Mamma Chia - Peanut and Dark Chocolate with Chia bar - April 18, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mamma Chia
Peanut and Dark Chocolate with Chia bar
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Peanut and Dark Chocolate with Chia bar from Mamma Chia (Carlsbad, CA) had a sweet, chewy, nutty and seedy texture—and a dark chocolate base and icing.

You could say this was a snack bar with a mission—one of a line of Mamma Chia beverages and bars with organic chia seeds. The company promotes the "Magic of Chia," i.e., its Omega-3s, dietary fiber and complete protein.

"BPA-free, Non-GMO, Gluten Free and Kosher," this hearty yet light bar contained a healthy dose of Omega fatty acids: Omega-3: 1,000 mg; Omega-6: 300 mg; Omega-9: 4,800 mg; and protein (6 grams).

The team at Mamma Chia also participates in 1% for the Planet program(s), and the company was a founding member of the Slow Money organization.

Chia origins
Like other seeds highlighted in this Chocolate and Seed week, chia seeds (from Salvia hispanica—a plant in the mint family) originated in the Americas. More specifically, chia is native to Central and Southern Mexico and Guatemala, and was eaten by the Aztecs and Maya people.

Sunflower seeds, pine nuts (seeds), chia seeds, squash and pumpkin seeds, and other seeds, were all eaten by native peoples in the Americas before European settlers arrived.

As I pondered yesterday (with sunflower seeds), might chia seeds have been combined with cacao seeds (beans) or drinking chocolate a thousand years ago? Another research project to be added to the list.

*Pine nuts (or seeds from pine cones) came/come from pine (or pinon/pinyon) trees from at least three continents. Popular source trees include the Italian Stone Pine, the Mexican Pine and Colorado Pine, and Siberian Pine.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Patric Chocolate - Salty Sunflower Seed Bar - April 17, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Patric Chocolate
Salty Sunflower Seed Bar
Good ++
Weight: 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 345 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week.

Today we focus on sunflower seeds in combination with chocolate. It's hard not to think of these bold yellow flowers as the spring weather edges toward summer.

I've seen dill pickle flavored sunflower seeds and bacon-flavored sunflower seeds in stores. But, the best use of sunflower seeds (or any seeds) may be when they're shelled, lightly roasted and salted, and then blended with high-quality chocolate.


Today's limited edition Salty Sunflower Seed Bar—from bean-to-bar maker* Patric Chocolate (Columbia, MO)—was a great example of such a bar. Organic sunflower seeds were very lightly salted, added some crunchy texture, and blended nicely with an expertly crafted milk chocolate base.

Sunflower history
The sunflower that yields most of our edible seeds (Helianthus Annuus) originated in North America. There is evidence that American Indians domesticated and ate sunflower seeds as far back as 3,000 B.C. (likely in Arizona and Mexico). So, technically speaking, some of these Indians might have sprinkled some ground sunflower seeds into their drinking chocolate. One never knows.

*Patric Chocolate is winner of 15 Good Food Awards for chocolate bars. Congratulations to Alan "Patric" McClure and team.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

SOMA chocolatemaker - Cacao Crunch - Apr. 16, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

SOMA chocolatemaker
Cacao Crunch - Chocolate twig
Very Good
Weight: 3.5 oz. (100 g.) (estimate) in total package
Calories: 525 calories (estimate) in 1 package
Cost: $18.00 (estimate) for 1 package (member price)
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week.

What's a "Cacao Crunch?" It could be the crunchy sound being made as a happy, satisfied person consumes today's "Chocolate twig with roasted pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs and hemp seeds."

This sliceable confection from SOMA chocolatemaker (Toronto, ON, Canada) was substantially greater in size and substance than what I imagine when I think of a twig. It was both soft and crunchy, a delicious branch growing off a growing SOMA chocolate tree.

It was also delicious. The sweetness of high-quality milk chocolate was layered and made more complex with crunchy seeds and nibs. I thought I picked up a hint of hazelnut flavor, although it likely came from almonds and butter instead.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Woodblock Chocolate Manufactory - Toasted Sesame bar - April 15, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Woodblock Chocolate Manufactory
Toasted Sesame bar (Batch 17)
Good +
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 132 calories (estimate)
Cost: $4.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: French Broad Chocolates, Asheville, NC

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week.

And Happy April 15 -- the big annual tax due date in the U.S. (Canadians have until April 30). May all your financial affairs go smoothly and may you always have some pocket money for good chocolate.

Technically, any theme week on ChocolateBanquet.com could be a chocolate and seeds theme week, as chocolate is made from cacao seeds. We call them cacao or cocoa beans, but they're really seeds that, for the most part, are fermented, roasted and processed into chocolate.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to these seeds, the farmers who grow cacao, and all the people who contribute to the making of great chocolate, including smaller craft chocolate makers.

Today's Toasted Sesame bar was crafted by the team at Woodblock Chocolate Manufactory (Portland, OR), a family-run, bean-to-bar chocolate company.

