Category: inclusion bar

F is for Fernet

Oh, the things we do for this Alphabet project…and by *we* (in this case), I mean both my “anything can be found on the internet if you try hard enough” boyfriend as well as Jess (aka Dessert Geek), the most intrepid and knowledgeable vlogger I know.

About a decade ago, I was introduced to fernet by someone I was dating at the time. He mentioned that it was an acquired taste, but that bartenders and restaurant industry types swore by this liqueur for an end of a long shift pick-me-up. I was game to taste it & instantly hated it the moment I took a sniff, let alone when it touched my lips! That initial disgust faded from memory such that I was genuinely eager to feature fernet as part of this project, the only issue was actually finding it combined with chocolate!

A couple of months ago, a mysterious package arrived addressed to me & I noticed that the shipping origin was a company in Italy. I know I probably should have waited until my boyfriend visited that weekend before snooping since he was secretly so proud of himself for saving the day yet again…but, I couldn’t help myself. Not patient enough to be surprised, I googled the business name (Dulcioliva) & discovered that they have a licensing partnership with Fratelli Branca Distillerie and make fernet branca bonbons! I excitedly called up my boyfriend profusely thanking him for finding my elusive alcohol-related chocolate & he was perplexed as to how I knew that information or that the box had come from him. ;-p

Since it’s always better to have options rather than to be left empty-handed, Jess was simultaneously working her magic with Intrigue Chocolate Company, because she remembered in the past they had made fernet flavored truffles. I ended up receiving THE LAST ONE in existence!

What is fernet, you might ask? Well, the simple answer is that it’s a type of amaro, a bitter and aromatic spirit. Fernet Branca happens to be one of the most popular brands of fernet.

According to the Ultimate Bar Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,000 Cocktails by Mittie Hellmich, fernet branca is “[a] slightly peppermint-accented bitter [that] is enjoyed not only as an aperitif to stimulate the appetite, but also as a digestif that is highly regarded as a hangover cure, settling digestive distress. A deep brown liquid with an extremely aggressive flavor made from 40 herbs and spices.” The exact recipe is a trade secret known only to the generations of the Branca family who have made this liqueur in Milan, Italy since 1845.

While taking photos yesterday, I decided to re-acquaint myself with fernet. It smells and tastes like Pine Sol or an antiseptic mouthwash. WHY do people like drinking this intensely resinous concoction?!

However, did you know that this liqueur has a cult-like following in Argentina? Fernet con coca (or Fernando) is essentially that nation’s unofficial drink, making them one of the biggest consumers of Coca Cola in the world!

Now for the chocolate tastings…

First up, Intrigue Chocolate’s Fernet & Ginger truffle:

The truffle is roughly the size of a Starburst candy, but WOW looks can be deceiving. This tiny morsel is creamy, unctuous, fudgey, buttery and quick to melt on the tongue. It’s like a flourless cake that can be devoured in just a single bite.

Lucky for me, the ginger flavor dominates this chocolate and has none of the intense pine notes that are the hallmark to fernet.

Next, is the cioccolatino al Fernet-Branca from Italy:

The individually wrapped, half dome bonbons all arrived slightly bloomed, but that’s merely a cosmetic defect.

Your teeth sink effortlessly through the thick chocolate shell to the generous amount of dense and lightly boozy ganache.

Again, thankfully this bonbon has obliterated fernet’s signature taste until the very end when there is a burst of bitterness as the melted chocolate slides down your throat.

I’m very glad to have featured this unique alcohol as part of the Eating the Chocolate Alphabet project, but NOW what am I going to do with the rest of the mostly full bottle? Any takers?! 😆

E is for Enzian

Every time I think up a new theme for Eating the Chocolate Alphabet, the process for acquiring bars that fit each letter seems easier in my head than in reality. The only thing that initially came to mind for “E” was elderflower liqueur, but that proved impossible to find in a chocolate. So, today’s hero is Lilla from Little Beetle Chocolates. While on a reconnaissance trip to Austria, she found not one but two “E” bars as well as them containing an alcohol that I had never even heard of until now!

Introducing Enzian...

According to Wikipedia, enzian liquor (also known as gentian spirit or gentian schnapps) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage originating in the Alpine region, produced using roots from gentian plants (generally the yellow variety, though there is also purple, brown or spotted). Gentian can be found in angostura bitters, is said to be the main flavor in vermouth and has been used since the Middle Ages for the production of schnapps. WOW…what a versatile plant this is!

First up is Xocolat Alpin

The illustration on both the outer packaging and the inner glassine envelope makes me want to take up cross stitching again; the floral pattern is both intricate and satisfying in its symmetry. While I’m not certain, since I had trouble translating the German text in small cursive font on the back of the box, I believe that the beautiful design was created by hand at https://www.handdrucke.at/en/

Is it just me, or does their mould design look like ravioli waiting to be cut apart into individual portions? The convex bulge lulled me into believing that the bar was filled, so it came as a surprise when I bit into a portion and discovered it was solid chocolate.

