Thursday, June 30, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 30, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Maui Specialty Chocolates
Dolphins
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 1 oz. (28 g.) total package of 2 pieces
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ info not available
Purchased from: Maui Specialty Chocolates, Kahului (Maui), Hawaii

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Animals Theme Week. I enjoyed pretending I was back in Hawaii when I ate this solid chocolate piece -- two dolphins swimming together -- from Maui Specialty Chocolates.

Note: pictures delayed due to travel.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 29, 2011

 Chocolate of the Day:

3 pieces/bears
Sweet Candy Company/Sweet's
Chocolate Cinnamon Bears
Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (19.6 g.) / 5.6 oz. (159 g.) total package
Calories: 105 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ not available
Purchased from: Sweet's (online order)

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Animals Theme Week. And the animals in question were red cinnamon gummy bears coated in chocolate. The cinnamon flavor gives these bears some sweet zestiness, and provides a nice counterpoint to the chocolate coating.

Note: Travel will delay post of pictures this week.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 28, 2011

 Chocolate of the Day:

17 mini cookies
Annie's Homegrown
Gluten Free Bunny Cookies
Good +
Weight: .68 oz. (18.9 g.) / 6.75 oz. (191 g.) total box
Calories: 76 calories
Cost: $5.39 total box
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, in Los Altos, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Gluten Free Cookie Theme Week; and also Day #1 of Chocolate and Animal Theme Week.

Normally, eating 17 cookies would sound excessive, but these tiny cocoa and vanilla, gluten free bunny cookies (that contained "no icky additives or pesky preservatives") were so small and light that the entire litter of 17 weighed a mere .68 oz. (18.9 g.).


Monday, June 27, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 27, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

6 cookies
Lucy's (Dr. Lucy's LLC)
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip cookies
Very Good
Weight: 2.2 oz. (32 g.) / 5.5 oz. (156 g.) total box/package
Calories: 260 calories
Cost: $5.59 total package
Purchased from: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Gluten Free Cookie Theme Week. Yesterday, I over-ingredient-ed a package of cookie mix, and while the results were still tasty, I should like to try a second batch to perfect them. The nice thing about buying store-bought cookies, is that they're more likely to have been honed to perfection already.

These Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Dr. Lucy's LLC, were light and crispy and very satisfying. Note to those who are sensitive to gluten: these cookies were made without tree nuts, peanuts, milk or eggs, but they do contain some oats.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 26, 2011

 Chocolate of the Day:

2 cookies
Pamela's Products
Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix (+ add-ins)
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.) (estimate)/ 13.6 oz. (386 g.) total package
Calories: 213 calories (estimate)
Cost: $7.19 total package
Purchased from: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Gluten Free Cookie Theme Week, and today I tried whipping up a batch of Pamela's Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix. I say "tried," because I almost always feel compelled to mess with, or add other ingredients to, almost any recipe, or set of instructions, that I try to follow.

Nuts, dried fruits, liqueurs: there are so many interesting possible additions. In this case, my add-ins to this cookie mix included Frangelico (hazelnut) liqueur and some fig and orange jam from Dalmatia.

These cookies turned out to be dark colored (partly due to cocoa powder included in this mix), chewy and somewhat crispy (once cooled). These cookies were good with roasted nuts, and fresh orange.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 25, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

Karin Johnson Specialty Cakes and Pastries
1.) 1 Chocolate Almond Macaron - Good +
2.) 1 Cardamom Almond Macaroon - Good +
Weight: 1.7 oz. (48 g.) (estimate for 2 different cookies)
Calories: Information not available (estimate: 200 calories)
Cost: $4.00 for 6 cookies (shared rest with others)
Purchased from: Karin Johnson booth/table, at Palo Alto Farmer's Market, in downtown Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Gluten Free Cookie Theme Week. European style macarons have become a very popular choice for those in the San Francisco Bay Area with a sweet tooth who can't have wheat/gluten.

Karin Johnson (and her mother) were offering at least three different gluten free cookies at the Palo Alto Farmer's Market this morning, and I tried two: 1.) a light meringue sandwich-style macaron with a chocolate filling, and 2.) an almond macaroon, flavored with cardamom and topped with a whole, blanched almond. These are sweet cookies by nature, but I enjoyed trying both of these. The cardamom was a nice addition to the latter, but not everyone I shared these cookies with could taste the cardamom, so I may have gotten lucky and had a heavier distribution of the spice in my cookie. It's always nice to have more fresh gluten free cookie choices, especially in one's own backyard farmer's market. Karin Johnson Specialty Cakes and Pastries does not appear to have their own website at this time, but this family-run business does participate in other farmers markets in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Note: According to Wikipedia, Macaron stem from the Italian word "maccarone" which apparently means "paste." Macaron and macaroon are sometimes used interchangeably, which can be confusing. Many envision a macaroon as being a sweet cookie made from shredded coconut. Both styles of cookie lack a gluten-based flour base batter, so their initial consistency may be more paste-like.

