Well this has been an exciting month! My favorite Vermont band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, just released another great album which everyone should hop on over to itunes and purchase right away. (Go on, I'll wait). Lake Champlain Chocolates, a Vermont chocolate company, created a limited edition chocolate bar to go along with the self-titled new album and it is exciting! The bar is called Grace Under Fire and is a 54% bar with pistachios and hot pepper! I generally don't care one way or the other if my food is spicy, but I have developed an affinity for spicy chocolate. This chocolate has a subtle hint of cinnamon and maybe even clove or allspice, with a nice crunch from green pistachios and a big bang of red pepper. It is hotter than the Venchi bar I love so much, but only because the pepper is not as evenly distributed. The Europeans like to blend their flavored chocolates for an evenness throughout, while the American style tends to be "throw stuff in and let stuff happen"! So you may initially think Grace Under Fire is not too spicy only to hit a big hot spot and have to run for the garden hose! Remember that this is a limited edition bar which means we really do not know how long it will be around, so head on over to Lake Champlain and purchase your bars here
Also, don't forget to check out the video on the Lake Champlain site of Grace making her own chocolate!
Holiday Chocolates
Holiday Chocolates -beats cookies any day!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Pierre Marcolini - Fleur de Cacao 85%
How could I possibly resist a chocolate bar called "Fleur de Cacao"?? Plus the fact that it comes packaged in a jet-black box, and I'm sold. I am a sucker for sexy packaging and a good name. This is another Belgian Marcolini bar. These bars come as a block of 9 squares: each square has a letter on it, and since there are exactly nine of them, they spell Marcolini. I have eaten the M-A-R-C so far.
This bar also begins with an almond-like flavor. I think I have figured it out: Tahitian vanilla. I don't know anything about Tahitian vanilla, being a Bourbon fan myself, but because its presence is announced proudly on the ingredients list I'm willing to bet that that is the source of the sweet, almond-like essence that takes over your mouth right from the get-go. This bar is not bright and acidic like the other Marcolini-Alto Piura. But it is really sweet. On the face of the packaging it says:"Mariage de la Puissance des Cacaos Rebelles d'Afrique et de la Subtilite de ceux d'Amerique Latine". Roughly translated this means: "A Marriage Between the Power of Robust Cocoas from Africa and the Subtlety of those from Latin America". In other words, this bar is made from a blend of African foresterro beans and some others, most likely trinitarios from Dominican Republic.
I prefer this bar over the Alto Piura because it doesn't have that acidity thing going on. This is more of a dark roast chocolate flavor, but the sweetness of it reminds me of 70% bars, not 85%. I keep checking and rechecking the package, and it keeps saying the same thing: 85%. If you are trying to watch your sugar intake, these may not be the best bars, because I swear they are loaded with sugar. If on the other hand, you would like to enjoy chocolate with higher cocoa content but just can't seem to get past 75%, this is the bar for you. You will never know you are eating 85%!
My gut feeling about this bar is that you are paying a premium for fancy packaging and wording but receiving mediocre chocolate in return. African foresterro is just so-so. Foresterro is the cacao hybrid that is the heartiest and most disease resistant. It grows in any tropical climate. But the price of a well adjusted tree is often a fruit that lacks much interest. Most chocolate makers will receive huge batches of foresterro beans that are a mix from many different plantations and are of dubious quality, one load from the next. The Latin American beans are probably trinitario beans, a foresterro-criollo hybrid, from multiple plantations. The problem with huge loads of mixed beans is that you never know what you are really getting. The job of the chocolatier is to figure out how to make the most of it. The Tahitian vanilla may lend it that "fleur" quality, I suppose, and the sugar disguises any off-tastes. (Boy, I really have become a chocolate snob, haven't I?) Truth be told, I will usually eat just about any chocolate, even if I don't give it great reviews. So this is a perfectly fine chocolate to eat, but you can get the same thing for a lot less, minus the fancy packaging and the marriage of power and subtlety.
