Chocolove - Currants and Almonds bar - January 2, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolove
Currants and Almonds bar
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 3.2 oz. (90 g.) total bar
Calories: 168 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $4.29 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Mollie Stone's, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Currant Theme Week and Day #2 of Chocolate and Poetry Theme Week. I've worked my way through some tasty chocolates this past week combined with fresh red and dried black currants, currant jellies, and creme de cassis (made from black currants and brandy).

Today's featured item was a Currants and Almonds bar in Dark Chocolate (73% Cocoa Content), made with Fair Trade Certified organic Caribbean cocoa beans, and ingredients that were "certified organically grown and processed" by Chocolove (Boulder, CO).

The chocolate was rich and strong enough that it was difficult to detect the the small, dried currants. There was a bittersweet dark fruit flavor that I recognized. The same taste was present in the cassis dark chocolate truffles I made. It may not appeal to those who like milk chocolate and lighter flavors, but I enjoyed it. The organic, unroasted almond pieces added an occasional bit of crunch and texture to the bar, and were a nice mellow complement to the dried currants and dark chocolate.

The love poem printed on the inside of the Chocolove wrapper:
an excerpt from Romeo and Juliet,
a quote from Lady Capulet.
From this poem, I'll include a few lines, no less;
even though the story's end lacked happiness.

...So shall you share all that he doth possess,
By having him, making yourself no less.

~ William Shakespeare

Chocolove - Holiday bar - January 1, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolove
Holiday bar - Limited Edition
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 3.2 oz. (90 g.) total bar
Calories: 160 calories for 1/3 bar
Cost: $2.00 (clearance price)
Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Market, Mountain View, CA

Happy first chocolate day of 2013. Today's Holiday Fruits and Nuts in Dark Chocolate bar from Chocolove (Boulder, CO) was a limited edition flavor; and I was lucky to find one late in the holiday season.

The (55% Cocoa) bar was made up of 18 small, dark, glossy domes of Belgian chocolate fused together. The chocolate base was smooth and firm, and easy to break apart -- a nice plus if you plan to share with others. The bar contained a nicely balanced blend of winter holiday flavors, like pecan bits, currants, dried cherries, walnuts, hazelnuts, and hints of candied orange peel and ginger.

I'll try this bar with a cup of cinnamon tea (or Douglas Fir tea) later by a warm, crackling fire -- for the full holiday experience. No need for a book to read by the firelight, as this bar came with a love poem (below) -- inscribed inside the wrapper -- as is the custom for all Chocolove bars I've tried.

Night

My voice, to which love lends a tenderness and yearning,
Disturbs night's dreamy calm ... Pale at my bedside burning,
A taper wastes away ... From out my heart there surge
Swift verses, streams of love, that hum and sing and merge.
And, full of you, rush on, with passion overflowing.
I seem to see your eyes that, in the darkness glowing,
Meet mine ... I see your smile ... You speak to me alone:
My friend, my dearest friend .. I'm your's ... your own.

translated from - Alexander Pushkin


Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Currants Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Poetry Theme Week.

Recchiuti - Orchard bar - December 31, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Recchiuti Confections
Orchard bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.)
Calories: 140 calories (estimate) for 1 oz. serving
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Main Street Wine Bar and Bottle Shop, Sausalito, CA

I'm recording this chocolate bar by the numbers...

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate and Almond Theme Week; Day #4 of Chocolate and Currant Theme Week; and Day #31 of December 2012. Happy New Year's Eve to all, and best wishes for a happy and  healthy new year!

Allow me to count the ways that I enjoyed the Orchard bar from Recchiuti Confections (San Francisco).

1.) The mulberries - poking out on all sides of the bar. I love fresh mulberries, so it was fun to see them play a prominent role in this bar
2.) The almonds - the toasted almond pieces took a back seat to the fruit, but were a great choice for this fruit and nut orchard-themed bar.
3.) The currants - a salute to the flavorful few
4.) The design of this dark bar - very nice mold and graphics with the "R" for Recchiuti, that also let the mulberries show through the edges

Trader Joe's - Dark Chocolate Almonds bar - December 30, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Trader Joe's
73% Cacao Super Dark Chocolate with Almonds
Good - Good +
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) serving / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $1.99 total bar
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Menlo Park, CA

Today's 73% Cacao Super Dark Chocolate with Almonds bar from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) was, dark and rich, with a mild earthy, acidic fruit tang, and full of embedded almond bits on the inside that added some balance and texture to the "super dark" chocolate. The bar was relatively thick, but scored into twelve, nicely sized rectangular pieces, making it convenient for sharing with others, or rationing for snacks.

Trader Joe's has traditionally sold a large selection of chocolates at very reasonable prices, sourcing from several suppliers. I've bought many of their bars, and had leftovers. As part of my end of year (2012) Chocolate Vault clean-up, I decided to experiment with these bits of bars -- bittersweet mini bars and a Papua New Guinea dark bar from 2010 to make black currant (cassis) truffles. (Yes, dark chocolate bars can last that long if carefully stored in a cool, dark place.)

I first made some homemade creme de cassis (a liqueur popular in France that is usually made from black currants, sugar, and brandy). This liqueur was very nice with mineral water; sparkling or regular white wine (kir); or white grape juice over ice with a citrus slice or two. I should add, I also infused this liqueur with a cinnamon stick and a whole clove. (I kept these spices in overnight and took them out the following day.)