Even though sugar is the first ingredient of this 43% milk chocolate bar and there is less than 1% of gentian oil, the overall flavor is extremely bitter. I read somewhere that the bitter taste from gentian (accurately described as the “king of the bitter herbs”) can still be perceived when diluted down to 1 part in 12,000. If you’ve ever licked a pencil eraser and thought that it tasted metallic…then you have a good starting point for this chocolate! Other vivid descriptions are the packaging taglines: “with the spice of nature / with the aroma of the mountains.” When I described this bar as “botanical,” a friend very astutely asked: “Is that the nice way of saying it tastes like leaves?” Hmmm…BUSTED 😲

Medium snap, smooth mouthfeel during the slow/even melt, it’s hard to get past the bitterness and then you’re left with a lightly astringent finish. Paired with a sweet vermouth, it’s actually quite tasty! FYI, this bar does NOT contain any alcohol, just the enzian (gentian) oil.

Next is Tiroler Edle

At first, I thought: what a cute silver foil stamped cow logo on the front of this box. Little did I realize that this is a not-so-subtle hint as to the origin of the milk used for this 60% dark milk chocolate: an alpine cattle breed called Grauvieh in German and Tyrolean Grey in English.

The fair direct traded couverture chocolate (Ghana & Ecuador origins) was sourced from chocolatier’s partner, Felchlin, and then filled with 46% Galtürer Enzianbrand-Creme (cream of gentian brandy).

At first bite, there was a boozy burst of dried fruit flavor, but then the creamy sweet filling reminded me of Turkish coffee, smoke or leather. I have to admit that I’ve already eaten half the bar in one sitting 🙂

To find out more about these Austrian chocolate bars, please visit: https://www.xocolat.at/ and https://www.tiroleredle.at/

D is for Disaronno

{Note from Trish at ETCA: This post is LONG overdue. I really should have written this more than 2 months ago; however, for the second year in a row, June was an AWFUL month for me personally. I appreciate your patience during the hiatus & please imagine this was written earlier.}

Up until a few weeks ago, I was fully prepared to skip this letter of the Alphabet until I could find a suitable alcohol-related chocolate. Then, one evening, I received an urgent text message from my boyfriend with a link to a company that would be able to supply me with the chocolate of my dreams: DISARONNO! [cue a choir of angels singing!]

Even though it was well past bedtime, I hurried downstairs to my laptop to place an order. I needed those bonbons like yesterday since my conscience couldn’t let me move forward with the Alphabet without them. I explained my project in the “notes” section of the order system and the next day I received the nicest of notes from Barbara and Terri (the “Ba” and “Ter” of BaTer Chocolates in Goldvein, Virginia).

They took extra precautions with packaging and shipping to ensure that these tiny gems, carefully nestled in an oversized jewelry box, arrive intact!

It wasn’t until I opened the box that I learned the mission and purpose behind these chocolates:

As you can see, in a dream they were guided to create a company that would support women in need; a way for those women to make better life choices by working for a company that could empower them.

It makes sense for them to include a crown, since their tagline is “Eat Like Royalty,” but they also honor that founding dream by including a cross as part of their logo on the vellum tasting sheet.

Scrolling down the legend, I noticed the name associated with this particular bonbon and wondered why are they calling this one “Saronno” when all the others had cute nicknames?! All of a sudden (well, it dawned on me after seeing the country of origin on the namesake bottle’s label); I realized that, in Italian, “Disaronno” meant “of or from the city of Saronno” where this alcohol has been made since 1525!

The Disaronno website provides a timeline of how this unique Italian liqueur’s legend began during the Renaissance. They dropped the “amaretto” part of their description in 2001 as a way to distinguish themselves from other competitors and their label proudly states that this is “The world’s favorite Italian liqueur.”

On a relatively cool summer day (at least by Southern California standards), I took these bonbons out to my backyard for their photo shoot along with a bottle of the liqueur I had acquired at a local shop.

You probably won’t notice this detail, so I’ll mention it to you, I’ve arranged the 3 bonbons into the Braille letter “D”! Pretty clever, if I say so myself :-p

Biting into the thin chocolate domed shell, the boozy/creamy/whipped liquor filling couldn’t wait to escape…I was almost unable to capture the perfect cross section photo!

Since then, I’ve discovered a new technique: putting the whole bonbon in my mouth to “collapse” (or sandwich) the morsel, letting the filling ooze into my mouth instead of onto the plate. It’s boozy, sweet and nutty all at the same time + the thicker chocolate base melts slowly on the tongue.

The alcohol on its own smells enticingly of almonds & can be added to cocktails or served neat. Personally, I prefer it as part of a chocolate treat since there’s no “back of the throat” burn on the finish.