If I could rebuild this chocolate, I would replace the Tahitian vanilla with Madagascar Bourbon vanilla (in keeping with the Africa theme, if you will) and adjust the sugar downwards a notch or two. On the other hand, if that almond-like flavor is indeed coming from the Tahitian vanilla, lots of fun could be had with it, like mixing it with milk chocolate and gently roasted almonds perhaps. But as usual, I digress.
This bar also begins with an almond-like flavor. I think I have figured it out: Tahitian vanilla. I don't know anything about Tahitian vanilla, being a Bourbon fan myself, but because its presence is announced proudly on the ingredients list I'm willing to bet that that is the source of the sweet, almond-like essence that takes over your mouth right from the get-go. This bar is not bright and acidic like the other Marcolini-Alto Piura. But it is really sweet. On the face of the packaging it says:"Mariage de la Puissance des Cacaos Rebelles d'Afrique et de la Subtilite de ceux d'Amerique Latine". Roughly translated this means: "A Marriage Between the Power of Robust Cocoas from Africa and the Subtlety of those from Latin America". In other words, this bar is made from a blend of African foresterro beans and some others, most likely trinitarios from Dominican Republic.
I prefer this bar over the Alto Piura because it doesn't have that acidity thing going on. This is more of a dark roast chocolate flavor, but the sweetness of it reminds me of 70% bars, not 85%. I keep checking and rechecking the package, and it keeps saying the same thing: 85%. If you are trying to watch your sugar intake, these may not be the best bars, because I swear they are loaded with sugar. If on the other hand, you would like to enjoy chocolate with higher cocoa content but just can't seem to get past 75%, this is the bar for you. You will never know you are eating 85%!
My gut feeling about this bar is that you are paying a premium for fancy packaging and wording but receiving mediocre chocolate in return. African foresterro is just so-so. Foresterro is the cacao hybrid that is the heartiest and most disease resistant. It grows in any tropical climate. But the price of a well adjusted tree is often a fruit that lacks much interest. Most chocolate makers will receive huge batches of foresterro beans that are a mix from many different plantations and are of dubious quality, one load from the next. The Latin American beans are probably trinitario beans, a foresterro-criollo hybrid, from multiple plantations. The problem with huge loads of mixed beans is that you never know what you are really getting. The job of the chocolatier is to figure out how to make the most of it. The Tahitian vanilla may lend it that "fleur" quality, I suppose, and the sugar disguises any off-tastes. (Boy, I really have become a chocolate snob, haven't I?) Truth be told, I will usually eat just about any chocolate, even if I don't give it great reviews. So this is a perfectly fine chocolate to eat, but you can get the same thing for a lot less, minus the fancy packaging and the marriage of power and subtlety.
If I could rebuild this chocolate, I would replace the Tahitian vanilla with Madagascar Bourbon vanilla (in keeping with the Africa theme, if you will) and adjust the sugar downwards a notch or two. On the other hand, if that almond-like flavor is indeed coming from the Tahitian vanilla, lots of fun could be had with it, like mixing it with milk chocolate and gently roasted almonds perhaps. But as usual, I digress.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Pierre Marcolini-Alto Piura, Peru 85%
We're moving back down the ladder, closer to more respectable levels of cacao. After hiding my chocolate bag from Paris in the basement for a while, I have crept back down, reached inside and, voila, I have retrieved the Marcolini bar. Pierre Marcolini is actually Belgian, but in my opinion Belgium is close enough to France so Marcolini made it on to the chocolate tour. I also happen to have an affinity for Belgium, and those little dark-chocolate-covered caramels from Cote d'Or that are seemingly impossible to find outside of Belgium!