My homebrew creme de cassis liqueur mixed with the dark chocolate leftovers resulted in good truffles, but with a somewhat bitter fruit note. Admittedly, there were a lot of different tastes interacting in this truffle batch, as I'd experimented with adding some coconut oil along with the butter, and a bit of vanilla hemp milk in addition to the cream. Once again: mad scientistry yielded uneven results.

Next time I'll try a more conventional batch of truffles with just a hint of cinnamon and brandy, and enjoy a kir royale on the side -- perhaps for New Year's Eve tomorrow evening.

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Almonds Theme Week, and Day #3 of Chocolate and Currants Theme Week.

Heidi Chocolat - Milk Almonds bar - December 29, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Heidi Chocolat/The Laderach Group
Heidi Grand'Or - Milk Chocolate Caramelized Almonds bar
Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 3.53 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 4 squares
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Almond Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Currant Theme Week.*

In the 1960s, three Swiss men became partners in a venture now known as The Laderach Group. Today, the company is perhaps most well known for the Heidi (bar) brand. The Milk Chocolate Caramelized Almonds bar featured here was produced in Romania -- specifically near Bucharest, in Pantelimon, Romania -- before being imported to the U.S. Today, Laderach individual chocolates and bars are found 'round the world.

The milk chocolate was a bit sweet for my taste, but it paired well with the caramelized, roasted almonds.

Where are the currants mentioned above? They were chocolate accompaniments, in the form of a currant jam cookie and current tea ...See below.

I made some gluten free vanilla almond cookies with red currant jam in the center. While still bubbling hot from the oven, and pliable, I dropped a small piece of chocolate (including a square of today's Heidi bar with almonds) in the middle of each cookie. I carefully folded up the cookie edges on three sides to make a triangular shaped pocket cookie. What resulted was something like an almond nutella and jam sandwich (and vaguely similar to a three-cornered hamantash cookie). And, I enjoyed one of these cookies with a cup of homemade currant citrus tea described below.

Currant Citrus Tea recipe: 
Let soak in large glass jar or container: 1 tea bag (optional); 5 Tbsp. red or black currant jelly or jam (I used Bonne Maman red currant jelly), 2 1/2 cups room temperature water, 3 Meyer lemon slices, 2 orange slices, 1 lime slice, tiny pinch of powdered cinnamon and ginger. Stir mixture until jam is dissolved; soak (covered) overnight; strain; and serve hot or cold. Serves 2-3.


*Note: Chocolate Banquet theme weeks consistently spill-over into more than 7 days, and overlap with other theme weeks, as there are always new chocolates being discovered and new combinations to be tried.

Lily's - Dark Chocolate Almond bar - December 28, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lily's Sweets
Dark Chocolate - Almond bar
Good - Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 113 calories
Cost: $7.00 total bar
Purchased from: Bridge Cafe, Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Almond Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Currant Theme Week.

This dark 55% cocoa, non GMO bar with Almonds, from Lily's Sweets (Santa Barbara, CA), was sweetened with stevia rather than with added sugar. Stevia (stevia rebaudiana) is a plant with naturally sweet leaves, a member of the very large sunflower family, that has been used as a sweetener for many years.

As with a previous Lily's (stevia) bar I tried, I found this chocolate to be smooth and dark and because of the stevia, and perhaps the inulin, less likely to give me a sugar rush than other bars. Although stevia is sweeter tasting by weight with fewer calories, some claim it has less of an impact in blood glucose than refined sugar.

Attractively packaged, with colorful art on the label, this bar was also scored into smaller sections, making it easier to split with friends or family.

I enjoyed part of this Lily's Dark Chocolate Almond bar with another interesting plant -- some tiny bunches of fresh, beautiful ruby red currants. Bright red berries of different sorts are a small consolation in winter. We don't see fresh currants that often in the U.S.

Apparently this fruit, and other members of the gooseberry family, were banned some years back to help protect against the spread of a rust infestation that was affecting pine trees. Currants could act as a host or non-symptomatic carrier of the disease, so their cultivation was discouraged and native currant plants eradicated in some areas. Here's to hoping we might see them grown again one day soon.

Fruition Chocolate - Toasted Almonds with Smoked Salt - December 27, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Fruition Chocolate
Dark Chocolate Coated Toasted Almonds with Smoked Sea Salt
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.2 g.)/ 5 oz. (141 g.) total package
Calories: 148 calories (estimate) for 1 oz. serving
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bag
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

The sun shone, but it was bitterly cold (by California standards) this morning. I warmed up with a cup of rose hot chocolate (more about this in a few weeks) and a small handful of plain, raw almonds that served as a  palette cleanser between chocolate courses. With that, I was ready to taste Fruition Chocolate's Dark Chocolate Coated Toasted Almonds with Smoked Sea Salt.

If you're familiar with hickory smoked almonds, you'll recognize this flavor in today's chocolate. The smokey, applewood sea salt seasoning was the first taste to register, and it was a very pleasant complement to the (66% cacao) smooth dark chocolate (from Peru), and the crunchy toasted almond at the center of each piece.

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