Cabruca - Brown Butter and Pink Pepper - April 11, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Cabruca Chocolates
Brown Butter and Pink Pepper
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $34.00 for 15-piece assortment box (includes shipping)
Purchased from: Cabruca Chocolates, online order

Bem-vindo!* to Day #4 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Weeks.

Today's Brown Butter and Pink Pepper was created by Juliana Bounds at Cabruca Chocolates (Winchester, OR). Juliana grew up in Brazil, and incorporates Brazil-inspired flavors into her line of Brigadeiro and Caramel Ganache truffles, as well as several traditional filled chocolates.

This generously-sized chocolate covered square was filled with dark chocolate and caramel ganache (made with brown butter), and sprinkled with tiny flecks of pink peppercorn (baies roses de Bourbon, aka Brazilian pepper, from Brazil). Creamy chocolate caramel and brown butter textures and flavors dominated this confection.

*Bem-vindo means welcome in Portugese.

Cabruca Chocolates - Rapadura and Brazil Nuts - April 10, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Cabruca Chocolates
Rapadura and Brazil Nuts
Good - Good +
Weight: .68 oz. (19.2 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 102 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $34.00 for 15-piece assortment box (includes shipping)
Purchased from: Cabruca Chocolates, online order

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Weeks.

Nothing says Brazil like Brazil nuts. Today's Rapadura and Brazil Nuts truffle from Cabruca Chocolates (Winchester, OR) was filled with a dark chocolate and caramel ganache made with Brazilian whole cane sugar (rapadura), and was sprinkled with toasted Brazil nut pieces.

Cabruca Chocolates - Super Cocoa - April 9, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Cabruca Chocolates
Super Cocoa Brigadeiro Truffle
Good ++
Weight: .65 oz. (18.4 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 97 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $34 for a 15-piece assortment (includes shipping)
Purchased from: Cabruca Chocolates, online order

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Weeks. As with most countries, Brazil is full of life and chocolate. It's a big country, and I found it easy to find several Brazil-inspired chocolates and confections.

Brigadeiros literally translates as brigadier. I'm not sure how the this term evolved from a military to a culinary one. But, today when someone offers you a Brigadeiro, say yes!

These sweet, soft, round confections are usually cooked with condensed milk and cocoa; and everyone seems to have their own creative variation.

Today's Super Cocoa Brigadeiro Truffle from Cabruca Chocolates (Winchester, OR) had a wonderful, sweet and creamy dark chocolate ganache (filling), and was rolled in crunchy cocoa nibs. 

Cabruca Chocolates - Coconut Kiss - April 8, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Cabruca Chocolates, llc
Coconut Kiss
Good - Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (19.8 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 105 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $ box includes other flavors; 14.00 for a box of 6 chocolates
Purchased from: Cabruca Chocolates, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Weeks.

Happily there are several talented chocolatiers from Brazil in the U.S. who are incorporating Brazil-inspired flavors into confections.

Today's Coconut Kiss Brigadeiro Truffle was part of an assortment box from Juliana Bounds, chief chocolatier for Cabruca* Chocolates (Winchester, OR). Juliana grew up experimenting with chocolate and food recipes in the family kitchen in Brazil. She produces chocolates with caramel ganaches, Brigadeiro truffles, and chocolates with traditional ganaches.

A white chocolate coconut core was surrounded with chocolate; and the outside was sprinkled with coconut flakes, creating some layered tropical flavor.

*"Cabruca" is a Brazilian (Portugese) term that refers to growing cacao in a forest -- a shaded canopy setting -- that helps preserve natural ecosystems (wildlife, other trees).

Momotombo - Coconut - April 7, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Momotombo Chocolate
Coconut
Good ++
Weight: .45 oz. (12.7 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 68 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $N/A - cost of larger assortment previously recorded
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Nicaragua Theme Week. I'm finishing this off with a coconut bonbon from Momotombo Chocolate (Managua, Nicaragua) that had been carefully stored away in our chocolate vault.

I had previously sampled a trio of these bonbon style chocolates made with Nicaraguan cacao, in Nicaragua, back in 2012; but I hadn't featured the Coconut flavor, that was rolled in toasted coconut bits.

Flavorful, and temporarily transporting... I enjoyed imagining I was on vacation near the ocean and coconut trees in Central America.

Momotombo - dark chocolate covered cacao seeds - April 6, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Momotombo Chocolate
dark chocolate covered cacao seeds
Very Good+
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) in 3 pieces
Calories: 90 calories (estimate) in 3 pieces
Cost: $20.00 (estimate) for 1 bag
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

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

Don't let these simple, bean-shaped individually-wrapped chocolates from Momotombo Chocolate (Managua, Nicaragua) fool you.

These were made "in country" in Nicaragua, from earthy, chocolatey Nicaraguan cacao. Each dark chocolate contains a crunchy, hand-peeled cacao bean (or seed) -- giving them a delicious, double cacao wallop.

Warning, these can be addictive. However, they are are so satisfying that two or three can easily propel you through the day.

What Columbus missed...

The story goes that Christopher Columbus, in his final voyage, landed off the east (Caribbean) coast of Nicaragua in 1502. He and his crew made several observations about the country, and noticed people using cacao beans. But these European explorers were too focused on searching for gold in the New World to pay much attention to cacao or to consider it precious. (Hernan Cortez, who arrived later, would change that by taking beans back to Spain.)

Had Columbus had the opportunity to taste Nicaraguan cacao in the form of today's Momotombo dark chocolate covered cacao seeds, perhaps he would have reconsidered.

Thank you to Sunita at The Chocolate Garage for distributing these in the U.S.

Momotombo - Toffee with cacao nibs - April 5, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Momotombo Chocolate
Toffee with cacao nibs
Weight: 3 oz. (84.9 g.) / 20.9 oz. (591.47 g.) in total package of two bars
Calories: 450 calories (estimate) in 3 oz. (84.9 g.) serving of slices
Cost: $25.00 (estimate) for 1 package of 2 bars
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Nicaragua Theme Week, which fell on a weekend. A Passover and Easter weekend. Instead of chocolate bunnies, eggs and chicks, this year we celebrated with this rich offering from The Chocolate Garage and Momotombo Chocolate (Managua, Nicaragua).

This generous, foot long package contained two generously sized bars of buttery toffee with cacao nibs. Just one bar was enough to slice up and share with a large group of family and friends.

I managed to enjoy several slices. Probably a bit too much. But, the toffee and the cacao nibs had a soft crunch and were buttery, nutty, flavorful and delicious.