Friday, May 31, 2013

Mango Chile bar - May 31, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Casa de Chocolates
Chile Mango (bar)
Good - Good +
Weight: .25 oz. (7.07 g.) / 1.1 oz. (29 g.) (estimate) for 1 "mini" bar
Calories: 35 calories (estimate) for 1/4 oz. (7 g.) piece
Cost: $2.66 for 1 mini bar (3 for $8.00)
Purchased from: Casa de Chocolates, Berkeley, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Mango Theme Week, and Day #2 of Spicy Chocolate Theme Week. (Sometimes theme weeks do overlap.)

Not too long ago, I picked up a few Latin-inspired chocolates from Casa de Chocolates (Berkeley, CA), including today's Chile Mango "mini" bar (also available in a larger 3 oz. size bar). (Photo of bar at right from Casa de Chocolates.)

Made with bits of dried spicy mango, the bar's 61% cacao was just dark enough to be interesting, but close enough to the "deep milk chocolate" percentage pool so as not to overwhelm subtle hints of mango and chile.

Inspired by chocolatier Arcelia Gallardo's chocolate creations at Casa de Chocolates, I roasted some chicken with spicy mango chutney with a dash of spicy cocoa powder and smoked salt. Nothing like a sweet and rich spicy alternative to barbecue sauce now and then. 

Mango Red Chili truffle - May 30, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Marco Paolo Chocolates
Mango Red Chili Gelee (truffle)
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate) for 1 truffle
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1 truffle
Cost: $ part of larger $25 (sale price) 9-piece box
Purchased from: Marco Paolo Chocolates, Van Nuys, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Mango Theme Week, and Day #1 of Spicy Chocolate Theme Week.


This lovely Mango Red Chili truffle was part of a beautifully packaged, 9-piece "Sense Venture" assortment from Marco Paolo Chocolates (Van Nuys, CA). All 9 truffles in the box were different and featured great, layered flavor combinations. Today's Mango truffle had a tasty, sweet and almost savory, dark chocolate ganache infused with lime and habanero pepper. A layer of mango red chili gelee sat atop the ganache.

Layering ingredients in a slightly larger (taller) truffle like this was a great way to enjoy a complex flavor ride -- particularly when ingredients are fresh and well balanced like this.


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Coconut Mango Bites - May 29, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Dark Chocolate Covered Coconut Mango Bites
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in 3 pieces / 7 oz. (198 g.) total package
Calories: 200 calories in 1 serving (3 pieces)
Cost: $3.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Menlo Park, CA

These soft and chewy, sweet coconut candy and mango flavored bites from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) were coated with dark chocolate that helped balance out the sweetness. The small rectangular pieces that came packaged in a resealable bag were just the right size for a snack.

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

Coco Keeno - Organic mango - May 28, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Wonder Food Co.
Coco Keeno - Organic dried mango covered in dark chocolate
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 box
Calories: 140 calories for 1/2 box
Cost: $3.75 for 1 package/box
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Mango Theme Week.

Today's "Coco Mango" flavor, from a line of Coco Keeno chocolate products, was made with dried, organic mango from Wonder Food Co. (Palm Desert, CA). Small mango pieces were drenched in organic dark chocolate. The 70% cacao coating was rich enough to make a small serving satisfying.

And, who doesn't like a nice monkey mascot when it comes to chocolate? (Previously on Chocolate Banquet I featured a Chocolate and Monkey Theme Week, with a lot of bananas and peanut butter and monkeys of all types.) This particular, almost mango-colored, golden tamarin monkey (pictured on today's chocolate package) lives in trees in Central/South America, and is a Coco Keeno mascot. Wonder Food Co. donates part of the proceeds from this product line to preserving rainforest/monkey habitat.

Thank you to Elana at SweetE Organic, for continuing to carry great organic, gluten free, preservative-free options, so that everyone can enjoy a sweet item now and then.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Coco Polo - Milk with Mango bar - May 27, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Coco Polo
Milk with Mango (sample) bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .49 oz. (13.8 g.) (estimate) in 1 small sample packet
Calories: 69 calories (estimate) for 1 small sample packet
Cost: N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - sample, Coco Polo booth at San Francisco Fancy Food Show, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's chocolate came in the form of a small sample packet that I'd picked up at a Fancy Food Show in San Francisco a few months ago. I'd been saving it, hoping I'd have enough mango + chocolate items for this theme week. And, at last, here we are.

