Divine - Cranberries and Hazelnuts bar - March 23, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Divine Chocolate
Dark Chocolate with Cranberries and Hazelnuts bar
Good
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $3.39 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to the first day of Chocolate and Cranberries Theme Week.

This Dark Chocolate (68% cocoa) bar from Divine Chocolate (Imported from Germany and distributed in the U.S.) incorporated dried, sweetened and chopped cranberries. Pieces of chopped hazelnut provided some crunchy texture, and paired well with bits of plump red cranberry.

The smooth, mild tasting dark chocolate was made from cocoa beans "from Kuapa Kokoo, a co-operative of small-holder farmers in Ghana."

Inside the bar wrapper, was more information about where the cocoa beans for this chocolate had been grown; a profile of one farmer; and a short explanation of the symbols adorning the outer red wrapper -- Adinkra symbols from Ghananian culture.

Lake Champlain - Hazelnut Praline squares - March 22, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lake Champlain Chocolates
Hazelnut Praline Dark Chocolate squares
Weight: .8 oz. (22.6 g.) for 2 squares
Calories: 120 calories (estimate) in 2 squares
Cost: $1.38 for 2 squares
Purchased from: New Leaf Community Markets, Half Moon Bay, CA

Normally there are 7 days in 1 week. Unless it's a Chocolate Theme Week; and then a week can extend to 8 days, or more, if more wonderful chocolates need to be added. Today was Day #9 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

These snack-sized dark chocolate (54% cocoa) squares from Lake Champlain Chocolates (Burlington, VT) were infused with a subtle gianduja (ground hazelnut and dark chocolate) flavor.

Each dark square was wrapped in a fancy Italian stamped gold foil inner wrapper, making them suitable for party or wedding favors, or a spring celebration of any kind.

Sjaak's - Hazelnut Butter Bite - March 21, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sjaak's Organic Chocolates
Hazelnut Butter Bite
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) (estimate) for 2 pieces
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 2 pieces
Cost: $N/A - gift from friend
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

These individually wrapped, flower-shaped organic (and vegan) milk chocolates with hazelnut filling were created by Sjaak's Organic Chocolates (Petaluma, CA).

The filling was smooth but slightly less sweet than many other gianduja ganaches. It contained both ground hazelnuts and almonds; and retained some of the more substantial (and less sweet) texture of a freshly ground nut butter. 

Taza - Hazelnut Butter bar - March 20, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Taza Chocolate
Hazelnut Butter bar
Good
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $7.95 in 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today's Factory Limited Hazelnut Butter bar from Taza Chocolate (Somerville, MA) contained Hazelnut Butter with 52% Dark Stone Ground Chocolate, a smidge of vanilla, and not much else.

The certifications list on the wrapper took up more space than the ingredients list -- in this case, a sign that makers care about quality, customers and the world around them. (These certifications/logos included USDA Organic, Taza Chocolate Direct Trade Certified Cacao, Certified Gluten-Free, Dairy and Soy Free, and the "U" that indicates Pareve.)

Adding hazelnut butter and cocoa butter to this bar helped smooth out "rough edges" (slightly gritty texture) often present with stoneground chocolate.

The upside with stone-ground: more volatile or delicate flavor elements aren't lost due to processing. With less grinding, conching and heating time -- flavors maintain their intensity. A strong, freshly ground cacao aroma wafts up when peeling back the foil inner wrapper of this bar (and other Taza bars) as a result.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week, and Day #1 of Spring 2014. Happy Spring to all.

Hedonist - Hazelnut Truffle - March 19, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hedonist Artisan Chocolates
Hazelnut Truffles
Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 63 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: N/A - sample box
Purchased from: N/A - from Hedonist Chocolates

Today's Hazelnut Truffle from Hedonist Artisan Chocolates (Rochester, NY) would please any pleasure-seeking chocolate lover.

Melt in your mouth creamy gianduja (hazelnut and chocolate) centers were enveloped in dark chocolate and topped with a half hazelnut and a light sprinkle of sea salt crystals. Not overly sweet, just one of these rich-tasting, dairy-free beauties provided a wonderful, satisfying treat.

While difficult to do, I recommend eating chocolates like this slowly to fully enjoy.

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

Bliss - Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge - Mar. 18, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bliss Unlimited, LLC
Luna and Larry's
Coconut Bliss - Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge
Good - Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup (97 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) total container
Calories: 240 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

When I think of non-dairy frozen desserts, I don't always think of high-quality, natural ingredients. However, today's Luna and Larry's Coconut Bliss Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge frozen dessert, distributed by Bliss Unlimited, LLC (Eugene, OR) was different. This organic coconut milk-based chocolate "ice cream" was sweetened with organic agave syrup, chocolate fudge and hazelnuts. The dark fudge ribbon wound its way through this frozen dessert and had a slight mocha flavor to it (there was no coffee in this dessert).

For those who might not care that much for coconut, not to worry. The coconut flavor was subtle, and the texture of this frozen dessert was almost as creamy as, well, real dairy cream based ice cream. The Coconut Bliss product line would be a good substitute for those wanting an organic, vegan, gluten-free/soy-free alternative to traditional ice cream. The company also claims that their frozen desserts with agave provide a relatively low-glycemic option.

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

International Chocolate Salon - San Francisco, 3/15/14

International Chocolate Salon
March 15, 2014
Fort Mason, San Francisco

Fort Mason is home to several organizations; and it is a great site for meetings and conferences. Located on San Francisco Bay, one can watch sailboats during breaks. I felt sorry for the participants in the food addicts recovery group meeting last Saturday at Fort Mason. Not only might they have been tempted by Greens Restaurant, but in the nearby Festival Pavilion a day-long International Chocolate Salon (organized by TasteTV) was underway. And parked in front of the pavilion was the "Melt" food truck, oozing with grilled cheese goodness.

The Chocolate Salon was an amalgam of chocolatiers, chocolate makers, spirits and scent vendors, chocolate talks and demonstrations, under one large roof, that has become an annual Spring event. (The also have a similar Chocolate Salon event in the fall.)

For the price of admission, attendees were able to view chocolate art (chocolate shoes, chocolate skulls, and other items). More to the point, they could taste (and buy) chocolate truffles, bars, toffee, caramels, and much more. Several local Bay Area companies were there, including Socola Chocolatier (the company recently opened a retail space in San Francisco); Jade Chocolates; CocoTutti; and Saratoga Chocolates.

And, there were opportunities to hear more about chocolate-related topics from experts.

The first presenter I listened to was John Scharffenberger, a successful, serial food and beverage entrepreneur, whose first venture was sparkling wine. Later he switched to bean-to-bar chocolate, and co-founded Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker with Robert Steinberg in San Francisco in 1997. I can still remember company's great factory tour in the East Bay. Hershey's (The Hershey Company) eventually bought Scharffen Berger for an estimated $50 million. The bars can still be found online and in specialty stores.

Advice columnist Joey Garcia passed on tips about love, comparing it to chocolate. Garcia was influenced by a wise, Maya grandmother from Belize, a country with a long cacao tradition; and she brought a few copies of her new book, When Your Heart Breaks, It's Opening to Love.

Jessica Ferraro, BarCacaco.com, gave a talk titled "Discovering Craft Chocolate: Beyond the Bon Bon."

Art Pollard, of Amano Artisan Chocolate (Orem, Utah), talked about his recent visits to cacao farmers in South America and the Dominican Republic -- all part of the quest to obtain the best beans for his bars. He also sampled some of his single origin bars. I enjoyed the floral notes in the Amano "Dos Rios" bar made with cacao from the Dominican Republic.