Monday, February 28, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 28, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Tropical Chocolate Company
1.) Zinfandel - Good + - Very Good
2.) Paradise Pear - Good
Weight: .89 oz. (25 g.) (estimate for 2 pieces)
Calories: 133 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - gift (thank you to Ardis, Alec)
Purchased from: N/A (from Tropical Chocolate, San Luis Obispo, CA)

No goofy theme weeks today. Tropical Chocolate's Zinfandel chocolate -- made from Paso Robles Zinfandel wine in a 65% dark chocolate ganache -- was flavorful and interesting. I was looking forward to trying the teardrop-shaped Paradise Pear chocolate (pear and goat cheese in dark chocolate), but I think I waited too long. Instead of pear, this second chocolate tasted a bit more like banana. The next time I visit San Luis Obispo in the Central California Coast region, I look forward to trying other Tropical Chocolate flavors.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 27, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving
Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream
(+ Rum + Milk + Coffee Liqueur)
Good +
Weight: 3 oz. (estimate)
Calories: 180 calories
Cost: $3.00 (estimated cost for all ingredients)
Purchased from: BevMo, in Mountain View, CA + Safeway, Palo Alto

A famous Dutch girl from a Vermeer painting escapes and vacations in the Caribbean. That is the story behind today's chocolate (drink) of the day. Well, I imagined she won the lottery in Holland and sailed for the New World. And if she did so, she might have invented a drink with milk or cream, chocolate, coffee and rum.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Rum/Spirits Theme Week.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 26, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Chocolate Momotombo
Cashew Rum - fresh chocolate
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 70 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - part of chocolate tasting/workshop
Purchased from: Chocolate Workshop - The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

It's not every day that I get a chance to experience 600 years of chocolate history in one sitting. Ometeote is a small organization dedicated to educating people about the history and production of chocolate in Nicaragua. Fortunately, Carlos Mann of Ometeote was at the Chocolate Garage in Palo Alto, California, this afternoon to conduct a workshop and tasting.

This workshop was a unique opportunity to sample cacao-based beverages from pre-Columbian and Colonial times well as chocolates being made today by Mann's company, Managua-based Chocolate Momotombo. Unique chocolates include Momotombo's fresh chocolates, that come in multiple flavors. I selected a blue-foil wrapped, Cashew Rum fresh chocolate as today's chocolate of the day (pictured next to a Coconut fresh chocolate).

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Rum/Spirits Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: February 25, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving
NutriSystem, Inc.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pudding
(with Bacardi Silver Label Rum)
Good +
Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) packet + liquid + rum
Calories: 130 calories w/ soymilk and rum
Cost: $N/A - donation from Alec - thank you
Purchased from: N/A

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Rum/Spirits Theme Week. After dinner with a friend, I still hadn't found a chocolate and rum concoction for today, so I stopped at Alec's house on my way home. Thank you Alec for letting me rummage through your kitchen cupboards. Voila! There they were, ingredients for chocolate rum pudding. A tiny splash of rum made this instant Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pudding taste even better. Probably not what NutriSystem had in mind though.



Thursday, February 24, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 24, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Tropical Chocolate Company
Island Breeze Mint
Very Good
Weight: .3 oz. (8.49 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 45 calories (estimate)
Cost: N/A - thank you to Alec, Ardis
Purchased from: N/A - gift (Tropical Chocolates, San Luis Obispo, CA)

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Rum/Spirits Theme Week. When the weather is cold and dreary, the chocolate themes turn toward the lively and the tropical. Today's Tropical Chocolate Island Breeze Mint (mint with a Columbian dark chocolate ganache) was fresh tasting, and was accompanied by a very small sip of aged rum from St. Croix.

Note: island dancer and ukelele player sold separately.


Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Amadei - Granada bar; Chocolate Decadence Cake; Chocolate Ice Cream Cake - February 23, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1.) Amedei - Tuscany
Cru Cioccolato Fondente Extra 70% Mono Origine Grenada bar
Very Good +
Weight: .35 oz. (10 g.) / 1.75 oz. (50 g.) total bar
Calories: 52 calories (estimate)
Cost: $9.00 (member price)
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage

2.) Chocolate Decadence Cake
1 slice
(from Gourmet Express - San Francisco Bay Area Distributor)
Very Good
Weight: Unknown
Calories: Unknown
Cost: $3.65
Purchased from: Valona Cafe Market Delicatessen, Crockett, CA

3.) Chocolate Ice Cream Cake
1 small slice ice cream cake with chocolate chip ice cream + chocolate cake and pink frosting
Baskin Robbins 
with Mount Gay Eclipse Barbados Rum
Very Good with Rum
Weight: 2.9 oz. (estimate)
Calories: 200 calories (guesstimate)
Cost: $N/A - at parent's house
Purchased from: N/A at parent's house

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Rum/Spirits Theme Week. I had to try three times to get this right. That meant getting the rum and the chocolate together in one sitting.

Attempt #1: A bite of chocolate from an Amedei dark chocolate 70% single origin bar from Grenada with rich, almost raisin-like notes; but I forgot the rum.

Attempt: #2: A tasty piece of chocolate cake after lunch at the Valona Cafe Market Delicatessen. Very good, but again there was no easy way to combine this dessert with rum since I was not home, or in a bar. (Although the Valona Cafe Market Deli did serve wine and beer and has live jazz some nights.)

And, finally, attempt #3: a small slice of Baskin Robbins ice cream cake with a splash of Mount Gay rum at my parents house. Good thing I walked almost 4 miles today in the hills.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 22, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Nacional Chocolates - Chocolate Santander
Single Origin 65% Dark Chocolate Rum Truffle
Good - Good +
Weight: .38 oz. (11 g.) - 1 truffle
Calories: 60 calories
Cost: N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Rum/Spirits Theme Week. Yo ho ho and a truffle full of rum -- well, rum flavoring perhaps. The 65% single origin Columbian dark chocolate coating around these rum centers was rich and pleasant. The artificially flavored rum filling in these truffles reminded me of butter rum flavored Lifesavers we used to pilfer as kids from the candy drawer. We used to crunch on these until they stuck to our fillings. (Those did taste good, I have to admit.)

Thank you to the Chocolate Garage for the sample box containing two truffles. Note: if one of these 2 truffles was Aguardiente and one was Rum, I couldn't taste the difference. (Aguardiente loosely translates as "firewater" and in Columbia often refers to anise-flavored spirits.)

Monday, February 21, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 21, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 
Sweet Earth Chocolates

1.) Rum Raisin Truffle(s) 
2 truffles
Good - Good +
Weight: .8 oz. (22 g.) (estimate) for 2 truffles
Calories: 120 calories (estimate)
Cost: $3.50 (estimate)
Purchased from: Sweet Earth Chocolates, San Luis Obispo, CA

2.) Bananas Foster Truffle
1 truffle
Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 60 calories (estimate)
Cost: $1.75 (estimate)
Purchased from: Sweet Earth Chocolates, San Luis Obispo, CA

Today I'm kicking off a theme week (Day #1) in honor of chocolate and rum/spirits. These two truffles from Sweet Earth Chocolates were both inspired by dishes flavored with rum. Rum raisin ice cream is an occasional favorite of mine.

Bananas Foster is a flambe dish that was the 1951 creation of Chef Paul at Brennan's restaurant in New Orleans -- according to the Brennan's website. The recipe calls for bananas, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, banana liqueur, dark rum and vanilla ice cream. Sweet Earth's Bananas Foster truffle does a good job of approximating these flavors in a chocolate coated truffle. The banana flavoring tastes natural.

