Galerie Au Chocolat - Milk Chocolate Maple bar - July 29, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/15 bar
Galerie Au Chocolat
Milk Chocolate with Crunchy Bits of Pure Maple Syrup
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .226 oz. (6.33 g.) / 3.4 oz. (95 g.) total bar
Calories: 34 calories (estimate)
Cost: $4.50 (Canadian)
Purchased from: Montreal airport (YUL) shop; Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Tout Sweetener Theme Week, and, like yesterday, I'm delving into the world of maple sugar/syrup mixed with milk chocolate. More specifically, this Chocolat au Lait Avec Croquant de Sucre D'erable Pur bar from Montreal-based Galerie au Chocolate was studded with tiny, crunchy bits of maple syrup.

While I enjoyed the real maple flavor of this bar, for the past few days, I've been reminded why I generally prefer less sweetener rather then more. It's all about the chocolate, and the play of subtle flavor combinations with chocolate; and it's less about the sugar for me, even when the sugar contributes its own unique wonderful flavor.

ChocolateBet: July 28, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Canada True/Heart Industries
1.) Maple Creams - 1 box (5 pieces)
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.3 oz. (37 g.) in 1 box

Calories: 200 calories in 5 pieces
Cost: $14.99 total package of 4 boxes (2 of each kind)
Purchased from: Montreal Airport (YUL) airport shop, Quebec, Canada

2.) Maple Chocolates - 1 piece
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .27 oz. (7.4 g.) in 1 piece / 1.3 oz. (37 g.) in total box
Calories: 40 calories - 1 piece
Cost: $14.99 total package of 4 boxes (2 of each kind)
Purchased from: Montreal Airport (YUL) airport shop, Quebec, Canada

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Tout Sweetener Theme Week, and today's sweetener comes from Canadian maple trees -- in the form of maple sugar and maple syrup. I picked up these maple leaf shaped chocolates from Canada True/Heart Industries at the Montreal airport coming home from Canada recently.

The first box held a combination of white and milk chocolates with sweet, maple cream fillings. And since I believe I'd sampled these creams before in 2008, I opened the the second box -- that contained smooth-style milk chocolates sweetened with pure maple syrup.

Happy National Milk Chocolate Day to all.

ChocolateBet: July 27, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces
Chocolatier Blue
Sage Honey
Good - Good +
Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 135 calories (estimate)
Cost: $3.00 (approximate, part of larger order)
Purchased from: Chocolatier Blue, Berkeley, CA

Chocolatier Blue offers a wide variety of colorful chocolates. Today's Sage Honey chocolates were covered with artfully decorated dark chocolate shells, and were filled with white chocolate sweetened "wild California sage honey." My only disappointment: I couldn't taste the honey.

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Tout Sweetener Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: July 26, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Ethel's Chocolate
Good - Good +
Weight: .28 oz. (8 g.)/ 4.5 oz. (127 g.)
Calories: 42 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ info not available
Purchased from: Ethel's Chocolate, Henderson, NV

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and "Tout Sweetener" Theme Week.

Despite the "No Sugar Added" description, these chocolate-covered cherries were quite sweet. So, those who cannot have sugar, but like sweet things, shouldn't feel deprived. The cherry in the middle was dried-fruit chewy, but not tough; however, I couldn't taste much of the natural cherry taste.

While white cane sugar is the most common sweetener included in chocolate, I'll be exploring other sweet substances combined with cacao this week, including, but not limited to: honey, maple sugar, raw sugar and -- such is the case  today -- no sugar, and/or artificial sweeteners.

ChocolateBet: July 25, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bottle
Honest Tea Inc.
Honest CocoaNova
Cherry Cacao Infusion
Good +
Weight: 10.1 fl. oz. (300 mL)
Calories: 50 calories in 1 bottle
Cost: $1.05 (sale)
Purchased from: Andronico's, in Stanford Shopping Center; Palo Alto, CA

Cherry Cacao Infusion is a USDA Organic, Gluten Free and Dairy Free beverage in a bottle from Honest Tea Inc. Made from natural cherry juice, cacao, roasted chicory and carob, and a small amount of cane sugar, this drink is refreshing when chilled, and not too sweet. The additions of chicory and carob mask the cacao taste, but help to create a richness that balances with the cherry juice.

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

ChocolateBet: July 24, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
L.A. Burdick Chocolate
Richelieu
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .39 oz. (11 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece (part of an assortment box)
Calories: 58 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ part of previous assortment 
Purchased from: L.A. Burdick Chocolate, online order

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

Fortunately, I was able to reach into my chocolate vault to pluck out a Richelieu -- an "amuse bouche" (small, bite-sized truffle) from an L.A. Burdick Chocolate assortment box. Burdick's description of the Richelieu follows: "...a milk and dark chocolate interior with cherry liquor, cherries and cumin seeds."

The chocolate ganache was creamy and smooth. My favorite part of the tasting experience: the cherry on top and cherry elements in the truffle -- which added complex bursts of concentrated natural cherry throughout. I wanted to taste the cumin seeds mentioned above, but while I thought I detected some seed texture, any cumin flavor escaped me. Either it was lost in an artful seamless merger of ingredients, or perhaps this tiny truffle missed having its full allotment of cumin.

ChocolateBet: July 23, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

.2 oz. serving
Vervacious
Chocolate Balsamic
(with fresh cherries and ice cream)
Good+
Weight: .2 fl. oz. (5.8 mL) (estimated) / 3.4 fl. oz. (100 mL) total bottle
Calories: 20 calories (estimate)
Cost: $10.95 total bottle
Purchased from: Williams-Sonoma, in Palo Alto, CA

Today, on the 4th Day of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week,  I topped a small dish of ice cream with three fresh cherries and a drizzle of Chocolate Balsamic sauce from Vervacious. I look forward to trying this original topping on other fruits and with other items in the future.