10-Years of Chocolate Celebration - Sept. 11, 2016

Chocolate Banquet: Celebrating 10 Years of Chocolate
September 11, 2016

Ten years ago, I accepted a bet by my daughter to eat a different kind of chocolate every day for a year. That year was so enjoyable that I continued to eat a different chocolate of the day for ten years and to write about chocolate on ChocolateBanquet.com. Today marks the 10th year anniversary of that bet

This month I'm celebrating this 10th anniversary in 10 ways:

1.) Eating my usual Chocolate(s) of the day. Today, it's 2 Ecuador single origin bars from Arete Fine Chocolate
2.) Eating 10 different chocolate items this weekend as part of a Bay Area Chocolate Field Trip
3.) Continuing with Theme Weeks -- Ecuador this week, Cacao Nibs and French Chocolate after that
4.) Visiting and thanking some of my favorite local, San Francisco Bay Area suppliers where I've bought chocolates in the past decade
5.) Writing about my 10 favorite places to find chocolates
6.) Highlighting my favorite chocolates in the past 10 years
7.) Taking a look at Chocolate Maps and Chocolate Math
8.) Summarizing what I've learned in 10 years of chocolate research, tasting and travel
9.) Remembering chocolate field trip/travel highlights
10.) Continuing Chocolate Banquet and eating a different chocolate every day. After all, there are 1,000s of new chocolates to try.

So, stay tuned my friends. And thank you for your interest.
- Corinne

AlpineAire Foods - Chocolate Hazelnut Bavarian Cream - Dec. 19, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

AlpineAire Foods (TyRy, Inc.)
Chocolate Hazelnut Bavarian Cream
Good
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) in total package
Calories: 260 calories (estimate) in 1/2 package
Cost: $4.50 for 1 package
Purchased from: Redwood Trading Post, Redwood City, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

Today's chocolate hazelnut dessert was made for outdoor living—camping, backpacking, climbing, long bike trips, etc.

The AlpineAire Foods Chocolate Hazelnut Bavarian Cream (mix), from TyRy, Inc. (Rocklin, CA) was easy to make.

No pots or pans were needed. I stirred 1 cup cold water into the powdered mix—in the package. And after 10-12 minutes, I had a smooth, creamy chocolate pudding-like dessert with small crunchy bits of roasted hazelnut.

After three days of roughing it, standard trail mixes can start looking rather dull. This Chocolate Hazelnut Bavarian Cream dessert would luxe up any camp meal.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Haagen Dazs - Tres Leches Brigadeiro Ice Cream - Dec. 13, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Haagen-Dazs
Tres Leches Brigadeiro Ice Cream
Good - Good +
Weight: 3.5 fl. oz. (103.5 mL) / 14 fl. oz. (414 mL) in total container
Calories: 270 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $1.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

A chilly gray rain may have been pelting down this December morning. But, it's never too cold for ice cream.

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Week—a perfect time to imagine being in tropical South America, perhaps walking down a beach and biting into a Brigadeiro (a popular, home-cooked, round chocolate confection in Brazil that involves combinations of condensed milk, cocoa and other ingredients, festively topped with chopped nuts or sprinkles.

Image: My Sweet Brigadeiro 

Today's Tres Leches Brigadeiro Ice Cream from Haagen-Dazs (owned by General Mills) was part of the company's "Artisan Collection" of ice cream flavors, created jointly with smaller food speciality purveyors. For example, today's ice cream was a mixture of Haagen-Dazs ice cream and My Sweet Brigadeiro (New York) content.

Latin-inspired Tres Leches ice cream was paired with My Sweet Brigadeiro's "Happy Couple" (a combination of dark and white chocolate flavored) Brigadeiros (pictured). Lovely rich idea.

The resulting ice cream was a sweet, marbled blend of vanilla and chocolate with a hint of caramel flavor.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com, unless otherwise noted.

Chocolat Bonnat - M. Libânio 75% dark bar - Dec. 12, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolat Bonnat
M. Libanio "Bresil" 75% bar
Good++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/3 bar (12 squares)
Cost: $12.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Week.