Friday, June 24, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 24, 2011


Chocolate of the Day: 

1/2 bar
Cachet - Made by Kim's Chocolates N.V.
Almonds & Honey Milk Chocolate bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 289 calories (estim.)
Cost: $2.99
Purchased from: Crossroads Market, in Palo Alto, CA

Today I was hoping to find additional Mediterranean flavors for Day #3 of Chocolate and Gluten Free Cookie Theme Week. Almonds, milk and honey have been enjoyed together in different combinations for many centuries. More recently, say in the last 150 - 200 years, chocolate has been thrown into the mix. Sadly, honey has been less available, and has been replaced by sugar or corn syrup in many cases, but I set about finding a bar with these flavors.


The Cachet Almonds and Honey Milk Chocolate bar fit the bill, and was just the right thickness -- thick enough to accommodate crunchy almonds bits and "honey pieces" and thin enough to quickly access milk chocolate and flavors in the mouth as the bar warmed up and was being eaten.

The Cachet bar is perfectly fine for eating by itself, but I also used part of this bar to make an easy chocolate-dipped, gluten free amaretti. (For a more elaborate ganache-filled version from La Biscotteria, see yesterday's post - dated June 23, 2011.)  So, I melted two squares of this bar in a small ceramic dish, and voila - a tiny dish of instant fondue -- into which I dipped Musso's gluten free Italian Crunchy Almond Cookies. Moments later, almonds drizzled with some Seggiano raw sunflower honey got the Cachet chocolate fondue treatment as well.

This bar made for a nice, smooth fondue; but, you may lose some of the crunchiness in the small honey bits when this chocolate bar is broken up and melted into a sweet dipping sauce.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 23, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day:


La Biscotteria
Amaretti Chocolate Ganache Cookie
Very Good
Weight: 3.5 oz. (100 g.) (estimate)
Calories: unknown
Cost: $3.95 per (large) cookie
Purchased from: La Biscotteria, Redwood City, CA


Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Mediterranean Theme Week,
and Day #2 of Chocolate and Gluten Free Cookie Theme Week.

Almond paste, amaretti and amarena cherries from Italy were today's chief inspirations.

Today's large, gluten free, chocolate almond amaretti cookie from local Italian bakery La Biscotteria (Redwood City) was more like a chocolate pie with a rich, sweet almond crust base, topped with a generous layer of smooth, chocolate ganache, and finished off with a thin chocolate top coat.

I also bought an Almond Torte (which is good plain or with a very light dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder). My advice: split these almond sweets with a few other people for dessert and enjoy the cookie slices/torte wedges with a small glass of port or sherry.


Note: La Biscotteria also makes smaller, 1/2 dipped, and also non-chocolate gluten free almond cookies -- which I've featured previously.


I was also inspired to make some Italian amarena cherry and chocolate yogurt -- by mixing in Amarena wild cherries and syrup into plain greek style yogurt and adding some pieces of chocolate almond cookie described above. A dark chocolate maple leaf from The Oakland Chocolate Co. made a nice garnish. Amarena cherries are an interesting alternative to the neon red marascino cherries we have here in the U.S., for inclusion in fruit cakes, breads, almond tortes or cookies. They are, perhaps, just as sweet, but slightly richer in taste, and more natural in color.






Wednesday, June 22, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 22, 2011


Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

1.) Safeway Select
French Salted Caramel (Fleur de Sel) Ice Cream
Very Good
Weight: 1/2 cup (66 g.) / 1.5 quarts (1.42 L) total container
Calories: 230 calories
Cost: $ not available
Purchased from: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA

2.) Fabrique Delices
Salted Caramel Macaron & Chocolate Macaron
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.48 oz. (42 g.) / 9.25 oz. (262 g.) total package
Calories:
Cost: $11.99 total package
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Mediterranean Theme Week, and the first in a series of Chocolate and Gluten-Free Cookies this week. There's nothing like a petit bit of sea salt (from the Mediterranean or another sea) to liven up caramel and chocolate. In keeping with this theme, Safeway's French Fleur de Sel ice cream contained tiny chocolate covered sea salt caramels. And the Fabrique Delices (Hayward, CA) Macarons came in a (frozen) mixed pack of two flavors: Salted Caramel and Chocolate. Mais oui, these were good. Sweet, but good.


