Pepitas bar - April 25, 2013

Photo: Casa de Chocolates 

Chocolate of the Day: 

Casa de Chocolates
Pepitas bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) (estimate) for 1 bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1 bar
Cost: $ part of a 3-bar package purchase (3 mini bars for $8)
Purchased from: Casa de Chocolates, Berkeley, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Latin America Theme Week.

Pumpkin seeds (or pepitas) are used in sauces, and in many different Latin dishes. Before hopping a plane to Belize this week, I visited Casa de Chocolates (Berkeley, CA). Their shop carried chocolates with many interesting Mexican and Latin flavors (mango with chili, mole, cajeta, etc.) -- including bars with pepitas.

Today's smaller sized "mini" Pepitas bar from Casa de Chocolates was just right for a single serving. The smooth dark (61% cacao) chocolate bar base had a pleasant, smooth, buttery melt and was topped with an attractive smattering of agave caramelized pepitas -- green, crunchy pumpkin seeds with just a hint of salt. (This bar was vegan and gluten free.)

(Thank you to the Belcampo Lodge chocolate tasters in Belize this week, for tasting help and input. Chocolate is always better when it's shared.)

Note: Posts and photos will be delayed this week due to travel. However, the daily chocolate eating will continue.

Belcampo - Belize Batch #1

A Bar Is Born - At Belcampo Belize
April 24, 2013

Being present at the start of something great is always a pleasure. And, today I had the great pleasure of witnessing the creation of a new production cycle (Batch #1) of chocolate being made, with new equipment at a new facility, at Belcampo Lodge and Farm (Punta Gorda, Belize).

Belcampo's Belize location (showcasing chocolate, rum and coffee production, with a focus on agricultural tourism) is situated in the Toledo District of Southern Belize. Toledo is to chocolate in Belize what Napa is to wine in California.

Following a short workshop and comparative tasting in the "chocolate building", cacao beans were carefully measured and poured into a roaster. Roasting times and temperatures were carefully graphed and recorded, so that optimal results could be duplicated later.

A very impressive and efficient winnowing machine got rid of the thin membrane covering the cocoa beans after roasting. (And leftover shells were ejected into a bag, ready to use as compost in the garden.)

Next, cocoa nibs were weighed and loaded into a larger machine that would grind the bean pieces into an aromatic cocoa paste, that would eventually become dark flowing, molten chocolate.

The last, and not the least, step: chocolate was put in a liquid-cooled/heated tempering machine, where it would be heated and cooled to just the right temperature to form crystals that would lock into place. All the while, humidity levels and room and water (surrounding machine) temperatures need to be monitored carefully.

When done correctly, a good temper yields chocolate bars that are solid and break with an audible snap. (Easier said than done; tempering can require some patience.)

Eventually lovely rich tasting dark chocolate bars emerged, some with fresh cacao nibs, putting chocolate on the map for Belcampo. Thank you to Seneca, Mara, Kelly, Maynard and many others who made tasting these bars possible.


Stay tuned for pictures and more details this coming week.

Note: Posts and Pictures will be delayed this week due to travel.

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Mole bar - April 24, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Casa de Chocolates
Mole bar
Good +
Weight: 1.445 oz. (40.85 g.) / 2.89 oz. (81.7 g.) total bar
Calories: 215 calories (estimate) for 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.00 for one bar
Purchased from: Casa de Chocolates table at the Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Latin America Theme Week.

There are many variations on the ground spice blend that is mole. Most people are familiar with mole sauce that is served with chicken and other savory dishes. The deep brown version of this sauce usually contains cocoa, giving it a rich, earthy, spicy flavor.

Today's Mole dark chocolate (61% cacao) bar from Casa de Chocolates (Berkeley, CA) was made with 11 spices and chiles -- and contained almonds and pumpkin seeds. This bar was also vegan and gluten free.

This bar had a sweet, spicy kick to it that intensified toward the end. The chocolate base was smooth and not overly strong or acidic, so the spices occupied center stage with this offering.

Note: posts and photos will be delayed this week due to travel. However, the daily chocolate eating will continue.

Inca Crunch Quinoa bar - April 23, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Casa de Chocolates
Inca Crunch (Roasted Quinoa) bar
Good +
Weight: 1.445 oz. (40.85 g.) / 2.89 oz. (81.7 g.) total bar
Calories: 215 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Casa de Chocolates table, at the Chocolate Salon in San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Latin American Theme Week.

I'm here in Belize, close to the birthplace of chocolate. So why did I bring chocolates from the San Francisco Bay Area down here with me? Three reasons.