This Alto Piura 85% is one of those "Limited Edition" bars you may have come across in fancy chocolate shops. It usually means the beans come from a small, independent plantation and therefore are in limited supply. These are "criolo blanco" cacao beans. Criollo are the rarer beans, due to the delicacy of a plant that does not travel well or handle hurricanes with grace. So most criollo bars are considered special and rare, which of course is reflected in the price of the finished product. I was not able to find out what exactly "criolo blanco" is, and whether it is any different from just plain criollo. In general, Criollo is supposed to have a wonderful, low acid flavor, however this particular bar I would describe as "bright and acidic". The first flavor I catch is almond, the actual cocoa flavor receding into the background. As much as I love almond, I can't say that I adore this bar. I find the acidity is what really stands out, and I'm not a fan of bright and acidic where chocolate is concerned. Perhaps criollo is better in lower percentages. Or without the blanco attached! Or maybe it has to do with the fact that the beans are sourced from Peru, which seems like an unusual place for cacao these days. Or maybe, the French would say, it's because it is Belgian. Or perhaps I just don't like criollo that much. After all, I am not a big fan of Chuao bars, which are from criollo beans. Many possibilities. I'll discuss this with Mike at the chocolate shop and see what he thinks.
While I've rarely thought I wasted money on a chocolate I ended up not liking, I can say with certainty that this pricey little bar did have something of value to offer after all: it appears from the packaging that French-speakers write the word criollo with one "L", not two. This strongly suggests that we are meant to pronounce the word with the "L" firmly in tact. I have been pronouncing it the Spanish way, turning that double "L" into a "Y". Dang. These are the kinds of things that keep this former linguist up at night!
As for the rest of this bar, it just might need to be melted down and swirled into my next batch of espresso custard. There is always a good way to use those "not so great" bars!
This Alto Piura 85% is one of those "Limited Edition" bars you may have come across in fancy chocolate shops. It usually means the beans come from a small, independent plantation and therefore are in limited supply. These are "criolo blanco" cacao beans. Criollo are the rarer beans, due to the delicacy of a plant that does not travel well or handle hurricanes with grace. So most criollo bars are considered special and rare, which of course is reflected in the price of the finished product. I was not able to find out what exactly "criolo blanco" is, and whether it is any different from just plain criollo. In general, Criollo is supposed to have a wonderful, low acid flavor, however this particular bar I would describe as "bright and acidic". The first flavor I catch is almond, the actual cocoa flavor receding into the background. As much as I love almond, I can't say that I adore this bar. I find the acidity is what really stands out, and I'm not a fan of bright and acidic where chocolate is concerned. Perhaps criollo is better in lower percentages. Or without the blanco attached! Or maybe it has to do with the fact that the beans are sourced from Peru, which seems like an unusual place for cacao these days. Or maybe, the French would say, it's because it is Belgian. Or perhaps I just don't like criollo that much. After all, I am not a big fan of Chuao bars, which are from criollo beans. Many possibilities. I'll discuss this with Mike at the chocolate shop and see what he thinks.
While I've rarely thought I wasted money on a chocolate I ended up not liking, I can say with certainty that this pricey little bar did have something of value to offer after all: it appears from the packaging that French-speakers write the word criollo with one "L", not two. This strongly suggests that we are meant to pronounce the word with the "L" firmly in tact. I have been pronouncing it the Spanish way, turning that double "L" into a "Y". Dang. These are the kinds of things that keep this former linguist up at night!
As for the rest of this bar, it just might need to be melted down and swirled into my next batch of espresso custard. There is always a good way to use those "not so great" bars!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Chocolate from Paris!
I know I promised not to write anymore about chocolate in the dangerously high percentages, but I just can't help it. I returned from a week long trip to Paris with a bag bursting at the seams with chocolate bars! I went on a wee little tour of chocolate and pastry shops in the 6th and 7th arrondissements. This tour took approximately three and a half hours and we sampled chocolate from seven shops. My mother, who was my dear traveling companion, was appalled at the amount of chocolate we consumed, approximately 2 pieces from each shop. Well, if you have read enough entries on this blog I'm sure you can guess that I could have easily tried four or five pieces from each shop. I did however buy at least one bar, and usually two, at each place so as to have something to bring home, eat and write about! Hence the bag bursting at the seems.