Rum is typically made from sugar cane, often grown in Caribbean or "warm weather" tropical islands. And, since it's a cold wintery day today, warm tropical islands sound good to me now. Rum does blend nicely with chocolate items under the right conditions. Unfortunately, there are restrictions on the use of alcohol in products that are sold to the public, leading chocolatiers to substitute rum extracts or flavorings in place of the real thing. This may impact the flavor of the finished item. So, I will also feature a few items this week with "real" spirits.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 20, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 bar
Patric Chocolate
In-NIB-itable BAR - dark chocolate with nibs
Very Good +
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) total bar
Calories: 169 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.00 (member price)
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Time was that the best chocolate was considered to be made in Europe. Today I say -- Buy American. Patric is putting out some very fine "American Handcrafted Chocolate" bars. Today's In-NIB-itable dark bar (70% Madagascar dark chocolate), was texture-studded with crunchy bits of ground cacao nibs, and had a nicely balanced blend of acid-bitter and nutty-sweet flavors.

I ate this bar today after walking through the towns of Vallejo and Crockett, California (part of a 1,000 mile walk I'm doing around San Francisco Bay). These are very American cities. Why do I say that? Well, any area in the world seems grounded in their particular region when products are being made or manufactured there. Crockett is home to a large C and H sugar plant, and lies at the foot of a large bridge going into Vallejo -- a community that used to have an active shipyard and naval base, and still has a Maritime academy there. The picture at right is near where I stopped to eat this bar.

You get the feeling that people worked with their hands to build things here. Older men get up more stiffly and slowly from lunch counter tables. Fishing and commercial boats still glide by in the Carquinez Strait. Less than one hour's drive from here are the more vibrant cities of Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco -- filled with many businesses, including many innovative chocolate makers.

I hope folks in Missouri appreciate the bars that Patric is turning out as much as I do. And I hope to continue to enjoy many more fine bars being made in Missouri, California, and other states in the U.S. Most of all I hope we all continue to take pride in making things.

ChocolateBet: February 19, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
2/5 bar
Republica del Cacao
Single Origin - Galapagos Islands Dark Chocolate with Coffee Nibs (bar)
Very Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) total bar
Calories: 142 calories (estimate)
Cost: $6.00 total bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Single Origin Theme Week. Today's Republica del Cacao dark (75% cacao solids), single origin bar was a sparkling combination of dark chocolate, sugar and coffee nibs (ground fine enough to avoid being gritty, but coarse enough to add nice texture). I don't believe I've ever used the word sparkling to describe a chocolate, but this fits -- in that each flavor had it's turn to shine.

I have been wanting to try a bar with cacao from the Galapagos Islands for quite some time. Republica del Cacao features cacao grown in Ecuador, and by extension the Galapagos to the West. If I can't get to these islands in person this year, I feel happy I can traverse the globe, in my imagination at least, via chocolate.

My chocolate adventures are largely made possible due to places like The Chocolate Garage in Palo Alto. Thank you Sunita -- for continuing to make chocolates available that I haven't tasted yet (even after 1,600+ chocolates). The Chocolate Garage is both an educational venue for people wanting to learn more about "happy" chocolate through tastings and workshops, and also a great source for a chocolate banquet (can there be an edible chocolate atlas?) in the Palo Alto, CA, area.

Thank you also to Judy and friends in San Francisco for tasting assistance and sharing tasting comments.




Friday, February 18, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 18, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:
1 square
Holy Chocolate
Single Origin Hawaiian Milk 38% square
Good +
Weight: .89 oz. (25 g.)
Calories: 134 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.75 for assortment package of 6 squares
Purchased from: Draegers, in San Mateo, CA


I'm working my way through a pile of Holy Chocolate gold ingots. The company's assortment pack of six individually wrapped squares -- each from different parts of the cocoa-growing world, speaks to the range of meanings associated with the term single origin. For example, today's chocolate is a Single Origin Hawaiian Milk Chocolate (38%) square. Most single origin chocolates are dark chocolates. Does the milk have to come from the same origin as the cacao beans? I don't know the answer to this question.

