Hungarian Salami, Bacon bar - April 4, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

L'Amourette LLC
Hungarian Salami and Smoked Bacon bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories:  360 calories in 3/5 bar
Cost: $6.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: (N/A - from a friend in San Francisco)

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Pig Theme Week.

Bravo to L'Amourette Chocolatier (San Francisco, CA) for the rich, dark chocolate (72% cacao) base they used in this bar, and for boldly choosing to make a bar with bacon and salami.

Made with a blend of Rio Caribe and Carenero cacao beans (from Venezuela), "delicately roasted" and "conched for 36 hours," this dark chocolate would be quite nice with citrus peel, ginger, red berries or cherries (L'Amourette carries all these flavors). These stronger flavors can stand up to a darker, more complex, flavor arc.

The right hint of savory, salty flavors generally do very well in bars, this one included. Unfortunately, I felt this darker, more flavorful fine chocolate very nearly eclipsed the pork flavors in this bar.

Having sampled several confections and bars with pork products, I've found I sometimes prefer a deep milk over a darker chocolate base when mixed with bacon. I really enjoyed the smoked bacon and Hungarian salami flavors and textures peppered throughout the glossy domes that made up this bar; I just wanted to taste more of them.

Nosh This - Caramels, bacon - April 3, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Nosh This
1.) Meyer Lemon Walnut Salted Caramels
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: (unknown) had 2 caramels / box of 8 caramels total
Calories: unknown
Cost: $18.00 (estimate) for a box of 8 caramels
Purchased from: Nosh This table at the San Francisco Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

2.) Bacon Salted Caramel Sauce
Very Good
Weight: 1 Tablespoon serving / 8 oz. (190 mL) in one glass jar
Calories: unknown
Cost: $ unknown
Purchased from: Nosh This table at the San Francisco Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Pig Week.

One of the best chocolate and bacon artists in San Francisco is a man named Kai Kronfield. This morning I sampled two treats from his company, Nosh This (San Francisco, CA).

I imagined pigs celebrating* when I opted first for Nosh This's non-bacon offering, Meyer Lemon Walnut Salted Caramels. These caramels tasted very fresh and were flat-out delicious.

The toasted walnut flavor harmonized very nicely with the salt caramel, dark chocolate, and a hint of Meyer lemon. (No wonder those pigs in the hot air balloon were opening bottles of champagne.*)

The pigs likely became less enthusiastic when I unscrewed the lid on the company's second offering: Bacon Salted Caramel Sauce. If you savor the occasional piece of crispy, salty goodness, this bacon caramel sauce was heaven on a spoon.

Bacon fantasies ensued. Bacon sauce over vanilla ice cream with a little drizzle of chocolate sauce and some toasted nuts. A dab of this sauce atop a short stack of pancakes. However, this bacon caramel sauce was also excellent, all by itself. One tablespoon was enough to experiment; I mixed it with a few other foods, and it was rich enough to leave me feeling plenty satisfied.

Other examples of chocolate and bacon artistry available from this same company: a Three Little Pigs assortment box, with three flavors: Bacon Caramels, Bacon Crack, and Bourbon Bacon Rocky Road.

*The "Pigs" image/card, from Post Mark Press, was reproduced from an antique postcard

Fab Delights Bacon truffles - April 2, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Fab Delights
Agave Maple Bacon truffles
Good
Weight: 1.29 oz. (36.5 g.) (estimate) in 3 truffles / total box of 9 truffles
Calories: 194 calories in 3 pieces (estimate) in 3 truffles
Cost: $14.25 for 1 box of 9 truffles (at show)
Purchased from: Fab Delights table at SF Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Pig Theme Week.

"Pigs" are featured (literally and metaphorically) in this week's treats. We entered into chocolate and bacon territory today with a gold box of Agave Maple Bacon truffles from Fab Delights (Oakley, CA).

I enjoyed meeting Fab Delights owner, Jen Missakian, at a recent Chocolate Salon (tradeshow); the company also produces a variety of non-porcine truffles; and they take custom orders as well.

I liked the size of these bacon truffles. They weren't tiny; and they weren't big enough to scare those who might be cautious about pigs and chocolate.

The agave and maple were effective sweeteners, helping to reduce the sugar rush a bit. Fine by me. The very subtle touch of maple was a nice complement to the bacon.

The chocolate ganache (filling) was creamy, with hints of smokey, savory flavor and texture. Each truffle was topped with a small, decorative fragment of chewy bacon. I like my bacon a bit more on the oven-baked and crisp side -- a style that may be harder to execute with bacon candy or chocolates. But, these were fun to try.

MacSpam Caramels - April 1, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Elena Chocolate
MacSpam Caramels
Good +
Weight: .47 oz. (13.3 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece / 5-piece container
Calories: 70 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $13.50 for container of 5 pieces
Purchased from: Elena Chocolate (online order), Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Pig Theme Week. Oh yes, and Happy April 1st, also known as April Fool's Day in the U.S. What chocolate would possibly fit into all three of these thematic categories?

The answer: MacSpam Caramels from Elena Chocolate, straight from the Big Island of Hawaii. Only I'm not fooling, these dark chocolate covered gems contained roasted organic Macadamia nuts, Kona sea salt, soft caramel, and "crispy Spambits" to amp up the savory factor a notch.

Packaged in a Spam tin, these clever, well executed and attractively wrapped caramels tasted better than I would have expected. For those who might be a bit squeamish about pork products with your chocolate, the Spam flavor was very subtle.

Congratulations to Elena at Elena Chocolate on your award last week at the Big Island Chocolate Festival for best bon bon. Well deserved.

