Michel Cluizel - Orange Toasted Sesame bar - May 21, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Michel Cluizel
Orange Toasted Sesame bar
Good ++
Weight: 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 375 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draegers, San Mateo, CA

Today is Day #3 of Chocolate and Fruit Salad Theme Week; and I'm letting a chocolate bar inspire a similar salad.

I enjoyed an Orange Toasted Sesame bar from Michel Cluizel (Michel Cluizel USA is based in West Berlin, NJ). It was made with 55% cocoa and lovely, jewel-like, chewy candied orange bits. A touch of vanilla, and a sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds finished the bar nicely. The chocolate had a smooth, almost silky texture and mouth-feel.

This flavorful bar inspired me to make a sweet and savory orange sesame fruit salad, with a sweet citrus and ginger sesame dressing.

I also paired this orange sesame salad, and bar, with crunchy ginger peanut squarelettes from keen-wah, LLC (Chicago, IL).

All these items were creative takes on Asian-inspired cuisine. I've been told that oranges came from Asia originally. And, chocolate originated in the Americas many hundreds of years ago. It's wonderful to live in an age -- and place like the San Francisco Bay Area -- where so many fusions of cultures and foods can be found.

Nut 'n Bean - Mandarin Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter - May 20, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nut 'n Bean
Mandarin Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) (estimate) / 8 oz. (227 g.) in 1 jar
Calories: 190 calories (estimate) for 2 Tablespoon serving
Cost: $8.00 (estimate) for 1 jar
Purchased from: Nut 'n Bean table, at Palo Alto Farmer's Market, Palo Alto, CA

This Mandarin Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter from Nut 'n Bean (Hayward, CA) proved to be a very versatile spread (and another great Farmer's Market find).

Flavored with mandarin orange infused olive oil, one could drizzle this chocolate "butter" over a fruit salad -- an orange and avocado salad with roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds in this case.

I also used this chocolate seed butter as a dunk for three Natural Decadence (gluten-free) citrus shortbread squares, and as an accompaniment for a Flax4Life carrot raisin muffin (also gluten free).

This Nut 'n Bean butter (made with dairy-free, semi-sweet chocolate) fared well with salad and sweets, and it would be worth trying with other dessert items (in a crepe, over ice cream, on a croissant or toast, etc.).

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Fruit Salad Theme Week.

Lucienne's - Orange Sugar Free Dark bar - May 19, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lucienne's
Orange Sugar Free 83% Dark Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: .8 oz. (22.68 g.) / 2 oz. (56.7 g.) in total bar
Calories: 100 calories in 2/5 of 1 bar
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Fruit Salad Theme Week.

The chocolate of the day, an Orange Sugar Free 83% Dark Chocolate bar was from Lucienne's (Trumansburg, NY). Lucienne's is a bean-to-bar chocolatemaker using cacao beans from Ecuador (and Peru).

Today's Orange stevia-sweetened bar was made from Ecuadorian Antigua Nacional cocoa. Orange oil added a bright, bittersweet citrus fruit flavor to this dark (83% cacao) but smooth bar.

Lucienne's chocolate bars are sugar free, gluten free and dairy free. This Orange bar had 1 Net Carb and 46 grams of fiber per serving (1/2 bar). I had a bit less than this (2/5 bar), and also enjoyed a small orange fruit salad for dessert. (1 medium fresh, orange contains an estimated 12 Net Carbs and 3 grams of fiber. Net net: A serving of this chocolate would probably be less likely to raise blood sugar than most fruit salads.

Lucienne's - Sugar Free 83% Dark bar - May 18, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lucienne's
Sugar Free 83% Dark Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: .8 oz. (22.68 g.) / 2 oz. (56.7 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 100 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

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

I find it interesting to try sugar-free dark chocolate bars, such as today's 83% Dark Chocolate bar sweetened with a proprietary stevia blend from Lucienne's (Trumansburg, NY).

Stevia-sweetened bars available now are quite good. In addition to missing the sugar buzz, and lacking any artificial flavor that earlier sugar-free bars sometimes had, these bars offer an opportunity to see what the underlying chocolate tastes like without sugar. (Sugar does add a certain brightness to certain flavors.)

This dark chocolate bar, made from Ecuadorian Antigua Nacional cocoa ("gently roasted" to retain antioxidants and flavor) was fairly smooth, without any bitter or objectionable notes that some people associate with bars with a higher cacao content. 

Monique's Chocolates - Ecuador truffle - May 17, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Monique's Chocolates

1.) Ecuador truffle
Good + - Very Good
Weight:
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) for 1 truffle
Cost: $2.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: Monique's Chocolates, Palo Alto, CA

2.) Chocolate Creme
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 3 oz. (estimate) in 1 small cup
Calories: unknown
Cost: $2.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: Monique's Chocolates, Palo Alto, CA

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

I've enjoyed single origin truffles and "liquid chocolate" (served either hot or iced cold) from Monique's Chocolates (Palo Alto, CA) for the past few years. Unfortunately, owner/founder Mark West will be moving to Paris in the coming year and will be closing down the Palo Alto shop. We'll miss Mark and family!

As a last hurrah (before they close their doors on June 15th), I ducked into Monique's for a liquid chocolate made from Ecuadorian cacao, but changed my mind and picked out an Ecuador truffle and a chilled Chocolate Creme made from Ecuador cacao instead. Both were quite good. The truffles had a soft dark chocolate ganache center with a rich, warm caramel flavor. And the cold Chocolate Creme, served in a small cup was richer with more concentrated authentic dark chocolate flavor than other chocolate cream or pudding type desserts. Quality ingredients do matter.

Raaka Chocolate - Bourbon Cask Aged bar - May 16, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Raaka Chocolate
Bourbon Cask Aged, Ecuador 82% bar
Good+ - Very good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.98 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

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

This Bourbon Cask Aged dark (82% cacao) bar from Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY) was something special. Made from unroasted cacao beans, you might get the incorrect impression that this vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and dairy-free bar would be missing something -- but this was not the case.

Using a hint of both cane sugar and maple sugar to add light sweetness, and aging cocoa nibs (cacao bean bits from Ecuador) in bourbon barrels to impart some fruit, wood and smoke notes to the finished bar was a brilliant idea. (The Raaka bar's packaging also lists caramel and vanilla as possible flavors you might taste.)

Raaka Chocolate also lists their cacao as being organic and fairly traded

Raaka Chocolate - Ecuador 85% bar - May 15, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Raaka Chocolate
Ecuador - Aproca Co-op, 85% bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $7.98 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

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

This dark bar from bean-to-bar chocolate maker Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY), was made from unroasted cacao beans, from the Aproca Co-op in Ecuador.

The bar had a nice sheen; a dark and earthy flavor; and a relatively flat flavor arc, without the boost you might get from a chocolate bar with a sugar or fruit sparkle.

This 85% dark bar was constructed with a higher percentage of cacao solids and, as a result, less sugar. Some will like the lack of sweetness; but there can be trade-offs with bars this dark -- like fewer light fruit, citrus or floral notes. "Brighter" flavors often are present in bars with a lower cacao percentage (e.g. 70% cacao), and a relatively high(er) percentage of sugar.

Tasting notes on the bar's wrapper read: almonds, molasses (and nutty).

This Raaka Chocolate bar was vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free.