Enric Rovira - Trufa Day - Feb. 20, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Enric Rovira

Trencadis Gaudi - chocolate blanco con trufa al aguardiente de albaricoque
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 6.7 oz. (190 g.) in total box
Calories: 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: $34.50 for 1 box
Purchased from: Alegio Chocolate, Palo Alto, CA

Mini Hexagons
Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.)/2.1 oz. (60 g.) total box
Calories: 148 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. serving
Cost: $ 12.95 in 1 box of 10 pieces
Purchased from: Alegio Chocolate, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Truffle Theme Week.

Roundish dark chocolate truffles likely acquired their name because of their likeness to black truffles, the fungi found nestled underground in what remains of great oak forests. This week I'm combining both types of truffles.

Today I traveled -- virtually, via chocolate -- from Italy (yesterday's destination) to Barcelona, Spain, to sample two chocolates in Enric Rovira's (Barcelona, Spain) Barcelona collection -- heavily influenced by Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi, who often incorporated tile and glass mosaic art into his work.

Proving that my Spanish is very rusty, I bought this creamy, Trencadis Gaudi white chocolate creation thinking it contained white or black truffle (the fungi). However, the "trufa" in the Spanish name here referred to an apricot brandy truffle filling inside this beautifully patterned square of white chocolate.

However, my "mistake" was quickly remedied, when I dipped a triangular piece of this white Trencadis (from the Catalan word, trencat, for broken) mosaic into some Italian truffle honey that I'd opened yesterday. If you want to try something truly decadent and wonderful, these two items were made for each other.

Mini Hexagons 
Since, I don't normally "count" white chocolate as my Chocolate of the Day, I also sampled some Enric Rovira dark chocolate (70%) mini hexagons, modeled after special six-sided pavement pieces that might be found on the streets of Barcelona. These would look very nice on any dessert plate or tray.

Thank you to Panos at Alegio Chocolate for pointing out the Barcelona Collection.

Le Veneziane, Truffle Cheesecake - Feb. 19, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Molino di Ferro
Le Veneziane - piccoli piaceri croccanti con Cacao e Nicciole
(Gluten Free cookies with Chocolate and Hazelnuts)
Good
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 8.8 oz. (250 g.) in 1 bag/package
Calories: 130 calories in 3.5 cookies
Cost: $5.39 for 1 bag
Purchased from: Miki's Farm Fresh Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Truffle Theme Week.

Italy is a great place to find truffle-infused favorite foods. So, I attempted to travel there, virtually, with today's pairing.

First, I baked cheesecakes with (La Tourangelle) black truffle oil, and Ritrovo Italian truffle honey -- honey infused with black truffle. Then I combined one of these creamy little cheesecakes with today's crunchy, Italian chocolate cookies.

I crumbled one La Veneziane gluten-free chocolate and hazelnut cookie from Molino di Ferro (Italy), to use as a topping for the cheesecake -- along with some truffle honey and a dab of some creme fraiche -- and enjoyed two additional cookies by themselves.

These chocolate cookies made with corn flour were fairly light in flavor -- providing a nice crunchy texture, without overpowering the black truffle oil and the truffle honey in the cheesecake. The ground hazelnut flavor was very mild. (Molino di Ferro also makes polenta and corn-based pasta.)

Note to self: Try spreading a little Nutella or peanut butter on these; this might result in a tasty sandwich cookie.

Jar Full of Cupcakes, Truffle Day - Feb. 18, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

The Grain Exchange
Jar Full of Cupcakes - Red Velvet with Vanilla
Good + - Very Good
Weight: unknown
Calories: unknown
Cost: $39.50 for total box of 6
Purchased from: Abe's Market, online

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Truffle Theme Week. Since it was a holiday in the U.S. (Presidents Day), I had time to experiment with an entire lunch flavored with black truffles.

Appetizer: Black Truffle Popcorn

First course was an appetizer -- a small bowl of Black Truffle + White Cheddar popcorn from 479 degrees Popcorn (San Francisco, CA) with an optional dark chocolate drizzle. The black truffle flavor was delicate and unique enough that I cut way back on the (melted) chocolate here. Cacao nibs might have been a better choice.

Main Course: Chicken Vegetable and Truffle Soup

The second course was a homemade bowl of chicken and vegetable soup with Infused Black Truffle Oil from La Tourangelle (Woodland, CA).

Dessert: Jar Full of Cupcakes with Truffle Salt

Dessert (Chocolate of the Day) consisted of wonderfully moist and delicious gluten-free, red velvet cupcakes and vanilla frosting in a small mason jar.

