Theo Hazelnut Crunch bar - April 10, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Theo Chocolate
Hazelnut Crunch bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 330 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.25 total
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Strawberry Village shopping center, Mill Valley, CA

Today was the third day of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week. Nuts can be effectively blended with chocolate in so many ways: roasted, toasted, crushed, made into a hazelnut butter or spread or mousse.

Today's Hazelnut Crunch bar from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA), incorporated tiny, crunchy pieces of hazelnut brittle into an Organic, "Fair for Life" certified milk chocolate (45% cacao) bar base.

These tantalizing bits of hazelnut brittle captured my full attention. I felt I was playing hide-and-seek with an interesting flavor note. With each nibble, I wondered, was I tasting molasses? Or was it ginger molasses cookie; cinnamon; or maybe brown sugar? It mattered not. It was a great milk chocolate bar.

I found this Theo bar at a great little shop, SweetE Organic, tucked away in the back of Strawberry Village Shopping Center, north of San Francisco. Thank you Elana for continuing to stock great sweets and chocolates, with a healthy twist.

Quaranta Chocolate Salame - April 9, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Quaranta Sofficione
Chocolate Salame
Good - Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 6.4 oz. (181 g.) in total package
Calories: 300 calories (estimate in 2 oz. slice)
Cost: $8.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: Miki's Farm Fresh Market, Palo Alto, CA (now closed)

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

Breakfast was a slice from a roll-shaped chocolate salame from Quaranta Sofficione (Italy). This mid-morning snack helped fuel a walk near the coastal trail (Pacific Ocean), south of San Francisco.

Covered in dark chocolate, the heart of this salame was a dense, sweet nougat core with embedded hazelnuts, that looked attractive when cut into slices.

Coracao Hazelnut truffle - April 8, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Coracao Confections
Hazelnut Mousse truffle
Good +
Weight: .658 oz. (18.6 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece / 3.29 oz. (93 g.) in total box of 5
Calories: 98 (estimate) calories in 1 truffle
Cost: $11.19 (sale) for 1 box of 5 truffles
Purchased from: Coracao Confections, Emeryville, CA

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

If nuts and chocolate are a match made in heaven, hazelnuts must be high on the angels' compatibility list. These roundish, heart-shaped nuts offer many wonderful options when combined with chocolate.

Today I enjoyed a Hazelnut Mousse Truffle, the last chocolate in a 5-piece collection box from Coracao Confections (Emeryville, CA).

A generous piping of smooth, rich chocolate mousse ganache (with a very subtle coffee/mocha note) was covered in dark chocolate and topped with chopped hazelnuts.

Macrobar + bacon - April 7, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

GoMacro Inc.
Sunflower Butter and Chocolate Macrobar
Good
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) in 1/2 bar / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.89 (estimate)
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was the last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Pig Theme Week.

I paired a Sunflower Butter and Chocolate Macrobar from GoMacro Inc. (Viola, WI) with a piece of Christine's bacon toffee (also from Wisconsin) that yielded satisfying bits of smokey bacon flavor.

The vegan, macrobiotic and non-GMO Macrobar was chewy, malty and not overly sweet. Other more nuanced flavors I tasted: sunflower seeds and cinnamon. As for the chocolate, the organic, fair trade chocolate liquor incorporated into this bar was very subtle.

Unholy Matrimony
Yes, other than sharing the same home state of Wisconsin, today's health-conscious GoMacro bar had nothing whatsoever to do with bacon, or bacon encased in sugar (bacon toffee). And, in fact, I apologize if I offended anyone.

But, every once in awhile, I enjoy experimenting, bringing unlikely items together in unholy matrimony. Sometimes these odd couplings can yield surprising results. These two items would be fine on a shared dessert plate, but more chocolate would help ignite the "delicious" combination spark.

Chocolate + bacon cookies, April 6, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Hagensborg Chocolates
39% cocoa Wild B(o)ar bar
Good - Good+
Weight: .77 oz. (21.6 g.) in 1/3 bar / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 127 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $5.50 (+ shipping)
Purchased from: Hagensborg Chocolates (online)

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Pig Theme Week. "Pig" week may not sound elegant, but pigs can be feisty, smart, gluttonous, playful and omnivorous.

I don't know if pigs can fully appreciate chocolate (sadly, some animals can't process chocolate and become ill).  However, if pigs could enjoy the yummy brown sweet stuff, they'd look like the pigs that adorn Hagensborg Chocolates (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) packaging and products. These pigs are enjoying life, with gusto!

Today I enjoyed a bar from the company's Wild B(o)ar single origin line, a milk chocolate (39% cocoa) bar from Ecuador. It was smooth and creamy, with some mild fruit notes, and the faintest possible hint of lemongrass.

I could have imagined the lemongrass note, as I've been stuffed up from spring pollen this week. (Pigs have great senses of smell, which allows them to root out truffles from the ground among other things.) The pig imprinted on the bottom of this bar could probably nail the subtle flavor arc of this bar. However, this pig -- reclining and belching after a chomp and gobble fest that resulted in bites taken out of the bar's edges -- looks too full to offer any tasting feedback.

And, I was also stuffed after this bar...because, earlier today, I baked (and ate) a small batch of gluten free, chocolate chip cookies with bacon and chopped, toasted hazelnuts. Yum. More pig + chocolate than originally planned.

Bacon Toffee bar - April 5, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Snake and Butterfly Chocolate
Bacon Toffee bar
Good
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 1.75 oz. (50 g.) total bar
Calories: 131 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Snake and Butterfly table at previous Chocolate Salon in San Francisco, CA

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

Today's bit of pig involved bacon, incorporated into a chocolate and toffee bar, from bean-to-bar maker Snake and Butterfly Chocolate (Campbell, CA). From what I recall, the company generally uses organic and fair trade cocoa bean to make their chocolates.

In addition to cocoa beans and cocoa butter, this Bacon Toffee bar contained evaporated cane juice, agave nectar and sugar. Some of this sweetness likely came from the toffee formulation. These sweeteners were counteracted somewhat by the rounder, very slightly savory notes from the bacon, butter and sea salt. For those that don't want too much bacon flavor in their chocolate, this bar might be a good choice.

Hungarian Salami, Bacon bar - April 4, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

L'Amourette LLC
Hungarian Salami and Smoked Bacon bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories:  360 calories in 3/5 bar
Cost: $6.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: (N/A - from a friend in San Francisco)

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

Bravo to L'Amourette Chocolatier (San Francisco, CA) for the rich, dark chocolate (72% cacao) base they used in this bar, and for boldly choosing to make a bar with bacon and salami.

Made with a blend of Rio Caribe and Carenero cacao beans (from Venezuela), "delicately roasted" and "conched for 36 hours," this dark chocolate would be quite nice with citrus peel, ginger, red berries or cherries (L'Amourette carries all these flavors). These stronger flavors can stand up to a darker, more complex, flavor arc.

The right hint of savory, salty flavors generally do very well in bars, this one included. Unfortunately, I felt this darker, more flavorful fine chocolate very nearly eclipsed the pork flavors in this bar.

Having sampled several confections and bars with pork products, I've found I sometimes prefer a deep milk over a darker chocolate base when mixed with bacon. I really enjoyed the smoked bacon and Hungarian salami flavors and textures peppered throughout the glossy domes that made up this bar; I just wanted to taste more of them.