Have YOU tried Disaronno? Leave me a comment to let me know!

Interested in learning more about BaTer and order goodies for yourself? Then, please visit their website at: https://www.baterchocolates.com/ or their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BaTerChocolates/

To Barbara & Terri: your warmth, generosity and EXCEPTIONAL customer service throughout the process make me smile to this day! If I could give you a hug, I would! Please accept this post as my way of thanking you for everything you did for me to make sure my project could move forward!

P.S. In the months to come, you’ll see more of those bonbons since the set includes other crucial letters of the Alphabet.

Cheers on this “Thirsty Thursday”!

B is for Bärenjäger

Sorry that it’s been a while since my last post! This round of Eating the Chocolate Alphabet has been more difficult than the other ones. 😢 Yes, I’m struggling to find alcohol-related chocolates; but, honestly, I’ve had this bar since mid-January {well, to be honest, I bought 2 bars that day for photographic purposes & ended up eating one, so I had to buy a backup “prop” late last month!}

What I didn’t realize when starting this round of the Alphabet was a little thing called timing. While I tend to get great natural lighting for photos in the morning & early afternoon, tasting alcoholic chocolates that early makes me loopy and not very productive for the rest of the day. 😲 I really need to figure out a better system and stop rationalizing that it’s “5 o’clock somewhere” in the world! 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, back to the chocolate!

When I announced my new theme on Instagram, one of the first people to reply was Diana Malouf from Ococoa telling me that she makes a caramel bar with Bärenjäger (honey liqueur). Well, no arm twisting needed…I had found my “B” bar!

The 6-rectangle bar made with milk chocolate, white chocolate, cream, sugar, honey liqueur, butter and salt sports a cute honeycomb transfer pattern on the back. Each crisp rectangular shell is generously filled with a creamy/smooth, sweet & lightly boozy caramel filling that reminds me of dulce de leche or cajeta. 😋

During yesterday’s photo shoot, I ended up eating ALL 6 RECTANGLES! 🐷My advice when ordering this bar is to get AT LEAST two of them!

Looking online, I see that Bärenjäger translates to “Bear Hunter” in German.  According to the manufacturer’s website, the beehive-to-bottle recipe dates back to 18th Century Germany and was formulated to lure bears out of their dwellings by hunters (who also ended up consuming this drinkable honey).

Diana showed me the bottle of honey liqueur at her shop (though I didn’t taste it since I was driving),

But, now I realize that what I found at BevMo was a different formulation: Honey & Bourbon

Don’t you just love the little beehive bottle topper!

In case you’re curious, the Honey & Bourbon has a warming, but short lived “burn” and a vibrant honey aroma. Now I need to try the Honey Liqueur version…for research purposes, of course! {hey Diana, I’m coming over}

Ococoa is best known for their nut butter cup collection + other seasonal confections, one of which is their Smokey Scotch Truffles, just in time for Fathers’ Day. If your Dad (or you) enjoys a peaty Scotch, those truffles are a MUST HAVE! Visit their website for more information & let them know that Trish from Eating the Chocolate Alphabet sent you! ❤️

A is for Absinthe

My hiatus from blog posts has been lengthier than I’ve wished or expected. However, when I woke up this morning (March 5th) & discovered that it was National Absinthe Day, I was inspired to launch my new Alphabet project even though I’m not fully prepared to do so…I just couldn’t let the perfect opportunity pass me by. In this round of Eating the Chocolate Alphabet, I plan on featuring chocolates that include or are inspired by different alcohols. So, if you have any recommendations for future letters, please leave me a comment or send an email!

You might have heard that for nearly 100 years it was illegal to import, manufacture or sell “real” absinthe in the United States. But do you know why? Well, many believe that wormwood (the bitter component to absinthe, as well as the herb responsible for its characteristic hue) contains a toxic chemical called thujone, and this was believed to be the cause of all sorts of bad things: drunkenness, hallucinations, rage, violence and even death.

With a back story like that, finding and tasting a chocolate called Absinthe intrigued me! To be clear, the following chocolate bar does NOT contain any alcohol, only botanicals which impart a licorice flavor that is similar to the beverage that inspired it!

Introducing, Endorfin Foods’ ABSINTHE 70% dark chocolate with anise & wildcrafted mugwort:

Endorfin leaves the cacao beans unroasted and uses caramelized coconut + coconut blossom sugar to sweeten their chocolate bars more naturally. Essential oils of mugwort, anise, sweet fennel and lemon balm provide the absinthe-like flavor profile without any of the bitterness.

Love the vintage font and corner illustrations on the 100% compostable packaging that makes me think of the Arts and Crafts movement / Craftsman style which is so prevalent in my hometown of Pasadena, California. If you look closely, the company logo sports a series of cacao pod cross sections, which at a glance could be mistaken for flowers.