Surprisingly, this Jar Full of Cupcakes from The Grain Exchange (Doylestown, PA) was also quite good with a sprinkle of Black Truffle Sea Salt (Smith and Truslow). The salt balanced out some of the sugar, harmonized with the vanilla; and the truffle flavor provided a beautifully blended accent note with these cupcakes.

Truffle Cocktail: Heaven and Earth

Marginally successful first attempt: the "Black Cat Truffle" martini. The rim of the glass was coated with black truffle sea salt, and the drink included chilled cream, milk, vanilla, creme de cacao, and Kahlua (pictured).

Much more successful second attempt: the "Heaven and Earth": a combination of Frangelico liqueur, and honey, with a splash of milk (or cream or unsweetened coconut milk), served in a glass with the rim coated with black truffle sea salt (not pictured).

Mast Brothers - Black Truffle bar - Feb. 17, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Mast Brothers Chocolate
Black Truffle bar
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70.75 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1/2 oz. piece
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Miette Bakery, Hayes Valley location, San Francisco, CA

Today was the first day in a Chocolate and Truffle Theme Week. I may not be able to find seven chocolates with black or white truffles, but I will certainly enjoy trying.

I couldn't think of a better way to kick off this week than with a Black Truffle 74% cacao bar from Mast Brothers Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

The story behind Rick and Michael, the two American craft chocolate makers behind, and co-owners of, Mast Brothers Chocolate, embodies themes like the adventure of sailing, and the sober elegance of good design. One might be tempted to look at promotional materials and dismiss them as nostalgic hipsters. However, one would be wrong. Their voyage to make great chocolate has been a successful one, due to their focus on high quality ingredients and great process.

Likewise, you'd be wise not to dismiss the story of the humble black jewel, known as the black truffle, a fungus on the roots of oak trees, a delicacy that lends a unique and delightful savory/umami flavor to foods.

Along with a touch of Maine sea salt, the bright red fruit notes in this dark chocolate (from Madagascar perhaps?) harmonized well with the rich earthy perfume of truffle (Italy) -- that hit me when I unwrapped the pretty paper and gold foil on this bar. Heavenly. But do eat it soon, as the lovely truffle aroma and flavor may attenuate over time. Then you're left with "just" a great, plain chocolate bar.

Kona Origins - 75% Dark bar - Feb. 16, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Kona Origins
75% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. serving
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Kona Origins table at Keauhou Farmers Market, Kona, HI

Most chocolates that people buy are made by confectioners or chocolatiers, who make truffles, bars, confections or desserts using chocolate that was made by a chocolate maker. A small percent of chocolate people buy chocolates directly from a chocolate maker, someone who makes their product from scratch, from the cacao beans.

An even smaller percentage of people buy chocolate from cacao farmers who are also chocolate makers -- those making chocolate from tree to bar.

All this explanation is a round-about way of introducing today's 75% cacao dark chocolate bar made by Kona Origins (Hawaii).

Discovering Kona Origins

During a recent trip, I was fortunate to stay at Green Gecko Coffee Farm in Kona. Friends there took me to the Saturday Keauhou Farmers Market in Kona, where we met Vheissu and Carolyn Keffer, of Kona Origins. In addition to selling bananas and cacao fruit, the Keffers were also selling cacao nibs and dark chocolate bars.

I was impressed with their cacao nibs which tasted smooth, mildly fruity, and uniformly fermented. Later, we tasted their cacao fruit (the white pulp surrounding the cacao seeds), and it had a mild apple banana fruit flavor.

Last, but not least, we sampled the Kona Origins 75% Dark Chocolate bar that we'd also bought at the market. Rich in flavor and texture, the bar tasted more like an 80% bar. It had a dark, earthy flavor. We called and arranged a tour of the Kona Origins farm.

Tree to Bar Chocolate Making

We visited the Keffer's farm in South Kona; and as we walked down to the area where the cacao trees were growing, Vheissu pointed out the original "mother" cacao tree that had been planted on the property almost three decades ago.

When we arrived at a small grove of Forastero cacao trees in the sun, Vheissu cracked open a ripe, yellow-orange cacao fruit pod on a black lava rock that was jutting out of the field. And, from there, we (literally) walked through the process of fermenting, drying and processing cacao beans and nibs -- into chocolate on the property.

Vheissu was making chocolate in true Silicon Valley start-up fashion -- having engineered some of his own equipment in his garage, including a fermentation chamber, that helped him achieve good results. In addition, he talked about stirring (uniformity) and adding some heat to the ferment. All in all, if the cacao nibs were any indication, the result was a good, complete ferment.

Chocolate making can be especially challenging in a semi-tropical climate. Warm temperatures are required for growing and for the initial fermentation; however, cooler, drier climes are often better for the latter stages of processing and bar-making. This dark bar seemed reasonably well tempered and textured given these challenges.

