THE NIBBLE » Chocolate

VALENTINE’S DAY: With Love From Mickey Mouse

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:06:37 +0000

M-I-C-K-E-Y chocolate gifts are fun.
Photo courtesy Leonidas.com.

You don’t have to be a kid to adore this Mickey Mouse Assortment of Belgian chocolates from Leonidas—but what kid wouldn’t be thrilled to get one?

The retro keepsake gift box contains 16 pieces of chocolate embossed with Mickey’s smiling face, in four different flavors:

Milk chocolate filled with caramel flan

Marble chocolate filled with a hazelnut praliné ganache

White chocolate filled with hazelnut praliné and pieces of biscuits (cookies)

Dark chocolate filled with hazelnut praliné

Visit Leonidas.com or phone 1-800-900-CHOC.

Do you think Minnie will be getting a box for Valentine’s Day?

GOURMET GIVEAWAY: Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate Bars

Editorial Assistant — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:59:37 +0000

Try all 13 flavors of Green & Black’s organic
chocolate bars if you’re one of the five
lucky winners! Photo courtesy Green & Black’s.

Though there are plenty of non-chocolate gifts you could buy for your Valentine, let’s face it: Often, you can’t go wrong with chocolate.

If you or your Valentine is the type who appreciates a finer chocolate bar than newsstand brands, enter this week’s Gourmet Giveaway for your chance to win the entire line of Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate Bars. With strong flavors that include Cherry, Espresso, Ginger and Mint—and the newest flavor, Peanut—each bar has something different to offer—as you’ll be more than happy to discover.

THE PRIZE: Five winners will take home the entire line of Green & Black’s chocolate bars. Flavors include Almond, Cherry, Dark 70%, Dark 85%, Espresso, Ginger, Hazelnut & Currant, Maya Gold, Milk 34%, Mint, Peanut, Toffee and White. Approximate retail value: $45.00.

To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our Gourmet Chocolate Section and enter your email address for the prize drawing. This contest closes on Monday, February 15th at noon, Eastern Time. Good luck!

SPECIAL DISCOUNT: In celebration of the launch of the new Peanut bar, Green & Black’s is offering a special $1 off coupon for customers. Click here to print the downloadable coupon that can be used at select retailers.

Find out more about the chocolate at GreenAndBlacks.com.

VALENTINE’S DAY: Chocolate Tasting

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:37:00 +0000

For goober-loving Americans, Green & Black’s of the U.K. has introduced its first U.S.-exclusive flavor.

The newest addition to the Green & Black’s family of premium organic chocolate bars is the Peanut bar, a blend of premium 37% cacao dark milk chocolate with delectable caramelized peanuts and a hint of sea salt.

Whether you’re single and celebrating with a group of friends or planning a romantic evening for two, a chocolate and wine tasting is a delicious way to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Green & Black’s suggests the following chocolate-and-wine pairings (and we have many more ideas—see below):

Green & Black’s Toffee Chocolate Bar With Zinfandel. The rich, dark-fruit characters in the wine accentuate the chocolate’s buttery sweet toffee flavors.

Green & Black’s White Chocolate Bar with Chardonnay. The silky smoothness, creamy texture and vanilla finish of Green & Black’s White Chocolate Bar is perfectly complemented by the tropical fruit and hint of oak in a classic Chardonnay. This white chocolate bar is one of our editor’s favorites. She calls it “masculine” white chocolate—not the overly sweet and cloying bars one often encounters.

A great combination of peanuts, sea salt
and milk chocolate. Photo courtesy Green & Blacks.

Green & Black’s Dark 85% Dark Chocolate Bar with Syrah. The intense flavors of a high percentage cacao bar require a rich wine like Syrah. The complexity and sturdy structure of the wine softens and enhances the dark, intense chocolate.

Conduct the tasting as would a wine tasting. Choose up to six pairings. Start with the lightest variety (white chocolate) and finish with the darkest (dark 85%).

See our article on how to conduct a chocolate tasting party.

See our extensive list of wine and chocolate pairings.

VALENTINE’S DAY: Roses & Chocolate Truffles

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:35:08 +0000

Chocolate truffles covered with rose petals.
Photo courtesy VosgesChocolate.com.

Edith Piaf sang “La Vie en Rose,” which in French means means “life in pink” (literally), or life through rose-colored glasses.

Now, you can take a literal bite of it, with the new Le Chocolat en Rose truffle collection from Vosges Haut Chocolat.

