ChocolateBet: September 22, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

2/5 bar
Artisan du Chocolat
Mole Chili bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .636 oz. (18 g.) / 1.59 oz. (45 g.) total bar
Calories: 95 calories (estimate)
Cost: $6.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Spicy Pepper Theme Week. This Mole Chili dark chocolate (70% Cocoa) bar from Artisan du Chocolat (London) contained a mix of ingredients found in mole sauce: chile mulato, chile ancho, chile pasilla, chile chipotle, ground almonds, tortilla, thyme, and other spices. Despite all the different peppers, this bar was not too spicy.

I suspect if you melted this bar in with some red or enchilada sauce and baked it with poultry, you'd have an interesting chicken/turkey dish with mole sauce -- a delicious way to incorporate chocolate into sweet and savory dishes.

ChocolateBet: September 21, 2011

Chocolate of the Day: 

1 piece
Chocolat Moderne
Havana Heat
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) total package of 5
Calories: 74 calories (estimate)
Cost: $15.00 for package of 5 different bonbons
Purchased from: Fog City News, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Spicy Pepper Theme Week.  I have a cold, so I'm bringing the heat today! A Havana Heat with dark ganache and habanero pepper -- in your face, cold! OK, it's actually in my face/mouth, but roll with me here. This heart-shaped bonbon from Chocolat Moderne, part of the company's "Devotion" collection, helped me get my mind off the sniffles for a while.

ChocolateBet: September 20, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Lake Champlain Chocolates
Dark Spicy Aztec bar
Very Good
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Spicy Pepper Theme Week. This Dark Spicy Aztec bar (55% cocoa content) from Lake Champlain Chocolates reminded me of a very good, spicy drinking chocolate in bar form. I could taste the cayenne pepper (not too strong), a hint of cinnamon and vanilla; and some pumpkin seeds added a bit of textural crunch. 

ChocolateBet: September 19, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

4 pieces
Theo Chocolate
Ghost Chile Salted Caramel
Very Good
Weight: 1.83 oz. (52 g.) total package of 4 pieces; (.457 oz. each)
Calories: 274 calories (estimate)
Cost: $10.50 total package/box of 4
Purchased from: Fireworks 2, SEA Airport, Seattle, WA

I was fighting off a cold today. Maybe, I thought, these Ghost Chile Salted Caramels in dark chocolate from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA) will help? These Organic, Fair Trade chocolates were a tasty blend of sweet and savory.

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Spicy Chili/Pepper Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 18, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Lake Champlain Chocolates
Milk Chocolate Caramel
Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) (Originally these came from a 12 oz. bag, but I bought 1 flower that was sold separately)
Calories: 60 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ info not available
Purchased from: SF Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week. I bought this bright chartreuse foil-wrapped, chocolate flower from Lake Champlain Chocolates (Burlington, Vermont), separately, some time ago. So, there was no labeling information I was able to consult that would have been part of the original, larger bag or package. Fortunately, this chocsimile of a flower did turn out to be a Milk Chocolate Caramel -- perfect for this theme week.

ChocolateBet: September 17, 2011

Chocolate of the Day: 

1 piece
Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.
Milk Chocolate Caramel Apple Truffles
OK+ - Good
Weight: .38 oz. (10.75 g.)/ 3.5 oz. (99 g.) total bag
Calories: 47.5 calories
Cost: $4.79 total package/bag
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

Fall is upon us. The first leaves are turning colors. Soon it will be time for pumpkins and candy corn. As part of this shift of seasons, Caramel Apple Truffles sounded appealing. These Limited Edition milk chocolates (part of Godiva's "Gems" line), were individually wrapped in shiny apple green. They were rather sweet, and did not really taste that much like real apple.

Poor things fell short of the memories I have of homemade caramel apples. Childhood memories are sweet and carefree. Despite our "help" my poor mother was likely the one who was stuck with the mess in the kitchen after a boatload of kids spent the afternoon swabbing gooey melted caramel all over fresh green apples on wax-paper lined trays.

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

ChocolateBet: September 16, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 serving
Aussie Crunch, LLC
All Natural Fudge Caramel - Gourmet Popcorn
Good
Calories: 65 calories
Cost: $4.29 total bag
Purchased from: Mollie Stone's, Palo Alto, CA

There's nothing like a tiny handful of chocolate popcorn after a nice dinner and a walk -- and maybe a few youtube clips -- on a Friday night. The simple pleasures in life brought to you in part by Aussie Crunch, LLC (Nashville, TN).

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