Interview: Santiago Peralta, Pacari Chocolate

Interview with Santiago Peralta, Pacari Chocolate
Interview Date: January 21, 2013

During the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, CA, I had the privilege to interview Pacari Chocolate Founder, Santiago Peralta.

Pacari Chocolate is a tree-to-bar maker of Ecuadorian organic chocolates, that also offers a line of raw chocolate bars, cacao nibs, and other products.

I've featured several of these bars this past week and a half, as part of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week. More information on these specific bars can be found in my Chocolate of the Day Posts, from Feb. 6 - 15, 2013.

What's Unique about Pacari Chocolate?

Santiago and others at Pacari work directly with between 2,500 and 3,000 farmers in Ecuador, to produce single region bars from cacao growing areas in western provinces such as Los Rios, Esmeraldas, and Manabi.

Pacari also is involved with the growing of golden berries (trozos de uvilla), native wild Andean blueberries, and other fresh ingredients for their chocolates. Inclusions from other Andean nations, such as salt from a sacred valley in Cuzco, Peru, and Merken (spice) from Chile, can also be found in Pacari dark chocolate bars.

The company works to improve the quality of life for farmers that they work with in Ecuador where possible, with efforts such as Project Flashlamp -- that replaces battery-driven flashlights with solar-powered ones. And the direct relationships Pacari has formed with farmers likely result in better visibility into soil, growing conditions, and what works and doesn't work.

Not only is the company one of the top certified organic chocolate makers, but also the company is one of the few operations that has been certified biodynamic (by Demeter). The company also produces Kosher certified products.

Biodynamic farming goes beyond organic farming in some respects, in that it takes into account relationships between soil, living organisms as well as the crops that are growing, and seeks to balance out these relationships to obtain the best results for the short and long term.

Pacari in the U.S.
I became acquainted with Pacari Chocolate through The Chocolate Garage in Palo Alto. And the following day after this interview, I attended a chocolate maker get-together at the Garage where Santiago and others talked about their chocolates and the processes involved with creating great bars and bringing them to market. (Pictures of Sunita de Tourreil, Chocolate Garage founder, and Santiago, shown bottom right.) Pacari can also be found in various independent markets in the U.S. and maintains an office/rep. in Florida to assist in marketing and distribution.

Francois Pralus - Fortissima 80% bar - Feb. 15, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Francois Pralus
Fortissima - 80% cacao bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 131 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Fortissima (in Italian and French) means strong. It's also a term applied to music. I found that to be a fitting analogy for this Fortissima 80% cacao bar from Francois Pralus (Roanne, France).

Tasting Experience - Music

A tasting experience for a chocolate can be 20 or 30 seconds long -- and might be compared to a short piece of music. The prelude in this case (following the hard snap (a sign of a well tempered bar) when I broke off a piece of bar to taste) was a very mild smell, compared to the strong, unified "chord" of three flavor(s) that dominated throughout this experience. Somewhere in the middle of this chord there was also a pleasant roasted flavor note, then the strong chord resumed. The finish melted away to nothing.

The Melt

And speaking of melting, most Pralus bars have a deliciously smooth mouth feel or texture, similar to that of some other Swiss, German, French, Belgian and other European makers, in part due to cocoa butter, soy lecithin -- and, perhaps most important, longer conch times where particle sizes are ground down to smaller sizes, resulting in a more silky smooth texture. The trade-off with longer conching time can be loss of flavor (off flavors as well as interesting ones).

Criollo, Forastero, Trinitario

This Fortissima 80% bar was made using the beans from three types of cacao pods: Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario. This classification is, in fact, an oversimplification (a subject of a future post), but if all three were musical notes on a piano, and you played all three notes at the same time -- you'd get a very strong flavor chord, especially if you used a stronger percent of cocoa solids. Not unlike this 80% cacao bar. So, Fortissima it is.

As a handy reference (to origin) on this Pralus "Les Tropiques du Chocolat" bar, there was a map with a dot roughly where Ecuador is located in South America, with the following coordinates: 2 degrees 18' S 76 degrees 38' 0.

Chocolate Math, Cartoon Physics, and a New Daily Format

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week. Frequent visitors to this site will note that Chocolate Math does not always correlate with reality. Just as there are principles of Cartoon Physics where humor can alter perceptions of time and space, so it is with Chocolate Math here on Chocolate Banquet. A week may stretch from seven days to ten or eleven days in length. And, when you are enjoying chocolate, this is not such a terrible thing.

Note: Today, I'm changing Post titles to reflect the name of the Chocolate of the Day, rather than preface every post title with "ChocolateBet:" followed by the date. The daily chocolate "bet" continues; however, after more than six years I think I've already conveyed this point.