a round, upscale coconut version of a Nestle Crunch bar. This wreath also went well with the above Trader Joe's caramel ice cream.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 28, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 ice cream bar
Magnum
Double Caramel Ice Cream Bar
Good+
Weight: 3.38 fl. oz. (100 mL) in 1 bar / 10.14 fl. oz. (300 mL) package of 3 bars
Calories: 320 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.49 total box of 3
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate, Coconut and Caramel Theme Week.

Magnum Double Caramel bars (from Unilever) looked good. I'd seen the ads. They also fulfilled all the requirements for this week's theme week; they contained chocolate, caramel and coconut (oil). The description on the box read: "Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Dipped in a Chocolatey Coating, Caramel Sauce and Belgian Milk Chocolate."

I hesitated when I saw the word "chocolatey," but these bars were a hearty, well balanced blend of creamy vanilla ice cream, sweet caramel sauce, a Belgian milk chocolate layer, and a thick, smooth chocolatey shell (that contained the coconut oil). So, there was more than enough cacao in this bar to be satisfying. You may, however, want to eat this over a plate/sink as you take bites and the shell fractures.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 27, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

2 bars
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
Caramel Coconut Bars
Good - Good+
Weight: 2.96 oz. (84 g.)/ 4.5 oz. (126 g.) total package
Calories: 400 calories in 2 bars
Cost: $9.56 (sale price) for total package of 3 bars
Purchased from: Williams-Sonoma, Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate, Coconut and Caramel Theme Week. Eating this chocolate combo has been a little like hitting the three-sweet-trifecta. While dark chocolate helps tone down the sugar level, it almost makes my teeth hurt thinking about some of this week's selections.

Today's Caramel Coconut Bars (Barre au Caramel et a la Noix de Coco), sold at Williams-Sonoma stores, included all three theme week flavors in one treat, plus almonds, cranberries and dark chocolate.

This thick, chewy bar was rich tasting (and at 200 calories per bar, it was fairly rich in caloric value as well -- or maybe that's just because I ate two of them). One of these hearty bars would be good for winter sports enthusiasts along with some hot soup.


Monday, December 26, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 26, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces
Palmer
Swirling Santas and Snowmen
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.)/ 4.3 oz. (122 g.) total bag/package
Calories: 100 calories
Cost: $0.99 total bag
Purchased from: CVS/Pharmacy, Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate, Coconut and Caramel Theme Week.

Palmer is one of the larger maker of novelty and holiday chocolates in the U.S. The company's milk chocolate Swirled Santas and Snowmen, individually wrapped in foil and flavored with caramel, were the object of today's fun and games.

Where was the coconut? you might ask. It was provided by Safeway -- in the form of shredded coconut "snow." (No, that is not yellow snow.)

ChocolateBet: December 25, 2011


Chocolates of the Day:

Russell Stover
1.) Dark Chocolate and Coconut Cream Santa 
Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.)
Calories: 150 calories
Cost: $0.50
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Russell Stover
2.) Caramel Santa - Covered in Milk Chocolate
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.)
Calories: 170 calories
Cost: $0.50
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas. It's time for chocolate Santas -- two different kinds: dark chocolate coconut and milk chocolate caramel. Perfect for Day #1 of Chocolate, Coconut and Caramel Theme Week.

I enjoyed the coconut Santa the best. I like coconut and I prefer dark chocolate; although, this piece was not shaped like St. Nick. For that matter, the caramel Santa form was only vaguely human-shaped, but if you're in the holiday spirit you won't mind.

Hope you all had a great holiday weekend.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 24, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 box
Trader Joe's
Candy Cane Coal
Very Good
Weight: 1.62 oz. (46 g.) / 3.25 oz. (92 g.) total box/package
Calories: 215 calories
Cost: $1.99 total package
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, in Mountain View, CA

Tradition has it that ill-behaved children will receive a lump of coal in the bottom of their Christmas stockings, instead of toys. Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) package of Candy Cane Coal makes light of this story -- with "lumps of crunchy, minty, chocolate delight." And, these tiny pieces of sweet, chocolate covered coal were pretty darn good.

Merry Christmas Eve to all.

