Tag Archive: dark chocolate

Moser Roth 85%

October 25, 2010

It's after 9 pm, the kids are in bed, and I am in the mood to r-e-l-a-x. I decide to try a chocolate bar I have not had before, Moser Roth premium dark 85%. This bar is intensely nutty, soft on fruit and earth. The snap is hard and the melt is slow to release its flavors.

I can sense that the bar lacks a little something, and then the light goes on. I need to pair this bar with wine. Since I don't have time to pick and choose, I reach for the malbec I have on hand. It is a 2008 Reserve from Alma Andina vineyard, Mendoza region Argentina. The label set me up to be hopeful as it describes the tasting notes concentrated in red and black fruit flavors, hints of toasted vanilla with a long cherry finish.
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Scotch with Chocolate Covered Bacon

October 17, 2010

Bryn asked me to make a guest-blogger appearance for today so I decided to write about a Scotch Whisky and chocolate pairing. It seems strange to write this up on Sunday morning, but I assure you this reflects a Saturday evening tasting. 🙂

Ben Tre and Chuao Origins

October 15, 2010

Here are a couple of new limited-edition chocolates for your tasting pleasure.

Ben Tre - 72% Cacao Single Origin Dark Chocolate

Scharffen Berger now offers a 72% Vietnamese single-origin chocolate bar. The bar, named after the growing region of Ben Tre, comes from seven-year old cacao in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. This is the first that I have heard about Vietnamese chocolate available in the U.S.
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Ghirardelli Dark and Raspberry

October 11, 2010

I love the combination of dark chocolate and raspberry, but I am a bit snobbish about it. A girl’s gotta have standards, right?

While there are many wonderful Ghirardelli chocolates to love, I’m afraid I am not a fan of the Dark & Raspberry.
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New Lindt Chocolate Flavors

October 8, 2010

Good News! Lindt is expanding its Excellence chocolates with two new premium creations. Introducing…..

Excellence Roasted Almond and Excellence Black Currant

The roasted almond variety combines dark chocolate with slivered almonds, and the black currant variety combines dark chocolate with tart, dried black currants and roasted slivered almonds.
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Allergic to Chocolate?

October 7, 2010

Is there such a thing as a chocolate allergy?

An allergy to cacao is possible but rare. It would be more likely that someone has an allergy to one of the ingredients in chocolate or experiences a food intolerance, which is not really an allergy at all.

Only 1 – 2% of American adults and 5 – 8% of children have a true, immunological food allergy. Among those, 90% are allergic to the “big 8”; milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish, or shellfish.
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Merlot and Chocolate Raspberry Creams

October 2, 2010

One of my favorite chocolate and wine pairings is merlot with a dark chocolate-covered raspberry cream.

Merlot, a red grape originating in France’s Bordeaux region, naturally produces tastes that are rich and round, loaded with raspberry and other red berry flavors, sometimes with hints of chocolate and sometimes vanilla.

Merlot is often overshadowed by a similar wine, the more popular cabernet sauvignon. The two share some similarities, but there differences, too. A merlot pairs very well with certain fruit creams and dark chocolates because it is typically softer and fruitier in both aroma and flavor than a cabernet.
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Ghirardelli Midnight Reverie

September 27, 2010

Ghirardelli Chocolate Intense Dark chocolate bars are incredibly delicious. There are presently six in the series with two more being “voted in” by fans across the nation.

Currently the choices are Midnight Reverie, Twilight Delight, Toffee Interlude, Espresso Escape, Evening Dream, and Sea Salt Soiree.
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Is There Such a Thing as Vegan Chocolate?

September 12, 2010

Vegan foods cannot contain any animal products.

Most dark chocolates qualify as vegan because all the ingredients are sourced from plants. A dark chocolate label will list sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soya lecithin (from soybean), and vanilla.

There are some dark chocolates that add butter oil, but you would know this by reading the ingredient statement on the label.

All ingredients must be declared on the label so that consumers know exactly what the product contains and can make informed decisions based on these ingredients.
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An Excellent Wine and Chocolate Pairing

September 11, 2010

My mom came for dinner last week and she (as any properly trained mother should do) brought with her a bottle of wine. We enjoyed a remarkably delicious Green Truck Organic Sauvignon Blanc.

After dinner, I (as any properly trained daughter should do) brought out chocolate for dessert. I was in the mood for a Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate bar. As I took a bite, I noticed I had a swallow of wine left in my glass and drank it. The chocolate was still in my mouth, and the result of this accidental pairing was, well, it was meant to be!
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