Chocolat Moderne: Hazelnut Hysterie Bistro Bar

In addition to the very seasonal Pumpkin Pique-Nique Bistro Bar that Chocolat Moderne sent me last weekend, I was also fortunate enough to receive yet another Bistro Bar – the Hazelnut Hysterie.

Packaged similarly to the Pumpkin Pique-Nique, it also featured the same bar-style blocks with smooth, intense dark chocolate base. The chocolate itself has a subtle coffee taste, and perhaps a hint of a vanilla undertone.

The praline inside is sweet and creamy, features bits of well-roasted, flavorful hazelnuts. There are also some bits of candied hazelnuts scattered throughout, and while they balance well with the dark chocolate bar, they are just a little too big for my liking, though not so much so that I couldn’t appreciate the praline.

The praline was soft, which is how I prefer my pralines, though this resulted in a bit of the thick chocolate bar breaking away from the praline during bites. As with the Pumpkin Pique-Nique, I would also prefer a higher ratio of praline to bar coating, though I’m not sure that’s structurally possible in this bar format. It appears that Chocolat Moderne offers traditional molded chocolates; perhaps those would present the ratio I’m looking for. I’ll have to procure some and try them out.

Chocolat Moderne: Pumpkin Pique-Nique Bistro Bar

Ah, Thanksgiving. We all sit around and talk about what we are thankful for. I’d rather be different. First, here’s an entirely out-of-place picture of the view from my balcony.

The main reason for posting this picture here is to make you jealous of the fact that I see this all fall. Without even having to get dressed.

So back to chocolate. Seems like a good day to go on about something involving pumpkin. Yet I already posted my recipe for vegan pumpkin truffles.

Luckily, Chocolat Moderne sent me a very seasonal bistro bar in that package last weekend: The Pumpkin Pique-Nique.

The bar itself is made of an intense dark chocolate with hints of coffee and a bit of an earthy undertone, and just a bit of added sugar to blend the flavors. This particular chocolate is smooth and melts away very, very slowly, and the chocolate flavor lingers for an appreciable amount of time.

This dark chocolate certainly makes up the majority of the bar, and I could go for a higher filling to coating ratio, but that’s difficult in bar form.

The filling itself has thin bits of roasted pumpkin seeds, which are mostly noticeable via the crunch that they add to the texture. There is a clear sugar and pumpkin spice flavor, composed of what tastes like some nutmeg and cinnamon, though the spice flavor is relatively subtle. There are also little bits of candy mixed in, which are small enough to not overwhelm the praline while adding a bit of sugar. Texture-wise, the praline is just a bit dry, but is substantial enough to stand up to the crisp dark chocolate coating such that biting into the bar is very easy.

This would be a perfect after-Thanksgiving pumpkin-themed treat. But I already made a cake. And already finished most of this bar. Oh well.

Ritter Sport: Alpine Milk Chocolate

After I tasted the Ritter Sport Extra Fine Milk Chocolate bar, I dutifully moved on to examine the Alpine Milk Chocolate bar, which has 30% cocoa solids.

I was again instructed to answer some questions prior to opening the bar – namely, would I buy this bar? It’s got a big glass of milk on it. Most definitely.

In addition to the question about the packaging, the survey included questions about what I thought the taste embodied and represented. Quite philosophical. The survey also inquired about my chocolate purchasing habits and asked a few standard demographic questions. It wasn’t that involved, and I was happy to do my duty as a Ritter Sport taste tester.

Especially since I got to eat this entire bar as a result. This bar that is 23% milk powder. This bar that screams “CREAM” when you bite into it. A nutty flavor follows that, and then a subtle cocoa flavor emerges. This bar is so soft and perfectly smooth that I’d swear it was praline based if I didn’t know better. Though this bar is sweet, the creaminess balances it out, and this is definitely a MILK chocolate. Not some kind of complex dark chocolate you have to examine and contemplate for hours. A milk chocolate that you can enjoy as a mindless snack. I need more of these bars. My waistline may not, but my soul sure does.

Ritter Sport: Extra Fine Milk Chocolate

Since I sampled the Rittersport Extra Fine Milk Chocolate as part of their official taste testing program, I had some very specific instructions to follow. The first was that I absolutely had to sample this bar first, the second important note was that, prior to opening the bar, I had to answer a question about how likely I would be to buy it.

Hmmm…royal blue packaging. It says Rittersport. Indicates that it’s Milk Chocolate. I’d probably be game for it if I was looking for a plain milk chocolate bar.

Now that we’ve got THAT out of the way, let’s eat.

The first thought that came to my mind when I bit in was about the texture, which was exceptionally smooth and creamy without a hint of graininess. The creaminess was evident in the flavor as well, which is unsurprising given that the ingredients list notes that 18% of the mass of the bar is powdered milk or cream. There’s a nutty flavor as well, and a hint of caramel, but the chocolate flavor itself is not very intense. In general, it’s not a seriously complex chocolate bar, but is rather a smooth, creamy, chocolatey treat. Nothing wrong with that. If I see this at a local shop, I might pick up a bar for the creamy goodness, but I can’t say I’d go out too far out of my way for it. I do, however, think that this bar is carried at several local drugstores. I’ll keep the hope.

Vosges Bars: Black Pearl

After sampling the rest of my Vosges library, I was left with the Black Pearl bar, which is a dark chocolate bar that includes sesame seeds and wasabi.

When I unwrapped the bar, I saw some letters that, again, probably were supposed to mean something. However, I didn’t spend much time bothering to read it, because I was looking forward to eating this one to the point of being impatient. I was especially excited because experience indicates that Vosges usually does a pretty good job of mixing chocolate with spicy flavors.