Today's M. Libanio "Bresil" 75% cacao bar was made by Chocolat Bonnat (France). Chief chocolate maker, Stephane Bonnat, is the chief bean-to-bar maker who carefully selects cacao beans to make a variety of creamy and flavorful single origin bars.

I was able to purchase two of Bonnat single origin Brazil bars (online) from Chocosphere (Tualatin, OR). Today's bar was the second of the two. (See yesterday's post for information on Bonnat's Vale do Juliana 75% bar.)

M. Libanio is the name of a plantation located in a coastal area of the state of Bahia, in Eastern Brazil.

Today's bar had faint coffee, spice and fruit aromas, creamy smooth texture, and a rich (complex but smooth) dark flavor.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Harald Unique - 35% Milk Chocolate bar - Dec. 10, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Harald Unique
35% Cocoa Milk Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Week.

Today's 35% Cocoa Milk Chocolate bar was part of the Harald Unique (São Paolo, Brasil) line of Brazilian origin chocolate bars. This bar was made with cacao from two Brazilian states: Pará (in the North), and Bahia (Eastern Brazil).

The milk chocolate was sweet and smooth and had a slight caramel flavor. As with many milk chocolates, the percentage of cocoa solids was low enough that it was difficult to tease out cacao flavors.

Cacao seeds, the source of chocolate, are generally called cocoa or cacao beans. In today's description, they were called cocoa "almonds," showing the differences that can occur in local usage or translation. ("Almonds" is a fair description—as these nuts do look similar to whole cacao beans/seeds.)

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Harald Unique - Brazilian 63% Cocoa Bahia bar - Dec. 9, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Harald Unique
63% Cocoa Semisweet Chocolate bar
Good - Good+
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Week.

Brazil is likely weigh in as the 6th largest producer of cacao in the world in 2015 (behind 4 African countries and Indonesia). However, until recently, there haven't been that many opportunities to sample Brazilian cacao single origin bars in the U.S.

Harald Unique (Sao Paolo, Brasil) offers a series of different chocolate bars made with cacao from Amazonia. Yesterday's 70% semisweet dark bar was made with organic cacao from the Brazilian state of Pará in northern Brazil.

Today's 63% cocoa semisweet dark bar (no milk) came from further south. This Harald Unique bar was produced from cacao grown at "João Tavares* Farm, in Uruçuca, south of Bahia state, Brazil, under the coordinates" 14 degrees 05' South and 30 degrees 3' West.

The bar was sweetly fragrant and tasted a bit like silken smooth, high-end chocolate frosting. If you're craving cake-like sweetness, this might be a great choice. The fruit and caramel notes mentioned on the packaging were edged out a bit by the frosting flavor, but still present. Flavor and texture were smooth and even, with no "off" notes.

To Harald's credit, they are one of the first Brazilian-based makers (that I'm aware of) offering single origin bars here in the U.S. (via distributor Loco Brands in Florida) that also lists details about where the cacao is grown—down to the coordinate level.

More Brazil single origin bar choices in the U.S. offers an opportunity to learn more about Brazil, Brazilian cacao (and plantations), and this large producer of chocolate.

*João Tavares is a fourth generation cacao farmer in Eastern Brazil, who uses Cabruca agroforestry methods—including the practice of growing cacao under native shade trees.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

flying noir - Brasilao - Dec. 7, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

flying noir
Brasilao
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $12.00 (estimate) for a 6-piece "spirited" assortment box
Purchased from: flying noir table at Fall Chocolate Salon (San Francisco, CA)

Bem-Vindo (Welcome) to Day #1 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Week.

Today's purple pyramid-shaped, Brasilao chocolate was created by flying noir (Oakland, CA). This dark milk chocolate was filled with a soft lime (fresh lime juice, zest and pulp) caramel, flavored with Novo Foyo cachaca.*

flying noir chocolatier, Karen Urbanek, is a master of the bittersweet. The first thing you may notice upon biting into chocolates from her "spirited" collection (after marveling at the hand-painted exteriors) is an absence of sugar—leaving room for other flavors to develop and dance on your tongue.

