Ginger Papaya truffle - July 7, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Co.
Ginger Papaya truffle
Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 truffle
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 truffle
Cost: $2.00 for 1 piece
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Co., Oakland, CA

Today's Ginger Papaya truffle from The Oakland Chocolate Co. (Oakland, CA), was made from Jamaican chocolate. The dark chocolate ganache (filling) was infused with a faint ginger flavor and the truffle was crowned with a small piece of golden-orange, dried papaya.

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

Pear Ginger Chocolate - July 6, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lillie Belle Farms
Pear Ginger Chocolate
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .6 oz. (16.98 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $2.00 for 1 piece
Calories: 90 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Purchased from: Lillie Belle Farms, Central Point, OR

This week is all about Chocolate and Ginger. Ginger is one of my favorite food items to pair with dark chocolate.

Ginger stands up to, and still harmonizes with, dark chocolate. Many more delicate items are overwhelmed by chocolate, especially dark chocolate. For a simple shotglass dessert*, it's hard to beat a small scoop of high-quality vanilla ice cream topped with dark chocolate sauce and candied ginger.

I recently visited the Rogue Valley in Oregon, home to wonderful pears (home to Harry and David, and many a pear orchard), and cheeses (Rogue Valley Creamery smokey blue cheese, and cheddars). Within a few dozen steps of the Rogue Creamery is the lavender colored building that houses Lillie Belle Farm chocolates (Central Point, OR). A few years ago, I featured a blue cheese chocolate truffle from Lillie Belle Farms (made in partnership with Rogue Creamery). Don't knock it, it's better than it sounds.

Where am I going with all this chocolate and cheese talk? First, pears and cheese and ginger (or quince paste or honeycomb) are natural companions on a cheese plate. And, why not roll these wonderful flavors into a chocolate? As it turns out today's chocolate does just this. Second, this is a good time to talk about an upcoming Chocolate and Cheese/Dairy Week, I'm planning a few weeks. (If you have ideas, let me know.)

Today's unique chocolate started with a fresh, flavorful and incredibly moist dried pear half, rolled around roasted/toasted almonds. Enrobed in dark chocolate, this rolled pear confection was then topped with a thin stripe of candied ginger.

*For more information, see my Shotglass Dessert Gallery, coming soon.

Chai Cocoa - July 5, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Cotton Tree Chocolate
Chai Cocoa
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 7 oz. (198 g.) in total bag
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) serving
Cost: $7.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: Cotton Tree Chocolate, Punta Gorda, Belize


This was the last day of Chocolate and Chai Theme Week. I've enjoyed several combinations of cardamom and spiced chai (tea) blended with chocolate this week: truffles, caramels, bars, ice cream, and today -- a glass of cold Chai Cocoa from Cotton Tree Chocolate (Punta Gorda, Belize).

I mixed a few spoonfuls of this rich, slightly earthy, organic cocoa powder from Belize, into a cup of cold, 2% milk. The Chai Cocoa mix had hints of cinnamon, cloves and allspice. This flavorful and refreshing cold cocoa hit the spot on this hot July day.

Cotton Tree Chocolate, located on the Caribbean coastal town of Punta Gorda in Southern Belize, also has a line of bars with farm flavors that highlight endemic foods and spices -- such as Belizean coffee, coconut and black pepper.

Milk Chocolate Chai Toffee - July 4, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Cary's of Oregon
Toffee - Milk Chocolate Chai
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.3 oz. (37 g.) in total package
Calories: 180 calories in total package
Cost: $2.25 for 1 package
Purchased from: Cary's of Oregon (online order)

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

Yesterday's and today's chai-flavored chocolates were/are from Oregon -- a fitting geographic origin choice, as I am visiting this state for 4th of July holiday this week. Cary's of Oregon (Grants Pass, OR) is known for their flavored toffees.

Today's milk chocolate chai toffee was crunchy and sweet, and infused with mild chai spice flavor. In addition to Cary's milk chocolate enrobed chai toffee, featured today, the company's gluten-free English Toffee is also available in toasted almond, espresso, hazelnut, and other flavors.

Happy 4th of July to all in the U.S.

Stirs the Soul - Chai bar - July 3, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Stirs the Soul
Spiced Chai and Currant Chocolate (bar)
Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Sweetened with raw, dried dates, today's Spiced Chai and Currant* Chocolate bar, from bean-to-bar maker, Stirs the Soul (Portland, OR), was made with stone-ground raw (82% cacao) chocolate, that was also fairly traded, and sustainably grown, as well as cacao butter and chai spices (cardamon, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper).

The bar was creamy smooth (added cocoa butter helped achieve this consistency), and the spices were pleasing, authentic (chai tea) tasting, and fairly mild.

And, best of all, this bar was not too sweet. I always prefer bars and truffles where the maker has exercised some restraint in this area. Too much sugar overpowers some of the subtle flavor complexities of other components in a bar (or confection). But, I suspect I will continue to feel the world is over-sweetened, as so many more people love a generous dollop of sugar with their desserts and their chocolate.

Why raw chocolate? Nutrient content can often be maintained if chocolate is not heated to a higher temperature during the chocolate making process. Temperature limits vary with different makers (often between 110 and 120 degrees Farenheit). Stirs the Soul controls the cacao grinding process so that temperature does not exceed 111 degrees (F.).

Good news for those with allergies. This bar was made in an dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut (except coconut), soy and gluten-free facility.

*Note: I didn't see currants listed as an ingredient in this bar, but it does appear in the name of the bar.  I can see why. The fruit bits embedded in this bar taste more like currants than dates.

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

Chocolate Sorbet + Chai almonds - July 2, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Double Rainbow Gourmet Ice Creams, Inc.
Chocolate Sorbet
Good +
Weight: 1/4 cup (50 g.) / 1 Pint (474 mL) total container
Calories: 60 calories in 1/4 cup
Cost: $ N/A
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

July is National Ice Cream month in the U.S. There's nothing like a bowl of rich and refreshing ice cream on a hot summer day. I searched for chai tea ice cream, a seasonal favorite that does show up from time to time (although usually in the fall or winter) in a few San Francisco shops. But, I had no luck finding it in stock in July. So, I made my own version of this creamy, spicy tea flavor.

I chose a lower fat, frozen, chai-flavored dessert -- Chocolate Sorbet from Double Rainbow Gourmet Ice Creams, Inc. (San Francisco, CA) and topped a small scoop with gluten-free, Chai Bliss Almonds from Olomomo Nut Co. (Longmont, CO); cardamom*; and a cherry.

At only 60 calories in a 1/4 cup serving, this sorbet had a rich chocolate taste without being too filling. The Olomomo Chai almonds and other ingredients helped spice things up and added some crunchy texture and fun microbursts of chai tea flavor, that paired nicely with the chocolate.

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

*Note: green cardamom pods look lovely, and have a bright, citrus spice flavor often associated with chai (tea). However, ground cardamom (powder) may be more practical (and enjoyable) dessert topping for all except the cardamom-obsessed. 

Masala Chai bar - July 1, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Artisan du Chocolat
Masala Chai bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .636 oz. (18 g.) / 1.59 oz. (45 g.) total bar
Calories: 96 calories (estimate) in 2/5 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Chai Theme Week. It was too hot outside to brew up a pot of hot chai tea, so I made an iced version of said tea to accompany today's Masala Chai tea bar from Artisan du Chocolat (London).

Conched and refined in the company's Kent production facility, the milk chocolate (40% cocoa) was smooth, and infused with a masala chai tea flavor profile -- Assam black tea, cardamom, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, in just the right proportions for my taste.