Chocolate Sorbet + Chai almonds - July 2, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Double Rainbow Gourmet Ice Creams, Inc.
Chocolate Sorbet
Good +
Weight: 1/4 cup (50 g.) / 1 Pint (474 mL) total container
Calories: 60 calories in 1/4 cup
Cost: $ N/A
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

July is National Ice Cream month in the U.S. There's nothing like a bowl of rich and refreshing ice cream on a hot summer day. I searched for chai tea ice cream, a seasonal favorite that does show up from time to time (although usually in the fall or winter) in a few San Francisco shops. But, I had no luck finding it in stock in July. So, I made my own version of this creamy, spicy tea flavor.

I chose a lower fat, frozen, chai-flavored dessert -- Chocolate Sorbet from Double Rainbow Gourmet Ice Creams, Inc. (San Francisco, CA) and topped a small scoop with gluten-free, Chai Bliss Almonds from Olomomo Nut Co. (Longmont, CO); cardamom*; and a cherry.

At only 60 calories in a 1/4 cup serving, this sorbet had a rich chocolate taste without being too filling. The Olomomo Chai almonds and other ingredients helped spice things up and added some crunchy texture and fun microbursts of chai tea flavor, that paired nicely with the chocolate.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Chai Theme Week.

*Note: green cardamom pods look lovely, and have a bright, citrus spice flavor often associated with chai (tea). However, ground cardamom (powder) may be more practical (and enjoyable) dessert topping for all except the cardamom-obsessed. 

Masala Chai bar - July 1, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Artisan du Chocolat
Masala Chai bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .636 oz. (18 g.) / 1.59 oz. (45 g.) total bar
Calories: 96 calories (estimate) in 2/5 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Chai Theme Week. It was too hot outside to brew up a pot of hot chai tea, so I made an iced version of said tea to accompany today's Masala Chai tea bar from Artisan du Chocolat (London).

Conched and refined in the company's Kent production facility, the milk chocolate (40% cocoa) was smooth, and infused with a masala chai tea flavor profile -- Assam black tea, cardamom, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, in just the right proportions for my taste.

Chocolat Lily - Chai Truffle - June 30, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolat Lily
Chai Tea Truffle
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 truffle
Calories: 60 calories in 1 truffle
Cost: N/A
Purchased from: Chocolat Lily, Portland, OR

Chai Tea truffles never looked prettier than these two pieces from Chocolat Lily (Portland, OR). These were filled with a creamy, chai and vanilla-infused milk chocolate ganache.

Thank you to Anne Pattison, founder, Chocolat Lily, for her lovely understanding of flavors, and commitment to Belize chocolate.

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

Chai Tea Caramel - June 29, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sixth Course
Chai Tea Caramel
Good + - Very Good
Weight:
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 caramel
Cost: $15.49 for one 6-piece Caramel Sampler box
Purchased from: Buyer's Best Friend, San Francisco Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

I spent a blissful hour meandering through the Farmers Market outside the San Francisco Ferry Building this morning. Once in the Ferry Building I bumped into the Buyer's Best Friend retail shop/nook, and bought a few new chocolates, including a 6-piece Caramel Sampler from local chocolatier, Sixth Course.

Sixth Course has created a line of truffles and caramels. Many are artful combinations of sweet and savory flavors. Today's Chai Tea Caramel was flavorful and delicious -- described as "a tea party for your taste buds." I think I would agree with this statement.

Bite into this round milk chocolate (38%) covered beauty and experience lovely cardamom and chai tea flavors infused into a flowing caramel. Sixth Course used organic cream and butter, and partnered with local San Francisco Bay Area vendors for other quality ingredients, for example, Numi's Organic Golden Chai tea.

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

Chocolate, Chai and Ube - June 28, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Rick's (Rather Rich) Ice Cream
Ice Cream Sundae (with Chocolate Ice Cream + Ube Ice Cream)
Good - Good +
Calories: 525 calories (estimate) in 1 sundae
Cost: $4.49 for 1 single size sundae in a cup
Purchased from: Rick's Ice Cream, Charleston Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA

Chocolate and Surprise Me Theme Week technically ended last night, with a bubble gum bar. However, it was a hot day today, and during a walk with a neighbor (thanks Margaret and Albert!), I couldn't resist stopping at the local ice cream shop, Rick's Ice Cream (Palo Alto, CA), to enjoy one last fun flavor.

I picked up an ice cream sundae. Underneath the whipped cream, nuts, cherry and chocolate sauce were small scoops of Ube ice cream and "plain" chocolate ice cream. The Ube ice cream, a popular Filipino dessert, was made with purple yam, and had a very slight yam-like texture. However, the added purple color brightened up the sundae.*

*Also, I can now say I've mixed chocolate with a food starting with a "U." Now I have only to find a food starting with "X" and I will have covered the whole alphabet.