So, first things first: I am supposed to be dieting after a week of lovely rich food and chocolate. And I really am dieting, except for the entire bar of Debauve and Gallais 99% that I ate over the last two days and the entire bar of Pascal Caffet 90% that I managed to consume just sitting here thinking about today's blog entry. I chose the high percentages thinking that with so little sugar I will only eat a little bite once a day. Obviously that did not work out too well. Debauve and Gallais, which I will profile later, must put more sugar into their 99% than Michel Cluizel. This bar should be renamed "Devine 99". It was difficult to stop eating and the fact that it took me two days is testament to my self-discipline. However, Pascal Caffet's 90% just went down the hatch, discipline be damned! Why? Because it is truly lovely. Caffet calls himself the "best chocolatier in Paris". I'm always a bit skeptical about those who label themselves "the best". Yet this is a real winner in the dangerously high percentage category. Again, it seems sweeter than other 90% bars, but maybe that is just my imagination. It is dark and rich without any "earthiness", i.e. mud, and is not quite as "dark roast" as some high percentages are. I usually love the "dark roast" flavor, as that it how I like my coffee, but this is a very well balanced and smooth chocolate for 90%. That is probably why I ate the whole bar in one sitting. You can take a look at his beautiful creations at his website: www.pascal-caffet.com.
I will write later about chocolate-tasting and filled chocolates, and provide a list of shop names and addresses of all the chocolate shops I visited in Paris. In the meantime, I need to go prepare my bowl of lettuce for dinner. Sigh.
So, first things first: I am supposed to be dieting after a week of lovely rich food and chocolate. And I really am dieting, except for the entire bar of Debauve and Gallais 99% that I ate over the last two days and the entire bar of Pascal Caffet 90% that I managed to consume just sitting here thinking about today's blog entry. I chose the high percentages thinking that with so little sugar I will only eat a little bite once a day. Obviously that did not work out too well. Debauve and Gallais, which I will profile later, must put more sugar into their 99% than Michel Cluizel. This bar should be renamed "Devine 99". It was difficult to stop eating and the fact that it took me two days is testament to my self-discipline. However, Pascal Caffet's 90% just went down the hatch, discipline be damned! Why? Because it is truly lovely. Caffet calls himself the "best chocolatier in Paris". I'm always a bit skeptical about those who label themselves "the best". Yet this is a real winner in the dangerously high percentage category. Again, it seems sweeter than other 90% bars, but maybe that is just my imagination. It is dark and rich without any "earthiness", i.e. mud, and is not quite as "dark roast" as some high percentages are. I usually love the "dark roast" flavor, as that it how I like my coffee, but this is a very well balanced and smooth chocolate for 90%. That is probably why I ate the whole bar in one sitting. You can take a look at his beautiful creations at his website: www.pascal-caffet.com.
I will write later about chocolate-tasting and filled chocolates, and provide a list of shop names and addresses of all the chocolate shops I visited in Paris. In the meantime, I need to go prepare my bowl of lettuce for dinner. Sigh.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Cluizel - Noir Infini 99%
Until I find something better, this will most likely be my last review of chocolate in the Dangerously High Percentages category. Noir Infini 99% is truly a work of art. It cannot be genuinely appreciated though until you have worked your way up the percentage ladder a bit and weaned yourself off of the sugar that keeps us gobbling up cheap chocolate bars as if there were no tomorrow.
Michel Cluizel is a French chocolatier who has been around for a while and whose products have only recently become available in the U.S. These are imported bars and will set you back a good six bucks in most places. The Cluizel Milk Chocolate bar is to die for and should be snatched up without hesitation by all chocoholics who come across its path, regardless of the price tag. There are also quite a few single origin bars of about 72% and a really good 85% bar.
But Noir Infini 99% is truly in a class of its own. It is a very small bar, 30 g. (and as such is less than half the price of the regular 100 g. bars). It is wrapped in the sexiest packaging I've ever seen: a jet black matte paper covering with gold lettering over gold foil. Noir Infini 99% is printed over an embossed cacao pod.
Here is where things get exciting. This bar is as smooth as the finest chocolate with an incredibly deep, dark flavor. The way to eat this is by taking a tiny piece and let it sit on your tongue a good minute: no sucking, no chewing! The flavor that emerges is the most incredibly rich chocolate flavor, without any of the chalkiness or "dirt" flavor of many other chocolates at or above 90%. The key here is not to go desperately seeking the sweetness of candy. Just wait for the flavor of one of the finest chocolates to come to you. If you do it right, I promise you will not miss the sugar. An added bonus is that if you eat a few small pieces, you will become light-hearted and happy. You will in fact be high on theobromine without any of the deleterious effects of other drugs. You will not be impaired in any way, just happy.