First, this dark chocolate (61% cacao) Inca Crunch bar with roasted quinoa is from Casa de Chocolates (Berkeley, CA), a shop that specializes in Latin American themed chocolates. Second, even though carrying chocolates down here was a bit like carrying coals to Newcastle, I didn't want to risk going a single day without a new chocolate on hand.

Last, but not least, sometimes I just can't help buying extra chocolate items that catch my fancy. And such was the case when I visited Casa de Chocolates, where I found a dazzling array of Latin flavored bars and truffles right before this trip.

The Inca Crunch bar was vegan and gluten-free, and the quinoa provided a pleasant, grain-like, crunchy texture that balanced the richer, smooth dark chocolate base.

Note: posts and photos will be delayed this week due to travel. However, the chocolate eating will continue.

Maracuya truffle - April 22, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Casa de Chocolates
Maracuya truffle
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .38 oz. (10.75 g.) (estimate) for 1 truffle
Calories: 57 calories (estimate) for 1 truffle
Cost: $N/A - part of larger assortment box
Purchased from: Casa de Chocolates, Berkeley, CA

Welcome to the first day of Chocolate and Latin America Theme Week.

I love chocolate field trips. Today I'm embarking on a big one -- a trip to the Toledo District of Belize (an important cacao growing area in the southern part of the country).

However, as a warm up, yesterday I visited  Casa de Chocolates in Berkeley California, a shop filled with chocolate bars, truffles/filled chocolates, hot chocolate, and other dessert items -- all with a unique Latin twist. (They were also selling some organic cacao beans from Belize.)

I bought a small box of truffles, a disc-shaped Mayan calendar, some Belize beans, and three small bars. The truffles were hard to resist, with flavors like: Maracuya (coconut milk and passion fruit); Mezcal with sal de gusano; Cajeta (made with goat's milk caramel); Tamarindo; and Chipotle Caramel.


Today I'm featuring the Maracuya (passion fruit) truffle, emblazoned with a pink skull wearing a hat. This chocolate was filled with a creamy blend of coconut milk and the tart-sweet passion fruit -- a great combination of flavors. I look forward to trying more of these truffles from Casa de Chocolates next month.

Note: Posts and photos will be delayed this week, due to travel, but the chocolate eating will continue unabated.

Ritter Rum Trauben Nuss bar - April 21, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Ritter (Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co.)
Rum Trauben Nuss bar
Good
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) in 1/4 bar / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 128 calories for 1/4 bar
Cost: $2.29 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Crossroads World Market, Palo Alto, CA

Rum, brandy, tequila, Scotch, bourbon, exotic liqueurs...most people who enjoy pairing chocolates with spirits have their favorite.

Today's Rum Trauben Nuss (rum raisin with hazelnut) bar from Ritter (Waldenbuch, Germany) mixes it up with a touch of Jamaican rum, and California raisins.

This milk chocolate (30% min.) bar looked and tasted fresh; and contained hazelnut pieces that added some crunchy texture.

Note: Because this bar does contain a small amount of alcohol, you may find it more challenging to find this flavor where other Ritter Sport bars are sold in the U.S. I found this one at a smaller, international market that carried specialty items, including chocolates and desserts.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Spirits Theme Week.

Chocolates + Liquor - April 20, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1.) Roshen Confectionery Corporation
Cherry in Liqueur
Weight: .5 oz. (14.28 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 75.7 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $0.19 (estimate), sold by weight ($5.99/lb.)
Purchased from: Crossroads World Market, Palo Alto, CA

2.) Solidarnosc
Caffe
Weight: .6 oz. (17.46 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 92.5 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $0.23 (estimate), sold by weight ($5.99/lb.)
Purchased from: Crossroads World Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today's individually wrapped chocolates hailed from Eastern Europe -- and arrived in my neighborhood via Crossworlds World Market, an international store that stocks interesting foods from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and other exotic (for many Californians at least) locales.

The first item: a chocolate covered cherry bathed in a liquor-flavored, liquid center that was made by Roshen Confectionery Corporation (Kiev City, Ukraine).

The second "Caffe" chocolate with a creamy, caramel-like center (also flavored with liquor) was from Solidarnosc (Firma Cukiernicza "Solidarnosc - rok zalazania 1952" Sp. z o.o.; Lublin, Poland)

Trying to decipher the text on these chocolates (sold in individual pieces, by the pound) was a fun adventure, complete with geography lesson. (No, Ukraine is not the same as Russia).

However, the flavors of chocolate needed no translation. Spirits-soaked, sweet centers were harmoniously balanced with and within their chocolate skins.

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