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Single Origin Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: February 17, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day:
2 squares/ingots
Holy Chocolate (Mar Toma Enterprise)

1.) Artisan Blend - Midnight 91% Extra Dark Chocolate
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: "Approx. 1 oz. (25 g.)"/ 6 oz. (168 g.) for total package of 6 squares
Calories: 129 calories (estimate)

2.) Single Origin Columbia 65% Dark Chocolate
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .89 oz. (25 g.) / 6 oz. (168 g.) for total package of 6 squares
Calories: 130 calories (estimate)

Cost: $8.75 for a package of 6 squares
Purchased from: Draegers, in San Mateo, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Single Origin Theme Week.

Holy Chocolate's Midnight 91% Extra Dark bar was smooth, rich and refreshingly non-sweet. However, this Artisan Blend was not specifically labeled as a single origin chocolate (as were the other five squares in this packaged assortment). And I needed to eat a single origin chocolate today. (These theme weeks I started are annoying at times like this.)

The answer to this problem was simple...eat another chocolate that was single origin. I chose the Single Origin Columbia 65% dark chocolate square (pictured) from this 6-piece package. It was quite sweet -- but most chocolates do taste quite sweet if you eat them right after a 91% blend. What I liked about this gold foil wrapped 65% "ingot": fleeting hints of ripe banana, floral, bubble gum notes. I enjoy an interesting flavor curve with some pleasant surprises like this.



Wednesday, February 16, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 16, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1/4 bar
Madecasse LLC
Single Origin Madagascar - 80% cocoa bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .66 oz. (18.75 g.) / 2.64 oz. (75 g.) total bar
Calories: 110 calories
Cost: $7.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draegers, San Mateo, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Single Origin Theme Week. Madecasse, based in Brooklyn, New York, specializes in single origin bars from Madagascar. The company provides "cocoa farmers with equipment and training and pay(s) them above fair trade prices." And, bars are made in Madagascar as well.

This particular bar is higher in cocoa content (80%) than other Madecasse bars I'd tasted before. My experience with bars over 80% cacao content: you never know what you'll get. This bar had a rich, dark flavor, but also a slightly bitter or acidic taste that might have come from the roasting process. This flavor seemed to override other flavors that may have been present. I think I prefer a less uniform, and more complex flavor arc with other notes being allowed to make an appearance.

And that, my friends in chocolate, is the most fancy pants language you'll probably hear me use in a chocolate post.

Thank you to Jacinta and Jane for their tasting help.


Tuesday, February 15, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 15, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 square
Holy Chocolate (Mar Toma Enterprise)
Single Origin - Venezuela 65% dark chocolate square
Good + - Very Good
Weight: "Approx. 1 oz. (25 g.)"
Calories: 129 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.75 for a package of 6 different squares
Purchased from: Draegers, in San Mateo, CA


Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Single Origin Theme Week. There are many excellent chocolates available now made from cacao that has been grown in a single country, region or plantation. Just as there is with wine, the characteristic flavors from a certain area may be similar, but flavors may vary from year to year, harvest to harvest -- or may be influenced by variants in fermentation, roasting and other processing steps.

Cacao was first consumed in liquid form. Similarly, Holy Chocolate founder, Rev. Fr. Stan Smith, began his product line with drinking chocolate and later added "ingots" -- (.89 oz.) 25 gram squares wrapped in gold foil.

Today's 65%, milk-free, dark chocolate square from was made from cacao grown in the Sur del Lago region of Venezuela. This dark chocolate was rich, dark and smooth, without any extraordinary or objectionable earthy, strong or sharp flavor notes. This is good news for people who like uniform and smooth flavor, but perhaps mildly disappointing for those who love all those different flavor notes.

Monday, February 14, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 14, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Monique's Chocolates
Dark Passion truffle
Very Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 73 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.00
Purchased from: Monique's Chocolates, Palo Alto, CA

Happy Valentines Day to all. I hope all your chocolate dreams came true.

Today's Dark Passion, single-origin (Venezuela - 65%) truffle with passionfruit came from Monique's Chocolates in downtown Palo Alto.

Today was also Day #2 of Chocolate and Single Origin Theme Week.