*Cachaca is a distilled spirit found in the popular Brazilian cocktail—the caipirinha. Cachaca (also known as aguardente, pinga, and other names) is made from fresh sugarcane juice (vs. rum, which is typically made from molasses, a concentrated by-product of sugarcane juice processing). 

jcoco - Peanut Strawberry Baobab dark bar - Dec. 3, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

jcoco
(Seattle Chocolates)
Peanut Strawberry Baobab bar
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) package of 3 smaller bars
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $7.95 for 1 package of 3 smaller bars
Purchased from: Seattle Chocolates website, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and ABC Theme Week. (Today "B" is for Baobab.)

Today's brightly colored package of three smaller, individually wrapped, Peanut Strawberry Baobab in dark chocolate bars was from jcoco—a brand belonging to Seattle Chocolates (Seattle, WA).

Baobab powder gave this dark chocolate bar a slightly fruity, tropical flavor that intermingled with strawberry and other fruit flavors.

"Strawberry baobabs" in this bar were a blend of strawberry, plum, apple, apple juice, baobab powder, black carrot juice, citrus pectin, strawberry puree, rice flour, and coconut oil.

Peanut bits gave the vegan and gluten-free bar a soft, crunchy texture. And a darker, slightly earthy dark chocolate helped balance the sweeter fruit and nut flavors, and vice versa.

Jo's Candies - Applewood Smoked Caramel - Dec. 2, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Jo's Candies
Applewood Smoked Caramel
Good
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) /1.2 oz. (34 g.) in package of 2 pieces
Calories: 75 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $1.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA


Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and ABC Theme Week. "A" is for apple; and today was the last of the chocolate and apple items. (Tomorrow we graduate to "B" as in baobab fruit.)

Jo's Candies (Torrance, CA) "California-crafted" today's Applewood Smoked Caramel (package of two pieces).

It's hard to go wrong with chocolate-covered, smoked salt caramels. This blend of flavors seem to naturally hum together in perfect harmony. The Applewood smoked salt in today's chocolate helped balance the generous slab of sweet, chewy caramel filling.

Caramel Apple Mini Milkshakes
To inject a bit more apple into this caramel experience, I paired these Jo's caramels with a small caramel apple milkshake (made with fresh apple slices, caramel sea salt gelato, dulce de leche ice cream, a micro-splash of Calvados (apple brandy) and sprinkle of apple pie spices). It was either that, or call a local ice cream spot—Tin Pot Creamery (Palo Alto, CA)—to see if their baked apple sorbet was in stock. I didn't get around to the latter, but both would have been good apple-y sweet choices.

flying noir - Applause Apple Brandy chocolate - Nov. 30, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

flying noir
"Applause" Apple Brandy chocolate
Good++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $12.00 - part of a larger 6-piece "spirited" assortment box
Purchased from: flying noir, Fall Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to the last day of Holiday Spirits Theme Week, and the first day of ABC Theme Week.

I'll be working my way through the chocolate alphabet, starting with items that begin with A, B, and C. This week ABC stands for the following three fruits: Apple, Baobab and Cranberry.

Today's "Applause" Apple Brandy chocolate was created by flying noir (Oakland, CA). Covered with Kallari dark chocolate, this piece had a nice flavorful center with layered, adult caramelized apple flavor. The Applause filled chocolate was part of flying noir's "spirited" collection.

SOMA Chocolatemaker - The Dude White Russian - Nov. 28, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

SOMA Chocolatemaker
The Dude White Russian
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) (estimate) for 1 container
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1 oz. (28.3 g.) serving
Cost: $19.00 for 1 container
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Happily the day after Black Friday (the big shopping day following Thanksgiving) is small business Saturday. On this day, I headed to The Chocolate Garage (Palo Alto, CA) with family members to enjoy chocolate at its best.

At this small but very well-stocked, chocolate speak-easy, we found "The Dude White Russian - chocolate twig with Kahlua, Vodka and Cream" from SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, Canada).

Packed inside a cardboard tube, The Dude White Russian was a very tasty chocolate implementation of a White Russian (cocktail*)— favored by protagonist Jeffrey Lebowski, aka "The Dude" (played by Jeff Bridges), in the movie The Big Lebowski. I suggest seeing this cult favorite to fully appreciate the reference.