Friday, December 23, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 23, 2011

Chocolates of the Day:

2 pieces
Vosges Haut Chocolat

1.) Marrone Pistachio 
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.3 g.)/ 6.4 oz. (181 g.) total 16-pc. assortment box
Calories: 60 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ part of a larger holiday assortment box
Purchased from: Vosges, Chicago, IL

2.) Eggnog and Jamaican Rum
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.3 g.)/ 6.4 oz. (181 g.) total 16-pc. assortment box
Calories: 60 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ part of a larger holiday assortment box
Purchased from: Vosges, Chicago, IL

Today I jumped off the chocolate and candy cane theme week bandwagon, but stayed in the holiday spirit with these two truffles plucked from a Vosges (Chicago, IL) assortment box.

The Eggnog truffle (probably my favorite of the two) contained Appleton Estate Rum, Grenadian nutmeg, ginger, and Dominican Republic white chocolate. While this smooth, pretty holiday sweet lacked the cocoa solids to meet my definition of "real" chocolate, it was nice to try something different. The rum and very subtle spice blend made for a nice overall eggnog-inspired flavor.

The Vosges Marrone Pistachio truffle was made with Italian Chestnuts, Sicilian Pistachios and 45% cacao deep milk chocolate. Like so many Vosges chocolates with colorful origin stories, it sounded like there was some helpful field research behind this one. I don't recall sampling many chocolates that incorporate the subtle flavor and interesting texture of chestnuts, so this was a treat.


Thursday, December 22, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 22, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Vosges Haut Chocolat
Peppermint Candy Cane Truffle
Good+
Weight: .4 oz. (11.3 g.) / 6.4 oz. (181 g.) total 16-piece assortment box
Calories: 60 calories
Cost: $part of a larger ($43) holiday truffle assortment box
Purchased from: Vosges, Chicago, IL

Happy holidays to all. I've been building up to a candy cane and chocolate crescendo before Christmas this year. Today's chocolate, a  candy cane truffle from Vosges (Chicago, IL), made with 65% dark chocolate, arrived nestled in an attractive, holiday assortment box.

Even though the candy cane bits on top had started to fuse together/melt -- perhaps due to holiday excitement and/or being shipped halfway across the U.S. -- the smooth, dark filling helped pull together the tasting experience.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Peppermint Candy Cane Theme Week.


ChocolateBet: December 21, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 bar
Theo Chocolate
Peppermint Stick - Dark Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.)/ 3 oz. (84 g.) total bar
Calories: 210 calories
Cost: $4.49 total bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Peppermint Candy Cane Theme Week.
This organic, fair trade, Theo Chocolate dark (70% cacao) bar flavored with peppermint had just the right level of sweetness -- not enough to obscure flavors, not overly sweet.

This bar was just thin enough to make the peppermint and chocolate flavors more accessible (important during winter weather when temperatures, and chocolate, may be colder). The dark "bite" that often marks single origin chocolates with more pronounced flavors/notes arrived later in the tasting curve.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 20, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 small cup
WestSoy
Chocolate Peppermint Stick Soy Beverage
Good - Good +
Weight: 3.5 oz. (99 g.)/ 32 fl. oz. (1 Qt.)(946 mL) total container
Calories: 85 calories (estimate)
Cost: $3.29 total container
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Peppermint Candy Cane Theme Week - and today's chocolate came in the form of a chocolate (soy) beverage, flavored with peppermint and a mini candy cane garnish. The chocolate WestSoy beverage was creamy and, as advertised, good chilled or warm. I tried both.

Monday, December 19, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 19, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Godiva
Peppermint in Dark Chocolate bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) total bar
Calories: 230 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $0.15 (with store coupon)
Purchased from: Kohl's, in Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Peppermint Candy Cane Theme Week. Santa's elves were presumably hard at work whipping up candy cane flecks -- from the canes shown on the wrapper -- to create the light pink peppermint filling for these dark chocolate truffle bars. Each of the four squares marked off on this bar were branded with the distinctive letter "G" for Godiva.

I liked that this bar was not too sugary sweet. The texture of the chocolate was what I'll call fudge clay like -- but not in a bad way. The chocolate was substantial enough to prevent any peppermint filling from leaking out of the bar, without being too hard and waxy as overly thick molded coverture chocolate can be. Eminently practical if you're packing this bar for a snack in the cold mornings or the warmer afternoons.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 18, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:

1 sundae
Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream
Peppermint ice cream hot fudge sundae
Good+
Weight: Small size
Calories: 290 calories (estimate)
Cost: $5.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Peppermint Candy Cane Theme Week. There are lots of interesting peppermint ice creams out there -- all good candidates for hot fudge sundaes.

