From now until September 7, 2008, the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. will be hosting Chocolate: The Exhibition, a special exhibit on “the natural history and American innovations of chocolate.” If you’ll be in the area, you can download a coupon for $2 off admission. Even if you can’t go, you can enter their Chocolate Lovers’ Sweepstakes for a “Chocolate Lovers’ Dream Vacation” and $25,000 in instant-win prizes. Good luck!
In the latest issue of the Fearless Flyer, Trader Joe’s highlights their new mini chocolate bars. Sold in packs of three for $1.49, each bar contains 1.65 ounces of 72% Belgian dark chocolate. Per the Fearless Flyer, “If portion control is your candy quandry, these bars are your saving grace. One bar is just the right amount to satisfy your dark chocolate cravings.”
Surprisingly, I didn’t even need a whole bar. Just three squares and I’d lost interest. It’s not that they’re bad; they’re just boring. And at 280 calories, they’re no low-calorie treat, either. I much prefer Trader Joe’s 100 Calorie Chocolate Bars. Granted, they’re more expensive ($.63 per ounce compared to $.30 per ounce for the mini bars), but what’s the point of a treat if it’s not fun to eat?
Would you tell a stranger your password for a bar of chocolate? In a recent survey, 21% of passersby in a London subway station did just that—they told researchers their computer password in exchange for a bar of chocolate. The previous year it was a whopping 64% who gave up their passwords. What I’d like to know is just what kind of chocolate are they offering these people?
Thanks to Princesse Chocolat for posting the photo at right to flickr.
(Source: Scientific American’s News Bytes of the Week)
This must be my lucky day! Right on the heels of my cherry M&M’s find, I discover mint crisp M&M’s in the frozen foods section of my local grocery store. Why they chose that particular aisle to feature these limited edition M&M’s is beyond me, but I’m glad they did, because I wasn’t actually shopping for candy today. (On second thought, maybe the frozen foods section isn’t so crazy after all?)
This time I simply couldn’t wait until after dinner to try my bounty. Upon arriving home, I eagerly tore into the medium-sized bag. Of course, I read Sera’s review earlier today so I had an idea of what to expect, but my experience with the cherry M&M’s left me feeling a tad trepidatious. Fortunately, my worries turned out to be unfounded, as the mint crisp M&M’s are a solid contender in the novelty M&M’s candy category.
At first the mint flavor seems a bit strong, but after several M&M’s it mellows out. In fact, the mint adds an interesting dimension to the semisweet M&M chocolate. Reading the ingredients, I note that, unlike the cherry M&M’s, the flavoring in these M&M’s is natural, not artificial. Happily, the crisped rice adds the perfect amount of crunch (see cross section here) to the already crunchy M&M shells.
My only complaint is with the irregular sizes. The mint crisp M&M’s range from tiny (as in quite a bit smaller than normal M&M’s) to large (as in peanut butter M&M size). The large ones have the perfect ratio of crisped rice to chocolate, while the small ones, in contrast, seem ill proportioned and lacking in substance.
Overall, the mint crisp M&M’s are a winner! If you like M&M’s and enjoy the taste of mint and chocolate, I think you’re going to love these.
I’ve been desperate to try the limited edition Wildly Cherry M&M’s ever since I read about them in Sera’s review on Candy Addict. After months’ of looking (I kid you not), I found them today at my local Walgreens. And on sale at that!
After dinner, I giddily tore into the medium-sized bag. Pouring the M&M’s into a bowl, I detected a faint cherry aroma. These M&M’s are a bit more rotund than the ordinary variety, but otherwise they’re similarly sized. They come in two colors: deep red (like a very ripe Bing cherry) and light red (like a—you guessed it—less ripe Bing cherry). Honestly, they’re pretty to look at!
So how do they taste? Well, let me start by saying I’m not a huge fan of cherry-flavored candy. The overuse of artificial cherry flavoring in children’s medicines pretty much soured me on cherry flavoring at a young age. I do enjoy the taste of maraschino cherries, though, and Sera really seemed to like these M&M’s, so I was determined to give them a fair shot.
On my first M&M, the cherry flavor made its presence known. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was distinct. In fact, the chocolate of the M&M reminded me of the flavored chocolate of a Frango mint. A handful of M&M’s later I’m still tasting cherry, only now the novelty is starting to wear off. I decide to stop for a minute and that’s when it hits me—the artificial cherry aftertaste. Oh, dear. Memories of cough syrup start rushing back and I quickly reach for a strong dark chocolate to clear the taste.
I really do like the way they look, though. Perhaps I’ll keep them in a glass bowl on my desk. Then I can appreciate the colors while I share them with my colleagues.
