Nosh This - Caramels, bacon - April 3, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Nosh This
1.) Meyer Lemon Walnut Salted Caramels
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: (unknown) had 2 caramels / box of 8 caramels total
Calories: unknown
Cost: $18.00 (estimate) for a box of 8 caramels
Purchased from: Nosh This table at the San Francisco Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

2.) Bacon Salted Caramel Sauce
Very Good
Weight: 1 Tablespoon serving / 8 oz. (190 mL) in one glass jar
Calories: unknown
Cost: $ unknown
Purchased from: Nosh This table at the San Francisco Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Pig Week.

One of the best chocolate and bacon artists in San Francisco is a man named Kai Kronfield. This morning I sampled two treats from his company, Nosh This (San Francisco, CA).

I imagined pigs celebrating* when I opted first for Nosh This's non-bacon offering, Meyer Lemon Walnut Salted Caramels. These caramels tasted very fresh and were flat-out delicious.

The toasted walnut flavor harmonized very nicely with the salt caramel, dark chocolate, and a hint of Meyer lemon. (No wonder those pigs in the hot air balloon were opening bottles of champagne.*)

The pigs likely became less enthusiastic when I unscrewed the lid on the company's second offering: Bacon Salted Caramel Sauce. If you savor the occasional piece of crispy, salty goodness, this bacon caramel sauce was heaven on a spoon.

Bacon fantasies ensued. Bacon sauce over vanilla ice cream with a little drizzle of chocolate sauce and some toasted nuts. A dab of this sauce atop a short stack of pancakes. However, this bacon caramel sauce was also excellent, all by itself. One tablespoon was enough to experiment; I mixed it with a few other foods, and it was rich enough to leave me feeling plenty satisfied.

Other examples of chocolate and bacon artistry available from this same company: a Three Little Pigs assortment box, with three flavors: Bacon Caramels, Bacon Crack, and Bourbon Bacon Rocky Road.

*The "Pigs" image/card, from Post Mark Press, was reproduced from an antique postcard

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.

ChocolateBet: July 15, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 package
Nosh This
Salt and Pepper Caramels
Very Good +
Weight: approx. 1.3 oz. (36.8 g.)
Calories: 187 calories (estimate)
Cost: Approximately $4 for 2 pieces
Purchased from: Nosh This, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Pepper Theme Week. San Francisco-based Nosh This offers a variety of salt caramels and confections, including Bacon Crack -- written about previously on Chocolate Banquet. This Salt and Pepper Caramel was very good. The chocolate coatings and caramel centers were well executed; and I enjoyed the micro-bursts of freshly ground black pepper flavor, amongst savory salt overtones.

Unfortunately, while I was getting my camera out earlier to photograph these caramels, I laid this small package to rest on my dining room table -- directly under a skylight, for a few minutes. And the sun had its way with this artfully prepared treat. It still tasted wonderful, but I'm not including a picture for this reason.

ChocolateBet: June 19, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Nosh This
Meyer Lemon Salted Caramel
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: 2 for $4; or box of 8 for $14
Purchased from: Nosh This, in San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Mediterranean Theme Week.

Citrus fruits are part of Mediterranean cuisine. And Meyer lemons are available in many parts of California, the state where I live. Nosh This (San Francisco) offers a Meyer Lemon Salted Caramel with tiny bits of what I'm fairly sure are lemon rind. These bits of rind provided wonderful lemon taste and texture to these salt caramels enveloped in chocolate.

I'm very grateful to live in an area with a Mediterranean-like climate; I have rosemary, lavender, citrus and other edible wonders in my small yard. Thank you also to neighbors who have generously offered to share some of their Meyer lemons over the years. 