Tuesday, June 21, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 21, 2011

Chocolates of the Day:

The Oakland Chocolate Co.
1.) Lavender Truffle - Very Good
2.) Spearmint Truffle - Very Good
3.) Pistachio Rolled Truffle - Good + - Very Good
4.) Filled Oval Leaf (lime pepper jelly) - Very Good
5.) Filled Scallop Leaf (lemon curd) - Very Good +
6.) Filled Small Log (hazelnut butter) - Very Good - Very Good +

People ask me if I ever have trouble finding new chocolates. No, not yet. But, if I have too many oversampling days like today, I just might. I selected six possible Mediterranean flavors that came in a box of chocolates from The Oakland Chocolate Company (a bean-to-bar-to-bonbon operation). All these individual chocolates were made from Jamaican dark chocolate.

The Lavender Truffle was filled with a white ganache and topped with delicious candied lavender buds. The Spearmint Truffle with a chocolate ganache also was blessed with a tiny piece of what I believe was candied spearmint leaf. My two favorites were: the dark chocolate leaf filled with lemon curd -- a combination that is hard to beat in my opinion; and the small chocolate log filled with hazelnut butter. The hazelnut butter sparkled with bright bits of flavor, sweetness and texture. I much preferred this to overly homogenized hazelnut fillings present in some commercial chocolates.

In the same vein as the leaf with lemon curd, the oval chocolate leaf that was filled with lime pepper jelly was also good -- tart and pleasing, but not overly spicy.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Mediterranean Theme Week.


Monday, June 20, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 20, 2011

Chocolate of the Day: 

1 serving
Villa Dolce Gelato
Italian Kiss - Chocolate Hazelnut
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1/2 cup (100 g.)/ 1 Quart total container
Calories: 200 calories
Cost: $ unavailable
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Mediterranean Theme Week; and it was also very hot outside. Something cold was in order. Villa Dolce Gelato's (gluten free) Italian Kiss Chocolate Hazelnut gelato was a good choice.

The packaging for this plastic tub of gelato -- decorated on top with bits of hazelnut and a light drizzling of chocolate syrup -- was reminiscent of displays you'd see in a gelato shop (with side-by-side stainless steel rectangular pans filled with your favorite flavors of this frozen dessert). It was no surprise then to see that Villa Dolce, based in Van Nuys, CA, also sells gelato pans and other supplies.


ChocolateBet: June 19, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Nosh This
Meyer Lemon Salted Caramel
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: 2 for $4; or box of 8 for $14
Purchased from: Nosh This, in San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Mediterranean Theme Week.

Citrus fruits are part of Mediterranean cuisine. And Meyer lemons are available in many parts of California, the state where I live. Nosh This (San Francisco) offers a Meyer Lemon Salted Caramel with tiny bits of what I'm fairly sure are lemon rind. These bits of rind provided wonderful lemon taste and texture to these salt caramels enveloped in chocolate.

I'm very grateful to live in an area with a Mediterranean-like climate; I have rosemary, lavender, citrus and other edible wonders in my small yard. Thank you also to neighbors who have generously offered to share some of their Meyer lemons over the years. 

ChocolateBet: June 18, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/4 bar
Michael Mischer Chocolates
Pistachios (bar)
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories:
Cost: $10.95 total bar
Purchased from: Michael Mischer Chocolates, Oakland, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Mediterranean Theme Week, part 2.  (This past week there was a brief intermission between Mediterranean Week part 1 and part 2 -- in order to have a Chocolate and Bacon Theme Week.)

And, now we return to lovely items such as green pistachio nuts, that pair well with deep milk and darker chocolates in bar or bark form. The pistachios in this Michael Mischer bar are set into a smooth base of single origin Criollo 65% dark chocolate.

Several of Michael Mischer's line of designer bars are studded with nuts -- others contain salt, toffee or nibs and other flavors. If you visit Mischer's Oakland store, you can browse a long line of these bars (see photo above).

Sunday, June 19, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 17, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

1 serving
Fennel Salad with fresh orange, pancetta, cacao nibs
Very Good
Weight: 4 oz. (113 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 210 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ N/A - multiple items (homemade)
Purchased from: Various sources (homemade)

1 piece
Nosh This
Balsamic Salted Caramel
Good+
Weight: not sure
Calories: not sure
Cost: 2 for $4
Purchased from: Nosh This, San Francisco, CA

Today was the last day of Chocolate and Bacon Theme Week, and a return to Chocolate and Mediterranean Theme Week, part 2. The weather is starting to heat up, and salads are starting to look more appealing on a warm day. Salads with chocolate perhaps -- in the form of cacao nibs sprinkled over the top of a shaved fennel salad with chopped fresh orange slices, crispy pancetta pieces, Meyer lemon juice, olive oil, grated cheese, and a little garlic salt. Cacao nibs can add a nut-like earthy or even smoky flavors and crunchy texture to a summer or Mediterranean salad like this.

Throw in a few gluten free breadsticks or a piece of garlic toast or garlic crackers and call it lunch. And for dessert, Nosh This (San Francisco) offers a Balsamic Salted Caramel (and also a Meyer Lemon Salted Caramel) that pair well with this type of salad. I had the Balsamic salt caramel today.

