Alprose - Rose sundae - April 13, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Alprose
Milk Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 114 calories (estimate) in 1/5 bar
Cost: $2.50 (sale)
Purchased from: Safeway, Menlo Park, CA


This afternoon I made a rosewater infused vanilla ice cream sundae, with chopped almonds and milk chocolate (30% cacao) chips from an Alprose (Caslano-Lugano, Switzerland) Milk Chocolate (Chocolat au Lait) bar. Top sundae with an edible, organic rose, and you're done.

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

Lillie Belle Farms - Easter items - April 12, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Lillie Belle Farms

1.) Lavender Fleur de Sel Caramels
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 3 oz. (84 g.) (estimate) total package
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1 oz. serving (2 + pieces)
Cost:  $12.00 (estimate) for one 6-piece package/box
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

2.) Lillie Bunny
Before it melted, this was a cute, solid chocolate Easter bunny made of organic dark chocolate. After it melted, it was a smooth and creamy dark fondue.
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 3 oz. (84 g.) in 1 package/bunny
Calories:  150 calories (estimate) for 1 oz. serving
Cost: $8.00 (estimate) for 1 bunny
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

3.) Truffle Eggs
Before these Easter eggs melted in the sun, they were creamy delicious Burnt Orange white chocolate eggs and flavorful Milk Chocolate Caramel filled eggs. After accidental sun exposure, they were delicious scrambled eggs.
Burnt Orange = Very Good; Milk Caramel = Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (33 g.) serving / 3 oz. (84 g.) total package
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. serving
Cost: $12.00 (estimate) for a five-piece box
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Easter is one of the first big chocolate holidays of Spring, falling at a time when there is lovely green grass and wildflowers and copious amounts of sunshine. It's the latter part that often spells disaster for the unwary.

Before I could photograph today's delicious trio of chocolate items from Lillie Belle Farms (Central Point, OR), rays of sun liquified the bunny, deflated the eggs and scorched Lavender Sea Salt Caramels -- all in a manner of minutes.

The only intact bunnies and eggs I saw today were at the local Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. However, this brush with the sun did not stop me from enjoying all three of these items in their altered state. Bunny fondue anyone?

Don't let this Easter tragedy happen to you folks. Store your Easter treasures and chocolate facsimiles (chocsimiles) of rabbits, eggs and lambs in a cool, dark place.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Flower Theme Week. (I've already eaten the Lillie Belle Farms Lavender Sea Salt Caramels before, but I couldn't resist resurrecting them for this Easter banquet today. They're great if you love floral flavors, and lavender in particular.)

OCD - Rose Petal Caramel - April 11, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Obsessive Confection Disorder
Rose Petal Caramel
Very Good
Weight: .8 oz. (22.64 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 112 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $1.95 for 1 piece
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA


Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

This morning I found a single red rose blooming in a wall of yellow roses. I have no explanation for how it might have gotten there. But, every once in awhile you slip down some delicious, unusual rabbit-hole of disbelief around a flower, or a flavor, like today. (Immaculate Confection? Maybe.)

The generously-sized Rose Petal Caramel (with chocolate) from Obsessive Confection Disorder (Fairfax, CA) was wrapped simply in brown paper, twisted at each end. Don't let its humble appearance fool you. It was saturated with flavor -- with a yummy, gooey (and vegan) caramel base at the heart of this confection, and bursts of lovely rose floral and chocolate flavors carefully incorporated throughout. It was a bit messy to eat, but totally worth it.

I love floral flavors. For others who do, I recommend these.

Cocoa Orange + Rose Ice Cream Sandwich - April 10, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Andean Dream
Quinoa Cookies - Cocoa Orange
(+ vanilla rose hibiscus ice cream filling)
Good - Good +
Weight: 4 cookies (60 grams) / 7 oz. (198 g.) in 1 box of cookies
Calories: 375 calories (estimate) for 2 "sandwiches" (4 cookies + filling).
Cost: ?
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Calories: 375 calories (estimate) for 2 "cookie sandwiches" (4 cookies + filling)Weight: 4 cookies = 60 g. / 7 oz. (198 g.) in 1 box of cookies

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week, where I made my own floral filling for a gluten-free cookie "sandwich" by mixing in some flavorfully floral rose hip preserves and a splash of scarlet-colored hibiscus tea.

