Saturday, September 24, 2022

Mirzam - White Chocolate Alphonso Mangoes (bar) + Cacao Nib "Caviar" - Sept. 24, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Mirzam Chocolate Makers
White Chocolate with Organic Indian Alphonso Mangoes (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 158 calories in 2 servings (30 g.) of bar
Cost: $11.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's White Chocolate Alphonso Mangoes (bar) was from Mirzam Chocolate Makers* (Dubai, United Arab Emirates). Mirzam is the name of a star that Arab traders used for navigation centuries ago. This mango bar was part of the Emarati company's Monsoon Collection. (January to March are the wetter months in Dubai.)

Most white chocolates are very sweet, and bland. Happily this was not the case with today's offering. The surprisingly complex aroma notes for this golden-colored bar included: very subtle sweet root vegetable (parsnip, yam), faint sweet pumpkin, and bright tropical fruit ice cream fruit (mango).

The texture? It had a relatively slow, even melt and a thick, creamy mouthfeel (at a room temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21.1 degrees Celsius).

Flavor notes mirrored the fruit and sweet vegetable aroma notes mentioned above. This white chocolate was unique and flavorful and not too sweet. (Thank you!) 

The cocoa butter and milk mellowed the brightness of the bright mango fruit a bit; however,  instead of muting flavors, the overall blend was uniquely flavorful and satisfying. 

I associated the taste and texture with good, homemade cream soups made with a short list of fresh, high-end ingredients. (We're moving into pumpkin and squash soup mode here in late September, so this bar seemed a good fit given we are slouching toward soup season.) 

It's not every white chocolate bar I'd be comparing to a fine soup. This special mango bar is in the top 10% of all white chocolates I've sampled, and it deserves a place in a white chocolate tasting flight.

Cacao Nib "Caviar"
But, wait. You thought I didn't "count" white chocolate on Chocolate Banquet? You are correct. 

I paired today's white chocolate with a small dollop of cacao nib "caviar"--cacao nibs marinated in Meyer Lemon juice, fruits, sea salt and gin. (Note: any alcohol from the gin component had evaporated by the end of the marinating process. Only the faint botanical flavors were left.) 

This salty, fruity side dish was a fun (and surprisingly complementary) pairing with today's bar. But then, again, this Mirzam 4-ingredient bar wasn't your every day white chocolate.  

Ingredients: "Cocoa butter, unrefined cane sugar, skim milk powder, Alphonso mango."

Allergen-related information: Contains milk.

*Mirzam Chocolate is affiliated with Kakow Manufacturing Co. LLC.


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