Saturday, October 29, 2022

Green Girl Bakeshop - Reishi Chocolate Plant-Based Superfood Gelato - Oct. 29, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Green Girl Bakeshop
Reishi Plant-Based Superfood Gelato 
Good 
Weight: 1/2 cup (118 mL) / 1 Pint (473 mL) in total container
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $8.89 for 1 container
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Mushroom Theme Week and Day #2 of Chocolate and Umami Theme Week.

Today's Reishi* Chocolate Plant-Based Superfood Gelato was from Green Girl Bakeshop (San Leandro, CA). 

The aroma profile for this gelato included: dark chocolate coconut milk ice cream with woodsy, bitter notes.

The bitter flavor was slightly less than in the aroma. (I'm assuming this tough-to-love flavor came from the reishi mushrooms and not the chocolate.) The rougher, albeit authentic, woody earth (Reishi) mushroom taste contrasted with the smoother, creamy, sweet dark chocolate, plant (coconut milk)-based gelato base. 

I really enjoy umami flavors. The umami in this blend comes from the mushrooms (and nuts I added). (Both mushrooms and nuts contain glutamate/glutamic acid--a common amino acid that vegetable and animal-based umami rich foods share.) I topped this chocolate frozen dessert with some Organic almonds and sea salt, for a little extra umami flavor. 

This bitter-sweet gelato flavor was interesting; but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to people just looking for a culinary highlight. However, it might excite novelty-seekers who are also interested in the possible health benefits of certain mushrooms. 

Props to Green Girl Bakeshop for continuing to offer allergy-friendly gelato flavors with a short list of quality ingredients. (Today's Reishi Chocolate flavor contained/listed just 4 ingredients.)

Ingredients: Organic coconut milk, Organic maple syrup, Organic cacao powder, Organic reishi mushroom.

Allergen-related information: Contains coconut. "Made in a dedicated facility free from dairy, gluten, grains, peanuts, egg, and soy."

*Reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum) are currently a popular medicinal mushroom (often available in powder and/or extract form) in the U.S. Ganoderma are often used in traditional Chinese medicine. Their earthy, tree bark-like flavor makes them a bit less appealing as a culinary mushroom.

Vosges Haut-Chocolat - Walnut and Chanterelle 80% Cacao (bar) - Oct. 28, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Vosges Haut-Chocolat 
Walnut and Chanterelle 80% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Vosges, online order 

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Mushroom Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate and Umami Theme Week.

Today's attractively-packaged Walnut and Chanterelle* 80% Cacao (bar) was from Vosges Haut-Chocolat (Vosges IP, LLC, Chicago, IL). 

The bar was part of the company's LAB collection, and was made using the entire cacao pod (fiber, fruit and seed) and no refined sugars.

The aroma notes for this ultra-dark bar included: freshly baked walnut fudge brownies, roasted cacao nibs, and faint diffuse fruit. 

This well-tempered bar had a crunchy, almost stoneground, texture that worked very effectively. A variety of very tiny flavor bits (including cacao nibs ("seeds")) harmonized nicely and created flavor and textural depth.

There was enough cocoa butter (number one ingredient) to create a pleasing sensation on the palette. (It prevented the feeling of a dry, grainy texture that occasionally occurs in chocolates with a coarser grind (or shorter conch times), while still preserving intact flavors.

It was difficult to single out specific chanterelle mushroom flavor in this blend. However, a very light sparkle of sea salt and walnut "flour" contributed to a subtly satisfying umami experience.

Ingredients: Cocoa butter, unsweetened chocolate processed with alkali, coconut sugar, defatted walnut flour, cacao berry (cacao berry fiber, cacao berry flour), vanilla (maltodextrin, vanilla), cacao fruit puree, chanterelle mushroom powder, Baja Gold salt.

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Walnuts, coconut." "Processed on equipment that also processes milk, soy, wheat, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts."

*Chanterelle mushrooms are popular (and relatively expensive) culinary mushrooms. The golden sun-colored floral trumpet-shaped like fungi are usually eaten cooked (less likely to cause upset stomach if eaten cooked). They have a meaty (umami) texture, and sometimes unique faint yellow stone-fruit (apricot, peach) aroma/flavor notes. 


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