Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Enric Rovira - Trufa Day - Feb. 20, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Enric Rovira

Trencadis Gaudi - chocolate blanco con trufa al aguardiente de albaricoque
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 6.7 oz. (190 g.) in total box
Calories: 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: $34.50 for 1 box
Purchased from: Alegio Chocolate, Palo Alto, CA

Mini Hexagons
Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.)/2.1 oz. (60 g.) total box
Calories: 148 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. serving
Cost: $ 12.95 in 1 box of 10 pieces
Purchased from: Alegio Chocolate, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Truffle Theme Week.

Roundish dark chocolate truffles likely acquired their name because of their likeness to black truffles, the fungi found nestled underground in what remains of great oak forests. This week I'm combining both types of truffles.

Today I traveled -- virtually, via chocolate -- from Italy (yesterday's destination) to Barcelona, Spain, to sample two chocolates in Enric Rovira's (Barcelona, Spain) Barcelona collection -- heavily influenced by Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi, who often incorporated tile and glass mosaic art into his work.

Proving that my Spanish is very rusty, I bought this creamy, Trencadis Gaudi white chocolate creation thinking it contained white or black truffle (the fungi). However, the "trufa" in the Spanish name here referred to an apricot brandy truffle filling inside this beautifully patterned square of white chocolate.

However, my "mistake" was quickly remedied, when I dipped a triangular piece of this white Trencadis (from the Catalan word, trencat, for broken) mosaic into some Italian truffle honey that I'd opened yesterday. If you want to try something truly decadent and wonderful, these two items were made for each other.

Mini Hexagons 
Since, I don't normally "count" white chocolate as my Chocolate of the Day, I also sampled some Enric Rovira dark chocolate (70%) mini hexagons, modeled after special six-sided pavement pieces that might be found on the streets of Barcelona. These would look very nice on any dessert plate or tray.

Thank you to Panos at Alegio Chocolate for pointing out the Barcelona Collection.





Le Veneziane, Truffle Cheesecake - Feb. 19, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Molino di Ferro
Le Veneziane - piccoli piaceri croccanti con Cacao e Nicciole
(Gluten Free cookies with Chocolate and Hazelnuts)
Good
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 8.8 oz. (250 g.) in 1 bag/package
Calories: 130 calories in 3.5 cookies
Cost: $5.39 for 1 bag
Purchased from: Miki's Farm Fresh Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Italy is a great place to find truffle-infused favorite foods. So, I attempted to travel there, virtually, with today's pairing.

First, I baked cheesecakes with (La Tourangelle) black truffle oil, and Ritrovo Italian truffle honey -- honey infused with black truffle. Then I combined one of these creamy little cheesecakes with today's crunchy, Italian chocolate cookies.

I crumbled one La Veneziane gluten-free chocolate and hazelnut cookie from Molino di Ferro (Italy), to use as a topping for the cheesecake -- along with some truffle honey and a dab of some creme fraiche -- and enjoyed two additional cookies by themselves.

These chocolate cookies made with corn flour were fairly light in flavor -- providing a nice crunchy texture, without overpowering the black truffle oil and the truffle honey in the cheesecake. The ground hazelnut flavor was very mild. (Molino di Ferro also makes polenta and corn-based pasta.)

Note to self: Try spreading a little Nutella or peanut butter on these; this might result in a tasty sandwich cookie.

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