ChocolateBet: June 17, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

1 serving
Fennel Salad with fresh orange, pancetta, cacao nibs
Very Good
Weight: 4 oz. (113 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 210 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ N/A - multiple items (homemade)
Purchased from: Various sources (homemade)

1 piece
Nosh This
Balsamic Salted Caramel
Good+
Weight: not sure
Calories: not sure
Cost: 2 for $4
Purchased from: Nosh This, San Francisco, CA

Today was the last day of Chocolate and Bacon Theme Week, and a return to Chocolate and Mediterranean Theme Week, part 2. The weather is starting to heat up, and salads are starting to look more appealing on a warm day. Salads with chocolate perhaps -- in the form of cacao nibs sprinkled over the top of a shaved fennel salad with chopped fresh orange slices, crispy pancetta pieces, Meyer lemon juice, olive oil, grated cheese, and a little garlic salt. Cacao nibs can add a nut-like earthy or even smoky flavors and crunchy texture to a summer or Mediterranean salad like this.

Throw in a few gluten free breadsticks or a piece of garlic toast or garlic crackers and call it lunch. And for dessert, Nosh This (San Francisco) offers a Balsamic Salted Caramel (and also a Meyer Lemon Salted Caramel) that pair well with this type of salad. I had the Balsamic salt caramel today.

Later in the day, while doing more research on Mediterranean beverages/cocktails that might be combined with chocolate in the future, I tried an Aperol cocktail over ice with soda that was very refreshing. I look forward to making an orange, Aperol, gluten free chocolate cake sometime in the future.

ChocolateBet: June 13, 2011

 Chocolate of the Day:

1 package
Nosh This
Bourbon Bacon Rocky Road
Very Good +
Weight: 1.3 oz. (37 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 182 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Nosh This, in San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Bacon Theme Week. Today's chocolate choice was a creative take on rocky road -- made with delicious bits of homemade marshmallows, a hint of bourbon, Organic walnuts, small bits of real bacon, and dark chocolate.

I had intended to cut this generous piece in half; but, this rocky road was gone in no time.

ChocolateBet: June 12, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Nosh This
Bacon Salted Caramel(s)
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .9 oz. (25.47 g.) (estimate for 2 pieces)
Calories: 135 calories (estimate)
Cost: $14 - box of 8 caramels ($4 for 2)
Purchased from: Nosh This, in San Francisco, CA

Dark chocolate coated bacon caramels, topped with a very light sprinkle of grey sea salt. What's not to like? If you're a bacon fan, or fan of savory flavors, give these Nosh This Bacon Salted Caramels a try.

It's difficult to balance dark chocolate with bacon. While bacon has it's own strong smokey, salty taste and chewy crisp texture, dark chocolate can dominate/overwhelm other flavor notes. Many chocolate chefs have gone with a deep milk (52-60% cacao) with bacon for this reason. I liked that these caramels were not overpoweringly sweet and the dark chocolate seemed to work in this case. Nosh This Founder and Chef, Kai Kronfield, has used a short list of high-quality ingredients like real cream, butter and sugar (and no corn syrup) certainly, which resulted in a better taste experience for me as well.

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Bacon Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: June 11, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Nosh This
Bacon Crack
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: $4.00 for 1 piece/package; I bought 3 for $11.00
Purchased from: Nosh This, in San Francisco, CA

When I heard that someone had invented a dessert product called "Bacon Crack," dipped in chocolate no less, it attracted my attention. This week was Day #1 of Chocolate and Bacon Theme Week. I will continue with Chocolate and Mediterranean Theme Week (part 2) next week. But, today, Nosh This -- a San Francisco-based company that offers at least three chocolates with bacon in them -- gets the spotlight.

The piece of Bacon Crack that I bit into was an elegant rectangle of sweet and savory goodness, with flecks of (yes, real) bacon embedded throughout a crunchy almond toffee filling.

Founder, chef, and chief baconeer at Nosh This, Kai Kronfield, is continuing to create new offerings, and also contributes to "all bacon dinners" that are held in the San Francisco area. I will be sampling Nosh This salt caramels later this month.