The pink Champagne truffles are made from 65% cacao dark chocolate flavored with Piper Heidsieck brut rosé Champagne, then rolled in fragrant rose bud poudre (crushed rose petals). Twelve pieces of Le Chocolat en Rose truffles are $39, 20 pieces are $53, at VosgesChocolate.com.

If you’re not familiar with edible roses, they’re a delicacy used to make jams, sorbets, pastries, confections and other foods throughout the Balkans, India and Iran (or more romantically, Persia). But as those countries don’t have a tradition of chocolate-making, creative American chocolatiers have incorporated rose water and/or rose petals—with delicious results.

We can recommend plenty of beautiful Valentine chocolates without roses, too.

If you’d like a good inexpensive rosé bubbly to celebrate Valentine’s Day, try [yellow tail] Bubbles Rosé (yes, it’s spelled with brackets), which has a beautiful rose color to match the delicious flavor.

TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Gourmet Valentine Chocolate

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:34:27 +0000

Dazzle your Valentine with edible works
of art from Julie Hinton Chocolatier. Photo
by Evan Dempsey | THE NIBBLE.

Valentine’s Day is creeping up. That means search for the right chocolate gift. To NIBBLE readers, it may mean tracking down what’s new and exciting in American artisan chocolate.

Even in this cloudy economy, it seems that another fine chocolatier pops up each week. More than a few are leaving corporate America for second careers—and hopefully will be as successful as Joan Coukos of Chocolat Moderne, Mary Leonard of Chocolat Céleste and Kee Ling Tong of Kee’s Chocolates—other NIBBLE Top Picks.

In this edition, Part V of our search for America’s best artisan chocolate (find parts I-IV of the chocolate reviews), our travels take us to:

Alegio Chocolate in Berkeley

Julie Hinton Chocolatier in Greater Nashville

Neo Cocoa in San Francisco

Sucré in New Orleans

Click on the individual links above to go directly to a chocolatier, or start with the article overview.

Then, smack your lips, and consider buying something for any loved one who loves chocolate. Feel free to put yourself on that list.

PRODUCT/COUPON: Green & Black’s Peanut Chocolate Bar

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:16:04 +0000

If your favorite sweet treat includes chocolate-covered peanuts or peanut clusters, Green & Black’s has just made your life even sweeter.

The company’s newest organic chocolate bar is a full-bodied 37% milk chocolate that enrobes crisp, caramelized peanuts. There’s a touch of sea salt for that wonderful sweet-and-salty flavor.

For portion control, the 3.5-ounce chocolate bar is scored into squares. If you’re calorie counting, just break off two or three a day.

To help you go nuts over its new addition, Green & Black’s is offering a $1 off downloadable coupon at GreenAndBlacks.com, that can be used at select retailers, including Target.

Find more of our favorite chocolate bars in our Gourmet Chocolate section.

Go nuts for caramelized peanuts and sea
salt enrobed in 37% cacao milk chocolate.
Photo courtesy Green & Black’s.

GOURMET GIVEAWAY: Organic Nectars Chocolate Bars: Better For You

Editorial Assistant — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:39:42 +0000

Have a chocolate craving? Consider if you’d rather have a chocolate bar that’s lower on the glycemic index than those sweetened with sugar. Or maybe you want one that’s guaranteed allergy-free?

Then unwrap the new, raw cacao gourmet chocolate bars from Organic Nectars. These new handmade chocolate bars—the first to be sweetened with organic palm nectar—are free of cane sugar, dairy, gluten, trans fats and cholesterol as are all Organic Nectars products.* In addition to being organic, the true benefit here is the palm nectar, which has a glycemic index of just 35—almost half that of sugar (which is 65 on the G.I. Index). That makes Organic Nectars a better-for-you chocolate bar.

*Note that plain chocolate bars are typically free of gluten, trans fats and cholesterol, and generally, only milk chocolate has dairy; but if you are concerned about dairy, read the label to see if any has been included or if the product was made on a machine that also makes milk chocolate.

In addition to being organic, the major benefit here is the palm nectar, which has a glycemic index of just 35—almost half that of sugar (which is 65 on the G.I. Index). That makes Organic Nectars a better-for-you chocolate bar. The chocolate is also available in one-pound blocks for baking.

Take a bite out of these organic, vegan and
kosher chocolate bars, which come in six varieties.

