The Oakland Chocolate Co. - 80% Bachelors Hall Farm (Jamaica) bar - March 6, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

The Oakland Chocolate Company
80% Cacao Bachelors Hall Farm, St. Thomas, Jamaica bar
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.7 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Company, Oakland, CA

Welcome to Day #9 (last day) of Chocolate and Jamaica Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate and JKLM Theme Week, in which I feature chocolate items with flavor additions and/or origins that begin with the letters of the alphabet. This week those letters are: J, K, L and/or M.

Today's 80% Cacao Bachelors Hall (Jamaica) bar was made by Nancy Nadel owner and chief chocolate maker at The Oakland Chocolate Company (Oakland, CA). 

Nadel makes single origin bars and confections, all from Jamaican grown cacao--from a single parish (Saint Thomas) and estate/farm (Bachelors Hall Estate).

The aroma of today's 80% cacao Jamaica bar had a true chocolate (fudge brownie) aroma, with very faint and balanced umami, fermented cacao, and pleasing earth notes. 

The flavor notes were very similar with a hint of cream, and red fruit (mild, ripe cherry), fleeting coffee and spice. (Note: there was no cream or dairy in this bar.) It had balanced, relatively low bitterness for an ultra-dark chocolate.

Almost all the Jamaica bars featured in the past week, from different chocolate makers, used cacao from the same farm (Bachelors Hall Estate). So any differences in aroma and/or flavor were more likely to be due to a maker's choices, such as different cacao bean inspection (micro-sorting), roast profiles or conch times, or even aging or packaging.

Today's bar was a great example of all the tasting notes possible with this Jamaican cacao origin. Luscious true chocolate brownie flavor--with a little earth, fruit, spice, fermented cacao, umami and cream, but not too much (or too little) of any one element.

Ingredients: cocoa mass, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter, sea salt

*Jamaica is located at approximately 18 degrees North latitude -- well within the cacao growing belt (0 to 20 degrees north and/or south of the Equator). 

Most chocolate makers today are using Jamaican-grown cacao beans from the country's largest cacao farm in St. Thomas Parish, in Surrey County, in Eastern Jamaica -- Bachelor's Hall Estate, east of Kingston. Although where you find coffee farms in Jamaica, you may also see a few cacao trees as well. The two crops have similar growing requirements. 

The Oakland Chocolate Company - Caramel Bar - March 5, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

The Oakland Chocolate Company
Caramel Bar
Good ++ - +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Company, Oakland, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Jamaica Theme Week.

Today's Caramel Bar was made by Nancy Nadel owner and chief chocolate maker at The Oakland Chocolate Company (Oakland, CA). Nadel makes reasonably priced, high-end craft chocolate bars and confections, from scratch, using cacao grown in Jamaica.

This snack-sized, filled, dark chocolate Caramel Bar was a very satisfying take on a traditional dark chocolate and caramel filled confection. A thick covering of flavorful, rich dark chocolate elevated this bar to the next level. 

When I started Chocolate Banquet in 2006, most chocolate covered caramels had fragile, bland and sweet chocolate shells that collapsed (into a sweet, sticky mess) if not handled very carefully. The emphasis was on the sugar and not on the chocolate. 

This Oakland Chocolate Co. bar was an artful melding of single origin (Bachelors Hall Estate (farm), Jamaica) dark chocolate (with fudge brownie aroma and flavor notes) and soft, rich, buttery caramel--made with real cream and butter.*

The addition of the coconut palm sugar used to make the caramel filling increased flavor depth and helped reduce the sugar buzz** a little (thank you Nancy!). Yet, there was enough sweetness to be appealing to caramel fans as well.

Today's Caramel Bar was a satisfying and enjoyable high-end take on a confectionery classic.

*Ingredients: "Cocoa mass (direct source from farmer Desmond Jadusingh, Bachelors Hall, Jamaica), organic cane sugar, cocoa butter, cream (milk), butter, organic coconut palm sugar, rice syrup, vanilla, sea salt." 

** Coconut palm sugar is lower on the glycemic index than processed cane sugar. I noticed I wasn't experiencing as rapid a rise in blood sugar, i.e. a "hard" sugar buzz, with this sweetener many years ago when I started sampling chocolates made with coconut palm sugar. And as long as a sweetener (of any sort) doesn't interfere with tasting the chocolate, I am all for that. The stimulants in cacao (primarily theobromine, and a bit of caffeine) in chocolate are enough for me. 

