Saturday, June 16, 2007

Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds

Back when I was a kid, my grandfather Charlie would sell candy and soft drinks (sody pop) from a shed in his backyard. All the neighborhood kids would come to buy, because he was cheaper than any other opportunity they had.

The Cokes came in 6 ounce bottles, and he kept them in wooden crates. Once a week or so, he and I would drive over to his brother's, Uncle Bill, to get a new supply. Bill was a few years older than Charlie, and had a black stoneware panther on his TV and a tiny stuffed alligator on his china cabinet. His wife had long since died, and I don't remember her at all.

Uncle Bill had a coke machine that dispensed the 6 ounce Cokes for 5 cents apiece, and we would get one when we visited. I can still hear the rattle, thump thump of the machine kicking on, and dropping an ice cold Coke down to the bin. We would take our Cokes and walk along the grape arbor, smelling the rich Concord grapes as they ripened on the vine.

Every once in a while, there'd be a Hershey's almond bar for a snack. Just like we have today, except the bar was wrapped in foil, and the foil was covered by a paper wrapper. Biting into the bar with its unique texture and squeak, nothing tastes like Hershey's. The name Hershey's is imprinted on the bar itself. I would always eat the H first, then the S, slowly making my way in until I spelled SHE, then HE, then the last H.

Reviewed: Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds
Personality: squeaky comfort food
How to enjoy: eat this bar sitting on your back porch, preferably on the steps, while your parents and other relatives are standing around talking, and the wasps buzz around the grape arbor.

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:
Germany: American Candy
USA: Any grocery store. Sorry, Uncle Bill has long since passed on

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Ritter Sport Nugat 250 grams

Tonight's chocolate will be quick, since it's another entry from Ritter Sport (I tell you, it's hard to leave the Ritter factory store without carrying significant quantities of chocolate.)
My daughter likes Ritter's nougat bar, but it's normally available in the 100 gram variety. 100 grams is just about 4 ounces, and she and her father have been know to tussle over the last squares in the package.
Well, I took care of it this time, because, at 250 grams, it will take even a 16 year old quite a while to finish.
Ritter's nougat is not as good as Lindt, or as pretty much any Italian nougat I've tasted. For elegance and refined taste, go Italian. For a budget thrill, go for the Ritter.

Reviewed: Ritter Sport Nugat, 250 gram size
Personality: The "Fat Boy" of nougat bars
How to enjoy: Will last a long, long time. Unless you're a teenager.

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:
Germany: At the Ritter Sport factory outlet, or any basic grocery store
USA: Some Ritter Sport is available at the Chocolate Apothecary, Amazon, or Belgian Chocolate Online
UK: A Quarter of

Monday, June 11, 2007

Ritter Sport Voll Erdnuss


A bright, sunny Sunday, coupled with a German rarity: a store open on Sunday, brought us to Waldenbuch, Germany, home of Ritter Sport chocolate.

The factory is actually there, along with a museum and a cafe. We had a lovely cappucino and an iced chocolate, then went shopping.

Last year, Ritter sold a Golden Peanut bar. Peanuts and chocolate are as rare as a store open on Sunday in Germany, so I really enjoyed this candy, and one of my goals at Ritter yesterday was to score some more of those bars. It was not to be, however, because the Golden Peanut has been replaced by "echte Kau-Boys." Echte Kau-boys is a pun. Kau is chew, only pronounced like "cow." The tag line for the new peanut bar is: With crunchy American peanuts. For real cow-boys. Har har.

But the chocolate is good, as good as any Ritter bar. And Ritter chocolate is goooood. Plenty of good milk chocolate, peanuts roasted properly, with a pleasant crunch and a nutty flavor.

Reviewed: Ritter Sport Vollnuss
Personality: Dorky "Kau-boy" peanutty satisfaction
How to enjoy: enjoy it a square at a time. One Ritter bar can last a week if you're prudent.

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:
Germany: At the Ritter Sport factory outlet, or any basic grocery store
USA: Some Ritter Sport is available at the Chocolate Apothecary, Amazon, or Belgian Chocolate Online
UK: A Quarter of

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Majani Fiat Caffe'


This nougat candy is beloved by those who know it, and you should get to know it if you can. Majani, located in Bologna, is apparently the oldest candy maker in Italy, having been started in 1796. They supposedly also made the first solid chocolate produced in Italy.
That said, it can be quite difficult to find Majani products worldwide. Too bad, because this Fiat Caffe nougat was fabulous. A good, rich chocolate, with plenty of coffee flavor, it's a classic nougat texture.