Removing the relatively plain, conjoined 8-rectangle bar from the packaging, you immediately see a mostly pristine/glossy dark brown surface as well as smell a vibrant anise/licorice aroma.

Sharp snap, revealing a few tiny air bubbles at the break point.

Slightly crumbly when chewed and not completely smooth on the tongue, I attribute these to the coconut sugar. Creamy mouthfeel during the slow/even melt; the herbal flavors mingle harmoniously with the base chocolate making for a pleasurable experience, sans hallucinations!

Since I happened to have a few bottles of absinthe at home, I decided to conduct an impromptu tasting:

If I’m being completely honest, I MUCH prefer the aroma and flavor of Endorfin’s rendition of absinthe!

For more information on Northern California-based Endorfin Foods, please visit their website: https://endorfinfoods.com/

Xocolatti – a Culinary Journey for your Tastebuds and a Feast for your Eyes

Does the thought of a LONG flight to India make you cringe? Well, I’ve discovered a company in New York making chocolate treats that will bring the taste of India right to your doorstep! Look no further than Xocolatti, whose tagline is “CHOCOLATE reimagined.”

Thanks to Namrata (co-founder of Xocolatti, with her chocolatier-husband Shaineal) for reaching out so that I could sample three of their unique “slates” (the term they use to describe what might otherwise be called a “bark” by other makers). Honestly, I prefer the word “slate” since it calls to mind a painter’s pristine canvas, waiting to receive layers of flavors, textures, and colors that are a feast for both the eyes and the tastebuds.

Each of the thin rectangular slates, that are roughly the size of a large Post-it™ Note, arrived individually packaged within its own be-ribboned envelope. Inside the envelope was a clear, re-sealable pouch kept closed with a double sided informational sticker: the description/name of the item on one side and the ingredient list on the other. My only complaint is that I couldn’t open the pouch without damaging the informational sticker; so, I ended up cutting the bottom of the pouches, rendering them no longer re-sealable 😢 Now that I think about it, you really shouldn’t expect to have any leftovers to re-seal anyway 😲

First up is the Masala Milk:

The first thing you see is a generous blanketing of nuts covering the surface of the white chocolate layer. Try as I might, I was unable to photograph the green pistachios in a way that truly showcased the metallic lustre dust (is it gold or is it silver? 🤔)

The pistachios fall off easily, so I was able to pop several into my mouth separately from all the other ingredients. I was surprised by how much they tasted like saffron first and THEN like pistachio, leading me to assume that the lustre dust must also have contained some saffron! Sadly, the almond pieces looked dusty/chalky white and didn’t impart any flavor.

Even before I segmented the slate with a medium-to-dull snap, I noticed that the bottom, dark chocolate, layer had grooves and the white chocolate filled in the gaps. This cross-section photo helps explain what I mean:

While this slate was a little too sweet for my taste and I wish that I could have detected the cardamom, which was listed as an ingredient; I did enjoy the creamy, lightly refreshing mouthfeel during the melt.

Next, the Saffron Nut Chikki:

How could anyone resist the enticing and generous amount of nuts (almond, pistachio, cashew and pecan) that are embedded in the eye-catching, glossy, mosaic-like brittle?

Breaking off a tasting morsel, the brittle layer separated from the dark chocolate layer so that I could eat each component individually, as well as together!

In my opinion, the brittle had just the right level of crunch: not too soft and not tooth jarring. Eaten apart from the chocolate layer, you could really taste the bitter saffron, which isn’t surprising given that you can see a saffron thread suspended in the crystallized sugar!

The dark chocolate had a dull rather than shiny appearance, leading me to believe that it was left un-tempered. While, I would have liked the smooth and creamy dark chocolate to have some distinguishing flavor notes other than “chocolate,” this neutrality helped balance out the bitter notes.

In case it ever comes up as a trivia question…

Chikki  —the classic Indian brittle—was made famous as a simple, nutritious snack for the railroad workers laying tracks through the mountain town of Lonavala.

Lastly, my favorite of the three, Mango Paprika:

I love it when something is as tasty (and creative) as it is photogenic! I can’t get over the interplay of sweet vs. lightly spicy or the stark contrast between creamy white and vibrant orangey-red!

While I’m all for “chomping” inclusion bars, this one is worth savoring! Placing a piece in my mouth, multiple textures, flavors and aromas awakened my senses: the chewy, tropical, diced jellied mango plus the creamy/milky sweetness from the white chocolate that tames the “zing” and slow burn at the back of the throat from the paprika.

Xocolatti describes my feelings perfectly on their website:

This bark is a carefully-curated journey of contradictions through your senses, a journey that always ends where you began: eager for the next bite.

