Marco Paolo - Coconut Brittle - Sept. 26, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Marco Paolo Chocolates
Coconut Nectar Brittle Bark
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) /3.65 oz. (103.5 g.) in total package
Calories: 140 calories (estimate) for 1 oz. (28.3 g.) serving
Cost: $10.00 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Marco Paolo Chocolates

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate, Brittle and Bark Theme Week.

Coconut Nectar makes a delicious syrup base -- and a great brittle as well, as evidenced by this Coconut Nectar Brittle Bark from Marco Paolo Chocolates (Van Nuys, CA/Los Angeles, CA).

This confectionary pleasure consisted of thin sheets of buttery toffee made with coconut cream, organic coconut palm sugar, butter, glucose* syrup, flaked coconut, and a 70% dark chocolate coating.

Despite three coconut ingredients, the coconut flavor is very subtle and well balanced, as are the textures and other flavors. So, even if you think you're not a coconut fan, I recommend trying this coconut nectar brittle bark.

The well-sealed pouch enabled this brittle to stay crisp and fresh; and it also refrigerated well. (This Coconut Nectar brittle was available online in a 1-pound box when I checked this week.)

*Note: For those watching their gluten intake, glucose syrup may or may not be gluten free.

SF Chocolate Salon - March 24, 2013

Chocolate Salon - San Francisco
March 24, 2013

Good fun was had today at the annual Chocolate Salon, held at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, CA. I enjoyed saying hello to local favorites (Socola, Neo Cocoa, Jade Chocolates, Clarine's Florentines, and many others) as well as discovering new bars, truffles and flavor combinations.

Trends, What's New
New chocolatiers in this year's group of exhibitors included Marco Paolo Chocolates, Mission Blue Confections, Nosh This, Fab. At least one chocolate maker was missing who'd been attending in recent years, Dandelion Chocolate (the company was likely focusing on ramping up their new place on Valencia, in the Mission district of SF).

There also seemed to be more wine and spirits vendors this year. The first table in the hall was occupied by a sparkling wine vendor from Los Angeles. And TV host Leslie Sbrocco ("Check Please! Bay Area" on KQED/PBS Channel 9) gave a lively presentation with suggestions for wine pairings with Toffee Talk, Poco Dolce, and Marich chocolates. The audience enjoyed samples as well.

Speaking of presentations, this year's show had at least one, conveniently located separate break-out room (off the floor) for some sessions/talks -- an improvement from earlier years. And a well-done presentation schedule was posted at the entrance in a few places from the start. Hurray!
 


Presentations, Demos, Talks
I wasn't able to attend every event, but in addition to exhibitors, the show included a variety of talks and presentations, including a...
- Talk about orchids, vanilla and chocolate by Bruce Rogers (author of "The Orchid Whisperer," Chronicle Books), that included whiffs of lovely chocolate-smelling orchids, and vanilla beans
- Chocolate Meetup featuring a talk, given by Marcia Gagliardi of tablehopper, about great chocolate desserts in San Francisco, accompanied by mouth-watering photos
- Demonstration on how to make a world class chocolate mousse (on-site) from a distinguished chef and teacher, Stephen Durfee
- Panel discussion about where chocolate comes from, from farm to bar, with Art Pollard of Amano Chocolate (Orem, UT), and Gary Guittard of Guittard Chocolate (South San Francisco, CA), moderated by food writer, cookbook author and chocolate fan, Amy Sherman.

Location, Location
San Francisco was a great place for this show. When we needed a break from too much sugar and chocolate, we needed only to look out the window, or to step outside, to catch a little breeze, and to see sailboats scudding by on the San Francisco Bay, on a day so clear that Mt. Tamalpais (across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County) was visible in the distance.

Marco Paolo - Espresso truffle - March 24, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Marco Paolo Chocolates, LLC
Espresso with Anise Marzipan (truffle)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece / 4.3 oz. (127 g.) (estimate) 9-piece box
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $25.00 for 9-piece box
Purchased from: Marco Paolo Chocolates, Van Nuys, CA

The annual Chocolate Salon was held in San Francisco today. This show offered a dazzling display of chocolate wares from a long list of chocolatiers, confectioners, chocolate makers -- and an opportunity to discover new chocolates. (I left the show with two full bags.)

Today's Espresso with Anise Marzipan truffle was part of a beautifully designed, 9-piece box of colorful gems (the "Sense Venture" collection) from Marco Paolo Chocolates (Van Nuys, CA). I sampled a tiny tasting truffle at the Marco Paolo table at the show, before buying a box. (These 1/2 bite sized truffles are a great, economical way to sample flavors for exhibitors and attendees alike.)

Each of the 9 pieces in this collection contained bold combinations of layered flavors. Today's piece contained espresso mocha ganache on top of a layer of anise infused marzipan; and these flavors were encased in a dark chocolate shell (fair trade from Kallari), decorated with strokes of colored cocoa butter.

I Love Layers
I'm a big fan of filled chocolates and truffles containing flavor parfaits like today's collection.  These separate layers can add to the complexity and richness of the tasting experience, in the same way that a sandwich allows one to taste all the ingredients -- separately, and together. I wouldn't put a sandwich into a blender first before eating it, particularly if it were made with fine ingredients that I wanted to savor one flavor bite at a time. The same is true for certain flavor combinations.

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Espresso Theme Week.