Chocolate Salami - Aug. 30, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dude Sweet Chocolate
FDA Chocolate "Salami"
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 8 oz. (227 g.) total salami
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz.
Cost: $15.00 for 1 salami
Purchased from: Dude Sweet Chocolate, Dallas, TX

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Fig Theme Week. This chocolate and fig salami from Dude Sweet Chocolate (Dallas, TX) arrived just in time for a summer picnic.

Slice this salami and serve it up with meat, cheese or sherry and you'll up the creative quotient at your table, inside or out.

Made with 72% South American chocolate, California marzipan (almonds, sugar), dates, dried figs, and cocoa nibs, this cleverly disguised treat looked (and had a bit of the texture) of a salami, but was very rich, dense and satisfying, due in large part to the dates and figs. However, the blend of nibs and marzipan with the chocolate was also just right, and not too sweet. Brava to chef Katherine Clapner.

L'Amourette Figs bar - Aug. 29, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

L'Amourette LLC
L'Amourette Chocolatier - Figs Chocolat Noir bar
Weight: .7 oz. (19.8 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 125 calories for 1/5 bar
Cost: $4.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Figs Theme Week. And I celebrated this occasion with a "Figs" Chocolate Noir (72% dark chocolate) bar from L'Amourette Chocolatier/L'Amourette LLC (San Francisco, CA).

L'Amourette handcrafts a line of chocolate bars that are vegan and soy and gluten free. The chocolate in this bar had a distinct dark, slightly acidic tang, and was made using Venezuelan Trinitario cacao beans. The generous bits of dried figs had just the right texture - not too tough and chewy and not too gooey soft, and poked out of the chocolate enrobing.

Chocolate fudge, fig cheese - Aug. 28, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Original Chocolate Fudge Co.
Chocolate
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total container
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1/2 oz. serving
Cost: N/A
Purchased from: N/A

Another late summer day, another chocolate, fig and cheese plate. I could eat these all year long. Fresh figs are a rich, flavorful seasonal treat, and to have figs embedded in a small cylinder of Coach Farm goat's milk cheese -- all the better.

A tiny spoonful of smooth Chocolate fudge from the Original Gourmet Fudge Co. (Salem, NH) provided the chocolate-to-go, and to ground this tasting experience in solid sweet + savory territory. (Note: the company is now primarily focused on lollipops and not chocolate items.)

Askinosie Hey, Hey Hazelnut! spread - Aug. 27, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Askinosie Chocolate

Hey, Hey Hazelnut! Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Good + - Very Good

Weight: 1 Tablespoon (18 g.) / 6.5 oz. (184 g.) in total jar

Calories: 100 calories in 1 Tablespoon serving

Cost: $12.00 (estimate) in 1 jar 

Purchased from: Askinosie Chocolate, Springfield, MO (online order)

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Cheese Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Fig Theme Week.This morning's chocolate, cheese and fruit plate almost made me late for an appointment it was so good. 

I savored every bit of my "Hey, Hey Hazelnut!" Chocolate Hazelnut spread from Askinosie Chocolate (Springfield, MO). I carefully slathered it on a piece of gluten-free toast -- alongside goat cheese, fresh black mission figs and strawberries, and a drizzle of saffron honey. Life was good and so was this breakfast.

Askinosie Chocolate is a bean-to-bar chocolate maker. However, Askinosie's relationships with farmers go beyond most chocolate makers. Pictures of farmers, like Peter Cruz, are featured on chocolate product labels. This hazelnut spread made "from (cocoa) bean to jar" contained cocoa powder (made in the Askinosie factory) using cocoa beans from Davao, Philippines.

The list of ingredients was short, simple, and high-quality: hazelnuts (oil and butter), cocoa powder, organic sugar, and roasted cocoa nibs. The hazelnut butter was made in the Askinosie factory as well, from scratch, "using DuChilly hazelnuts from Holmquist Hazelnut Orchards in Lynden, Washington, USA."

I ate this marvelous hazelnut spread on toast with Laura Chenel's Chevre -- Honey Goat Cheese, from Sonoma, CA, to be exact.

Chobani greek yogurt - August 26, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chobani, Inc.
Greek Yogurt - Bite - Raspberry with dark chocolate chips
Good
Weight: 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 yogurt / part of a larger 4-pack
Calories: 100 calories (plus cream cheese and crust for "shotglass cheesecake")
Cost: $3.49 for 1 4-pack of yogurt
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

A raspberry flavored Greek Yogurt "Bite" (small container) with flecks of dark chocolate chips might be healthier than ice cream, but I probably downgraded the health benefits a bit by mixing this yogurt with some cream cheese. I poured this cheesecake-like filling over a ground nut (almond, pecan, walnut and date) crust -- to make shotglass and miniature ersatz cheesecakes.

I also made a similar pineapple cheesecake with Chobani's pineapple and caramel flavored Bite yogurt.

Neither one was as rich as a full fat New York style cheesecake, but they were tasty all the same. And, small portion sizes work well for me (and my test kitchen).

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

Mole sauce cheese plate - August 25, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chatfield's (PANOS Brands)
All Natural Cocoa Powder
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 Tablespoon (4 g.) / 10 oz. (283 g.) in 1 container
Calories: 20 calories in 1 Tablespoon
Cost: N/A
Purchased from: N/A

I was inspired by a chicken and mole sauce dish last night. So, I made my own savory mole sauce at home this afternoon, using unsweetened (and alkaline free) Chatfield's Cocoa Powder (Manufactured for Panos Brands, Saddle Brook, NJ).

Mole typically is a mix of many flavors. I used, for example, many types of fresh, dehydrated and ground chiles in this sauce (including sweet pepper, ancho, chipotle and red chiles); smoked and garlic salts; a bit of diced onion and roasted garlic; sesame and pumpkin seeds; almonds; a dab of quince paste for sweetness; a dash of fresh tomato salsa; thyme, and other herbs and spices.

This spicy mound of dark sauce was a great accompaniment to small cubes of bbq spiced cheddar, fresh avocado pieces, fresh sweet peppers, carrots, and other cheeses.

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

Mole burrito - Aug. 24, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Fiesta del Mar
Mole Burrito
Good + - Very Good
Weight: unknown
Calories: unknown
Cost: $12.95 for 1 plate
Purchased from: Fiesta del Mar, Mountain View, CA

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

Not all chocolates are sweet. Mole sauce is a dark, flavorful, savory sauce made with ground chiles, herbs, nuts, seeds, and unsweetened chocolate. It is particularly delicious served atop vegetables or chicken, and is often served with cheese (queso).

This evening I enjoyed a mole burrito plate at a favorite local restaurant, Fiesta del Mar (Mountain View, CA). I had a similar dish as few years ago with chicken and black beans, and this dish was a variant on this theme. The rich sauce was perfect with the chunks of white meat chicken, melted cheese, and a handful of thin slivers of fresh onion. The raspberry margarita on the side provided some sweetness.