Xocolatti has more than just Indian-inspired flavors! Check out their website to see their range of truffles, in addition to slates. Just a reminder that Fathers’ Day is coming up on June 17th! Xocolatti is currently running at promotion through June 13th at 12pm EDT…use the code DAD to get free ground shipping when ordering through their website: https://xocolatti.com/

And if you’d like to learn more about the creative duo behind these culinary delights, please watch this short video from 2015.

NOTE: Even though Xocolatti provided me with the samples free of charge; the above impressions, opinions, photos, and review of the products are solely my own.

W is for Wampusirpi

As I began researching this origin earlier today, I found an online entry listing the location as “Wampusirpi, Gracias a Dios, Honduras.” My eyes glossed over those three middle words, assuming them to be a religious “thanks be to God” phrase that was casually thrown in. However, after the third time encountering those words, I suddenly realized that Gracias a Dios is a department (what we might call a state) of Honduras and that Wampusirpi is a municipality within that department!

Sources mentioned that this remote region could only be accessed by a two-day canoe trip, so it didn’t surprise me to read this description on the C-Spot website: “…Wamusirpi is about as far as one can get from civilization: no running water, electricity nor roads – accessible only via river or air. Just wilderness…which can be plenty.”

C-Spot went on to say “Biosphere sources from 100+ Miskito producers cultivating small plots typically under forest canopy along the banks of the Rio Patuca which forms the eastern border of the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve.” Intrigued, I searched for Biosphere’s website, but was re-directed to Cacao Direct’s website, which didn’t have much information. Thankfully a Map Chocolate 2017 sourcing report filled in the blanks:

“Biosphere Cacao comes from the village of Wampusirpi, a location immediately adjacent to Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve in Honduras, which has been a World Heritage site and biosphere reserve since 1982. In 2011, UNESCO placed the reserve on the List of World Heritage. Cacao Direct went to Wampusirpi with the sole intention of re-starting cocoa production as a way to create a livelihood for native Hondurans in a drug trade-ravaged country. CD financed the construction of a fermentary, provided the farmers with the tools (solar-powered weed-whackers) necessary to reclaim the cacao trees growing in the rainforest there and sustainably harvest cacao, and provided oversight of the fermentation, transport, and marketing of the beans. Farmers are paid immediately at the time of delivering the raw/unfermented cacao, a step which required special dispensation by the Honduran government. Beans are organic certified. {info source Jorge Schmidt, Cacao Direct}”

With all that build-up, my taste buds were eager to sample this Wm. Chocolate bar made with beans from the 2016 harvest and further enhanced by Hawaiian Red Salt (which gets its distinct color from the volcanic clay on the island of Kauai).

There are few frills on the front of this small cardboard box: all the text in capital letters like a newspaper headline, with certain words jumping out at you due to either the font size or the color.

The inner, heat-sealed pouch has a distinctive crackle; that sound tells me that it is compostable.

The bar is made up of 3 slender batons (that look like piano keys) with grooves between them; it just felt “right” to orient it vertically. Straight out of the packaging, the aroma was faintly herbal, with a hint of coconut.

Lately I’ve been obsessed with unexpected images that appear on the backs of bars. I was concerned that the inclusion ingredient might obscure rather than highlight; but, lo and behold, there it was as soon as I shifted the bar at an angle. I’ve tweaked the filter a bit on these two photos, hoping that what I see will be more obvious to you.

To me, there is the profile of a little girl wearing a cap-sleeved blouse and a be-ribboned, close fitting hat (or maybe she’s sporting a 1920s “bob” or Regency-era hairstyle) puckering up to wish upon a fluffy dandelion seed head. Over active imagination, I know!

But wait…there’s more! I also see a tiny smile emerging from the random sprinkling of red salt:

Don’t see it?! How about now! 😉

With a resounding sharp snap, interesting whorls, shear patterns, plus nooks and crannies appeared at the break point…

The salt added a satisfying crunch and the flavors became intensified, though fleeting, while chewing a piece. However, as you might imagine, you will be rewarded with the evolution and unfolding of flavors when you take time to savor and melt.

With the Hawaiian red salt tongue-side down, the generously-sized dense crystals rasp against your tongue and dissolve very slowly, releasing a smoky sweetness that reminds me of paprika or buttered popcorn. Once the salt is gone, I could then concentrate on the creamy, velvety smooth chocolate which melts slowly and evenly, leaving behind the taste of a slightly unripe banana. Switching things up a bit, I tasted another piece; but this time, salt palate-side up! The prickly/mineral notes hit the back of my throat as I inhaled through my mouth and it felt like an echo in a cave…something elusive that I wanted to follow and reach.

Either way, a pleasant, lingering aftertaste coated my palate like a soft and lightweight leather jacket. In the paraphrased words of John Nanci, from Chocolate Alchemy, “there was a slight astringency, but no bitterness.”

If you’d like to learn more about Will Marx, chocolate maker and owner of Wm. Chocolate, I encourage you to read his blog entries describing his foray into introducing a 100% bar, made from, you guessed it, Wampusirpi beans! Here is the link to the first of three entries.