The original flavor of Fiat was produced in honor of a new model of the Fiat Tipo in 1911. The piece I bought was actually larger than the normal cube size of the Fiat, but it was delicious anyway.


Reviewed: Majani Fiat Caffe
Personality: Racy
How to enjoy: Take it with you on your Sunday drive

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:
Germany: Berliner Kaffeeroesterei
USA: Italian Harvest
UK: Still looking for a source
Italy: In Bologna, you can visit the factory outlet

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Schokolade zum selbermachen

(Chocolate made yourself)
We were sitting around tonight, listening to German music from the 1920's on television, and DH got a craving for some chocolate, but didn't want to eat the expensive stuff, and doesn't know where I keep The Box, so he remembered his own recipe from his childhood.
His recipe:
  • 2 teaspoons of cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon of cream
  • sweetener (he's diabetic)

Stir together until it forms a paste. If it's too runny, you may need to add more cocoa.

It was remarkably creamy, and I suggested he might enjoy it more if he added a touch of room temperature butter. I also know that just a few grains of salt can really improve the flavor.

Other ways to make it more interesting:

  • add flavored sugars like amaretto or vanilla
  • rum
  • cayenne pepper
  • nutmeg
  • lebkuchen spices

Last I saw, he had added both rum and cayenne. Things are starting to get out of hand, and the guy on the television is starting to sing "Sex Bomb," which is not exactly a song from the 1920's. In a tuxedo, no less.

I think maybe things are getting a little too interesting. Sheesh. Off to bed.

Dove Liaison Caramel


Today I was just a firecracker! Even though it's Saturday, I got up early so I could enjoy the cool air before it became too humid. The local bakery, Baeckerei Bauer, opens at 6:30 a.m. so I decided to start there. First thing I noticed were the cakes. They make some nice roll cakes, but I had to focus.

No cake today. I was there for the week's bread. Mmm, I bought a nice rye sourdough, some cheese rolls, soft pretzel sticks, and a whole grain baguette.
Then off to the car wash to give ol' Nelly a lick and a promise. That was annoying as all get-out, because only one of the bays had a machine for the prepaid card I'd bought. Then the spray got out of control due to the very high pressure (Germans are very serious about their car washing, especially here in Mercedes-land).

Next the grocery store, to be followed by the recycling station. All of this done by 9:30, with the rest of the day to enjoy as I please. As I stood at the checkout, I noticed a new chocolate bar: Dove Liaison Caramel.

That's a nice combination: Dove, a brand I trust, Liaison, one of my favorite words, and Caramel, one of my favorite flavors.

It didn't disappoint. A nice mass-market chocolate, definitely up to Dove's usual standards, is molded into a 25 gram bar, conveniently divided into 3 segments. Each segment is filled with a very soft caramel, which will flow if left unattended. If you bite exactly between two segments, it can't flow very much. The caramel taste itself is just ok. For a real caramelly taste, I'd rather eat Werther's.

Reviewed: Dove Liaison Caramel
Personality: A true "liaison" of chocolate and caramel.
How to enjoy: Keep these in the fridge and enjoy them as an everyday treat. They make a great little dessert for a packed lunch.

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:
Germany: In the grocery checkout lane
USA: Try the Dove Miniatures Caramel
UK: Galaxy Caramel

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Miss Charlotte's Fontina Sauce Recipe

Great for vegetables as well as pasta!

8-12 ounces Fontina cheese, cubed
½ cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded
¼ cup fresh parmesan cheese, shaved, for garnish
fresh basil leaves, cut in thin strips for garnish
1 cup cream or milk
1 cup chicken broth or water
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 Tablespoons butter
salt to taste
Dash nutmeg
Optional: dash paprika

Saute the onion in the butter until the onion is translucent.
Add cream and broth and heat to just ready to boil.
Reduce heat to very low, add Fontina and ½ cup parmesan.
Heat until cheeses are melted, stirring to prevent burning.
Add spices to taste. You may want to thicken it a bit by cooking it down or using a thickener.

Plate the pasta, pour sauce on top. Sprinkle with shaved parmesan and basil.