Chocolate of the Day
Hawaiian Wildflower Honey Dessert #3
Papaya, Banana, Salted Mac Nuts + Ghirardelli Blood Orange Chocolate dessert
Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total dessert
Calories: 250 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ N/A - many sources
Purchased from: N/A - many sources
Aloha and welcome to Day #16 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week(s).
This is the third in a series of small chocolate desserts using Hawaiian wildflower honey and other Hawaii-themed ingredients. The goal of this series: construct and enjoy a series* of tiny blend of beautiful, layered island/tropical flavors in January.
Today's small dessert contained Hawaii papaya, banana, salted macadamia nuts--and 1 square of Blood Orange Dark Chocolate from Ghirardelli Chocolate Company (San Leandro, CA).
This fruit and chocolate tropical treat was topped with salted macadamia nuts and drizzled with delicious Hawaiian Wildflower Honey from Chico Honey (Chico, CA).**
The pure tropical fruit, wildflower honey and nut flavors were unadulterated, authentic and refreshing. The sea salted macadamia nut pieces added some additional texture and the salt helped balance the sweetness.
In what was certainly an unfair comparison, the Blood Orange Dark Chocolate was fairly uniform, dense (dark roast, Forastero-like variety cacao), almost flat in flavor, when tasted with fresh and flavorful whole fruit and honey, and nuts.
There was little bright fruit/flavor, and no green or other complex aroma or flavor notes--beyond what one would expect from a reasonably priced, bulk dark chocolate bar with natural flavors and a bit of vanilla. Not bad, and interesting to try. But, it suffered when compared to the single origin Hawaii chocolates tasted so far this month.
Ingredients: Blood Orange Dark Chocolate: Cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, milk fat, rice syrup, blood orange bits, orange peel, natural flavor, coconut oil, soy lecithin, citric acid, vanilla extract, annatto (color), beet juice (color).
Allergen-related information: Contains soy. May contain milk and tree nuts.
* This week's 6-day Hawaiian Honey series was designed to perk up cold and gray winter days, and falls in the middle of a Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week(s) -- a "week" that grew until it devoured the month of January. Chocolate virtual travel has a way of doing that, especially if that v-travel is to Hawaii.
**The company sources honey from their own hives in California, Hawaii and Montana.