Another great article to read about Will’s background and philosophy regarding chocolate making can be found on Bar and Cocoa’s website.

After tasting this bar, the words on my lips are: “Gracias a Dios” 🙂

To buy some bars for yourself, please visit Wm. Chocolate’s website: https://wmchocolate.com/

SOMA Chocolate Maker Birch Bar

Yet again my expectations have been blown away by Toronto-based SOMA Chocolatemaker’s creative artistry. I’ve seen pictures of this birch branch on Instagram, but clearly I didn’t pay attention to the scale. Truly, I thought this would be a “bar” that could fit in your hands. Well, it *COULD* be hand-held…if you were Paul Bunyan or the Jolly Green Giant!

Whenever I go shopping for chocolates during the summer, I always take a mini Igloo cooler with me to ensure safe transit of my goodies. When I arrived at Chocolate Maya in Santa Barbara to pick up my SOMA order, I quickly realized that the over foot-long packaging would not fit into my cooler and I certainly didn’t want to remove the delicate molded chocolate from its secure “nest.” Since the weather was a bit warm that day, I put the plastic bag-wrapped box on the floor of the car on the passenger side & cranked up the air conditioning positioned at the feet so that the chocolate wouldn’t melt during the two hour drive back home.

My next “panic attack” was whether or not the box would fit into my 8-bottle mini wine fridge for storage until the weather cooled down enough for a photo session. ? Thankfully the box just barely fit! ?

So, this week, during a cool mid-August morning, I finally decided to sample the realistic-looking, 12 inch long, thick, 10+ ounce branch.

As mentioned on the SOMA website:

“My Dad recently found a beautiful birch branch in a forest up in Lindsay, Ontario that we made into a mould. Beaver-inspired and perfect for sharing.”

They added more humor with little touches to the outer packaging:

You would think that it would be difficult to slice off a tasting round without shattering the rest of the branch. However, a non-serrated knife easily cut through the thin Jamaican dark chocolate shell.

As you can see, the star of the show is the ultra-creamy & buttery gianduja (chocolate hazelnut paste) studded with a praline crunch that reminds me of feuilletine flakes. The ribbon of cherry jam adds just the right amount of tartness and I love that there are pieces of the fruit skin in the jam for added texture.

As the holidays approach & you consider what to have as a Thanksgiving table centerpiece or are tired of the standard Christmas-time buche de noel/yule log, this Birch Branch is sure to bring a “wow factor” to your festivities (plus, it would make an AWESOME hostess gift too!)

*Note: while this might sound like a sponsored advertisement, it’s NOT! I was not paid for my review and really, truly LOVED this unique chocolate!

For more information on SOMA Chocolatemaker, please visit their website: https://www.somachocolate.com/

P.S. Have you missed seeing my posts during my month-long hiatus?! Don’t worry, next month I’ll be returning to the alphabet – this time featuring origins! Stay tuned 🙂

Bonus Z – Zereshk

Where do I even begin to tell this story? Another round of the Eating the Chocolate Alphabet is coming to an end, so I have mixed feelings. I’m super proud that I was able to accomplish my mission of finding a unique inclusion ingredient for each letter of the alphabet, but it’s safe to say that this “challenge” has added some grey hairs to both my head and my boyfriend’s head! ?

Remember all of his advance planning and preparation for the “X” bar?! Well, he STILL wanted to try tempering chocolate with his sous vide machine, so unbeknownst to me, he researched Z ingredients and discovered zereshk (the Persian word for barberries)! The perfect tie-in to celebrate World Chocolate Day today!

The tiny, plump, moist, jewel-like reddish-brown berries look like a cross between a dried currant and a seedless pomegranate aril.

For scale, I’ve “posed” some zereshk berries next to a U.S. penny!

These berries are a great source of vitamin C and boy are they TART! Imagine mouth-puckering tart when eaten out of hand. According to Wikipedia, Iran is the top producer of zereshk in the world. Next time I visit a Persian restaurant, you can be sure that I’ll be ordering the zereshk polo (a rice dish where the chicken has been cooked in barberry juice) to taste these berries in a different form!

Anyway, back to the story…

The step-by-step instructions and explanation of the chocolate tempering process in “layman’s terms” from this Serious Eats article by J. Kenji López-Alt, led us to believe that tempering with a sous vide circulator would be relatively easy and painless…ooh, famous last words!

A couple of weeks ago, we had some time on the weekend and tested out the process following the instructions carefully. Perhaps we (and by “we” I mean “I”) were a little over-confident. We piped the melted chocolate into the mold, placed the mold in the fridge for about 30 minutes, then unmolded it only to discover that the chocolate WAS NOT TEMPERED ?After a little research online, we discovered that the temperature ranges quoted in the article did NOT match the melting/crystallization/working information for this particular Valhrona product. WAAH! At least we didn’t waste any of the inclusion ingredients and still had plenty of chocolate for further testing. I have no photographic evidence of this chocolate failure…my ego was too “wounded”!