However, movie or not, I really enjoyed eating and sharing this delicious, slightly boozy chocolate confection.

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Holiday Spirits Theme Week.

*A White Russian is made with vodka and Kahlua (coffee liqueur) over a few ice cubes, and topped with generous splash of cream.

flying noir - honey honey - Nov. 27, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

flying noir
honey honey
Good ++
Weight: .35 oz. (9.9 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 55 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $N/A - part of a 6-piece "spirited" assortment box
Purchased from: flying noir table at Fall Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Holiday Spirits Theme Week.

The red and gold "honey honey" filled chocolate from flying noir (Oakland, CA) was a carefully crafted, arrow point-shaped jewel. Small, but with concentrated bittersweet dark (and slightly bitter) honey gin flavor, this piece was very lightly sweetened with orange blossom honey. It was the perfect apertif after yesterday's Thanksgiving feasting.

I'm very thankful for chocolates like this that aren't too sweet, and that are more on the bitter end of the spectrum. Just one bite was very satisfying.

Hope your holidays will be up and to the right.

Lake Champlain - Milk Chocolate Turkey - Nov. 26, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Lake Champlain Chocolates
Placesetting Milk Chocolate Turkey
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in 1 turkey
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 turkey
Cost: $3.99 for 1 turkey
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Thankful Week, and Day #3 of Chocolate and Holiday Spirits Theme Week. It's wonderful to have a day dedicated to feeling grateful (and full). Happy Thanksgiving to all.

I'm enjoying two turkey, cranberry and pumpkin soup/dessert meals with family and friends today.

I started this morning with a miniature Chocolate Banquet Thanksgiving breakfast that included a chocsimile* of a milk chocolate "placesetting" turkey from Lake Champlain Chocolates (Burlington, VT); cranberry chocolates; and a small handful of tasty White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Almonds from California Sungold (Oakhurst, CA).

The convincing-looking milk chocolate turkey tom was individually wrapped in a small plastic bag secured with a twist tie and seasonal pumpkin-colored ribbon enabling me to admire his composure in the past few days leading up to...the inevitable. There was no need to stuff this hollow turkey—each milk chocolate faux feather was fine as it was.

For adults, you might pair your chocolate Thanksgiving meal with a doll-sized portion of Wild Turkey, or your favorite American whiskey (or whisky, as you prefer).

*A chocsimile is a three-dimensional chocolate facsimile of a real person, place or thing.

flying noir - "the few" truffle - Nov. 25, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

flying noir
"the few" truffle
Good++ - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $12.00 (estimate) for 1 6-piece "spirited" assortment box
Purchased from: flying noir table at Fall Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Thankful Theme Week, and Day #2 of Holiday Spirits Theme Week.

Today I enjoyed "the few"— another piece in the flying noir (Oakland, CA) 6-piece "spirited" collection assortment box. This round truffle was flavored with Few bourbon—"a three grain recipe from a small batch distillery in Illinois." A roll in sugar gave the truffle a holiday sparkle.

Feeling thankful about life, and that there are so many interesting chocolates and creative chocolatiers and chocolatemakers in the world. Happy Thanksgiving Eve to all.

flying noir - NY black rye; cynara - Nov. 24, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

flying noir
1.) NY black rye - Good ++
2.) cynara - Good ++ - Very Good

Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 120 calories (estimate) for 2 pieces
Cost: $12.00 (estimate) for 1 box of 6 pieces
Purchased from: flying noir, at Fall Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Thankful Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate and Holiday Spirits Theme Week.

The Thanksgiving-to-Christmas holiday period is festooned with sweets. Sometimes I'm very thankful for smaller, high-quality chocolates that are layered with interesting, less sweet flavors.

Today's pair of filled chocolates, from flying noir (Oakland, CA) were part of the company's "spirited" collection: one part eye-catching miniature art pieces, and two parts artful flavor layering.

NY black rye
The NY black rye chocolate from flying noir was an artful gem, painted in shades of burgandy-red, orange, yellow and blue. A piece of dried Bing cherry at the center was surrounded by a bittersweet ganache (filling) that was flavored with Michter's single barrel US*1 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, and a hint of Kauai guava smoked sea salt.

