Rose Salt + Lemon bar - June 25, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Antidote Chocolate, LIC (Tripple Red Corp)
Rose Salt + Lemon bar
Good+
Weight: .92 oz. (26 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) total bar
Calories: 153 calories in 4 squares
Cost: $N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was the 5th day of Chocolate and Surprise Me Theme Week.

Surprise #1
My first chocolate choice for today (a hazelnut filled "Rose of the Dolomites" dark, flower-shaped chocolate from Loaker), turned out to have a wafer in it. Crunch. Surprise! (I don't eat wheat/gluten.) This led to a quick search to find an alternative chocolate.

Surprise #2
Fortunately, I'd been given a few sample chocolate bars from The Chocolate Garage (Palo Alto, CA) last night. Thank you Sunita for this nice surprise! And, one of these samples was a (gluten free) Rose Salt + Lemon 77% cacao dark chocolate bar from Antidote Chocolate (Long Island City, New York).

The rose salt and lemon flavors in this bar were subtle and quite nice, and a 50/50 blend of raw + roasted ("Arriba" cacao beans from Ecuador) gave the base chocolate more flavor than raw alone. And, even better, the added dark roasted flavor didn't overwhelm the inclusions (rose salt, lemon).

German Chocolate Julie Bar - June 24, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Julie Bar LLC
German Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: 1.62 oz. (46 g.) in 1 bar / 19.44 oz. (552 g.) total box of 12 bars
Calories: 180 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $18.75 for 1 box of 12 bars
Purchased from: Abe's Market, online order

For an interesting experience, try responding to questions with this two-word answer: "Surprise Me." Do you want paper or plastic? (I was asked at the grocery store). Surprise Me. Would you like ice in your water or not? Surprise Me. You may not always get exactly what you wanted. In fact, you may run the risk of getting something better. This is why, each year, I create a Chocolate and Surprise Me Theme Week, like this week.

I was in the mood for a bar I could take on a hike. Julie Cornelius, of Julie Bar LLC (Tucson, AZ) has created a line of organic, gluten free bars with a very short list of ingredients that are surprisingly good.  (I've found products with less than five ingredients are much more likely to taste better.) Previously I  sampled Julie's Chocolate Brownie bars with three ingredients. Today I tried the German Chocolate bars, with 1.) organic dates, 2.) organic walnuts, 3.) organic cocoa powder, and 4.) organic coconut. No dairy, no syrups, just plain goodness.

My hike today was cancelled due to rain, but I did have the unexpected opportunity to enjoy this bar outside for lunch. Whether you're scaling a mountain or walking around the block, this German Chocolate bar with a touch of flaked coconut would be great to carry along. Naturally rich and sweet, without the addition of sugar, it was a satisfying snack.

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Surprise Me Theme Week.

Elvis Dark Chocolate bar - June 23, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dinstuhl's Fine Candy Company
Graceland Dark Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: .466 oz. (13.2 g.) in 2 squares / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 69.5 calories in 2 squares
Cost: N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift (Graceland, Memphis, TN)

Graceland is the home of Elvis Presley, in Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis may have left the auditorium, but his image and energy as a hip-swiveling rock-and-roll performer last century lives on. Thank you Jeri for bringing back a bit of the king -- while on a recent trip to Memphis -- in the form of today's Graceland Dark Chocolate bar.

Pleasant and sweet, with a touch of vanillin, this bar should be a crowd pleaser for those who like dark chocolate, without a bolder, acidic flavor profile.

This chocolate was distributed by Dinstuhl's Fine Candy Company (Memphis, TN), a family business that has been making candy for five generations in Memphis, since 1902.

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Surprise Me Theme Week.

Dude Sweet Chocolate - June 22, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dude Sweet Chocolate
Plum Sexy Chocolate Sauce
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) total bottle
Calories: 25 calories (estimate) in 1 Tablespoon
Cost: N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Surprise Me Theme Week.

When a friend (thank you Toni!) gave me an intriguing brown bottle of "Dude, Sweet Chocolate," she picked up from Dallas, TX, I was intrigued. Inside the bottle was a dark, "Plum Sexy" chocolate sauce made with plum wine and cacao sagrada bitters.

Bitters are often used in alcoholic beverages. However, I decided to experiment with drink recipes later. It was a hot day today, and drizzling this sauce over a small scoop of chilled, coffee ice cream seemed like a better idea. (And indeed it was.)

This unique sauce contained cocoa powder and 72% cacao South American chocolate. It had a faint tartrate flavor that often accompanies bitters. Relatively lightly sweetened with agave nectar and sugar, the well-balanced, flavorful sauce had just the right amount of acidity from the plum wine. A tiny amount of sea salt helped round out the flavor profile.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bugles - June 21, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Betty Crocker (General Mills)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bugles
Good +
Weight: .56 oz. (16 g.) / 3.25 oz. (92 g.) total bag
Calories: 85 calories in 1/3 cup serving
Cost: $N/A
Purchased from: 7-Eleven, Palo Alto, CA

Occasionally I collect chocolates that defy neat classification into theme categories. This week I've created a special "Surprise Me" theme week to include whimsical chocolate gifts, as well as other surprising or unique chocolate treats.

Today's Chocolate and Peanut Butter Bugles from Betty Crocker (General Mills, Minneapolis, MN) were both fun and, surprisingly, tasty.

Made from degermed yellow corn meal, dextrose, coconut oil, sugar, peanut butter and a bit of cocoa, these small, crunchy horns made for a tasty carbohydrate snack (satisfying much like an occasional bowl of cold cereal). And, being that my site is called "Chocolate Banquet," I can hardly begrudge a cornucopia-shaped snack that looks like a horn-a-plenty.

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Surprise Me Theme Week.

Hagensborg Peanut Butter bars - June 20, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Hagensborg Chocolates Ltd.
Peanut Butter and Raspberry Jam bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 280 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Hagensborg Chocolates (online order)

Today's cleverly packaged Truffle PigBandJ, or Peanut Butter and Raspberry Jam bar, from Hagensborg Chocolates (Burnaby, BC, Canada) marked the end (Day #7) of Chocolate and Peanut Butter Theme Week.

This "Beurre d'arachide et confiture de framboise" milk chocolate truffle bar was constructed of three happy-looking chocolate pigs, stuck together, and filled with peanut butter and raspberry jam layers. My only quibble: this rich, creamy bar was a bit sweet; but that may be a plus to others.

Pit Bull Peanut Butter bar - June 19, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Rescue Chocolate
Peanut Butter Pit Bull bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.33 oz. (37.69 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) total bar
Calories: 213 calories (estimate) in 2/3 bar
Cost: $6.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA


This (vegan) Peanut Butter Pit Bull bar (made for Rescue Chocolate by Tumbador Chocolate, Brooklyn, NY) incorporated Belgian chocolate, peanut butter, toasted rice chocolate with caramel notes, that resulted in a rich, filling chocolate -- all for a good cause. All net proceeds from this line of Rescue Chocolate bars go to dog rescue and/or animal welfare efforts.

Rescue Chocolate founder, Sarah Gross, explains on her website, that a pit bull named Mocha, inspired the concept for the company.

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Peanut Butter Theme Week.