As “Z” week loomed, one evening during the 4th of July long weekend, we decided to employ our “lessons learned” (I have a page worth of notes and ideas of what we could do differently) from the first attempt and give tempering another shot.

So, we measured out 3 ounces of feves from the Valhrona Guanaja 70% bag that was purchased from Caputo’s in Salt Lake City, UT.

Used a vacuum sealer to remove all the air from the baggie.

Waited for the water to reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit and dropped the baggie into the pot.

The chocolate melted fairly quickly.

Then we added lots of ice to the pot to bring the temperature down to about 81-82 degrees Fahrenheit. We allowed the chocolate to enjoy its “bubble bath” at this temperature for a while and massaged the baggie at regular intervals to promote crystal formation (this is a step we neglected to perform the first time around). After about 10 minutes, we raised the temperature up to about 91 degrees Fahrenheit, still massaging the baggie at regular intervals. We thoroughly wiped down the baggie to ensure that NO water droplets were clinging to the folds. Cutting a small corner from the baggie, we piped some melted chocolate onto the back of a spoon as well as a piece of parchment paper. The spoon went into the fridge for about 3 minutes and the parchment paper remained at room temperature. When we touched the shiny chocolate with a fingertip, the chocolate ended up there, indicating that our tempering was not successful. We re-sealed the baggie and repeated the process at least 3 more times, varying the temperatures a degree or two in either direction, but still NO luck!

Have I mentioned that I have no patience, but my engineer boyfriend is tenacious and enjoys problem-solving?! So, as a last ditch effort (I was ready to quit at this point), he decided to use the “seeding method” (meaning that we took some small pieces of well-tempered chocolate and added it to the melted chocolate). Minutes’ worth of massaging and checking the temperature with an infra-red thermometer, we decided to test it one last time with the spoon and parchment paper sampling method. These were the slowest three minutes of my life…but in the end, SUCCESS!! We had tempered chocolate!

Now to pipe it into the waiting mold and add the zereshk. I have a new respect for those chocolate makers and chocolatiers who make inclusion bars look so photogenic. I tried my best, but still ended up with clumps in certain places 🙁

The mold was placed carefully onto a level shelf in the refrigerator and again we waited; this time for 10 minutes! An eternity, I tell you! TA DA…shiny chocolate with some ghosting and a few cosmetic blemishes due to imperfections in the polycarbonate mold! But no air bubbles…yippee!

The “back” on the other hand is full of lacy squiggles around the berries. I’m a chocolate blogger, not a chocolatier, remember 😉 Or maybe, that gives the bar “character”…yeah, I think I’ll stick with that theory!

We’re calling this bar Zereshk’ed Development (sorry, the “Arrested Development” play on words sounded better in my head!)

Since we had a second bag of chocolate (my BF meant to buy a different type and ended up getting the same Valhrona, though I suspect it comes from a different batch), we decided to make another bar. I’d like to say that we were vastly more successful now that we had some experience under our belts, but really the only way we were able to get tempered chocolate was by using the seeding method…AGAIN!

We are calling this bar “Zereshk Make a Deal” (since I wasn’t completely sold on the idea of adding salt as an inclusion & settled on hickory wood smoked sea salt as an acceptable option). After tasting our creation, I think the smoky flavor notes even out the harsh tartness of the berries.

For whatever reason, this one exhibited much more “ghosting” after unmolding the bar. We probably could have left it in the fridge for a little longer. Did I mention that I’m impatient?!

And though it’s hard to tell from the photo, we channeled our inner Zorro and piped the chocolate into the mold with various stylized Zs to see how it would turn out under the inclusions.

Now for the tasting notes for the “Zereshk Make a Deal” bar. There was a super sharp snap while segmenting tasting morsels. Personally, I think that the bar was a little too thick.

During the creamy, slow/even melt, there were bursts of smoky salt punctuated by chewy berries. Maybe it’s just me; but, the chocolate itself didn’t have any distinguishing flavor notes. I much preferred to “chomp” the chocolate so that the salt and berries mingled together to bring out salty, sweet, tangy and almost juicy sensations.

The “Zereshk’ed Development” bar was a bit plain in comparison. This one also had a sharp snap, but I noticed that more tiny flecks of chocolate went flying while segmenting this bar. This base chocolate had a nutty and caramel-like taste. Biting into the zereshk berries during the slow, even melt reminded me of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Of the two bars, I think I prefer the salty one.

Overall, this was an exciting way to end this round of the alphabet. From here on, I’ll leave chocolate making to the professionals! I’ll be taking a short break during the summer months (it’s HOT HOT HOT here in Southern California…predicted to be 100-101 degrees this weekend). Don’t worry, I’ll still post about chocolates here & on my Instagram feed in the meantime, but just not in alphabetical order.

