Bernard Castelain Noir Cafe

Bernard Castelain's Noir Cafe has been sitting on my pantry shelf for a good year. I simply haven't had time to try it yet. Of course, it also belongs to my "collection of food," an odd assortment of foodstuffs that I've bought which, for some reason, I never got around to eating.

It's not that I didn't want to, but rather that I never matched up a moment of looking at it with a moment of wanting to eat it.

This is good chocolate. Really good chocolate. Michel-Cluizel-good chocolate.

It's deep, rich, has a slightly smoky, slightly astringent aftertaste. That's when the coffee flavor kicks in. It's a coffee that reminds me of the finest coffee I ever had. We were in the Provence, just starting a vacation. Arriving late in the evening, we ate late. Late for Americans at least, right on time for the French.

After a delicious dinner of fish, I ordered a coffee, and received an espresso-like cup of dreams. The coffee flavor in this chocolate is that good.

It also doesn't hurt that this chocolate reminds me of that evening in Provence, over a year ago, with the heat of August beating down on us, even after dark.

While the snow falls here in Stuttgart.

Rating:

1: Better than sex

2: Little bites of heaven

3: Share with your best friend

4: Will do in a pinch

5: Halloween candy

Where to buy: http://www.chocolat-castelain.com/index.php

Force Noir and Fleur de Sel Caramel

Fleur de Sel was disappointing. I love salt and I love caramel, but this just seemed a touch gritty from the salt and it wasn't one of the best caramels I'd eaten. It wasn't a bad taste, just not a great taste.

Force Noir was stunning. The chocolatier recommended it as a must-have in the collection, and it was a very good idea. Perfect ganache, perfect snap as I bit through the shell, and wonderful proof of a great chocolatier.

Rating:
1: Better than sex
2: Little bites of heaven
3: Share with your best friend
4: Will do in a pinch
5: Halloween candy
Where to buy: At the store on the Embarcadero, or online at http://www.recchiuti.com/

Cassis Strata and Star Anise with Pink Peppercorn

I love a Kir Royale, a cocktail made from champagne and cassis liqueur. Fabulous and just a little sweet. So chocolate and cassis ought to be pretty good, too, right? Yep. Very nice cassis jelly layered on top of a chocolate ganache. The nice part about this piece is that it doesn't have any annoying sugar crystals.

Star Anise with Pink Peppercorn sounds promising. A smooth ganache in which I can detect the anise (don't like it so much normally, but it's good here). The peppercorn I can't taste at all. Too bad, because I've come to love peppery dark chocolate.

All in all, mighty tasty.

Rating:
1: Better than sex
2: Little bites of heaven
3: Share with your best friend
4: Will do in a pinch
5: Halloween candy
Where to buy: At the store on the Embarcadero, or online at http://www.recchiuti.com/

Lavender Vanilla and Kona coffee

Continuing with my Recchiuti collection, I'm tasting the next two pieces in the photo from my last post.
Lavender Vanilla is the smaller one. It's not so good. It tastes a little like I'm eating perfume. Eh.
Kona Coffee is the big pyramid shaped chocolate. It's got a lovely gold leaf decoration as well. Better than the Lavender, but not so much coffee flavor. I wonder if I've passed the optimum serve by date.
I shared these candies willingly.

Rating:
1: Better than sex
2: Little bites of heaven
3: Share with your best friend
4: Will do in a pinch
5: Halloween candy
Where to buy: At the store on the Embarcadero, or online at http://www.recchiuti.com/

Hazelnut, yes, but Tarragon? Grapefruit?

More Recchiuti, today we are tasting a traditional European flavor, Piedmont Hazelnut, and an exotic, Tarragon Grapefruit. The Grapefruit is the leftmost chocolate in the picture, and the hazelnut is just above it.

From the Piedmont I expect a crunchy toasted nut and a smooth milk chocolate. Nut is perfectly toasted, nicely crunchy, and the milk chocolate is excellently smooth, with a real chocolate aftertaste. Perfect.

The Tarragon Grapefruit is another beast altogether, and I expect an interesting surprise. Wow. The tarragon comes over first, a real kick, then I detect the grapefruit in a secondary way. Not sweet or too fruity at all, nor is the grapefruit unpleasant. I challenge Dear Hubby to identify the flavors. First he notices the peel, but can't figure out, wondering if it's orange or lemon. He didn't detect the tarragon at all. He did wonder if it were pistachio. The tarragon starts the taste, but the grapefruit is what is left over at the end.

Reviewed: Recchiuti chocolates Piedmont Hazelnut and Tarragon Grapefruit

Personality: True and creative, very marvelous

How to enjoy: You can get chocolates similar to the hazelnut in many places, but the Tarragon Grapefruit is a rare treasure. Don't let a glass of red wine overwhelm this one.

Rating:

1: Better than sex

2: Little bites of heaven

3: Share with your best friend

4: Will do in a pinch

5: Halloween candy

Where to buy: At the store on the Embarcadero, or online at http://www.recchiuti.com/

Recchiuti chocolates

The next time you're in San Francisco, you must save Saturday morning for a visit to the Farmers' Market at the Ferry building. Friendly vendors, offering samples of their fine local product, often organic, line the sidewalks.
Inside the Ferry Building itself are a number of small shops, and one must-visit is Recchiuti.
These people have a selection of hand-made chocolates that rival the high quality European chocolatiers.
So far, I've tasted their Pearl Mint Tea and Rose Caramel confections. These were beyond good. Both were fresh and flavored true to their names.
The mint was spearmint with peppermint and the green tea flavor was distinct and very pleasant.
The rose caramel, a shell of white chocolate, with a nearly-flowing caramel center, was so delicately flavored that I could really believe I was eating the scent of the rose/geranium combination they mix with the caramel.
The only thing I found really missing from Recchiuti was the fact that they don't use liquers or liquors in their chocolates. Too bad, because this keeps them one notch lower than the equivalent European competition.

Reviewed: Recchiuti chocolates
Personality: True and creative
How to enjoy: Make a special trip to San Francisco for these babies. Grab a coffee and sit out on the dock and watch the ferries go by.
Rating:
1: Better than sex
2: Little bites of heaven
3: Share with your best friend
4: Will do in a pinch
5: Halloween candy
Where to buy: At the store on the Embarcadero, or online at http://www.recchiuti.com/

Dolce e Amaro Grappa and Limone

The Piedmont is one of those great regions of Italy, and its chocolates are fantastic.

While walking around a German town, Winnenden, we came upon an Italian gourmet shop. There I found chocolates from Dolce e Amaro, a Piedmont chocolatier.

These are truffles, one flavored with Grappa wine and one with Limoncello, both of these ingredients have a heavy alcohol content, around 18%.

The alcohol is what really moves these chocolates into the "Little bites of heaven" category. It truly enhances the flavor, bringing them out of the "just nice" category.

Reviewed: Saluzzesi Grappa and Limone
Personality: A sunny day in the Piedmont

How to enjoy: Choose one of these when you are in great need of spoiling yourself.

Rating:

1: Better than sex
2: Little bites of heaven
3: Share with your best friend
4: Will do in a pinch
5: Halloween candy

Where to buy: Online at Dolce e Amaro