Coconut palm sugar starts with people climbing high up in palm trees to gather coconut flower sap/nectar that is then made into the sugar we see in stores and in chocolates. After watching people collect this nectar in SE Asia, I have a great deal of respect for those engaged in this work.

The Oakland Chocolate Co. - Wild Onion Roasted Almond Truffle - July 11, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Company
Wild Onion Roasted Almond Truffle
Good ++
Weight: .49 oz. (13.8 g.) (estimate) in 1 truffle
Calories: 74 calories (estimate) in 1 truffle
Cost: $2.50 for 1 truffle
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Company, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Savory Theme Week.

Today's Wild Onion Roasted Almond Truffle was created by chocolate-maker Nancy Nadel of The Oakland Chocolate Company (Oakland, CA). 

Nadel makes her chocolate bars and bonbons from scratch using cacao beans from Jamaica (Bachelors Hall). And flavor inclusions in her bean-to-bar, small batch chocolates are often locally (San Francisco Bay Area) sourced, from a farmers market or garden.

This dark chocolate truffle was filled with a creamy smooth dark chocolate ganache that contained a tiny sprig of wild onion and piece of roasted almond--inside and outside--embedded in the filling and as a topping. This garnish created a lovely appearance as well.

Balance is important in all food preparation, perhaps especially so for food items that combine sweet and savory. While salt is the most frequently used way to create a savory-sweet chocolate, there are other ways to incorporate an umami flavor or two, such as using herbs and spices people associate with savory dishes (e.g. rosemary, tarragon or black pepper). A dash of sea salt often balances out lots of sugar or or caramel and appeals to our food cravings. But no heavy dose of salt was required or desired today. Just a whisper would do just fine.

Today's wild onion truffle was not too sweet (thank you!). And because of the lack of extra sugar one could really taste the layers of sweet, rich and savory authentic flavors. 

The Oakland Chocolate Company - Raspberry Chocolate Truffle - June 28, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Company

Raspberry Chocolate Truffle (vegan)

Good +

Weight: .49 oz. (13.8 g.) (estimate) in 1 truffle

Calories: 73 calories (estimate) in 1 truffle

Cost: $2.50 for 1 truffle

Purchased from: Oakland Chocolate Company, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Red Fruit Theme Week.

Today's vegan Raspberry Chocolate Truffle was from The Oakland Chocolate Company (Oakland, CA).

This chocolate truffle had authentic, balanced natural raspberry flavor (and even a few tiny raspberry seeds) in a base of smooth dark chocolate. Very satisfying, and not too sweet (thank you chief chocolate maker and flavor meister Nancy Nadel).

Nadel has specialized in making chocolate bars and bonbons using Jamaica-grown cacao for many years.

The Oakland Chocolate Company - Pecan Turtle, Macchiato Caramel - Sept. 7, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

The Oakland Chocolate Company
1.) Turtle (Pecan) - Good ++
2.) Macchiato Caramel - Good ++
Weight: .71 oz. (20 g.) (estimate) in 2 pieces
Calories: 106.5 calories (estimate) in 2 pieces
Cost: $5.00 (estimate) for 2 pieces
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Company, Oakland, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week.

Nancy Nadel at The Oakland Chocolate Company (Oakland, CA) has created a wide assortment of flavored chocolate caramels, covered with her bean-to-bar-to-bonbon chocolate (that she's made from Jamaican cocoa beans).

In the past, Nancy's Pink Peppercorn and Tamarind Mango caramels have been featured here; and I've sampled her Chocolate Covered Caramel Graham Crackers (gluten free) as well.*

Today, the focus is on two chocolate and caramel pieces: a Pecan Turtle and a Macchiato Caramel.

Both chocolates had the subtle aroma of rich, dark Jamaican chocolate, and had the satisfying caramel and chocolate melt and texture that often only comes with small-batch confections with high-quality ingredients.

The turtle was a jewel of a confection—not a jumbo sweet monster patty packed into glass cases, oozing enough caramel to induce diabetes. This turtle had just the right amount of caramel and naturally sweet crunchy pecans. And the flavorful chocolate wasn't overly sweet (thank you!).

