Saturday, April 30, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 30, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1.) 1 Ice Cream Sundae
Skates on the Bay Restaurant
Vanilla ice cream, Pecans, Chocolate Fudge Sauce, Butterscotch Sauce + additions (dashes of Cointreau, Glenmorangie Scotch whiskey, and salt)
Very Good
$8.00
Purchased from: Skates on the Bay Restaurant, Berkeley, CA

2.) 5 small eggs
Dove (Mars)
Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate Eggs
Very Good
Weight: 1.26 oz. (35.8 g.) / 8.87 oz. (251.5 g.) total bag/package
Calories: 183 calories
Cost: $
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

For the first chocolate of the day, after a long walk, I had a very nice variation on an ice cream sundae at Skates on the Bay restaurant near the Berkeley Marina. I had a table by the window with views of San Francisco Bay, the Berkeley pier, and the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. (Picture shown is from the restaurang parking lot.) It doesn't get much better than this. But, I had more chocolate to eat!

Today was the last day of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Month (Day #32 to be precise), and I finished up the month by appreciating some Dove "Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate Eggs." These solid, egg-shaped bullets of substantial, dark chocolate goodness were satisfying.

Finding a new chocolate egg to try for a month had been wonderful, but now it's time to jolt forward into another aspect of chocolate with Organic Chocolate Theme Week, starting tomorrow.


Friday, April 29, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 29, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:
3 eggs
See's Candies
Dark Chocolate Foil Eggs
Very Good
Weight: .759 oz. (21.49 g.) for 3 eggs/ 8 oz. (227 g.) total package/bag
Calories: 120 calories
Cost: $6.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: See's Candies, in Los Altos, CA

Today was Day #31 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Month, and San Francisco Bay Area-based See's Candies wins another spotlight this month with their Dark Chocolate Foil Eggs. These small, solid dark eggs were dark chocolate fudge brownie-rich. These might be a good Easter/post-Easter egg choice for those with more discerning palettes, while still being appreciated by those who liked sweeter, smoother, dark fare.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 28, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 egg
Chesterfields Fine Foods
(Sanrio license - Helly Kitty)
Milk Chocolate Eggs with a Candy Shell
Good - Good +
Weight: .24 oz. (6.9 g.) (estimate,13 eggs in bag)/ 3.18 oz. (90 g.) total package/bag
Calories: 36 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.99 total package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #30 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Theme Month, and another day where familiar cartoon characters appear on chocolate packaging. Yesterday, Nickelodeon's Sponge Bob graced an egg and marshmallow pail, and today Sanrio's Hello Kitty (white cat with a bow) appears on the packaging for "Delicious Speckled Eggs" -- milk chocolate eggs with candy shells.

While images of unnaturally brightly colored eggs and candy are part of my childhood memories, I've been happy to see that more companies are foregoing artificial colors where possible. I noticed these speckled, candy covered eggs are colored in part with curcumin, beet juice, carrot, spirulina/algae, and "raddish."

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 27, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 egg
Nickelodeon Sponge Bob (Bon Bon Buddies Ltd)
(Sponge Bob) Milk Chocolate Eggs & Mallow Springtime Bucket
Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estim.)/ 2.68 oz. (76 g.) total container/bucket
Calories: 60 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #29 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Theme Month. In the last few days of this month, I am featuring a few milk chocolate novelty egg items from creative companies that have extended their creative characters/brand into the chocolate world.

Today's chocolate features an egg pail decorated with the lovable under-the-sea dufus, Sponge Bob. Atop the pail sat three, sparkling, bright algae green, foil-wrapped hollow milk chocolate eggs, and two small packets of filled marshmallows.



Tuesday, April 26, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 26, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 egg
See's Candies
"Hollow Eggs with Novelty"
Good+
Weight: .91 oz. (26 g.) in 1 egg /5.51 oz. (156 g.) total package of 6 eggs
Cost: $
Purchased from: See's Candies store, in Los Altos, CA


As promised (by the picture on the label), the novelty item inside these hollow milk chocolate eggs were small, white chocolate chicks. Both shell and chick were a little on the sweet side. However, these eggs would have been fun Easter treats. I picture children of all ages carefully gnawing through the shells, trying not to damage the chick novelty prize inside.

Today was Day #28 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Month.