Current plan for “Round 3” is ORIGINS (countries, estates, farms, etc.) Think Algeria to Zimbabwe. Please leave a comment or send me an email with any suggestions!

HAPPY WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY, hope it’s a delicious one!

Z is for Za’atar

It’s hard to believe that I’ve already reached the letter “Z”! In some ways, it seems like these last 26 weeks went by in the blink of an eye and in other ways it seems like an eternity since I posted “A is for Amaranth.” But wait, this post isn’t the end of the alphabet…I still have one more surprise “trick up my sleeve,” so stay tuned for that bar’s reveal soon!

At the end of last year, as I was putting together a list of inclusion ingredients that I wanted to feature for each letter of the alphabet, za’atar was the FIRST thing that came to mind (well, I did briefly consider zebra milk, but that was just to get an eye roll ? from my friends, though if a bar like that DOES exist, please let me know ASAP!) Feeling inspired in early February, I sent an email to two chocolate-industry people I felt were the most likely to work with an unusual flavor combination such as this. Lucky for me, Hans Westerink from Violet Sky Chocolate wrote back within a few days with this response:

It is interesting that you mention za’atar, that is on my list of experimental bars to work on. I even have the sumac ready and waiting!

Pinch me, I must be dreaming! Hans sent me his ideas on the spice blend and even asked for my opinion on how best to incorporate them with the chocolate. That gesture made me feel important & part of the “creative process” – though, as the expert, he would no doubt develop an ideal “formula” without my input! As the months went by, I still reached out to fellow chocolate lovers across the country to determine if there were any other za’atar bars out there (just as a precaution), but the closest source was Tel Aviv, Israel ? In mid-June, I sent a quick email to Hans to confirm that he was still willing to make a couple of bars for me. I am so grateful that he was able to quickly create the bars and that we had the time to wait until there was a short break in the Southern California heatwave to ship them about a week later. These bars exceeded my expectations! Hans is truly a master when it comes to layering flavors such that the photogenic #chocolatetopography tastes as good as it looks!

In case you’re not familiar, za’atar is a spice mixture that typically includes: sesame seeds, dried herbs, sumac and some salt. If you’ve ever eaten a Lebanese flatbread (manakish) or Armenian lahmajoun, chances are you’ve tasted this uniquely Middle Eastern flavor!

Since this was an experiment, Violet Sky didn’t make an outer label, but still wrapped the bar in their distinctive collection of shiny metallic foil. Hans, how did you know that purple is one of my favorite colors?! 🙂

Just unwrapping the bar released an aroma that transported me back to a Middle Eastern feast with olive oil dripping from my fingers as I took bite after bite of chewy, soft, still-warm dough crusted with spices. ?

Just look at the generous amount of dried thyme, toasted white sesame seeds, reddish-brown sumac and fat jewel-like salt crystals that seem to all but hide the 77% Belize dark chocolate!

I took dozens of close-up shots since I was just mesmerized by how photogenic the bar looked from every angle!

The inclusions remained mostly well-adhered to the chocolate while I “posed” the bar for photos or flipped it over to see the simple 28-rectangle “front” of the bar.

When ingredients did fall off during the photo shoot, it allowed me to taste them in isolation from each other. I really liked the nutty crunch from the sesame seeds, the earthy/woody notes from the thyme and how quickly the salt would melt on my tongue.

It was easy to segment the bar into tasting pieces.

With the inclusion side down on my tongue, all the ingredients seemed to mingle like a kaleidoscope image. Before reaching the chocolate base, dislodged sesame seeds and tiny thyme leaves danced on my tongue and then there was a citrusy “zing” when encountering a scattering of sumac. These pleasant flavors lingered on the roof of my mouth and I could then continue to munch contemplatively on the crunchy sesame seeds.

Originally, I thought that putting a morsel with the non-inclusion side down on my tongue would be the equivalent of “delayed gratification;” but, instead, the thyme became the focus, especially since the fresh herb had been infused into the base chocolate. By melting the chocolate first on my tongue, I could concentrate on the creamy, smooth, slow even melt punctuated by the vibrantly citrusy sumac which reminded me of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

As much as I like to “chomp” chocolate, I don’t recommend that method for this bar. Munch, munch and then the piece is gone without having enough time to notice the distinct flavor layering. Though, maybe it’s cumulative?! After my palate was acclimated to the flavors, chomping on two rectangles simultaneously still resulted in the same intensely sunny combination of flavors.

While Violet Sky has a website http://www.violetskychocolate.com/, I recommend instead that you check out their Instagram feed for all the seasonal flavors they have…seemingly never the same thing twice!

Don’t forget that I have one final “Z” post planned for later this week! You won’t want to miss that!