If for no other reason, though, you just need to have one of these bars in your stash. They are just that sexy!
Michel Cluizel is a French chocolatier who has been around for a while and whose products have only recently become available in the U.S. These are imported bars and will set you back a good six bucks in most places. The Cluizel Milk Chocolate bar is to die for and should be snatched up without hesitation by all chocoholics who come across its path, regardless of the price tag. There are also quite a few single origin bars of about 72% and a really good 85% bar.
But Noir Infini 99% is truly in a class of its own. It is a very small bar, 30 g. (and as such is less than half the price of the regular 100 g. bars). It is wrapped in the sexiest packaging I've ever seen: a jet black matte paper covering with gold lettering over gold foil. Noir Infini 99% is printed over an embossed cacao pod.
Here is where things get exciting. This bar is as smooth as the finest chocolate with an incredibly deep, dark flavor. The way to eat this is by taking a tiny piece and let it sit on your tongue a good minute: no sucking, no chewing! The flavor that emerges is the most incredibly rich chocolate flavor, without any of the chalkiness or "dirt" flavor of many other chocolates at or above 90%. The key here is not to go desperately seeking the sweetness of candy. Just wait for the flavor of one of the finest chocolates to come to you. If you do it right, I promise you will not miss the sugar. An added bonus is that if you eat a few small pieces, you will become light-hearted and happy. You will in fact be high on theobromine without any of the deleterious effects of other drugs. You will not be impaired in any way, just happy.
If for no other reason, though, you just need to have one of these bars in your stash. They are just that sexy!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Chocolat Bonnat - Ceylan 75%
I liked the French Bonnat 100% so much that I decided to try one of their 75% bars. The Bonnat Ceylan 75% is just one of their single-origin bars. Bonnat describes its Ceylan bar as, "a hearty cocoa taste, yet non-aggressive, a warm flavor with an asian touch." It is definitely non-aggressive in that it doesn't have that super-dark roast flavor. It is sweet with maybe a subtle tea-like flavor going on. That must be the "asian touch" part. I'm not sure I would return to this bar again and again because I prefer a richer, darker flavor, but it does have a nice texture and is plenty sweet and chocolatey for those who need a sweet fix. I would definitely recommend this as a melt-down bar to be whisked with half&half for a spectacular hot chocolate. It would also be a great choice for those milk chocolate lovers who are just venturing into the dark regions. To check it out on Amazon, click here:Chocolat Bonnat Ceylan 75% Dark Chocolate Bar
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Organoleptic
Organoleptic - this is the word of the day. I could not believe this was an actual word, but indeed it is. I had never heard it before. It is not a kind of chocolate I am sorry to say. It simply means involving the sense organs. It is written on the back of my Slitti chocolate bar, that yes, I am still savouring. This is how it is used: "This product is intended to meet the requirements of the most demanding and careful connoisseur who wants to perceive from chocolate all the organoleptic sensations that this wonderful fruit can give". Wow. Next time your kid needs a new vocabulary word for English class give him/her "organoleptic". It would be interesting to see if the teacher knows what it means!
Now that I have my handy little Amazon hook-up, I went right on over to their organoleptic department. Sure enough their are several books with the word in their title and they do have something to do with taste sensations, but they are extremely scientific in nature, sort of like people's doctoral dissertations! So it is possible that organoleptic is a bit over-the-top as a chocolate descriptive, but it would make a great name for a new chocolate bar: Organoleptic 75%.
Now that I have my handy little Amazon hook-up, I went right on over to their organoleptic department. Sure enough their are several books with the word in their title and they do have something to do with taste sensations, but they are extremely scientific in nature, sort of like people's doctoral dissertations! So it is possible that organoleptic is a bit over-the-top as a chocolate descriptive, but it would make a great name for a new chocolate bar: Organoleptic 75%.
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