These individually-wrapped Andean Dream Cocoa Orange cookies were made from quinoa, were small and crunchy, and made good ice cream sandwich cookies.

Montezuma's - Dark Orange Geranium bar - April 9, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Montezuma's Chocolates
Dark Chocolate Orange and Geranium bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 105 calories (estimate) in 1/5 bar
Cost: $5.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Abe's Market (online order)

Today was Day 2 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

The Dark Chocolate Orange and Geranium bar from Montezuma's Chocolates (West Sussex, U.K.) was made with organic dark (73% cacao) chocolate. Montezuma's founders (and foundation they set up in 2000) have incorporated "traded fairly" principles into their purchasing (cacao) process, and across their operation (partners, packaging).

The combination of a robust dark chocolate, vanilla, orange oil and geranium oil may sound yummy and straight-forward, but this blend of flavors represents, in my experience, one of the most difficult balancing acts one can attempt, with ample opportunity for things to go wrong.

I believe I've had a milk chocolate bar with rose + geranium before, but never this specific combination with this many strong flavors. I recall the milk in the previous bar acted as a "harmonizing" influence (i.e. it may have neutralized some of the stronger, acidic flavors).

The bitter and acidic notes in this dark chocolate (and possibly the orange oil) in this bar did struggle for dominance a bit; however, it was great to taste floral (geranium) notes coming through. Thank you to Montezuma's for offering chocolates with flower flavors. They're some of my favorites. 

CocoaPlanet - Mandarin Orange, Orange Blossom bar - April 8, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

CocoaPlanet Inc.
Mandarin Orange and Citrus Blossom
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 96 calories in 1 package
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

It's early April in California. We're enjoying roses, geraniums, citrus blossoms and green hillsides dotted with wildflowers. So, inspired by recent fragrant blooms, welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

Today's chocolate from CocoaPlanet (Sonoma, CA) combined Mandarin Orange (Organic Mandarin Orange Oil) with Orange Blossom, and Organic Orange Zest. Orange blossom (and neroli oil) are favorite scents of mine, and the blossom flavor in this bar contributed a light floral note.

The dark (64% cacao) chocolate was Non-GMO project verified. Both chocolate and orange elements were flavorful and well balanced.

This dark, miniature planet was punctuated with precisely circular craters, and light bands of embedded orange terrestrial features. Actually, CocoaPlanet founder Anne McKibben (and her husband) set out to "suspend spheres of flavor" in a chocolate disc to create "more flavor with less sugar." I'd say they succeeded. And the small size helps prevent galactic overindulgence.

Stirs the Soul - Orange Goji bar - April 7, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Stirs the Soul
Orange Goji Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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


This all raw, Orange Goji Chocolate bar from Stirs the Soul (Portland, OR) was lightly sweetened (with dried dates). Goji berries, orange and ginger added subtle flavor. I was delighted that this bar wasn't overly sweet.

The bar was made with stone-ground, unroasted Criollo and Trinitario cacao beans. (Stirs the Soul is one of the few "raw" chocolate vendors that grind their own beans.) Stirs the Soul raw chocolate alchemist, Daren Hayes, also buys cacao that is "Fairly Traded and Sustainably Grown."

To ensure that the raw chocolate maintains nutrients, the company maintains temperatures below 111 degrees (F), during the making of bars; and even below that mark apparently for tempering.

Given the finicky nature of tempering chocolate (a good "temper" has traditionally meant that a bar yields with a bit of a "snap" when broken), the consistency of the bar was quite good.

Added cocoa butter helped give this 82% cacao bar a very smooth mouthfeel. The flavors were very mild for an 82% cacao bar -- a characteristic some will like. Some of this may have been due to less roasting at higher temperatures. I would have enjoyed tasting a bit more of the cacao flavor and the flavor additions.

Great news for those with allergies...The company maintains what it calls an "Allergy Compassionate" environment. Chocolate bars are "made and packaged in a dairy, egg, peanut, tree-nut (except coconut), soy and gluten-free facility."