ChocolateBet: August 9, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
2 brownies + savory walnuts
Pamela's Products Inc.
Ultra Chocolate Brownie Mix
Very Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) of mix / 16 oz. (454 g.) in total package of dry mix
Calories: 360 calories in 2 brownies (prepared with olive oil)
Cost: missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Olive Theme Wk. It is more time-consuming to prepare chocolate items from scratch, or assembling them from a variety of ingredients. However, this week's olive theme seemed to call for it. Fortunately, mixes exist -- and gluten-free ones at that, such as this chocolate brownie mix from Pamela's Products. I incorporated Star extra virgin olive oil into this mix; and I ate the finished brownies with some savory walnuts I made (with rosemary, Italian herb mix, olive oil, and salt).

In the future, I hope to make other chocolate and savory items, e.g. a (gluten-free) olive oil and herb bread, with some chocolate chunks; or a chocolate mousse made with olive oil and sea salt. As always, there seems to be endless possibilities with chocolate.

ChocolateBet: August 8, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1.2 oz. (4 squares)
Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Co.
67% chocolate bar
Very Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (35 g.) / 2.75 oz. (77.8 g.) total bar
Calories: 174 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Olive Theme Week, and today's chocolate choice was a chocolate bar from Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Co, based in Nashville, TN. The company handcrafts their bean-to-bar line of bars. Some stone ground bars are a bit too coursely textured for me; but this 67% bar was nice and smooth.

I look forward to trying other Olive and Sinclair bars in the future -- especially those inspired by flavors from the Southern United States (salt and pepper, coffee, and others).

Some may argue that a brand name (the "Olive" in Olive and Sinclair) doesn't technically count as real "olive" content; so, I tasted this 67% bar with a very small amount of Ascolano Olive Oil from The Olive Press (bought earlier in Sonoma, CA). This bar was made from three simple ingredients: cacao beans from Ghana, brown sugar, and cocoa butter. That is, until I adulterated one square of this bar with olive oil and a tiny amount of salt and herbs. The sacrificial square is pictured, above right. The more subtle notes in both the chocolate and olive oil did get lost when mixed together; but I enjoyed pairing them nonetheless.

ChocolateBet: August 7, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
The Xocolate Bar
Kalamata Olive Caramels
Very Good
Weight: .8 oz. (22 g.) in 2 pieces (estimate)
Calories: 120 calories (estimate)
Cost: $3.50 for 2 pieces
Purchased from: The Xocolate Bar, in Berkeley, CA

These caramel-filled chocolates really did have an olive taste. I like olives, so this was fine by me. I don't know how The Xocolate Bar's chocolatier achieved this result, as there were no visible olive bits or ingredients. However, I am honored to include this chocolate as today's (Day #5's) selection in Chocolate and Olive Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: August 6, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece/olive
"The Original Chocolate Olive"
Good - Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11 g.) / 2 oz (57 g.) (estimates) total package of 5 pieces/olives
Calories: 60 calories (estimate)
Cost: $5.95 total package of 5 pieces/olives
Purchased from: ? (lost receipt)

I had been saving this small package of pit-free, red pimento-stuffed green (chocolate) olives for today, Day #4 of Chocolate and Olive Theme Week.

I will probably offer the rest of these realistic-looking olives to unsuspecting family members and friends. Or, perhaps I could melt them down and make chocolate olive fondue.

Note: The chocolate olive market may have become saturated in a down economy. Or maybe fewer people are drinking variations on a chocolate martini? I tried to order some "Cholives" from a small company in Wisconsin; however, sadly, I found out this company closed down last month (July 2010).

ChocolateBet: August 5, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
3 pieces/olives
The Candy Store
Chocolate Olives
Good +
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) (estimate)/ ~ 9 oz. (254 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 89 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: The Candy Store, in San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Olive Theme Week. The Candy Store's plastic cocktail shaker was filled with realistic-looking green and black olives. The detailed description accompanying these chocolate olives read: "a french confection of almond and hazelnut nougatine covered with white and dark chocolate." These were a bit sweet for something that looked so genuinely savory, but I give them a high grade for clever packaging.

ChocolateBet: August 4, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 oz. serving
Enric Rovira
Crema de Chocolate con aceite de oliva Arbequina
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 8.8 oz. (250 g.) in total container
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1-oz. serving
Cost: $60.00 (yes, you read that correctly)
Purchased from: Alegio Chocolate, in Berkeley, CA

Day #2 of Chocolate and Olive Week found me enjoying this creamy chocolate and Arbequina olive oil spread from Enric Rovira (Spain), that was made even better with the addition of a little salt. (The container came with a packet of salt.) Note: This spread is expensive -- the most I've ever paid for a single chocolate item. So, you can bet I will enjoy the other seven servings in this container.

ChocolateBet: August 3, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece/truffle
The Olive Press (made by Chocolate Visions, Inc.)
Clementine Olive Oil in Dark Chocolate Truffle
Good +
Weight: .46 oz. (13.2 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 69 calories (estimate)
Cost: $6.50 for box of 3 truffles
Purchased from: The Olive Press, at Jacuzzi Family Winery, in Sonoma, CA

Today was the kick-off day for Chocolate and Olive Theme Week. Day #1's selection was an Olive Oil Truffle, made with clementine (tangerine) flavored olive oil and a little bit of tumeric (according to an ingredients list). I could taste neither a distinct olive flavor, nor the clementine or tumeric flavors. The  truffle's ganache/filling did have a certain pleasant, smooth texture characteristic of chocolate and olive oil when they are mixed together, with just a hint of texture from what I believe was some added sugar.

To help ensure chocolate and olive compatibility, an advance taste test was held today for this week's planned items. Thank you to The Chocolate Garage for hosting.