Monday, April 25, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 25, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
10 miniature truffles
CocoTutti
Orange Easter Egg
(dark chocolate egg shell filled with a bakers dozen of small, orange confit truffles)
Very Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (33 g.) (estimate) / 3 oz. (84.9 g.) (estimate) for total egg
Calories: 175 calories for 10 (estimate)
Cost: $10.00
Purchased from: coco tutti booth at the San Francisco Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #27 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Theme Month. Today's chocolate egg was brightly colored and flavored with orange. Local (SF Bay Area) chief chocolatier, Elyce, at CocoTutti produced a festively decorated orange, dark chocolate Easter egg this spring, filled with a tidy jumble of tiny orange confit truffles. But, don't let their small size fool you. These little orange chocolates were rich and full of flavor, and not too sweet. (The authentic orange flavor came from "housemade orange marmalade from Seville and Valencia oranges.")

Sunday, April 24, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 24, 2011

Chocolate of the Day
9 small pieces
L.A. Burdick
Bunny Box
Good + - Very Good
Weight: unknown
Calories: unknown
Purchased from: L.A. Burdick, Walpole, NH

Happy Easter to all -- a huge day for Easter egg hunts, chocolate eggs and rabbits in the U.S.

Given this occasion, L.A. Burdick's Bunny Box seemed to be a great chocolate choice. Today was also Day #26 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Theme Month. The Bunny Box, with a mix of bunnies, eggs and more, was carried out to the backyard for a chocolate garden feast. Overcast skies didn't deter us.

Out of the wooden box, I selected two chocolate bunnies (white chocolate outside with creamy chocolate filling, and ears made of almonds); 4 flavored marzipan eggs; and 3 different chocolate truffles. The remainder of this box was shared with others. Thank you to Emily and Alec for tasting help.

But these aren't chocolate eggs, some of you may be thinking. Yes, I discovered belatedly that the little fruit marzipan eggs didn't contain any chocolate; but these little gems were packed so closely together that the bunnies were wearing specks of egg sugar on their cheeks, so I made an exception here.

ChocolateBet: April 23, 2011


Chocolate(s) of the Day:

L.A. Burdick Chocolate

1.) Easter Rocher Egg (chocolate almond shell)
1 taste of egg shell
Very Good +
Cost: $35.00 (egg, pail and truffles)
Purchased from: L.A. Burdick Chocolate, Walpole, NH

2.) Easter Polka Dot Egg (dark shell)
Good + - Very Good
1/2 egg shell
Cost: $24 (for egg filled with truffles)
Purchased from: L.A. Burdick Chocolate, Walpole, NH

3.) Cognac miniature truffles (inside Easter eggs)
Very Good +

4.) Honey Caramel miniature truffles (inside Easter eggs)
Very Good +

Good chocolate is best when shared. Thank you to the Saturday crowd at The Chocolate Garage for helping me taste test the contents of these two L.A. Burdick Easter Eggs.

Both eggs were filled with assorted truffles, including miniature Cognac truffles (round-shaped, Dark Grenadian chocolate with cream and cognac, dusted in cocoa powder), and more rectangular-shaped Honey Caramel truffles (caramelized honey with herbs and vanilla, dusted in cocoa powder).


The truffles were bite-sized bits of heaven, but the egg shells themselves were also highly edible -- especially the Easter Rocher Egg shell -- made of dark chocolate covered caramelized almond pieces.

Today was Day #25 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Theme Month.



Friday, April 22, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 22, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
3 small eggs2 Almond Praline Milk Chocolate Eggs
1 Almond Praline Dark Chocolate Egg
Very Good
Weight: .84 oz. (23.7 g.) for 3 small eggs/ 4.5 oz. (127 g.) total egg
Calories:
Cost: $10 for total egg
Purchased from: Valrhona booth at International Chocolate Salon, in San Francisco, CA

Today was the last day for the Valrhona chocolate eggs this week. This variety of colorful foil-wrapped chocolate eggs had been enclosed in a clear, plastic egg "shell" container. I had previously sampled a Hazelnut Praline and Pure Dark (70%) chocolate eggs, and this morning I enjoyed an Almond Praline Milk Chocolate and Almond Praline Dark Chocolate eggs.

Today was Day #24 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Month.

ChocolateBet: April 21, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day:
1 egg
Valrhona
Assorted eggs in larger plastic egg
Pure Dark Chocolate (70%) egg
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .28 oz. (7.9 g.) for 1 egg /4.5 oz. (127 g.) total egg
Calories: 42 calories
Cost: $10 total egg/container
Purchased from: Valrhona booth, at the San Francisco Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #23 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Month. Easter Sunday is 3 days away, and I've been "appreciating" different types and flavors of chocolate eggs for the past three weeks.