The Macchiato Caramel was an attractively constructed bonbon topped with a spot of white icing and a coffee bean. No wait. That coffee bean was actually a carefully molded tiny chocolate piece that looked like a coffee bean. The dark, not too sweet coffee-infused caramel center was also nicely done and well-balanced.

Thank you Nancy Nadel for being an early bean-to-bar chocolate maker in the wave of New American Chocolate makers that have blossomed this century, and for your new, creative flavors you continue to bring to the market.

*The Oakland Chocolate Company also offers Cardamom, Lemon, Cinnamon, Apple, Sweetheart and other Caramel bonbons with flavor inclusions.

The Oakland Chocolate Co. - Hazelnut Bar - Dec. 18, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Co.
Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Bar
Good++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

We kicked off this week with a Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Bar from The Oakland Chocolate Co. (Oakland, CA), with rows of whole hazelnuts pressed into the back of this single origin bar.

Chocolate maker Nancy Nadel offers a line of bonbons and bars that she crafts using cacao beans from the Parish of St. Mary in Jamaica. Most of her chocolates are made with 70% cacao; but she also makes extra dark (85%) and milk chocolate (45%) bars -- today's Hazelnut bar being in the latter category. The 45% milk chocolate has a slight caramel flavor that pairs nicely with the hazelnuts.

The Oakland Chocolate Co. - Fig Butter Bar - Nov. 22, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Co.
Fig Butter Bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 149 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

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

This dark chocolate Fig Butter Bar was hand-crafted by Nancy Nadel at The Oakland Chocolate Co. (Oakland, CA). The chocolate was made from scratch using single origin, Jamaican cacao beans. And the tiny filling cavities were bursting with dried chopped fig, and hints of orange zest, lemon and sea, salt yielding a small bar that was full of concentrated flavor.

The Oakland Chocolate Co. - 85% Fig, Pumpkin seed bark - Nov. 21, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

The Oakland Chocolate Co.
85% Cacao Chocolate Bark - Fig, Pumpkin and Hemp Seeds
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70.75 g.) in total bag/package
Calories: 149 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. piece of bark
Cost: $5.50 for 1 bag/package
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Fig Theme Week. Cold weather tends to enhance my appreciation of rich, concentrated flavors, like those found in dried fruits. So, while fresh figs are wonderful, I'm focusing on great chocolates made with dried figs this week.

Today's dark chocolate and fig offering from The Oakland Chocolate Co. (Oakland, CA) came in the form of thin shards of 85% (Jamaican) cacao bark, adorned with small slices of dried figs. Green pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds and small, sparkling crystals of sea salt added great, well-balanced texture and flavor.

When so many other holiday barks are loaded with sugar, this one stands out as a less-sweet, tasty, dark alternative. 

The Oakland Chocolate Co. - Chipotle Lime Bar - Nov. 20, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Co.
Chipotle Lime Bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 149 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

I do like citrus flavors, and they stand up well when blended with dark chocolate. Today's Chipotle Lime Bar with Fleur de Sel was a fun and well-balanced bar -- with just the right amount of candied lime zest, fleur de sel, and a hint of chipotle pepper.

Created by chocolate maker, Nancy Nadel, owner of The Oakland Chocolate Co. (Oakland, CA), this 70% dark chocolate bar was crafted from single origin cacao beans from Saint Mary Parish in Northeast Jamaica.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Jamaica Theme Week.

The Oakland Chocolate Co. - One Love Very Dark Bar - Nov. 19, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Co.
"One Love" Very Dark Bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.35 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 149 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $2.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Jamaica Theme Week.

For a pure Jamaican dark chocolate experience you might try the "One Love" Very Dark Bar from The Oakland Chocolate Co. (Oakland, CA).

This smaller sized bar (just the right size for me) was smooth in texture, and had a robust, Jamaican Origin 85% cacao flavor profile.

The Oakland Chocolate Co. - Black Pepper Cherry Bar - Nov. 17, '14

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Co.
Black Pepper Sweet Cherry Bar
Good ++ - Very Good 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 149 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

Dried sweet cherries harmonized with dark chocolate, in today's slightly earthy, Black Pepper Sweet Cherry Bar from The Oakland Chocolate Co. (Oakland, CA). A light sprinkle of black pepper and sea salt gave this 70% cacao bar a balanced, complementary flavor zing.