The sesame seeds are evident immediately, and give a nice satisfying crunch to compliment the smooth dark chocolate. The wasabi is much less noticeable, and comes across mostly as a generic spicy kick that is present more as an aftertaste than as a primary feature. While the wasabi is not strong, this allows the intense dark chocolate flavor, which features a bit of a coffee undertone, to come through with the tiny bit of sugar that cuts the bitterness just the right amount. The overall effect is one I’d be interested in eating again. Often.

Vosges Bars: Gianduja

It's Election Day. In most of the U.S., this is a big deal. For DC residents, the general election is a non-event because the winner of the Democratic primary almost always wins the general election. I spent a lot of time researching independent and third-party candidates, and found some who I will vote for in vain. In other cases, I'm simply casting a write in vote.

If I could, I would vote for whoever developed the concept of mixing chocolate with cream, hazelnut paste, and sugar. I would do this because gianduja is such a wonderful creation that I can eat by the pound, and I would love to simultaneously thank them for the immense enjoyment I’ve gotten from this and berate them for the number of times I’ve been unable to eat a proper dinner because of gianduja overindulgence. It was therefore quite fortunate that this bar was part of the Vosges library that I picked up.

Not only was this bar filled with one of my favorite approaches to mixing chocolate and nuts, but it had a nice message for me before I devoured it.

Never lovelier? Aw, thanks chocolate bar that I’m about to eat every last crumb of!

The deep milk chocolate in this bar seems even sweeter and creamier than that in other bars. It is very, very soft, similar to the chocolate coating the Vosges toffee, and the melt-in-your-mouth factor is off the charts. Joined with that softness is a bit of a nutty crunch, and it seems that there were finely ground hazelnuts added in to boost the fat content and make the bar even smoother. I swear there’s even extra cream incorporated, and the entire bar is like the center of a high-quality praline or truffle. Even though I’m partial to giandujas, I think that I can objectively say that this bar is an exceptional one that would be worth anybody’s money. I know that I’ll certainly be spending more of mine on it the next time I find one. I call it "voting with your pocketbook."

The rest of you, though, should vote for real.

Olive and Sinclair: Mexican Style Cinn-Chili

That package I received from Heather last week had two stone-ground chocolate bars from Nashville, and I only discussed the 75% cocoa dark chocolate bar in my first post about the package. Truthfully, I was even more excited about the second Olive & Sinclair bar, the Mexican Style Cinn-Chili bar, but when trying out a new chocolatier, I like to sample a plain chocolate first to get a better sense of what they are all about before I dive into the more exotic creations. Having accomplished that by trying the 75% cocoa dark chocolate bar, I moved along to the Mexican Style Cinn-Chili bar.

Again, the aroma isn’t very strong – not even from the cinnamon or chili – so I had to bite into it to find out more.

My impressions of this chocolate came in four stages. First, the chocolate is soft with a little grit to it, and that unique texture leads to the second stage of taste-testing: the cinnamon. As the soft chocolate melts away, the chili starts to come through as the third stage. The fourth stage comes several seconds later, when I tried to determine what the chocolate itself tasted like. After several bites of this 67% cocoa bar, I was convinced that it was more about the add-in flavors than the chocolate flavor, and that the chocolate quality was most evident through the texture. Since I adore cinnamon and chili in chocolate, I enjoyed the spiciness despite the fact that it overwhelmed the chocolate flavor. I would certainly get this bar again, but more for the cinnamon and chili mixed with the high-quality cocoa butter than for the chocolate itself.

Olive and Sinclair: 75% Cocoa Bar via Blogger Chocolate Exchange

Something very awesome showed up in my mailbox yesterday afternoon.

Alright, well, that was awesome, but few people get as excited about The Economist as I do, and it usually has very little to do with chocolate. This, however, has everything to do with chocolate.

After I sent Heather some Teuscher super-dark chocolate to sample, she kindly sent me some chocolate from her neck of the woods (Nashville), along with a cute homemade card. I love checking out boutique and bean-to-bar chocolatiers, and these bars by Olive and Sinclair certainly fit the bill. I started off with the 75% cocoa pure chocolate bar.

Inside that sassy wrapper is a dark chocolate bar sourced entirely from the Dominican Republic. The aroma wasn’t that noticeable, so I had to take a bite to find out what this bar was all about.

The bar is quite soft for a dark chocolate, and melts very nicely. Clearly, high-quality cocoa butter is in play here. The chocolate is not very sweet, which allows the chocolate flavor to shine, but there is just enough sugar mixed in to cut the bitterness to make it enjoyable on its own. I sensed a woody taste with a bit of a cherry after flavor. I definitely like this bar, and will be on the lookout for shops that carry it. Thanks, Heather! Nice find over in Tennessee.

Vosges Bars: Red Fire

I've been neglecting reviews of the chocolates I picked up in Chicago almost three months ago. Just so much exciting stuff going on in DC - a Malgieri demo, my own baking, and just great chocolate happenings. Luckily, that didn't make the Vosges treats I picked up any less delicious. The last few treats will be reviewed in the next week or so, be sure to check in.

One of the truffles from the Vosges Aztec collection that I enjoyed the most was the red fire, with the combination of chilie, cinnamon, and chocolate. Luckily for me, though I’d quickly consumed the truffles, my library of Vosges bars included a red fire bar.

I was hopeful that the effect would be similar to that from the truffle. The bar wasn’t sprinkled with spices like the truffle was, but it did tell me that I was a goddess.

Don’t you love it when your chocolate talks to you? I sure do. I also love it when dark chocolate manages to come across as creamy and flavorful, which is impressive for a chocolate with 55% cocoa solids. The intense chocolate flavor is the first taste, and is followed by a fiery cinnamon and then the ancho and chipotle chilies. The chocolate and the extras are well balanced, and isn’t overwhelmingly spicy like the Oaxaca bar was. Nice work, Vosges.