ChocolateBet: January 8, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Askinosie Chocolate
Dark Milk Chocolate with Licorice bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.)
Calories: 85 calories
Cost: $10.00
Purchased from: Askinosie Chocolate, Springfield, Missouri

Today's "Dark Milk Chocolate on My Tongue Mingling with a Sweet Velvety Licorice" bar from Askinosie Chocolate (Springfield, MO), kicks off Chocolate and Licorice Theme Week.

Shawn Askinosie, a small-batch, bean-to-bar maker with an eye toward delivering value to cacao farmers and end consumers, deserves credit for his creative and sustainable packaging. The inner wrap was compostable, and the tie that bound the package was made from "a biodegradable bag of beans shipped to our factory."

This particular chocolate bar was a collaBARation (sic) with a Scandinavian licorice manufacturer (Lakritsfabriken from Ramlosa, Sweden).

And in addition to bits of gluten-free, black licorice from Ramlosa, this milk chocolate bar also contained anise seed pressed into the back of the bar; and Askinosie's single origin cocoa butter, goat's milk powder, sea salt also added flavor.

The front of the bar featured embossed letters, one per square, that spelled out - Askinosie Chocolate. One could spell out a poem, play a game of chocolate scrabble, or write a chocolate ransom note with these letters.

ChocolateBet: January 7, 2012

 
Chocolate of the Day:

Gorenjka
Whole Hazelnuts (Celi Lesniki) bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1/2 bar - 1.76 oz. (50 grams)/3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 294 calories
Cost: $ N/A
Purchased from: N/A - gift, thank you Ying

There is only one thing better than a great chocolate bar -- one with a good story behind it.

 
This Gorenjka (Slovenia) bar, a gift from a colleague at work, came from the same region her husband was from. The milk chocolate that surrounded an array of superb hazelnuts was very smooth, sweet and creamy, in the European style.

I broke open this bar, and it looked just like the picture on the wrapper -- it was studded with great, fresh tasting nuts that perfectly balanced the sweet chocolate. 

ChocolateBet: January 6, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Maison Bouche
Eggnog Noir (dark) bar
Good
Weight: 1/4 bar - .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate) / 2.1 oz. (59 g.) total bar
Calories: 78 calories (estimate)
Cost: $5.99 total bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA


Carrying on the eggnog, post-holiday theme from yesterday, I tried Maison Bouche's version of the famous, nutmeg-scented, 'nog combined with dark chocolate. The smooth dark chocolate base was good; however, the flavoring tasted a bit off. It could have been that the expiration date was Christmas-time (a few weeks ago), or that the nutmeg flavoring morphed a bit over time. The Maison Bouche packaging was beautiful as always.

ChocolateBet: January 5, 2012

 
Chocolate of the Day:

Ethel M Chocolates
Egg Nog
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 60 calories (estimate)
Cost: $1.33 (estimate)
Purchased from: Ethel M Chocolates, LAS Airport shop, Las Vegas, NV

'Tis the week to polish off holiday chocolates -- such as this Egg Nog truffle from Ethel M Chocolates (Henderson, NV).

If you're visiting Las Vegas, you can drop by the Ethel M factory shop (and cactus garden that is colorfully decorated with inflatable snowmen and Christmas characters during the holidays). However, even if you're just changing planes at McCarran International Airport (LAS), you can also stop by the company's shop(s) in the airport.

This Egg Nog chocolate had a smooth texture, and an authentic eggnog taste, with a nutmeg-inflected white chocolate/flavored cream style filling.

ChocolateBet: January 4, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 


Vosges
Volcano Island Honey Truffle
Good+
Weight: .397 oz. (11.25 g.) /3.7 oz. (106 g.) for 9-piece box
Calories: 60 calories
Cost: $ part of larger, 9-piece assortment box
Purchased from: Vosges, Chicago, IL

Honey. And not just any honey. This Vosges (Chicago, IL) chocolate truffle was filled with a layer of dark chocolate ganache, and a layer of organic honey from the wonderfully seismic and scenic, "Big Island" of Hawaii. (The honey supplier: Volcano Island Hawaii.)

It's always dreamy to think about Hawaii in the middle of winter. I ate this truffle in the cold morning air; I should have warmed it up a few degrees first, to be able to enjoy optimal flavors and texture. Aloha.

ChocolateBet: January 3, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dilettante Chocolates
Solid Chocolate Salmon
OK
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.), 1 bite /12 oz. (340 g.) total fish
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
Cost: N/A - Christmas gift
Purchased from: N/A - Christmas gift - thank you Megan!

All chocolate dinners? They're easier to put together than you think.

Take salmon, a milk chocolate one from Dilettante Chocolates (Kent, WA) for example. It's important to start with fresh fish, and to complement your main dish with a few good side dishes, like corn (popped and drizzled with chocolate), and salad (not pictured - with blood oranges and cocoa nibs). And dessert -- in the form of a chocolate gingerbread molasses cake (to be featured in the future).

May all your chocolate dinners be as fun as this one.

ChocolateBet: January 2, 2012

 

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dreyer's (Edy's East of the Rockies)
Touchdown Sundae frozen dessert
Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup (65 g.) / 1.5 Quarts (1.41 L) in total container
Calories: 140 calories
Cost: $5.29 total container
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #9 of Chocolate + Coconut + Caramel Theme Week. So many possibilities, so little time. Some chocolate and caramel ice creams also have coconut oil in small amounts. Today's Dreyer's Touchdown Sundae frozen dessert was such an offering. Little chocolate footballs filled with caramel in a vanilla ice cream base with a fudge swirl.

I don't follow football that closely, but it was bowl game season, and today was the Rose Bowl game (Oregon vs. Wisconsin). I was at work, but I caught the re-cap on the evening news (Oregon won). I did enjoy those little caramel-filled pigskins (footballs), and sipping a cup of "mutt mix" hot chocolate (made with chocolate leftovers + coconut creme).