ChocolateBet: December 25, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1/3 lump of chocolate coal
Maramor Chocolates
Premium Milk Chocolate - "You Deserve a Lump of Coal!"(R)
Good +
Weight: .41 oz. (11.5 g.) in 1/3 pc. / 1.25 oz. (35 g.) total package
Cost: $ (need to find receipt)
Purchased from: Blockbuster, in Palo Alto, CA

Maramor Chocolates "You Deserve a Lump of Coal!" was another example of a theme that was too limited for its own theme week in 2010: chocolate and minerals/carbon. There are chocolate diamonds; but those aren't edible. And I doubt chocolate covered anthracite would be a big hit.

It's also a little depressing to think about deserving only a lump of black foil wrapped coal in your stocking on Christmas Day. So, in addition to a few bites of "coal," I ate a Chocolate Banquet's worth of other goodies today.

As a child, we could count on finding candy canes and tangerines in our stockings. So, I felt obliged to sample a bit of Brown and Haley's Candy Cane Roca as well. And, yes, tangerines are good and refreshing as a palette cleanser between chocolates.

I hope Santa was good to everyone.

ChocolateBet: December 24, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bite
Tom and Sally's Handmade Chocolates, Inc.
Reindeer Pies
Good
Weight: .2 oz. (5.6 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) total package/pie
Calories: 30 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Michael's in Mountain View, CA

Today is Day #2 of Chocolate Theme Weeks that didn't quite make the cut in 2010. Every day this week I'm focusing on a different theme that was too unique for a whole theme week, but worthy of mention in its own special way.

It's Christmas Eve. Please pass the reindeer pies. Somehow that doesn't quite fit in with today's Christmas Eve holiday meal. However, Tom and Sally's Handmade Chocolates is one of several companies that have had fun with chocsimiles (chocolate facsimiles) of animal poop. Over the past four + years I've sampled chocsimiles of Montana moose poop, Wyoming bear poop, Monterey Bay otter poop....So, why not poop from one of  Santa's reindeer? The package assures me that "Yule love them" and the pie in question is, in fact, "Pure Chocolate, No Doo-Doo"-- Belgian Milk Chocolate with Almonds to be exact. In closing, Tom and Sally's also leaves us with this bit of advice: "Beware of UFOs: Don't look up on Christmas Eve"...and..."Santa leaves the presents. The reindeer leave the pies."

Happy Christmas Eve to all who celebrate this occasion. May visions of sugar plums dance in your head -- and may these plums crowd out any other images I've just conjured above.

ChocolateBet: December 23, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bite of zombie
Palmer
Zombies - Milk Chocolate Flavored Solid Decorated Pieces
OK + - Good
Weight: .25 oz. (7 g.) in 1 bite of a zombie/ 5 oz. (142 g.) total package
Calories: 38 calories (estimate)
Cost: $1.00 (sale)
Purchased from: Rite Aid, in Mountain View, CA

Time is running out on 2010. And, some would say, given hard economic times this past year for many, that is a good thing. However, the end of the year is also a time to review all the theme weeks that might have been on Chocolate Banquet (this blog) -- themes that were just a little bit too "different." This week's theme week tackles a different imaginary theme every day.

Today is Day #1 of Chocolate and Something Different Theme Week, and today we explore chocolate and zombies, with a few Albanese Gummi Army Guys thrown in for fun.

Palmer makes lots of fun novelty chocolates, and their Milk Chocolate Flavored Solid Zombies offering is in tune with the recent resurgence in popularity of zombies (e.g. local San Jose Metro cover above right). The fruit-flavored (green apple-ish) Gummi Army Guys were made by the Albanese Confectionery Co., based in Merrillville, Indiana. Poor chocolate zombie never had a chance.

ChocolateBet: December 22, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Sacred Chocolates

1.) "Ixcacao" truffle (pictured on right)
1/2 truffle

Peruvian maca, mesquite, topped with Ocumare cacao nibs
OK + - Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate) / 4.5 oz. (127 g.) total box of 9 truffles
Calories: 35 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ part of a 9-piece truffle assortment box
Purchased from: Chocolate.com site

2.) "Sacred Fire" truffle (pictured above, left)
1/2 truffle

Dark ganache flavored with ancho, morita, guajilo, pasillo, chipotle chilies with black pepper, cinnamon; and topped with small piece of gold leaf
Good - Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate) / 4.5 oz. (127 g.) total box of 9 truffles
Calories: 35 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ part of a 9-piece truffle assortment box
Purchased from: Chocolate.com site

These Sacred Chocolates truffles incorporate stories and ingredients from Central and South America -- the birthplace of chocolate. Ixcacao is a goddess of chocolate.

ChocolateBet: December 21, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
DeMartini Orchard
Chocolate Dipped Glace Apricots (milk and white chocolate)
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) in two pieces/ 4.5 oz. (127 g.) total box of 11 pieces
Calories: 200 calories in two pieces
Cost: N/A  - Holiday present
Purchased from: N/A - Holiday present

DeMartini Orchard's website has a big fruit basket on their top page -- brimming with apples, pears and other seasonal fruits. This local fruitstand-style store was the perfect choice for Day #7 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week. A gold foil covered box contained both milk chocolate and white chocolate dipped, sweet glace apricots. I had one of each. The apricots were very moist and delicious, and reminded me of the apricot orchards in this area (Los Altos, CA) years ago.

ChocolateBet: December 20, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Jelly Belly Candy Company
Chocolate Dips - 4 different fruit flavors
Cost: N/A samples
Purchased from: N/A - sample box from Jelly Belly Candy Company, Fairfield, CA

1.) Orange
Good +
Weight: .415 oz. (11.7 g.) / 4.15 oz. (117 g.) total box
Calories: 43.8 calories

2.) Strawberry
Good
Weight: .415 oz. (11.7 g.) / 4.15 oz. (117 g.) total box
Calories: 43.8 calories

3.) Raspberry
Good 
Weight: .415 oz. (11.7 g.) / 4.15 oz. (117 g.) total box
Calories: 43.8 calories 

4.) Cherry
Good
Weight: .415 oz. (11.7 g.) / 4.15 oz. (117 g.) total box
Calories: 43.8 calories

All you jelly bean fans who also like chocolate. No need to choose anymore. Jelly Belly Candy Company recently announced dark chocolate dipped jelly beans. (You might be able to just make out the cartoon jelly bean that is happily drowning in chocolate in the box shot above.)

My favorite dipped bean in this fruit bowl (box actually) was Orange; the orange flavor tasted the most natural to me as well. Note: Chocolate Dips also come in Coconut, a flavor I featured earlier this month.

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: December 19, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 truffle
Harry and David
Chocolate Truffles - Orange
Good - Good +
Weight: .33 oz. (9.25 g.) / 12 oz. (340 g.)
Calories: 50 calories for 1/2 truffle
Cost: $12.95 total package of all 3 flavors
Purchased from: Harry and David store (booth, at Waterfront Suisun Bay Wine & Chocolate Festival), Vacaville, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Fruit Bowl Theme Week. And what better selection today than a Harry and David Orange Chocolate Truffle from the company's "Fruit Bowl Assortment" package that included Cherry, Orange and Raspberry flavors.