There was a lot of flavor packed into this small, compact bar. The top of this Woodblock bar looked like...well, a wood block, with a stylized woodgrain pattern—a nice, design touch.

The three ingredient (cacao, sugar and sesame seeds) 70% cacao bar had a dark, complex aroma, and a dark, roasted, acidic and almost smoky flavor (think espresso).

The boldness of the flavor made it difficult to detect any lighter fruit, floral or berry notes. And perhaps there were none to speak of to begin with. Different cacao seeds (beans) have different flavor profiles from the start.

The flavor of toasted sesame seeds was very faint, but I'm guessing the seeds did help mellow the dark roasted, acidic flavor profile in some way that I was unable to account for (without having a non-seeded bar as a tasting control group). For all its boldness, it was fairly well balanced. I did not find this bar bitter or astringent.

A very even sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds—which can be surprisingly hard to achieve when sprinkling by hand, so hats off there—were lightly pressed into the underside of this dark bar.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Inspiration - hazelnut chocolates - April 14, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Vdohnovenie (Inspiration) Chocolate
Babaev Confectionery
(Chocolates with hazelnut bits)
Good
Weight: 1.26 oz. (35.8 g.) / 7.59 oz. (215 g.) in total box of 12 pieces
Calories: 197 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $ N/A - gift from friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from friend

Today was a special chocolate day—an opportunity to try a chocolate from Russia.

These Vdohnovenie (Inspiration) chocolates from Babayeva/Babaev (Moscow) were (gratefully) hand-carried on a plane from St. Petersburg, Russia to California.

I can occasionally find chocolates from around the world in international markets or specialty shops; but not all brands or flavors are readily available, even online. So this was a welcome gift indeed.

Each dome-shaped "chocolate icing"covered piece contained a rich chocolate praline filling embedded with nut bits (hazelnuts), creating a sweet and satisfying tasting experience.

Chocolate in Russia
Every country has a slightly different food and chocolate landscape. As one might expect, Russia has its own chocolate companies and offerings, particularly in larger cities.

The Russian chocolate makers that turned up in an online search included: Britarev Chocolate Co.; Fresh Cacao; Kudvic (also selling equipment to aspiring makers); Verhoff Chocolatier; Chocolate Manufactory Murtazali; and Museum of Russian Chocolate History, Museum of History of Chocolate Criollo (factory and boutique).

Yes, there are Chocolate Museums in Moscow.* And, in St. Petersburg there is a Chocolate Museum and boutique in the basement of the Stroganov Palace—that offers hand-made chocolates and has chocolate sculptures.

In other signs of chocolate expansion: the annual Salon du Chocolat has been held in Moscow for the last few years, where judges evaluate chocolates from top chocolatiers; and, in recent years, larger European chocolate companies established factories in Russia in hopes of selling more of their chocolates there.

*Note: For those who might be planning a trip to Moscow, in addition to the Red October (Krasny Oktyabr) sweet factory, there is a Museum of Russian Chocolate History that opened in 2014. The museum is located in the former Khanzhonkov's house in Trimphalnaya Square. Visitors can see how chocolate is made, learn more about early chocolate makers (and packaging), and can shop at a chocolate gift shop. The museum also offers chocolate classes for children.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

So Delicious - Cashew Milk Dark Chocolate Truffle Frozen Dessert - Apr. 13, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

So Delicious Dairy Free
Cashewmilk Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
Dark Chocolate Truffle
Good
Weight: 1/2 cup (85 g.) / 16 oz. (473 g.) in total container
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $4.49 for 1 container
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

It was Day #14 of Chocolate and Cashew Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate Truffle Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert, from So Delicious Dairy Free (Springfield, OR), was made with "cashewmilk," chocolate, and a touch of coconut (oil).

The company has been creating and selling dairy-free products for more than twenty-five years. Offerings include beverages, frozen desserts, yogurt alternatives, non-dairy creamers, etc.

Previously, I'd sampled and featured So Delicious coconut milk frozen desserts. Cashews are a very popular nut; so introducing "cashewmilk" beverages—five different frozen dessert flavors—made sense.

I garnered this chocolate dessert with some roasted, salted cashews.

I've certainly enjoyed a double-week's (14 days) worth of chocolate and cashews. And if you're looking for another excuse to indulge in these comma-shaped nuts...Remember, National Chocolate Cashew Day is next week—on April 21st.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Godiva - Milk Chocolate Cashews - April 12, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.
Milk Chocolate Cashews
Good + - Good++
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 314 calories in 1 package
Cost: $3.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Hudson News, San Francisco International Airport, South San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #13 of Chocolate and Cashew Theme Week.

When I opened this gold bag of Milk Chocolate Cashews—from Godiva Chocolatier, Inc. (New York City, NY)—I thought I smelled the beloved animal crackers (cookies) of my childhood. Odd, because these were milk chocolate covered, salted cashews. But memory triggers like this do happen once in a great while.

These Godiva treats were one of my favorite chocolate-covered cashew items this month. Much as I like dark chocolate, it can overwhelm the subtle, sweet flavor of cashew nuts. I felt like I could taste the (salted) cashews today.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.