Coco Polo (Highland Park, NJ) makes a line of stevia-sweetened chocolate bars in a variety of flavors, with no detectable "off" taste that can accompany a chocolate made with an alternative sweetener. This Milk (39% cacao) bar had just the right level of sweetness for my taste and a hint of sweet mango flavor.


Sunday, May 26, 2013

Compartes bar with mango - May 26, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Compartes Chocolatier
Okavango Delta
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1/3 bar / 3 oz. (85 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 148 calories (estimate) for 1/3 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Compartes Chocolatier, Los Angeles, CA (online order)

Compartes Chocolatier (Los Angeles, CA) offers a colorfully packaged line of bars and chocolates, many with exotic flavor combinations. Today's "World Series" (Vol. 1, Bar 12) Okavango Delta, contained bits of mango and grains of paradise in a dark base of 73% cacao.

I had to work to find hidden sweet bits of fruit and flavor in this very earthy, dark, gluten free bar, much like a trek through the jungle I imagined. In fact, the packaging (complete with zebra art) offered a similar description:

"Trekking through fields of mango and grains of paradise, the African Zebra's celebrate(d) triumphant journey end(s) at the Okavango Delta*."

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Mango Theme Week.

*The Okavango Delta is located in Botswana (a land-locked country in Southern Africa). The Delta is a large inland delta that supports many types of wildlife (including zebra) with water levels that fluctuate with seasonal flooding. Unlike other deltas that empty into a sea or ocean, the waters end at the Kalahari, with most water evaporating or being absorbed. The Delta has been called one of the seven wonders of Africa.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Tamarind Mango Caramel - May 25, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Company
Tamarind Mango Caramel
Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.00 for 1 piece
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Company (Oakland, CA)

Nancy Nadel of The Oakland Chocolate Company (Oakland, CA) has done it again -- another great flavor combination.

Today's Tamarind Mango Caramel had just the right amount of tamarind and mango flavors infused into a beautiful caramel center, that was wrapped in 70% cacao dark chocolate from the parish of St. Mary in Jamaica, and topped with a thin mango tile. Very flavorful, without being too overpowering.

Today was the first day of Chocolate and Mango Theme Week.


Friday, May 24, 2013

Agouti Cacao Drinking Chocolate - May 24, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Agouti Cacao Farm
Drinking chocolate (stoneground)
Good +
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) (estimate) for 1 bag
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) for 2 cups (added honey)
Cost: $4.00 (estimate) BZ dollars for 1 bag
Purchased from: Agouti Cacao Farm, San Pedro Colombia Village, Belize

Today I savored the last bit of chocolate that I'd brought back from a trip to Belize last month, following a visit to Agouti Cacao Farm (in San Pedro Colombia Village) in Southern Belize.

I added boiling water to the contents of this small bag of organic, unsweetened, stoneground cacao paste, and stirred it up thoroughly with some orange blossom honey. The smell, slightly smokey from roasted cacao beans and allspice berries over a comal (hot plate over a fire), brought me back to Agouti Cacao Farm, run by Eladio Pop and family, where I'd enjoyed a cacao farm tour and tasting. (Eladio and his family were featured in a documentary, called "The Chocolate Farmer" a few years ago.*)

I poured some of this deliciously rich drinking chocolate into a traditional cup (from Belize), and a drinking gourd from Agouti Cacao Farm. On the gourd were carved a woodpecker, a squirrel and an agouti -- all three have been known to nibble on fruit and seeds found in cacao pods.

The only unfortunate thing about today's cacao is that you may have to travel to Southern Belize to enjoy this. I hope that some of you will have the chance to do so. There is a lot to see and experience in the Toledo District of Belize, an area where some Mayan farmers, like Eladio are still growing cacao, using traditional methods going back thousands of years.