Available in six flavors, the vegan chocolate bars have a smooth taste and texture and a higher cacao content than most bars, which means more antioxidants. The bars are certified USDA Organic and certified Non-Dairy Kosher by Natural Food Certifiers. The 1.4-ounce bars retail at $5.20 to $5.40 each.

THE PRIZE: One winner will receive six chocolate bars in each of the following flavors: 54% chocolate, 70% chocolate, 85% chocolate, coconut milk chocolate, golden white chocolate and raspberry bittersweet chocolate.

To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our NutriNibbles Section and enter your email address for the prize drawing.

Find out more about Organic Nectars at OrganicNectars.com.

Read our review of Organic Nectars vegan ice cream and dessert sauces.

TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Metromint

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:12:02 +0000

Zero calories, great chocolate flavor.
Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

Our favorite non-caloric chocolate treat is Metromint Chocolatemint water.

Metromint Peppermint water launched in 2004. People who love a vibrant, minty water are fans. The company then developed additional flavors with less mint intensity to appeal to a broader market, and last year introduced a game-changer: Metromint Chocolate Mint.

Made with cocoa essence and real mint, this is a water any chocolate lover will want by the case. With zero calories, it fills the need for a chocolate treat; once you’ve tasted it, you’re hooked. (In fact, at this moment it’s sold out on the Metromint website due to holiday demand, but you can still order it; more will be in stock soon.)

Chocolatemint is one of a mint water family that includes Cherrymint, Lemonmint, Orangemint, the original Peppermint, and Spearmint. Everyone from mintaholics to those who like just a bit of mint in their water will find flavors to love.

Metromint is great for gift-giving to help a friend or family member start—or stay on—a calorie-controlled diet. You can send a four-pack, a six-pack or, for just $38 and free shipping, a case.

Read the full Metromint review and definitely buy a bottle to taste.

You can save 55¢ on Metromint with this coupon.

PRODUCT: White (Chocolate) Christmas

admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:34:25 +0000

If your dreams of a white Christmas include chocolate, head to the nearest store that sells Hershey’s.

Hershey’s Bliss white chocolate squares with a “creamy meltaway center” hit the spot. Not sugary-sweet like some white chocolate, they’re portion-controlled so you can enjoy just a bite or two.

You can also use the little square of Bliss to crown other desserts, or serve a piece along with cups of coffee.

Or, use them in our Cupcake Surprise recipe.

Check out our favorite chocolates—and everything you’ve always wanted to know about chocolate—in the Gourmet Chocolate Section of THE NIBBLE.

Bliss for a white Christmas. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

MORE TEXT HERE

GIFTS: For The Chocolate Connoisseur (Or Chocoholic)

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:30:01 +0000

Still shopping for the right gift?

Almost anyone would welcome a box of artisan chocolates. They’d be thrilled to get something fabulous from a chocolatier they’ve never heard of, whom you’ve hunted down.

So hunt down something on our list of favorite chocolatiers of the year:

Antoine Amrani Chocolates, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week from suburban Philadelphia, makes chocolates that look as festive as Christmas ornaments.

Bespoke Chocolates, another Top Pick, is a tiny New York City chocolatier with connoisseur pieces. The special Christmas piece is a Snowball Truffle: a sparkling, creamy white chocolate truffle flecked with bits of peppermint inside and out.

Charles Chocolates, located outside San Francisco, packs a selection of chocolate bonbons into an edible chocolate box. You can’t beat that!

Chocoat Céleste, from St. Paul, Minnesota, has a beautiful box of pink-themed designer chocolates.

Yes, Virginia, there is chocolate sushi. Photo by Evan Dempsey | THE NIBBLE.

Chocolat Moderne, another Top Pick from New York City, has holiday-designed and flavored chocolates in almond marzipan, Chinese five-spice caramel, dark fig and port ganache and white saffron ganache.

Theo Chocolate, from Seattle, has a holiday-flavored collection that’s organic and Fair Trade Certified.

Dean’s Sweets, from Portland, Maine, has bonbons filled with stout-flavored ganache for beer lovers, and a spicy ganache set that we adored.

Romanico’s, from Miami, makes chocolate sushi (with puffed rice and dried fruit) that looks like the real thing.

Spice Rack Chocolates, from Fredericksburg, Virginia, are solid chocolates beautifully flavored (lemon and basil, smoked sea salt, key lime and curry, rosemary and mint, cayenne), without the calories and cholesterol of ganache-filled bonbons.

Check out our list of gourmet chocolate gifts.