Chocolate Macadamia ice cream - March 31, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Lappert's Ice Cream
Chocolate Macadamia ice cream
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1/4 cup serving / 1 Pint container
Calories: 265 calories (estimate) in 1/4 cup serving
Cost: $7.99 (estimate) for 1 pint
Purchased from: Lappert's Ice Cream, Sausalito, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week. It was also Easter Sunday, a holiday often celebrated with chocolate eggs, rabbits, and baby chickens.

However, instead of indulging in chocolate bunnies this year, my Easter egg (bowl) filled with Hawaiian chocolate ice cream. After a holiday meal with family and friends, I enjoyed a scoop of Chocolate Macadamia ice cream from Lappert's, a family owned business that started in Hawaii.

Like yesterday's Lappert's flavor (Kauai Pie), today's rich, creamy ice cream was chock full of good-sized macadamia nuts. Sometimes it's easy to forget, with so many exotic ice cream flavors available, just how good just plain chocolate ice cream can be. The soft crunch of the mac nuts complemented the chocolate nicely. No other additions were necessary.

Kauai Pie ice cream - March 30, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Lappert's Ice Cream
Kauai Pie ice cream
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1/4 cup in dish / 1 Pint container
Calories: 265 calories (estimate) in 1/4 cup
Cost: $7.99 (estimate)
Purchased from: Lappert's ice cream store, Sausalito, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week, and time for some Kauai Pie ice cream from Lappert's (Sausalito, CA, location).

What is Kauai Pie ice cream you ask? At Lappert's ice cream shops, it is one of their most popular flavors, made with Kona coffee ice cream, macadamia nuts, shredded and lightly roasted coconut, and chocolate fudge. A winning combination.

I enjoyed pairing a small scoop of Kauai Pie ice cream with a small, sweet banana that had a light floral flavor note. (I saw more than a dozen different banana varieties being grown on the Big Island of Hawaii during a recent visit. I should have done more banana tastings while I was there, with chocolates. We're more limited in our choices of bananas here on the mainland.)

On a Mission: San Francisco
From Hawaii to San Francisco...All in a day's work.

This afternoon I took a field trip to the Mission district of San Francisco with a friend. In addition to gawking at murals and street art, we made numerous stops to shops, galleries and a park. But, let's talk chocolate.

Bi-Rite
After a stop to ogle Bi-Rite Market's impressive chocolate selection (not to mention cheeses, deli items, produce and other artisan items), we crossed the street to sample ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery (Hazelnut with Dandelion Chocolate Cocoa Nibs; Salted Caramel; Lemon Lavender; Chocolate; other). The Bi-Rite stops alone justified the entire trip, even though we arrived too early for the high-end, soft-serve ice cream. (Creme Fraiche + Chocolate anyone?)

Dandelion Chocolate
After walking off some of the sugar rush, we visited Dandelion Chocolate's new digs on Valencia Street. We appreciated samples of single origin Dandelion dark chocolate bars, cacao beans, and homemade marshmallows there and seeing glimpses of bean-to-bar chocolate making. It was also wonderful to try a smoothie made with the white pulpy cacao fruit -- difficult to find in the U.S.

Chocolate Skull Hunt
Later we stopped for a raclette and potato plate at Mission Cheese (we had to balance out some of that sugar with a salty, savory item). And we located a potential source of chocolate skulls (used to commemorate The Day of the Dead) in one of the traditional Latin shops in the neighborhood. Sugar candy skulls were out on display in another shop, as were candy skull molds. Perhaps I'll make some chocolate skeletons this fall.

San Francisco loves the off-beat. We missed the "hunky Jesus" contest by one day, but we did spot a unicorn, a jackalope and many odd little animal skeletons at one shop (Paxton Gate); vintage luggage made into boom boxes in another shop; and creatively recycled items in thrift shop windows. No sign of wooden molinillos (used to make hot chocolate). That will have to wait until next trip.

For a unique and interesting take on neighborhood information in the Mission District, check out this atlas/set of maps (e.g., "Mission: Gangs and Cupcakes") at MissionPossibleSF.org.

Madre - All Hawaiian Bar - March 29, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Madre Chocolate
70% Hawaiian Dark Chocolate bar
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) total bar
Calories: 225 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Madre Chocolate, Honolulu, HI (online)

I have many good things to say about Madre Chocolate (Honolulu, HI), and the company's founders, David Elliott and Dr. Nat Bletter. However, today I focused on their chocolate, specifically their 70% Hawaiian Dark Chocolate bar -- a 1st Place 2012 Winner at the Big Island Chocolate Festival.

This hand-crafted bar was smooth, with mild fruit and almost-floral notes. I wondered what the interesting string of glyphs/picture language imprinted across the bar meant. The Madre Chocolate logo image (a modified Maya glyph for cacao) is explained on Madre Chocolate's About page on their website. I'm sure there is an interesting history and origin story behind the characters on this bar.

Ingredients and Origins 
The origins of the four ingredients that made up this bar were close to home:
1.) Cacao from the Hamakua coast (on the Northeast side of the Big Island)
2.) Organic sugar
3.) Organic cocoa butter
4.) Hawaii whole vanilla bean from Kona (on the West side on the Big Island, with rich volcanic slopes known for high-quality Kona coffee)

I spoke to Nat Bletter when I was in Hawaii last month; we spoke about the direct connections with farmers made possible when making a unique bar like this with all Hawaiian ingredients.

Typically cacao and other ingredients are grown in tropical climates in countries outside the U.S., and chocolate makers have to fly great distances to connect with farmers in person. Likewise, farmers may never have an opportunity to taste a finished chocolate bar.

Hawaii is a unique location in the U.S. where both these worlds -- that of the grower and the manufacturer -- can overlap. More about this in an interview I'll publish shortly.

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week.