I returned to the Valrhona plastic mother egg (that I'd obtained at a recent Chocolate Salon event) -- to try another one of the different, foil-wrapped mini eggs that were nestled inside. Today, I chose the pure dark chocolate egg (70%) wrapped in red foil, filled with a dark chocolate ganache. The elegant pattern on each egg suggested a cracked shell; perhaps the chocolate chick(s) inside decided not to hatch, due to their tasty surroundings, and became reabsorbed inside the smooth filling. However, I detected no happy chocolate chick feathers or beaks in these eggs. So I'm discarding this theory.


Wednesday, April 20, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 20, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 egg
See's Candies
Cocoanut Egg
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.)/ 2 oz. (56 g.) total egg
Calories: 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: See's Candies, in Los Altos, CA

Happy Day #22 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Month (April) to all.

This month I've been exploring the world of chocolate eggs. See's Candies is a local (South San Francisco-based) company famous for their many chocolate items -- including seasonal chocolate Easter eggs. Yesterday, I sampled (no, correction, I ate an entire) See's decorated, Peanut Butter egg. Today, I'm exercising some restraint. I'm eating half of a slightly smaller, undecorated Cocoanut Egg.


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 19, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 egg
See's Candies
Peanut Butter Egg
Good +
Weight: 4 oz. (113 g.) total egg
Calories: 600 calories (estimate)
Cost: $5.40
Purchased from: See's Candies (store), in Los Altos, CA

Today was Day #21 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Theme Month (April). And I thought it would be difficult to find more than 30 eggs for this month. Wrong again. I have found enough chocolate eggs to last into next month (May). The chocolate egg is an elegant and simple shape, and easy to fill with a number of yummy fillings, including standbys like peanut butter. This See's Peanut Butter Egg was coated with milk chocolate and decorated with a purple and white sugar flower on top.

I was going to share this 4 oz. (113 g.) egg with my daughter. Unfortunately, she is allergic to peanuts/peanut butter. So, I ended up eating this entire egg over the course of many hours today. Good thing I took a 2+-hour walk today.

Monday, April 18, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 18, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 egg
Socola Chocolatier
Very Good+
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.) / 3 oz. (84 g.) (estim.) total egg
Calories: 225 calories (estimate)
Cost: $10.00 total egg
Purchased from: Socola Chocolatier, at the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

I like fresh fruit and eggs for breakfast, so this royal (King of Fruits) Durian Easter Egg was a fun find; and -- along with its smaller Durian Truffle cousin -- this Socola chocolate Easter egg was also Chocolate Banquet's Chocolate Challenge winner for the most unique chocolate at the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon. The Chocolate Salon was held yesterday at Fort Mason, by the bay, in San Francisco, CA.

To fully appreciate the challenges of working with an ingredient like the durian fruit, it must be noted that this is the only fruit I'm aware of that is banned on some forms of public transportation (buses, trains in some parts of Asia).

I once purchased a large scoop of durian ice cream (to go) and after carefully placing my cup of ice cream in a car cupholder, I proceeded to drive a 1/2 mile to my next stop where I could enjoy this unusual treat. However, I never made it. After less than two blocks, I pulled over and threw the ice cream overboard (into a public trash can). Such was the smell filling my car.

But, I'm not easily deterred, and neither are the two skilled sisters behind Socola Chocolatier (pictured above holding the Durian Easter Egg). I'm happy to say that this egg had a fresh tasting, white chocolate ganache filling that sparkled with tropical fruit flavor.

Today was Day #20 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Theme Month (April).


Sunday, April 17, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 17, 2011

 
Chocolate of the Day:
1 egg
Valrhona Chocolate
Assorted Chocolate Eggs - Milk Chocolate Gianduja
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .28 oz. (7.9 g.) for 1 egg, inside 4.5 oz. (127 g.) large plastic egg
Calories: 42 calories (estimate)
Cost: $10.00
Purchased from: Valrhona Chocolate booth, International Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #19 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Theme Month (April). The following is a summary of today's chocolate adventures at the day-long, International Chocolate Salon held in San Francisco: After an enjoyable day speaking with chocolatiers, sampling dozens of chocolates, and purchasing more chocolate eggs for Chocolate Egg Month, I felt in danger of slumping into a chocolate-induced, half-coma this evening.