Cynara
I also sampled flying noir's "cynara." This chocolate-covered oval (painted in faint blue-green opal colors) was filled with a sweet, creamy caramel white chocolate ganache, and tempered with Cynar* bitters. A true study in bittersweet.

*Cynar is an Italian bitter liqueur/apertif made from 13 herbs and plants, with artichoke being one of the dominant flavors.

Hammond's - Milk Chocolate Piggy Back Pecan and Caramel - Nov. 23, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Hammond's Candies
Milk Chocolate Piggy Back Pecan and Caramel
Good
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 360 calories in 1 package
Cost: $3.49 for 1 package
Purchased from: Orchard Supply Hardware, Mountain View, CA

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

Pecans continue to dominate this week's chocolate menu.

Hammond's Candies (Denver, CO) has been in the candy business since 1920. Today's Hammond's Milk Chocolate Piggy Back Pecan and Caramel was a jumbo-sized, individually-wrapped confection that contained caramel, pecan pieces and was covered in milk chocolate.

Other pecan and Thanksgiving foolishness

Thanksgiving day is three days away. My kitchen has transformed into a mad scientist food lab; and pumpkin and cranberry items abound this week.

I found myself tinkering with pumpkin soup; pumpkin and cranberry muffins with pumpkin cream cheese; and a Thanksgiving trail mix with pecans, pumpkin chips, cranberries, golden raisins, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips and cocoa nibs.

This blend was followed up with a second "entree" trail mix with gravy and stuffing flavored potato chips (yes there really is such a thing), salted green bean chips, pieces of turkey jerky, and orange cranberry bits, to create a portable, dried version of an iconic turkey day meal—that I'll take on a long hike this fall/winter.

Saba Saba River Pecans - Chocolate Pecan Pie In-a-Jar - Nov. 22, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Great Saba Saba River Pecan Company
Chocolate Pecan Pie In-a-Jar
Good - Good +
Weight: 3.6 oz. (102 g.) / 1.8 lbs. (816 g.) in total jar
Calories: 400 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $12.99 for 1 jar
Purchased from: Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Rocklin, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Thankful Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Pecan Pie In-A-Jar, from The Great Saba Saba River Pecan Company Inc. (Saba Saba, TX), is the kind of ingredient that begs to be experimented with.

This caramel-y and chocolate-y pecan pie filling was chocked full of pecans—the first thing I saw when I opened the large, screw-top glass jar.

I used this pecan pie filling two ways today, to create: 1.) a single serving of gluten-free chocolate pecan dessert, and 2.) a small chocolate pecan pie parfait with vanilla ice cream. Both hot and cold dessert results were good. And if you like nuts, topping these with a few more pecans may even be in order.

I also enjoyed learning more about the Saba Saba River, Texas, and pecans today. (The Great Saba Saba River Pecan Co. offers pecans, pecan preserves, toppings, candies, and other items from their 10,000 orchard of pecan trees that grow near the river in the Hill Country of Central Texas.)

This is why I love writing about a new chocolate every day on ChocolateBanquet.com. I am thankful that I get to learn something new every day.

jcoco Vanuatu Coconut Pecan bar - Nov. 21, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Seattle Chocolates
jcoco Vanuatu Coconut Pecan bar
Good++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1 small bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift (thank you Toni!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift from friend

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

Vanuatu is an island nation in the South Pacific where cacao is grown. After being being colonized by various European countries, the Republic of Vanuatu gained its independence in 1980.

Pecans are part of many U.S. Thanksgiving celebrations (pecan pie, pecans in stuffing, chopped pecans crumbled over sweet potatoes and yams, etc.).

The jcoco Vanuatu Coconut Pecan bar was a blend of international flavors and textures, including smooth and flavorful single origin milk chocolate from Vanuatu, and crunchy bits of raw pecans. Dried coconut shavings and a bit of sea salt rounded out the mix.

I'm thankful for the 1,000s of chocolatiers around the world and their chocolate creations that incorporate ingredients from around the world.

The jcoco brand is part of Seattle Chocolates (Seattle, WA).