*Note: I highly recommend the documentary about Eladio Pop and his farm and family, called "The Chocolate Farmer" directed by Rohan Fernando (2011) (available on Amazon, and other sources). 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Mackenzies - Airplanes - May 23, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Mackenzies Chocolates
Airplanes (Milk and Dark Chocolate)
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) x 2 / 2 Airplanes
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. worth of airplanes
Cost: $2.50 (for 2 small airplanes)
Purchased from: Mackenzies Chocolates, Santa Cruz, CA

Today was the last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Transportation Theme Week.

Planes, trains and automobiles. We are blessed with multiple modes of travel in the U.S.; and Mackenzies Chocolates (Santa Cruz, CA) has made chocsimiles (chocolate facsimiles) of just about every mode possible, including today's milk chocolate and dark chocolate airplanes -- not to mention trucks, flying saucers and jet rockets (not pictured here).

And, speaking of (chocolate) trains, congratulations to the master chocolatier from Malta, Andrew Farrugia, who constructed the world's longest structure/train (recognized by Guinness World Book of Records), made of 2,755 pounds of Belgian chocolate, this past year. Impressive. 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Mackenzies - Sailboat - May 22, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Mackenzies Chocolates
Sailboat
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) piece / 3.84 oz. (108.6 g.) total sailboat
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. serving
Cost: $5.95 for 1 sailboat
Purchased from: Mackenzies Chocolates, Santa Cruz, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Transportation Theme Week. I would be remiss if I didn't include at least one chocsimile (chocolate facsimile) of a sailboat, given that I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and we're ramping up for the America's Cup races this coming month, with practice sessions and trials already underway.

Pictured is a solid milk and dark chocolate Sailboat (6.75 x 4.5 x .25 inches) made by Mackenzies Chocolates (Santa Cruz, CA).

It's doubtful that a chocolate sailboat would last in the San Francisco Bay, or the Pacific Ocean. However, as a post-sailing snack, it would be just fine. 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Mackenzies - Surfboard - May 21, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mackenzies Chocolates
Surfboard
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) piece / 2.08 oz. (58.8 g.) total surfboard
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. serving
Cost: $3.95 for 1 surfboard
Purchased from: Mackenzies Chocolates, Santa Cruz, CA

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

Surf's Up! I wanted to say. Only I was sitting, working at a desk, inside. So, instead, I settled for part of a solid milk chocolate Surfboard, from Mackenzies Chocolates, located in Santa Cruz, CA -- a city that knows a thing or two about surf and surfboards.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to observe a few hundred sea lions and a large "raft" of 39 sea otters (in the water, south of Santa Cruz). A few lucky people in kayaks, plus one man on a (surfboard like) stand-up paddleboard, were quietly navigating around the otters. It was hard to imagine a better mode of transportation on a day like that.

Note: I haven't spotted any chocolate sea otters, or sea lions, yet; but I'm sure they do exist.)

Monday, May 20, 2013

Mackenzies Chocolate Motorcycle - May 20, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mackenzies Chocolates
Motorcycle
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 4.64 oz. (131.3 g.) in 1 Motorcycle
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. piece
Cost: $5.95 for 1 motorcycle
Purchased from: Mackenzies Chocolates, Santa Cruz, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Transportation Theme Week.

Happy Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month (May). And, National Ride (your motorcycle) to Work Day is just around the corner (June 17).

In honor of these days, it was time to unwrap the box with the pretty green bow from Mackenzies Chocolates (a family-run shop in Santa Cruz, CA) -- so I could take a bite of their dark chocolate motorcycle chocsimile (chocolate facsimile).

This medium-sized (5 x 2.5 inch) replica looked so beautifully detailed and authentic, I hesitated ruining it. But, all things chocolate come to an end, generally sooner rather than later. Like many molded confections, the chocolate base was good, but not super high-end, single origin chocolate. I did enjoy the (less sweet) dark chocolate a bit more than the the milk chocolate items.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Mackenzies Chocolate Horse - May 19, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Mackenzies Chocolates
Horse - Standing
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 4.8 oz. (135.8 g.) total horse
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. serving
Cost: $7.50 total piece/horse
Purchased from: Mackenzies Chocolates, Santa Cruz, CA

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

While we travel by "iron horses" and other motorized vehicles these days -- and we're more likely to see horses at sporting events than in our neighborhood streets -- horses deserve a shout out for transporting humans for hundreds of years.