But, back to the most important subject: the chocolate of the day. Today's Valrhona clear plastic egg was held together with a pale pastel green ribbon and contained 16 smaller eggs. The egg I ate this evening was (I believe) a dark milk chocolate gianduja (hazelnut) egg wrapped in light blue foil. (The eggs in this assortment, while not labeled, were selected exclusively for the Chocolate Salon.)


Saturday, April 16, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 16, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
2 eggs
Fran's Chocolates
Filled Easter Eggs
1.) Caramel Egg - Good+
2.) Hazelnut Egg - Good + - Very Good
Weight: .8 oz. (22 g.) 2 eggs / 1.6 oz. (44.8 g.) total package of 4 eggs
Calories: 120 calories in 2 eggs
Cost: $9.99 total package
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

I continued to work my way through the attractively colored and packaged, filled chocolate egg assortment box from Fran's Chocolates (Seattle, WA). The Caramel Egg had a glossy, dark chocolate egg filled with caramel. It was good, but the caramel filling tasted slightly off, almost as if there had been a drop of vinegar added to the mix. (Note to those watching wheat/gluten intake: I also discovered later that the caramel in this egg contained wheat-derived glucose. Yes, sometimes I get carried away with the whole chocolate experience, and forget to read ingredients first. My fault.)

The Hazelnut Egg I liked better. Tiny crunchy bits added some textural fun to the filling -- that was surrounded by a smooth, milk chocolate shell.

Today was Day #18 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Month (April).


Friday, April 15, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 15, 2011



Chocolate of the Day:
2 eggs
Very Good +
Fran's Chocolates
Filled Easter Eggs - Peanut Butter
Weight: .8 oz. (22 g.) / 1.6 oz. (44.8 g.) total package of 4 eggs
Calories: 120 calories for 2 eggs
Cost: $9.99 for package of 4 eggs
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

Today was April 15, and Day #17 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation/Theme Month. April 15 is normally the deadline for filing tax returns in the U.S. However, this year that deadline falls on April 18. I'm sure someone is celebrating this small reprieve somewhere with chocolate. And if they are, I recommend Fran's Chocolates Filled Easter Eggs. Today's dark chocolate enveloped egg with peanut butter filling was satisfying without being too heavy or sweet. 

Thursday, April 14, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 14, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:
1 egg
Thorntons
Praline Melts (Easter Egg)
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 160 calories (estimate)
Cost: $1.29
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

"America and Britain are two countries divided by a common language," observed playwright George Bernard Shaw. Fortunately, chocolate bridges the gap. A sentence you might hear in the U.K. this month: I just received an Easter Hamper with lots of chocolate treat eggs, like these Praline Melts from Thorntons." Translation for U.S. residents: A hamper is a basket, or gift basket assortment. (Thorntons has an "I Love Chocolate Hamper" and several chocolate-related assortments.) And today's treat eggs, individually wrapped in foil, had a smooth, almond and hazelnut praline filling surrounded by a thick, milk chocolate shell.

A small dimple on the bottom of these eggs allowed for balancing tricks.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 13, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
2 eggs
Lake Champlain Chocolates
Coconut Cream Dark Chocolate Easter Eggs
Very Good
Weight: .89 oz. (25.3 g.) (sold a la carte)
Calories: 126 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

April 2011 has become Chocolate Egg Appreciation Month. Today brought more coconut-filled chocolate eggs to the chocolate tasting table. Being a coconut fan, this made me pretty happy.

These Coconut Cream filled Dark Chocolate Easter Eggs were from Lake Champlain Chocolates (Vermont). How to eat a Vermont egg in California: Step #1 - Harvest from garden patio; Step #2 - carefully peel off green foil; Step #3 - take a bite.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

ChocolateBet: April 12, 2011


Chocolate of the Day:
2 eggs/pieces
Mars
Dove Silky Smooth Coconut Creme Milk Chocolate Eggs
Very Good
Weight: .871 oz. (24.6 g.) / 7.94 oz. (225.1 g.) total package
Calories: 140 calories
Cost: $3.00 total package
Purchased from: CVS/Pharmacy, in Mountain View, CA

Coconut and chocolate is a combination I'm fond of, and these (Mars) Dove Coconut Creme Milk Chocolate Eggs were a fine blend of these two flavors. (They were also good refrigerated.)
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