The "plain" chocolate ice cream (one of several chocolate ice creams offered at Rick's) was anything but plain. It was all that I'm generally hoping for in a chocolate ice cream -- rich, authentic, creamy chocolate flavor and texture.

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Peet's Coffee and Tea
Iced Chai Latte with a shot of mocha/chocolate syrup
Good - Good +
Weight: 12 oz. in 1 small Iced Chai Latte
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1 latte + shot
Cost: $3.49 + shot
Purchased from: Peet's Coffee and Tea, Charleston Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA

Today's Iced Chai Latte from Peet's Coffee and Tea was a variation on a traditional Indian spiced milky tea. It was constructed with a blend of Peet's teas and spices (don't forget the cardamom), and 2% fat chilled milk. No whipped cream today; it was too hot. This flavorful, satisfying cold tea latte kept me from over-heating on the walk back home.

Askinosie CollaBARation #5 - June 27, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Askinosie Chocolate
Dark Milk Chocolate + Ancho Chile and Pistachio bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .75 oz. (21.2 g.) in 1/4 bar/ 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 110 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Today's Dark (goat) milk chocolate bar was a lively mixture of Maldon sea salt flakes, ancho chile and pistachio nut pieces. The single origin 62% bar was made using cacao beans sourced from the Davao region in the Philippines. There was a lot going on in this bar; a veritable fiesta of interesting and high-quality flavors. Perhaps a bit too much. But, it was fun to try.

The 5th bar in Askinosie Chocolate's CollaBARation series, this bar was a collaboration with Cafe Pascual's (Santa Fe, NM) -- a restaurant that serves savory dishes that echo flavors from New Mexico, Old Mexico, the Mediterranean and Asia. (I hope to visit there one day; their menu looks great.)


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Today was the last day of Chocolate and Surprise Me Theme Week. But, there was one more bar in my chocolate vault that deserved an honorable mention, a Bubble Gum bar from Hagensborg Chocolate (British Columbia, Canada) -- see below.

The bar was shaped like 3 pigs, stuck together in a white chocolate conga line. This creative offering was surprisingly good. (Note: I don't count white chocolate as "real" chocolate, but I do appreciate tasting good white chocolate now and then.)

Honorable Mention:

Hagensborg Chocolate
Bubble Gum bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 300 calories for 1 bar
Cost: $4.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Hagensborg Chocolate, online order

Surprise! We're having a heat wave in the San Francisco Bay Area. This bar started to melt in my hand, so I had to lick white chocolate off my fingers almost immediately. (What a shame.) Inside the bar a sweet, pink filling held another surprise -- three tiny, pink pillows of natural bubble gum.

This bar may have been sweet, and it melted easily in the hot weather we had today; but it was also surprisingly good. My advice, do as the packaging advises: "Wallow in European white chocolate truffle heaven," if this sounds tempting to you.

Mango Juniper bar - June 26, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Antidote Chocolate (Tripple Red Corp)
Mango Juniper bar
Good
Weight: .92 oz. (26 g.) in 4 squares / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 4 squares
Cost: N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - sample, The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

In the world of chocolate, bold flavor experiments yield surprising, and often delightful results. Today's Antidote Chocolate Mango Juniper dark chocolate (84% cacao) bar held promise in this category.

I braced myself after seeing the tasting notes inscribed on the bar packaging. "Potent and aromatic" the description read. On the back of this package was a reference to the Greek goddess, Hybris. Known for her pride and insolence, the goddess was also cited as "the Antidote to fear and timidity."

The Flavors...
Despite this build-up, this chocolate was balanced and interesting, and nothing to fear. Each small rectangle of mango embedded in this dark bar sparkled with fresh, authentic and sweet flavor. The juniper berries were surprisingly restrained. Juniper must be a challenging ingredient to incorporate. Its woodsy, spicy, and pine-like qualities call for a great mixologist with good instincts and a steady hand. (I've been delightfully surprised by chocolates made with Douglas Fir (Douglas Fir truffle from Soma Chocolatemaker), Spruce and other tree-related ingredients in the past, and am always interested in new plant-based creations.)

The Chocolate...
Today's vegan and gluten free dark chocolate bar was relatively subtle for an 84% cacao bar. The mild, almost flat cacao profile (common with raw chocolate) allowed the flavor additions to poke through nicely. Part of this subtle, lower-acid, only slightly bitter profile was due to the 50/50 blend of raw + roasted "Arriba" cacao beans (from certified organic farms) in Ecuador. The inclusion of some roasted beans helped elevate and balance the flavor a bit, while preserving what I presume are higher levels of antioxidants and "raw nutrients" present with beans not exposed to higher temperatures.

The Creative Talent...
Hats off to "austrian chocolate empress" Ms. Red R. Thalhammer, and her team, for creating fearless and surprising flavor blends. Yesterday's rose salt + lemon bar was quite nice, and I look forward to trying more Antidote bars in the future.

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Surprise Me Theme Week.