Patric Chocolate - Raspberry-Balsamic Pear bar - Feb. 9, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Patric Chocolate
Raspberry-Balsamic Pear bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .23 oz. (6.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 35 calories (estimate) for 1/10 bar
Cost: $11.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was the first day of Valentines Day Chocolates Week.

Alan ("Patric") McClure of Patric Chocolate  (Columbia, MO) makes great chocolate, and any additional ingredients tend to be carefully designed to create layers of flavor and to complement the underlying cacao. Today's Raspberry-Balsamic Pear bar was no exception.

This ambitious, and very well balanced combination of raspberry, balsamic vinegar and pear essence was lovely. The chocolate was very smooth -- almost creamy, with slightly tangy fruit and raspberry flavor at the beginning; and the subtle pear flavor kicked in as part of the finish.

The only problem, Patric bars sell out quickly. And, alas, any plans to rush out and buy this bar for a Valentines Day gift for yourself or others may be foiled. This batch may already be gone.

Thank you to my seat-mates on the flight home today for tasting help.

Sapore Messo Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar + figs - Nov. 26, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sapore Messo Foods
Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar
Good++
Weight: 1 teaspoon / 375 mL (12.07 oz.) in total bottle
Calories: 6 calories (estimate) in 1 teaspoon
Cost: $12.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: Sapore Messo Foods table, Farmers Market, OFJCC, Palo Alto, CA

The days are growing shorter, and it's time to turn to the dark side. By that, I mean Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar -- that can be used to liven up all sorts of dishes.

Drizzle this Sapore Messo (San Jose, CA) balsamic over some figs on gluten-free toast with some great olive oil, and you have a great sweet and savory tapas plate. Or create a fig bruschetta. (The company also offers several other flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars, including a fig balsamic. The balsamic vinegar they work with is from Modena, Italy.)

A small amount of this dark chocolate balsamic vinegar imparts powerful flavor, so use sparingly on lighter dishes, such as fruit salads. This type of product invites experimentation. And, I'm going to experiment next with a small shake of this balsamic vinegar on a mango, blackberry and sage salad for the upcoming Thanksgiving long weekend.

Any fruits or berries that pair well with dark chocolate (strawberries, raspberries, orange, etc.) would likely work well also. Add a dollop of greek yogurt and grate a little dark chocolate over the top and you have a fruit salad that could easily serve as dessert.

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

ChocolateBet: July 23, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

.2 oz. serving
Vervacious
Chocolate Balsamic
(with fresh cherries and ice cream)
Good+
Weight: .2 fl. oz. (5.8 mL) (estimated) / 3.4 fl. oz. (100 mL) total bottle
Calories: 20 calories (estimate)
Cost: $10.95 total bottle
Purchased from: Williams-Sonoma, in Palo Alto, CA

Today, on the 4th Day of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week,  I topped a small dish of ice cream with three fresh cherries and a drizzle of Chocolate Balsamic sauce from Vervacious. I look forward to trying this original topping on other fruits and with other items in the future.

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: March 28, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Christopher Elbow - 4 individual pieces
1.) Balsamic Caramel (2 pieces) - Very Good
2.) Spiced Pear - Very Good - Very Good +
3.) Vanilla Cognac - Very Good - Very Good +

I always enjoy visiting Cocoa Bella in San Francisco; they carry individual chocolates from some fine chocolate artisans. Christopher Elbow chocolates look like small works of art.

The two "Balsamic Caramels" were worth framing, or treating as subjects for a chocolate still life. I, however, ate them instead. Other than a very slight salad dressing taste, these pieces filled with a rich, dark caramel filling were very good. Not all balsamic vinegar flavored chocolates trigger the salad taste, but vinegar and wine are very tricky flavors to blend. And it's easy to associate vinegar flavors with salad.

The bright green, faceted "Spiced Pear" was filled with a bottom layer of dark ganache and a top layer of almost liquid pear caramel. Sadly, this piece was cracked a bit by the time I unwrapped this bag at home. Next time, perhaps I'll bring a small box to protect them.

Last, but not least,  I tried Christopher Elbow's "Vanilla Cognac" chocolate, covered in gradated, black licorice colored shell. It was filled with a dark chocolate ganache that was flavored with vanilla and aged French Cognac, worthy of eating slowly.

ChocolateBet: November 14, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Vice Chocolates
"Slayer" truffle
Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.3 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 60 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: Vice booth, at Luxury Chocolate Salon event, at Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA

What's in a Vice Chocolates "Slayer" truffle? Think vampires, and you might come up with the answer: garlic, and balsamic vinegar.  Just the right amount of each made for an interesting truffle. I look forward to trying more creative flavors from Vice.

ChocolateBet: April 25, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Vosges
Balsamico
Very Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 72 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $
Purchased from: Vosges, Forum Shops in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, CA

This Vosges chocolate truffle, made with 12-year old balsamic vinegar, was topped with hazelnut pieces. The hazelnut topping qualified it for Day #2 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

I didn't have quite enough pieces for a Chocolate and Oil and Vinegar Theme Week....Perhaps in the future. (Note: Vosges does make a truffle with olive oil, as part of their Italian Collection.)

ChocolateBet: October 27, 2008

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

4 pieces
SOMA chocolatemaker
1.) Gooderham Worts Whiskey - Very Good
2.) 8-yr aged Balsamic Vinegar - Very Good +
3.) "Arbequina" estate olive oil - Very Good
4.) Douglas Fir - Very Good +
Wt.: ~ 1.8 oz. for 4 pieces
Calories: ~ 279 calories for 4 pieces
Cost: $ (I need to find, check receipt)
Purchased from: SOMA chocolatemaker, in Toronto, ON, Canada

SOMA is located in an old brick distillery, and the ~ 5-yr. old company makes chocolates on the premises (you can watch through a window in the store).

These four individual chocolates contained wonderful, unique flavors. All of them tasted like they were made with very high-quality chocolate. I gave the Balsamic Vinegar and the Douglas Fir a few extra points for originality and for tasting well balanced and better than I expected they would. I had intended to eat only one of these each day for four days, but...Oh well, they disappeared quickly...I was curious to "pair" the balsamic vinegar and the olive oil together. And, that worked fairly well. Next time I'm in Toronto, maybe I'll buy a few of these and melt them over a nice green salad. But, seriously, they were quite good; and the Douglas Fir was a great introduction to combining chocolate with pine tree-like flavors. The Worts whiskey was very good, but I couldn't taste any whiskey.

ChocolateBet: March 1, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Chuao Chocolatier
Choco Pod - Modena
Weight: 1 pod - 11 grams / 2.3 oz. (66 grams) total package of 6
Calories: 50 calories for 1 piece/pod
Cost: $6.29 for package of 6 pieces
Purchased from: Andronico's Market, in Palo Alto, CA

This package of 6 dark chocolate (60% cacao) "pods" from Chuao Chocolatier (Carlsbad, CA) were filled with a strawberry and balsamic caramel center, and were very good.

Each pod (roughly shaped like a cacao fruit) was individually wrapped making single servings convenient; the filling had a nice flavor without overwhelming the dark chocolate that surrounded it, which I liked -- probably because so many fillings are too sweet for my taste.