Rick's Rather Rich is a great, local ice cream parlor down the road from my house, so I'm a frequent customer there. I dolled up this fresh-tasting Rick's Peppermint ice cream sundae with whipped cream, hot fudge and a cherry in my car -- with a few mini Bob's Candy Canes. OK, it was a bit of a mess, but now it really feels like the holidays.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Russell Stover - Candy Cane Snowman - December 17, 2012


Chocolate of the Day:

1 snowman
Russell Stover
Candy Cane Marshmallow Snowman
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.)
Calories: 110 calories
Cost: $0.50 for 1 Santa
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

When candy canes start to appear everywhere, images of snowy landscapes and Christmas generally follow. And where there is snow, there are snowmen and snow creatures.

Today's chocolate, Russell Stover's Candy Cane Marshmallow Snowman,  captured all these themes in one gooey, crunchy treat. A pink peppermint marshmallow center was coated with chocolate, and then topped with crushed candy cane pieces.

Once unwrapped, the snowman did look rather forlorn without a hat, eyes, nose, and other features. So, the least I could do was pop some googly eyes on the poor fellow, before taking a bite out of him.

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Peppermint Candy Cane Theme Week.

Friday, December 16, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 16, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Tootsie Roll Industries
Candy Cane Tootsie Pop Drops
Good - Good+
Weight: .3 oz. (8.5 g.)/ 3.5 oz. (99 g.) total box
Calories: 30 calories for 2 pieces
Cost: $1.00
Purchased from: Target, Mountain View, CA

There's nothing like the fresh taste of peppermint candy canes to usher in the Christmas holidays. Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Peppermint Candy Cane Theme Week.

This year store shelves seemed to brim over with peppermint and chocolate candy options. Tootsie Roll Industries (Chicaco, IL) is famous for their individually wrapped chewy chocolates, and for Tootsie Pop suckers with the chewable chocolate center inside a hard, bite-able candy globe on a stick.

Today's Peppermint flavored, white and red-striped, Tootsie Pop Drops contained a "Chewie Tootsie Roll Center." These candy drops were more about the peppermint than the chocolate, but it was a fun to try a new variation on a traditional candy. And, as with the Tootsie Pop suckers, good luck trying to patiently suck down to the chocolate center, without wanting to bite them open right away. ("How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?" asked the cartoon wise owl on the old Tootsie TV commercials..."One...two...three...(crunch!)"


Thursday, December 15, 2011

ChocolateBet: December 15, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 oz.
Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream and Fudge
Chocolate Walnut Fudge
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 grams)
Calories: 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: $5.95 for total box of fudge
Purchased from: Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream and Fudge, Palo Alto, CA

Today was the last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Rocky Road Theme Week. I started with some Rick's Rather Rich Chocolate Walnut Fudge -- packed in its own box, with small white plastic knife included. And thought I might build my own rocky road dish, with the fudge as a starting point. Chocolate. Walnuts. All I needed was a marshmallow.

I tried topping the fudge with a strawberry-filled (Hello Kitty) strawberry-filled marshmallow. This didn't work, although it might have, had the strawberry flavor been a bit more authentic. (I forgot I still had a few alpine strawberries in my yard.)

I'd read that rocky road desserts in other parts of the world incorporate chocolate, nuts and marshmallows -- and also cherries, or strawberry sauce. That information (correct or not) was enough to send me off into a creative frenzy of experimenting with variations on this theme.

My conclusion: Rick's Rather Rich Chocolate Walnut Fudge was good all by itself, but it can also be part of a larger dessert tray, or other combination.

I went about messing with left-over rocky road ice cream with strawberry jello and sweetened cherries and whipped cream. It seemed to cry out for a dash of cinnamon on top, and indeed it was better that way. The trick with these mad scientist experiments -- don't take it too far. So, I quit while I was ahead, and ate the whole mess.

ChocolateBet: December 14, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving
Walgreen Co.
Rocky Road ice cream
Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup, 118 mL (66 g.) / 1 Pint total container
Calories: 150
Cost: $1.69
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Rocky Road Theme Week, and the price was right for this pint of Walgreens Rocky Road Premium ice cream with mini marshmallows and almonds (similar to Dreyer's Rocky Road recipe I'm guessing). The cost of today's Rocky Road sundae was only about 42 cents -- a good value for rocky economic times, and much less than I have been spending lately on other entries. This reminds me of childhood days when we would ride bicycles to corner grocery stores for ice cream that cost ten cents a scoop. Gone are those days, but the chocolate memories live on. 
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