[Sca-cooks] OOP: Vosges Haut-Chocolat, again

[debbie pond]

I concur with your review of the Black Pearl Bar.  There really wasn't enough of anything to taste, and it was a bit disappointing.  On the other hand, I really enjoyed the Mo's Bacon Bar.  I had the good fortune to be able to make a s'more over the campfire with it which was absolutely delicious!
Yamina> ------------------------------> > Message: 4> Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 11:54:56 -0700> From: Lilinah <lilinah at earthlink.net>> Subject: [Sca-cooks] OOP: Vosges Haut-Chocolat, again> To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org> Message-ID: <a06110400c450d23ab4bb@[4.243.179.108]>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"> > This has absolutely nothing to do with historical cooking, except > that of the early 21st C.> > As most on this list probably recall, i like dark chocolate, and i > like spicy food. Besides the infamous - and now truly improved - > Tofurkey, I've reported on various ice creams and chocolate bars, > including one containing bits of real bacon - Mo's Bacon Bar, another > of Vosges's exotic bars that is good - but i wanted more bacon :-)> > So i could not resist temptation when i saw yet another intriguing > Vosges Haut-Chocolat "exotic candy bar" (says so on the package), The > Black Pearl Bar: dark chocolate with black sesame seeds, ginger, + > wasabi.> > Anyway, i forked over the big bucks - these Vosges babies cost in the > vicinity of 7 smackeronis! - and waited in eager anticipation until i > got home to savor the flavors.> > A bit o' background: Vosges is based in Chicago> http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/> They have shown up on lists of the best ice cream in the US: they got > a nod for their Red Fire Ice Cream: dark chocolate ice cream with > Mexican ancho & chipotle chillies, Ceylon cinnamon, but i think the > flavors are not well balanced. I'm fonder of their Naga Ice Cream, > custard ice cream with yellow Indian curry and coconut (mmm-mmm-mmm) > and their Pandan Ice Cream, dark chocolate flavored with pandan - a > leaf used in South East Asia the way we use vanilla, but it tastes > nothing like it. I haven't yet tried their 4th flavor, Wattleseed Ice > Cream, dark chocolate with Australian wattleseed + roasted macadamia > nuts, but probably will this summer...> > Anyway, back home, I finally sat down, opened the light cardboard > wrapper with the sophisticated graphics, used a scissors to snip open > the silver-coated plastic encasing the precious product. Vosges > protects their precious chocolate bars well. Among their OTHER > flavors are:> - Barcelona: deep milk chocolate with hickory smoked almonds + Fleur > de Sel grey sea salt> - Calindia: Venezuelan dark chocolate with cardamom, organic walnuts > + dried plums> - Creole: Sao Thome bittersweet chocolate with espresso, cocoa nibs, > + New Orleans chicory> - Gianduja: deep milk chocolate with almonds + caramelized hazelnut paste> - Goji: deep milk chocolate with Tibetan goji berries + pink Himalayan salt> - Macha: deep milk chocolate with Japanese macha green tea> - Mo's Bacon Bar: deep milk chocolate with Applewood smoked bacon + > Alderwood smoked salt> - Naga: deep milk chocolate with sweet Indian curry + coconut> - Oaxaca: Tanzanian bittersweet chocolate with Oaxacan guajillo & > pasilla chillies> - d'Oliva: Venezuelan white chocolate with Kalamata olives> - Red Fire: dark chocolate with Mexican ancho & chipotle chillies + > Ceylon cinnamon> - Woolloomooloo: deep milk chocolate with roasted & salted macadamia > nuts, coconut, + hemp seeds> > Now, i'm not trying to push this stuff - there are LOTS of unusual > chocolate bars out there (Dagoba Organic Chocolates, for example - > Star Wars fans will recognize the name), and Vosges is not > necessarily my favorite, but i wanted to give some idea of what > they're up to... I've only tried maybe 4 out of their 12 flavors (i > haven't noticed the olive flavored white chocolate bar in my local > market). And while i think Hershey's is vile, Vosges "milk chocolate" > is REAL chocolate (41%) with milk in it (it's good!) - it has flavor, > depth, and good mouth feel. Unlike a chemist's compound of fats, > sugars, and dairy product with a little chocolate somewhere in the > factory when they made it... Hershey's seems greasy and waxy and not > terribly chocolatey to me, but i guess it defines "chocolate" for > millions of Americans. Sigh. What a shame.> > Anyway, back to the Black Pearl: I broke off a modest chunk of this > dark, very firm, 55% cocoa mass bar, and placed it on my tongue. Good > chocolate, but not much else... Maybe there was more savory goodness > concentrated elsewhere in the bar, i thought. I broke off another > piece. Not much difference.> > Ho-hum. A tragic waste. The dark chocolate is good, and i > occasionally noticed black sesame seeds - I love the earthy flavor of > black sesame seeds: the lavender-grey colored black sesame seed > gelato from local gelateria Naia - which includes a dash of dark > roasted sesame oil - is one of my favorites! But i could barely taste > the ginger or wasabi in this Vosges bar. There's the occasional and > very mild hint of one or the other, but in my opinion, not enough of > either, and not enough black sesame seeds for my taste. I don't think > i've burned out my taste buds or olfactory nerve. It was just too > "subtle" for me, and i never think of wasabi as subtle - i've bought > wasabi-coated peas, mayonnaise with wasabi, mustard with wasabi... in > restaurants i've had wasabi mashed potatoes (a marriage made in > Paradise!), not to mention the usual with sushi.> > So, to conclude: The quality of this bar is high, but for those > looking for a tongue tingling thrill, the Black Pearl bar just > doesn't deliver. My recommendation? Save your shekels.> > Yours in disappointed gastronomy,> -- > Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)> the persona formerly known as Anahita> > My LibraryThing> http://www.librarything.com/catalog/lilinah> > P.S.:> my spell checker suggested "genitalia" for the unknown word > "gelateria". Good thing i don't have it set to correct automatically!> > > ------------------------------
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