The Preakness, Chocolate Horses

Yesterday (Sat., May 18, '13) was the 138th running of the Preakness, the second of three horse races that comprise the Triple Crown in the U.S. Each race is held in a different city and has its own colors (and signature drink). This year's winning horse at the Preakness, held at Pimlico racetrack in Baltimore, MD, was a deep brown (I'd say 80% cacao colored) horse named Oxbow, ridden by a 50-year old jockey, and grandfather, (Gary Stevens), who came out of retirement to win this race. Inspiring.

Virgin Black-eyed Susan
Today's sweet, milk chocolate horse (purchased long before this race) was closer to the color of  "Orb" -- the favored horse in yesterday's race. While Orb fans were denied the opportunity to see their favorite become a Triple Crown race winner, they were among many who enjoyed sipping on Black-eyed Susans, the "official" drink of the Preakness Stakes (named for a flower). Black and yellow sunflowers also adorned a beautiful, big black and white "helper" horse assisting riders on the track. I couldn't find a photo of this horse, but I'd love to see a chocsimile (chocolate facsimile) of this horse. Which begs the question...

The Kentucky Derby (first race of the Triple Crown series) has chocolate pecan pie, bourbon balls and other chocolate desserts. Why there isn't a Black-eyed Susan chocolate truffle or dessert for the Preakness?

What? No Preakness Dessert?
If someone has heard of such a thing, please write and let me know, and I'll be happy to feature it next May (2014). Below is a recipe for a Black-eyed Susan (drink), in case anyone is interested in creating a chocolate dessert with these ingredients. Although, when I sat in the infield at the Preakness many years ago, the recipe for a Black-eyed Susan was considerably simpler: vodka and lemonade over ice.

Black-eyed Susan recipe
1.25 oz. Finlandia Vodka
0.25 oz. St. Germain Liqueur
2 oz. Lemon juice
3 oz. Lemongrass and Blackberry simple syrup
6 drops Angostura bitters
Garnish with one sage leaf

(Above recipe created by Gina Chersavini Dundee; from Preakness website)

Mackenzies Chocolates

Thank you for Mackenzies Chocolates (Santa Cruz, CA) for making 52 different molded chocolates under the category "Transportation." (Although, technically, this horse was under the company's "Animals" category -- that lists well over a hundred different chocolate items.)





Saturday, May 18, 2013

Madelaine Chocolate Cars - May 18, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

The Madelaine Chocolate Company

1.) Mini Car
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) - 1 car
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1 car
Cost: $0.95 for 1 car
Purchased from: MacKenzies Chocolates, Santa Cruz, CA

2.) Super Racing Car
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) - 1 car
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 car
Cost: $1.25 for 1 car
Purchased from: MacKenzies Chocolates, Santa Cruz, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Transportation Theme Week.

I live in California, and we love our cars here. It's no fun to be stuck on a freeway at rush hour in the big cities; but cars allow us to cover vast distances -- making chocolate research, a visit to the beach, and a hike in the mountains possible -- all in one day if you're an early riser.

In Silicon Valley, home to electric car companies and alternative vehicle research, it's fun to think of a future car that might be powered by plant matter (sugar cane bagasse?), if not cocoa bean hulls or chocolate.

Today, I'll settle for eating these sugary sweet milk chocolate cars from Madelaine Chocolate*, and will let them power my walk to the store.

Being the CCE (Chief Chocolate Eater) at Chocolate Banquet, I got a kick out of the Mini Car with "Chief" emblazoned across the doors and hood. And, who wouldn't like a chocolate Racing Car with racing stripes or flames? It's times like this when I could almost talk myself into ordering a license plate holder for the back of my (real) car that reads: "My Other Car is Made of Chocolate."

*Note: The Madelaine Chocolate Company (Rockaway Beach, NY) has been making chocolate cars and other chocsimiles (coins, poker chips, cigars, roses, holiday and birthday items) for many years. Despite damage from Hurricane Sandy, this family-run business is recovering and is back to producing chocolates.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Theo Sea Salt bar - May 17, 2013



Chocolate of the Day:

Theo Chocolate
Sea Salt Dark 70% Cacao bar
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) / 3 oz. (84 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 66.6 calories in 1/6 bar
Cost: $4.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA 94306

Regular visitors to this site (Chocolate Banquet) know my penchant for theme weeks. This week I've embarked on a Chocolate and Transportation Theme Week.