Later in the day, while doing more research on Mediterranean beverages/cocktails that might be combined with chocolate in the future, I tried an Aperol cocktail over ice with soda that was very refreshing. I look forward to making an orange, Aperol, gluten free chocolate cake sometime in the future.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 16, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving
Hashahar Ha'ole
Special Cocoa Spread
Good +
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 1 lb. (454 g.) total container
Calories: 155 calories
Cost: $3.29 for 1 1b. container
Purchased from: Crossroads Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Bacon Theme Week. This not-for-everyone theme week has been great for finding new chocolates, and also playing mad scientist by combining various separate chocolate and bacon items in the kitchen.

I first tasted this Special Cocoa Spread (made "for filling of cakes and sandwiches") by itself on a small piece of toast (Rudi's gluten-free bread). This nut-free cocoa spread -- a cross between Nutella and homemade chocolate ganache -- was tasty on toast by itself. So, those who like simplicity, and don't care for bacon can stop reading here. I'm pretty sure this next step is not what the makers of this cocoa spread/filling had in mind.

For those still with me, I made another piece of toast with melted feta/cream cheese, and a piece of crisp, oven roasted Pancetta Americana (from La Quercia in Iowa). Yes, that's right. The piece of toast with cocoa spread was joined in unholy matrimony with the piece of toast with feta cheese and pancetta. I really enjoyed this sandwich. With the right ingredients, prepared correctly, this combination can be very good.



Wednesday, June 15, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 15, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Lillie Belle Farms
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.)
Calories: 225 calories (estimate)
Cost: $4.00
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Bacon Theme Week. While I have been playing mad scientist this week and combining unsuspecting chocolates with bacon, there are several ready-made chocolate and bacon products available. One such offering: The Oregon Bacon Bar, from Lillie Belle Farms (based in Southern Oregon). Made with three ingredients: organic milk chocolate, bacon and salt, this bar was very tasty. The pieces of bacon were just the right size and texture -- not so hard/dry or chewy that they would jolt the eater out of the tasting experience; they were a seamless extension of, and addition to, the chocolate. Choosing the right milk (my preference is deep milk) chocolate to blend with bacon also results in a finished product that is tastier than its constituent parts.

When tasting any combination, I prefer to taste the individual components first, and then determine whether the combination of the two (or three) flavors result in anything that is better than the individual ingredients. This is not always possible when buying a finished product, and it is trickier than one might imagine if you're creating something at home. Side-by-side pairings may work better than blends (as with wine and chocolate). And my hat is off to those chocolate chefs and chocolatiers, or food lovers in their own kitchens, who succeed in creating new and wonderful blends of all kinds.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

ChocolateBet: June 14, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

2/5 bar
Perugina
Premium Dark Chocolate with Caramel Filling (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (11.32 g.)/ 3.5 oz. (99.2 g.) total bar
Calories: 210 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.79 total bar
Purchased from: Molinari Delicatessen, North Beach, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Bacon Theme Week. With apologies in advance to Perugina, I also was scouting for a chocolate that would be suitable for eating, and also could be incorporated in an Applegate Farms Turkey Bacon version of "Piggy Candy" (think bacon roasted/baked in an oven with brown sugar, and drizzled with chocolate), from the Southern United States.

This Dark Chocolate Caramel bar fit the bill, in that it contained some brown sugar in the caramel filling, surrounded by a rich, sweet bittersweet chocolate, and could also stand on its own as a good bar to sample. Large companies often choose to use ingredients like corn syrup in caramels, so I was disappointed to see this on the list of ingredients. However, the use of brown sugar made a different, and the caramel had a slight honey taste and nice texture.

Now, for those that don't care for bacon of any kind, or deplore mixing good chocolate with anything else, you can stop reading now.

For the rest of you, I can say that the Applewood Farms turkey bacon (gluten and casein free, no nitrates) was better than other turkey bacons I have tried. So, that was a good start. Drizzling and "frosting" a few, crisp, cooked strips of this bacon with melted Perugina chocolate and caramel was not bad. I wouldn't say the flavor together was a vast improvement over the Perugina bar and the turkey bacon separately, but it would be a good brunch item after a good workout, along with gluten free toast or a pancake w/ maple syrup and fresh oranges.


ChocolateBet: June 13, 2011

 Chocolate of the Day:

1 package
Nosh This
Bourbon Bacon Rocky Road
Very Good +
Weight: 1.3 oz. (37 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 182 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Nosh This, in San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Bacon Theme Week. Today's chocolate choice was a creative take on rocky road -- made with delicious bits of homemade marshmallows, a hint of bourbon, Organic walnuts, small bits of real bacon, and dark chocolate.

I had intended to cut this generous piece in half; but, this rocky road was gone in no time.

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