Chocolate maker, Nancy Nadel, sources cacao beans from a single Parish (Saint Mary) in Jamaica to craft her bean-to-bar (or bonbon) chocolate that serves as a base for her offerings.

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Jamaica Theme Week.

The Oakland Chocolate Co. - One Love - Nov. 16, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Co.
One Love Pineapple Bar
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in total package
Calories: 149 calories (estimate) in 1 package
Cost: $2.50 for 1 package
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

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

The One Love Pineapple Bar from The Oakland Chocolate Co. (Oakland, CA) was the perfect size for a single serving of dark chocolate.

Small pieces of embedded dried pineapple imparted sweet, tropical fruit flavor in this 70% bar made from Jamaican cacao beans. 

The Oakland Chocolate Co. - Chocolate Caramel Graham Cookie - Nov. 14, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Co., LLC
Chocolate Covered Caramel Graham Cookie
Good ++
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) (estimate) in 1 package
Calories: 398 calories (estimate) in 1 package
Cost: $3.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Jamaica Theme Week.

What a treat to have a gluten free version of a caramel cookie confection like this. This Chocolate Covered Caramel Graham Cookie was created by Nancy Nadel at The Oakland Chocolate Co. (Oakland, CA).

Inside this confection was a crunchy, gluten-free graham style cookie square topped with a thin luscious layer of soft, coconut palm sugar caramel. The cookie was covered with single origin, bean-to-bonbon, Jamaican dark chocolate (+ a dark chocolate heart shape "drawn" across the top). And it was gone in no time.

Ginger Papaya truffle - July 7, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Co.
Ginger Papaya truffle
Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 truffle
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 truffle
Cost: $2.00 for 1 piece
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

Today's Ginger Papaya truffle from The Oakland Chocolate Co. (Oakland, CA), was made from Jamaican chocolate. The dark chocolate ganache (filling) was infused with a faint ginger flavor and the truffle was crowned with a small piece of golden-orange, dried papaya.

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

Oakland Chocolate Co. - Hibiscus truffle - June 9, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

The Oakland Chocolate Company
Hibiscus Tea truffle
Good - Good +
Weight: .42 oz. (11.8 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 63 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $2.00 for 1 piece
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

I enjoy mixing spices, herbs and flowers when cooking. This week I've been blending hibiscus, citrus and pink peppercorns, a combination that creates an interesting raft of flavor for beverages, desserts and chocolate items.

Happily, Nancy Nadel at The Oakland Chocolate Company (Oakland, CA) celebrates these flavors as well, inspired by her relationship with cacao farmers in Jamaica*.

I tried Nancy Nadel's Hibiscus Tea truffle and a Pink Peppercorn Caramel side-by-side today. The truffle's white chocolate ganache (filling) was infused with a hibiscus tea flavor, was coated with dark chocolate and topped with an attractive bit of tropical pink (lightly candied hibiscus blossom I'm guessing).

Today was the third day of Chocolate and Hibiscus Theme Week.

*Trivia: Hibiscus based drinks go by various names. The name for a popular, red drink in Mexico made with this flower is flor de Jamaica (pronounced ha-mie'-ka), and Hondurans enjoy: agua de Jamaica. Interestingly, a similar red beverage in Jamaica is called Sorrel.

Oakland Chocolate - Rum Barrel - April 18, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

The Oakland Chocolate Co, LLC
Barrel - Rum Raisin, Sweet Curry Milk
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 barrel
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) for 1 barrel
Cost: $N/A - part of a previous assortment
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Company, Oakland, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Spirits Theme Week.

The Oakland Chocolate Co, LLC is a small company, based in Oakland, CA. Chief chocolate maker, Nancy Nadel, uses cocoa beans from St. Mary's Parish in Jamaica.

While there are dozens of women chocolatiers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Nadel is one of the few women who are making chocolate from cocoa beans (bean to bar, and in this case from bean to bar to bonbon), rather than buying blocks of chocolate to make her bonbons, rolled truffles and chocolate leaves.

She describes her Jamaican-based chocolate as having chocolate brownie and plum notes, and this is consistent with flavors I tasted in her dark (70 - 72% cacao) chocolates (part of an assortment box), including an oak leaf and a chocolate barrel that I imagined was filled with Jamaican rum. It was either rum raisin, sweet curry milk -- or both. In any case, the flavor of this soft golden filling was quite tasty.