Thanks to princess_of_llyr for posting the above photo to flickr!
Have you heard of The Chocolate Gallery? It’s a small chocolatier in Goleta, Calif. Apparently they’re best known for their novelty chocolates—personalized chocolate telegrams, gold foiled coins, chocolate molded into various sizes and shapes, from dinosaurs to computer accessories. They also make more traditional chocolates, however, and it was these that I recently had the pleasure of sampling.
I started with a pair of dark and milk chocolate chews. Although I’m not generally a fan of caramel, I have to admit I was impressed. The centers were neither too salty nor too sweet, and they perfectly complemented the rich, smooth, creamy milk and dark chocolate exteriors.
Next up were the meltaways and truffles. Not unexpectedly, the exteriors were similar to those of the chews. A surprise was waiting inside, though! Instead of a simple texture, the interiors were simultaneously smooth and granular. Or alternately smooth and granular? It’s difficult to describe, but it created a most interesting mouthfeel. And bonus—the truffles were enormous! [UPDATE: not all of the meltaways/truffles had this unique texture. Perhaps it's limited to certain flavors?]
Chocolates from The Chocolate Gallery can be purchased in-store or ordered via the web or phone. I recommend using the first page of their web site to navigate the categories of their online catalog, as the myriad of product listings can be overwhelming.
If you want to experience chocolate heaven, you must try The Red Fish Grill’s Double Chocolate Bread Pudding. Seriously, it’s worth a trip to New Orleans just for this. It’s not easy to describe, but it’s a bit like a super rich, super moist brownie/cake with a delectable, crunchy crust on top. They bake it when you order it, so it’s served piping hot. As you eat, a triangular piece of white and milk chocolate that’s wedged in the middle gradually melts, making every bite a chocolate sensation. And as if that weren’t enough, the server drowns the whole thing in melted milk and white chocolate at the table. Pure decadence! The only drawback is it takes 20 minutes to bake, so make sure you order it with your entré.
Thanks to beautifulcataya for uploading the photo at right to flickr.
Here’s something you don’t see everyday: a chocolate bar that celebrates gluttony. Or is it truth in advertising? Either way, it catches your attention, doesn’t it?
What do you think? Is this the next big thing in chocolate? Would you buy it? Would you give it as a gift to a friend? If you’ve tried it, how was the chocolate?
So many questions! We’ll keep our eyes and ears open for developments on the Oinkganic Milk Chocolate front. In the meantime, check their web site, which is still under development, for availability.
My friend in Montréal tells me Nestlé Coffee Crisp has quite a cult following in Canada. In fact, there was even an Internet petition to bring Coffee Crisp to the United States. Amazingly, the petition was a success, and Nestlé has begun marketing Coffee Crisp to U.S. consumers.
So what is Coffee Crisp? According to Nestlé, it’s a wafer bar with a coffee crème center. Given the name and the tagline (”How do you like your coffee?”), it should come as no surprise that coffee is one of the ingredients. Sadly, there isn’t much of a coffee flavor. Certainly nothing as flavorful as Ritter Sport’s Cappuccino chocolate bar, for instance. There is a bit of a caffeine kick, though, so perhaps that’s the purpose of the coffee.
My disappointment with the flavor notwithstanding, the Coffee Crisp has a nice crunch to it. At 260 calories, I’m not sure it qualifies as a “light snack” (as advertised on the packaging), but it’s true that it doesn’t taste as rich as other chocolate snacks. In fact, it reminds me of Little Debbie Nutty Bars, albeit lighter, crunchier, and sans peanut butter flavor.
I wouldn’t go out of my way for a Coffee Crisp, but if you happen to see one at your local retailer, give it a try. If nothing else, you’ll know what your friends north of the border are raving about!
(For the latest on the availability of Coffee Crisp in the U.S., see Nestlé Coffee Crisp bar is finally coming to the USA.)
I just received word that Green & Black’s is sponsoring a recipe contest. They’re looking for original recipes that have a maximum of five ingredients and use at least two ounces of Green & Black’s chocolate. Winners travel free to New York for a cooking session with Curtis Stone. In addition, for each valid entry:
Green & Black’s will build on its existing relationship with the Toledo Cacao Growers’ Association in Belize by supplying the members of its cooperative with funds to plant and grow to maturity one hardwood tree. These hardwood trees, as part of a reinvestment in the indigenous rainforest, will help provide the necessary shade to shelter the farmers’ cocoa trees and allow them to thrive, providing them with greater economic opportunities.
Sounds like a win-win to me! The contest ends April 21, 2008. For more information, see Green & Black’s Chocolate Challenge Recipe Contest.