While excellent chocolates do have the power to transport one to another dimension (a different, and wonderful place), the "transportation" I'm focused on this week (with the exception of today's bar) is more literal -- taking the shape of chocolate bicycles, trucks, cars, surfboards and other "chocsimiles" (chocolate facsimiles of items).

"Bike to work days" have been celebrated in many U.S. cities this month (May); and in Washington, D.C. today (May 17, '13). However, in some cacao growing countries, bikes may be a primary mode of transport.

Today's Sea Salt Dark bar from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA) was not in the shape of a bicycle, but proceeds do/did help World Bicycle Relief -- an organization that helps build and supply special bicycles to students, health care workers and entrepreneurs in rural Africa -- in at least a half dozen African countries (100,000 bicycles in the field, and 750 field mechanics trained, according to the bar's packaging).

This 70% dark Fair Trade, Organic (and non-GMO) chocolate bar was crafted from African cacao beans (Democratic Republic of Congo), and was rustic in flavor and texture. Tiny, gritty particles of salt infuse every other bite with a nano burst of saline sparkle.

I'd call this a "salt of the earth" bar -- with chocolate that had light dirt notes buried in the tasting arc. The term "Earthy" may be more appealing than "dirt." I really like beets and earthy-tasting foods; if you don't find yourself using terms like: loam, peat, or soil with tobacco notes, that's OK. Dirt is not meant to be a negative term here.

Marou - 78% Ben Tre bar - May 16, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Marou Chocolate
Ben Tre 78% bar
Good - Good+
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) in 1/4 bar / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 151 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Vietnam Theme Week.

I've really enjoyed the great Vietnam chocolates I've had this week -- and all the Vietnamese food I felt compelled to sample, in the name of research.

Today's 78% dark chocolate, single origin bar from the Ben Tre province of Vietnam -- made by Marou Chocolate (Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, Vietnam) -- was the last in a series of attractively package Marou bars I featured this week.

The dark, tart, fruit acidity in this bar may have overshadowed more subtle flavor notes. However, I can see using this bold flavor to liven up a rich, but relatively bland dessert item -- e.g. grated, over a vanilla pot de creme; raisin cinnamon toast and cream cheese; or a croissant with some homemade whipped cream and strawberries on the side). The options are many.




Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Marou - Ba Ria 76% bar - May 15, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Marou Chocolate
Ba Ria 76% bar
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 148 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $10.00 in 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Vietnam Theme Week.

Marou Chocolate (Vietnam) packaging and design is so good I could eat it -- or wear it.

I wondered: How expensive would it be to buy enough Marou bars (for their paper wrappers) to make a top or a dress to wear? A small fortune, no doubt. (See some of my imagined Marou red dresses, bottom right. More to come...)

In the meantime, I was completely satisfied with eating the lovely chocolate bar inside today's Ba Ria 76% bar wrapper. It had some bold fruit acidity with a slight earthy taste in the finish.

Marou tasting notes for this bar stated: "A bold and fruity chocolate made from Trinitario cacao (beans) sourced directly from family-owned farms in the province of Ba Ria."

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Marou - Lam Dong 74% bar - May 14, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Marou Chocolate
Lam Dong 74% dark chocolate bar
Good ++
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) in 1/4 bar / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today's 74% dark chocolate bar from Marou Chocolate (Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, Vietnam) was made (in micro-batches) from cacao beans "cultivated (in the Lam Dong province) in the hilly woodland at the edge of the Vietnamese Central Highlands between Madagui and Bao Loc."

If you're like me, you have a somewhat vague idea of where this origin area is located in Vietnam. However, the beans and bar that hail from this region (described as rare) had clear and consistent citrus (acid) notes, and rich dark flavor.

So, while I haven't been to Vietnam (yet), I appreciated the opportunity to taste this bar (and the series of Marou single origin bars I've been tasting this past week*). Thank you to bean-to-bar chocolate maker, Marou Chocolate, and The Chocolate Garage, for making this possible. And thank you to Laurie for tasting help this evening.

*Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Vietnam Theme Week.

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