ChocolateBet: December 4, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces
The Oakland Chocolate Co.
1.) Triple Chocolate Brownie Truffle - Very Good
2.) Acorn Bonbon - Very Good
Weight: .9 oz. (25.5 g.) (estimate for 2 pieces)
Calories: 135 calories (estimate)
Cost: $4.00 ($2.00 per piece on average)
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

Nancy Nadel at The Oakland Chocolate Co. (Oakland, CA) works with farmers in Jamaica to obtain cacao to create chocolates like today's Triple Chocolate Brownie Truffle and Acorn Bonbon -- a tribute to the oak trees full of acorns, that once blanketed the San Francisco Bay Area.

Walnuts, like those that adorn the top of today's Brownie truffle were introduced to California, and became a large cash crop, with large groves in the Central Valley. I grew up climbing big walnut trees in our backyard. The young walnuts were great for fun and games and made dark stains on our clothes that were difficult to remove. Occasionally a few walnuts stayed on the tree long enough to ripen to the edible stage, and they were cracked open and incorporated into walnut and apricot children's tea parties, occasionally attended by squirrels -- like the one at my back door, shown below right.

The Triple Chocolate Brownie truffle had a rich, dark fudge-like center, and the Acorn Bonbon was filled with walnut, maple and honey. I recommend both.

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

ChocolateBet: July 6, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
The Oakland Chocolate Co.
Mocha Cup
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .3 oz. (8.49 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 45 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ part of a larger classic box assortment
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

Sometimes a mocha beverage can really hit the spot for breakfast. This

miniature dark chocolate coffee cup filled with a mocha filling and topped off with a layer of white chocolate was no exception.

This little flavorful cup was so small, I had plenty of room for an Udi's gluten-free sweet roll w/ pecans and cinnamon.

ChocolateBet: June 21, 2011

Chocolates of the Day:

The Oakland Chocolate Co.
1.) Lavender Truffle - Very Good
2.) Spearmint Truffle - Very Good
3.) Pistachio Rolled Truffle - Good + - Very Good
4.) Filled Oval Leaf (lime pepper jelly) - Very Good
5.) Filled Scallop Leaf (lemon curd) - Very Good +
6.) Filled Small Log (hazelnut butter) - Very Good - Very Good +

People ask me if I ever have trouble finding new chocolates. No, not yet. But, if I have too many oversampling days like today, I just might. I selected six possible Mediterranean flavors that came in a box of chocolates from The Oakland Chocolate Company (a bean-to-bar-to-bonbon operation). All these individual chocolates were made from Jamaican dark chocolate.

The Lavender Truffle was filled with a white ganache and topped with delicious candied lavender buds. The Spearmint Truffle with a chocolate ganache also was blessed with a tiny piece of what I believe was candied spearmint leaf. My two favorites were: the dark chocolate leaf filled with lemon curd -- a combination that is hard to beat in my opinion; and the small chocolate log filled with hazelnut butter. The hazelnut butter sparkled with bright bits of flavor, sweetness and texture. I much preferred this to overly homogenized hazelnut fillings present in some commercial chocolates.

In the same vein as the leaf with lemon curd, the oval chocolate leaf that was filled with lime pepper jelly was also good -- tart and pleasing, but not overly spicy.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Mediterranean Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: April 4, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
4 eggs
The Oakland Chocolate Company
Easter Egg Dome Bonbons
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 2.8 oz. (79 g.) in 4 egg domes (estimate)
Calories: 420 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Company, Oakland, CA

These rich, glossy chocolate Egg Domes, made by hand with Jamaican Origin cacao, from The Oakland Chocolate Company, were filled with white chocolate and orange curd.

There is an old saying: "To make an omelette, you need to break some eggs." Today (Day #6 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Theme Week), in order to photograph some chocolate eggs, I needed to break open and eat four Easter egg domes. OK, I realize this is not quite the same elegant, poetic metaphor. But, I found myself holding a camera and mumbling: Ooh, darn, that orange curd "yolk" is not quite centered, I'll have to break open another egg dome.

I loved the fact that the oranges for the orange curd came from Nancy Nadel's backyard. Nancy is the artisan force behind The Oakland Chocolate Company.