Sunday, February 13, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 13, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 bar
Republica Del Cacao
El Comunidad Vinces Organic Dark Chocolate (75% cacao solids) bar
Very Good +
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 254 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.00 (member price)
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Today's chocolate was a Single Origin, Organic, dark chocolate bar made from Arriba cacao beans grown in the the community of Vinces in Ecuador. Republica Del Cacao bars are packaged with information that tells the story not just about the country, but also the community of origin. And, the company states that they return 10% of the net profits from these bars to farmers in Ecuador where the beans were harvested and chocolate was produced.

Since there are many, rich flavors to be enjoyed in this chocolate, I would recommend eating this bar a few degrees above room temperature if it's a cold day out. Alternatively, you can hold bites of chocolate in your mouth for several seconds, while they warm up, before biting into them. You may get banana floral notes in one bite, and other earthier flavors in other bites. This bar split with a hard snap (it's always hard to split good chocolate, isn't it?) and was enjoyed before, and after, hiking in the hills of San Francisco Bay.

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Single Origin Theme Week.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 12, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Sweet Earth Chocolates
Berry
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 62 calories (estimate)
Cost: $part of assortment box
Purchased from: Sweet Earth Chocolates, San Luis Obispo, CA

I'm not sure which berries constitute this "Berry" flavor; but if you're in the mood for something fruity-fresh and (Organic dark) chocolate covered -- vs. solid chocolate -- the fruits and jellies assortment box from Sweet Earth Chocolates may be an option for you. You'll also likely find lemon and orange-based items in the fruit assortment box.

Should you live in the Central Coast of California, you may be able to drive or bike over to Sweet Earth Chocolates in San Luis Obispo and try Sweet Earth Fair Trade chocolates and truffles as well. Or you can order online. 

Friday, February 11, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 11, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day:
2 pieces
L.A. Burdick
1.) Baton Framboise - Very Good +
2.) Lemongrass Peppercorn - Very Good
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 90 calories (estimate)
Cost: $difficult to determine (see below)*
Purchased from: L.A. Burdick

Exquisite little bites of greatness. That is how I would classify the assortment box of chocolates from (New Hampshire-based) L.A. Burdick  Handmade Chocolates. Apparently the squirrels in my neighborhood agree.

I arrived home yesterday to find a FedEx box of L.A. Burdick chocolates that had been left on my doorstep while I was out. Our resident squirrel thief had chewed all the way through the outer box and into a smaller assortment box inside (see box at right). I will always wonder -- what flavors were those three missing chocolates that it ate, and how would the squirrel rank these chocolates? Sadly, I'll never know.

Oh wait, I can eat all the remaining untouched chocolates (throwing out one that might possibly have been touched by a squirrel hand) and work it out through the process of elimination. Yes, some of you will be disgusted by this...but, you obviously haven't tasted L.A. Burdick Chocolates yet. The chocolates below were well worth picking through and rescuing.

The Baton Framboise (Raspberry) was very good, as was the (white chocolate) Lemongrass and (Pink) Peppercorn chocolate, pictured in what I call a "Field of Chocolate Dreams" shot at right.

Ah, yes; such was my preoccupation with squirrel burglars I almost forgot to mention that today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week.

*Note: It's difficult to calculate the cost of these chocolates as individual pieces, because they came in a pre-packaged assortment box. Plus I "had to" eat what was left of the whole box to figure out what the squirrel might have taken.




Thursday, February 10, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 10, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Monique's Chocolates
Dark Raspberry
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.00 for 1
Purchased from: Monique's Chocolates, in Palo Alto, CA

Chief chocolatier Mark West's delicate infusion of raspberry into this dark chocolate (Ecuador - 72%) truffle, and an attractive two-tone pink pattern across the top, made this a good candidate for pre-Valentines Day Week, and also today's choice for Day #6 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week.

