Hawaiian Wildflower Honey Dessert #2 - Macadamia, Sea Salt, Ginger Dark Chocolate - Jan. 15, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Hawaiian Wildflower Honey Dessert #2
Macadamia, Sea Salt, Ginger, Dark Chocolate dessert
Good +++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total dessert 
Calories: 240 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ N/A - many sources
Purchased from: N/A - many sources

Aloha and welcome to Day #15 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week(s). This is the second in a series of 2 oz. chocolate desserts using at least one ingredient from Hawaii.

Today's Macadamia, Sea Salt, Ginger Dark Chocolate small dessert was made with Kona and Ginger chocolates, Hawaiian Macadamia Nuts with sea salt, and Hawaiian Wildflower Honey from Chico Honey* (Chico, CA). 

Pieces of Kona-grown cacao dark chocolate and Ginger dark chocolate were covered with chopped whole, sea salted macadamia nuts) -- and drizzled with amber-colored Hawaiian Wildflower Honey. 

These four ingredients were full of complementary flavors. Two ounces of pure chocolate decadence--the goal of this small dessert series.

The Big Island chocolate had sweet green and rich dark chocolate notes; the ginger spice chocolate had dark chocolate spicy gingerbread notes, the mac nuts provided salty, softly crunchy, buttery nut texture, and the honey was rich and satisfying with far more flavor depth than most sweet toppings/sauces.

*The company sources honey from their own hives in California, Hawaii and Montana.

 

Hawaiian Wildflower Honey Chocolate Dessert Series - #1 - 80% Dark, Coconut, Sweet Lemon, Mangosteen - Jan. 14, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Hawaiian Wildflower Honey Chocolate Dessert #1
80% Dark Chocolate, Sweet Lemon, Mangosteen
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total small dessert
Calories: 245 calories (estimate) for 1 dessert
Cost: N/A - many sources
Purchased from: N/A - multiple sources

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week--into which I'm inserting a series of small (homemade) chocolate desserts floating in Hawaiian Wildflower Honey.*

Today's Hawaii Honey dessert #1: An 80% dark chocolate square with toasted coconut was set in a small pool of Hawaii Honey flavored with sweet lemon (Citrus limetta) rind and mangosteen** fruit (freeze-dried powder).

The Hawaii honey and sweet lemon rind were particularly bright and wonderful flavors, and both complemented the 80% dark chocolate very nicely. The coconut flakes were very subtle, as was the mangosteen powder. (Bits of fresh mangosteen would have been more flavorful, but they're hard to find where I live.)

*In past years I created a series of small, "shot glass" chocolate desserts. Each of them was designed to have memorable, layered flavors and to fit into a (1.5 - 2 oz.) shot glass. 

This week's series highlights small desserts with big flavors, made with Hawaiian Wildflower Honey from Chico Honey (Chico, CA). The company sources honey from their hives in California, Hawaii and Montana. Chocolate and flavor inclusions were layered atop a tiny pool of this delicious Hawaiian honey.

**Mangosteen has been called the "Queen of Fruits." First cultivated in Southeast Asia, this purple hued small fruit with an ivory-colored center tastes like a blend of fruits: lychee, strawberry, peach, mango. Like cacao fruit pulp, it can evoke memories of other tropical fruits while still maintaining its own essence.