Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Läderach - Praline Chocolate Assortment - Mother's Day - May 4, 2022


Chocolate of the Day

Läderach Chocolatier Suisse
Praline Assortment 
1.) Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts - Good ++ 
2.) Dark Chocolate round - Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .763 oz. (21.8 g.) / 4.2 oz. (120 g.) in total assortment box
Calories: 120 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: N/A - gift from Läderach ($24.90 USD on website)
Purchased from: N/A - gift from Läderach (picked up at Palo Alto, CA store)

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Mother's Day Series, featuring one sweet and one darker chocolate (two chocolates) each day--reflecting my mother's preference for sweet confections and my love for darker chocolate. 

Today's chocolate praline assortment was distributed by Läderach Chocolatier Suisse ("UK Lmted.") and was produced in Switzerland. 

Läderach premium chocolates are made from bean-to-bar in Switzerland; and the company has retail shop locations in U.S. cities, including one in Stanford Shopping Center, in Palo Alto, CA.

Today's attractively packaged assortment was one of four heart-shaped Mother's Day items from Läderach featured this week. (Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 8, 2022, in the U.S.)

This ivory and gold gift box was secured with a mauve-pink ribbon (and clear adhesive tabs), and contained 11 praline chocolates. Milk, white and darker chocolates were all represented. Collectively, these praline chocolates had a welcoming sweet, creamy hot cocoa with vanilla aroma.

The first of two chocolates sampled was a sweet, hazelnut milk chocolate praline. Three whole hazelnuts were enrobed in (and sat atop a triangle of) ultra-creamy, sweet milk chocolate. 

The second piece was a darker, round chocolate. A relatively thick, spherical ebony-colored, textured shell contained a creamy chocolate filling with rich, sweet cocoa notes and very faint red/stone fruit (cherry) and floral notes. 

The assortment looked high-end and beautiful; and the range of flavors will likely satisfy a range of chocolate fans. Vanilla warmth, creamy hot chocolate sweetness, well-executed blends of flavors and chocolate types, and buttery smooth fillings made these pralines very approachable.

Ingredients: Sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa paste, whole milk powder, hazelnuts, almonds, vegetable oils (palm kernel, palm, rapeseed), glucose syrup, cream (milk), butter (milk), walnuts, sorbitol, skimmed milk powder, wheat flour, invert sugar syrup, caramel, soy lecithin, whey, vegetable fats (sunflower, rapeseed), glucose syrup, Natural Flavor, artificial flavors, clarified butter (milk), skim milk, Natural Flavors, salt (fleur de sel), lactose, gum arabic, shellac, sunflower lecithin, salt, milk protein, dextrose, cocoa powder, sodium carbonates, Tocopherol-Rich Extract, barley malt, ground vanilla, invertase, mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids.

Allergen-related information: (Contained milk, nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts), gluten (wheat, barley malt), soy ingredients.) "May contain egg, other gluten (inclu. wheat), other nuts." 

*The word "praline" can indicate a filled chocolate confection, or it can be a chocolate with nuts (e.g. candied hazelnuts or almonds) prepared in a certain style.

Läderach - FrischSchoggi Heart Caramel Almond - May 3, 2022


Chocolate #2 of the Day

Läderach Chocolatier Suisse
FrischSchoggi Heart Caramel Almond 
Good +++
Weight: 1.167 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total heart
Calories: 187.3 calories in 1/3 of heart 
Cost: N/A - gift from Läderach*
Purchased from: N/A - gift from Läderach

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Mother's Day Series -- featuring one sweet and light and one deeper and darker chocolate each day--reflecting my mother's love of sweets, and my love for darker chocolate. 

Today's FrischSchoggi (Fresh Chocolate) Caramel Almond Heart chocolate was distributed by Läderach Chocolatier Suisse ("UK Lmted.") and produced in Switzerland. (See earlier post today (May 3, 2022) for a write-up on Läderach's lovely, sweet Strawberry-Curd Heart.)

Läderach premium chocolates are manufactured from bean-to-bar in Switzerland, and the company has retail shop locations in U.S. cities, including one in Palo Alto, CA.

Today's, generously-sized, attractively packaged "heart" was one of four Läderach's heart-shaped chocolate offerings (featured this week) for Mother's Day. 

A solid field of ebony-colored, 36% cacao chocolate was decorated with small shards of golden caramel/toffee. When broken apart, the thick, well-tempered chocolate pieces revealed a generous helping of embedded, crunchy (I'm assuming roasted), caramelized almond chunks.

The aroma for this chocolate: sweet dark chocolate (fudge nut brownie) with brown sugar/caramel, nut (almond), faint green, very faint lemon herb (oxalis) notes. I applaud the makers for allowing some of the pure cacao notes to shine through. (Over-processed cacao often leads to rather bland chocolate with an absence of flavor complexity.)

Yes, this was relatively sweet dark** chocolate, but it exceeded my expectations. The well-balanced, contrasting/layered flavors and textures resulted in an addictive blend of chocolate (that tasted much darker--more like 50%--than 36% cacao), nut and caramel. 

Vanilla added chocolate baked goods-like warmth and flavor depth. And a light touch of salt meshed nicely with this chocolate, vanilla, caramel and nut blend--adding addictive sweet+salt snack appeal that also helped balance the sweetness. Definitely a great gift for Mother's Day. 

Ingredients: Sugar, cocoa paste, almonds (15%), cocoa butter, glucose, butter (milk), soy lecithin, vegetable oils (rapeseed), salt, Natural Flavors, sunflower lecithin. (Chocolate with 36% cocoa min.). 

Allergen-related information: (Contained milk, nuts (almonds), soy ingredients.) "May contain egg, other gluten (inclu. wheat), other nuts." 

* Pricing and availability: Pricing for this dark chocolate Caramel-Almond Heart online was listed as $15.90 (USD) on Läderach's website. Note: This and some other Mother's Day items were already listed as out-of-stock; although retail stores may still have inventory. So, it would be best to act soon if you're interested in these Mother's Day gift chocolates. 

**Chocolates marked as "dark chocolate" in the U.S. generally start at 50-55% cacao (solids) and go all the way up to 100% cacao bars/chocolates. (A 55% cacao chocolate might contain as much as 45% sugar; and 100% cacao items contain just cacao, with no added sugar.)

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