My amateur observation about mixing these two flavors: too much raspberry fruit can yield an acidic flavor, unless it's balanced out with sugar. But too much sugar can ruin, or at least mask, some of the rich flavors associated with a fine dark chocolate. I appreciate both the art and the science involved in flavor blending, and the value of precise execution. (I'd have fun with the former, but I seem to be lacking in the latter. I sometimes wonder how chefs balance the creative urge to deviate from a formula while maintaining the rigor of the production side.)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 9, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:
1 bar
Organic Nectars
Raw Cacao Bar - Raspberry
Very Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) total bar
Calories: 210 calories for 1 bar (4 segments)
Cost: Approximately $3.99 per bar
Purchased from: Organic Nectars via Chocolate.com

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week. And today's chocolate was a dark chocolate Raspberry Raw Cacao Bar from Organic Nectars.

Making raw chocolates require special care, to ensure a successful texture and mouth feel. My understanding is that a raw food is one that has not been cooked -- heated above 115-120 degrees Farenheit, or heavily processed -- the thought being that essential nutrients and enzymes are lost in these operations. For those adhering to a raw diet, adding raw cacao nibs to salads and other foods is one way to incorporate raw cacao. However, I would also recommend this Organic, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, raw, vegan, 64% dark chocolate Organic Nectars Raw Cacao Bar. The texture was smooth, and without any heavy, lumpy aftertaste that some raw chocolates seem to have.

This bar is also labeled as being low glycemic; it contains no refined sugar, but rather incorporates organic coconut palm sugar as a sweetener.


Tuesday, February 8, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 8, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
2 yogurt parfaits
Yoplait (General Mills)
Delights Parfait Lowfat Yogurt - Chocolate Raspberry
Weight: 8 fl. oz. (226 g.) in 2 cups/1 lb. (453 g.) total package of 4 cups
Calories: 200 calories for 2 Parfaits (100 calories each)
Cost: $2.99 for package of 4
Purchased from: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA


Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week. These gluten-free Yoplait Delights Parfait cups were just the right size for a small treat. In fact, at 100 calories each, I had no problem "re-tasting" a second Parfait this evening.


Monday, February 7, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 7, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1/6 bar
Divine Chocolate Inc.
70% Dark Chocolate with Raspberries (bar)
Good +
Weight: .58 oz. (16.4 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 84 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, in Los Altos, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week. This attractively packaged 70% dark bar broke with a hard snap and was studded with visible raspberry granules.

Today's chocolate presumably traveled from the nation's capital to the store in California where I bought it. And, Washington, D.C. based  Divine Chocolate Inc. imported and distributed this bar, made with Fair Trade Certified chocolate, from Germany. This bar is a good example of the international nature of chocolate. Since cacao trees grow only in warmer, moister parts of the globe, Germany was yet another stop in a journey that started closer to the equator -- a farmer's cooperative in Ghana, Africa.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 6, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 truffle
Harry and David
Fruit Bowl Truffles - Raspberry
Good +
Weight: .65 oz. (18.5 g.) for 1 truffle/ 12 oz. (340 g.) total package
Calories: 100 calories
Cost: $12.95 total package
Purchased from: Harry & David Vacaville store (booth at Waterfront Suisan Bay Wine & Chocolate Festival)

Today is Super Bowl Sunday in the U.S. -- a hugely popular football game between two league champion teams. In my little microscopically-focused chocolate world, it was Day #2 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week.  Today's chocolate choice was my attempt to fuse these two events: a smooth, raspberry flavored chocolate truffle from Harry and David. The company's Fruit Bowl assortment package contained three different, individually-wrapped truffle flavors (cherry, orange and raspberry) -- making it a Super Fruit Bowl perhaps? OK, I agree, it's a stretch. But the chocolate truffles should appeal to both teams.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

ChocolateBet: February 5, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Sweet Earth Chocolates
Raspberry Creme
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .45 oz. (12.7 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 67 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A gift; purchased from Sweet Earth Chocolates, San Luis Obispo, CA

I find chocolate with fresh fruit refreshing -- particularly if I'm eating chocolate in the morning for breakfast. Even better, natural tasting fruit flavors, like what I believe I'm tasting with this Raspberry Creme from Sweet Earth Chocolates.

As Valentines Day approaches, fresh berries are often paired with chocolates. So, I declare today to be...Day #1 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...