I was tipped off that Cavistons in Glasthule had an 88% Dolfin (thanks to thegirlwhosafraidoffoxes) so while there I also picked up this 99% Lindt. The first taste of this chocolate made me gag … that has never happened before. But not to be put off I had some more :-)

Price: €2.39 for 50g bar
Look: probably the darkest matte chocolate color I have seen. Presented, as all Lindt bars are, in a strong cardboard box. But the chocolate is concealed within a further protective sealed wrapper. This ensures the delicate 50g bar is not lost in the 100g bar box. But it gives Lindt the opportunity to explain ‘to fully appreciate all its flavours, we recommend that you progressively develop your palate through our range of high cocoa content bars”. The squares of chocolate are small and delicate which reinforces the fact that it should be nibbled rather than noshed.
Smell: like my usual Lindt 70% but with only a tiny hint of sweetness
Snap: teeny tiny crisp snap from the teeny tiny squares
Taste: It is a savoury bar with a salty taste, only a hint of demerara sugar. It is an ‘acquired’ taste just like Guinness and after the first square I acquired the taste but this would be a ‘now and then’ bar for me.
Texture: very drying, sticky and pasty
Will I buy this again? Yes
Source: Cavistons, Glasthule

Bittersweet by Alice Medrich is a treasure. This morning (7:45am) we made Alice’s recipe for Classic Unsweetened-Chocolate Brownies. When Himself first bought me this book I never knew there was such a thing as 100% chocolate!!

Anyway, HoneyB was awake since 5:40am and was in need of some activity and I was in need of an enormous kick. I was tempted to make Willie Harcourt Cooze’s hot chocolate, but decided to use the 100% Venezuelan for brownies … they would be needed throughout the day. These are very chocolatey rather than sugary, something that store-bought brownies lack.

Bittersweet is not just a chocolate recipe book, but it gives the dos and don’ts, the whys and why nots, explains why one chocolate is used over another, expert tips on tempering, sourcing and cooking ‘celebration cakes’ down to a simple hot chocolate. Actually it was this book that gave me my real hot chocolate addiction. This book changed my way of thinking about chocolate …

The ‘you couldn’t meet nicer’ folks at Happy Endings Productions company are making a TV program called ‘What went Boom in the Bust’. It turns out that chocolate sales have increased in these recessionary times in Ireland. They asked if I had any thoughts on chocolate … I said, why yes I do.

Talk about being out of my comfort zone … a crew of four turned up on my door and squeezed into the kitchen. Lights, camera, action! And for the life of me I cannot remember what I said … it’s all a blur, but if I made any sense the I am sure to hear it over Christmas when the show airs :-0

The kitchen has never been so clean and decluttered in 2 1/2 years (and it’s no coincidence that HoneyB is 2 1/2 years old!).

Lots of lollies were made for the occasion, hot chocolate mix, truffles too, including these Crystalised Ginger Truffles which are now my favourite ginger concoction.

The truffle filling is made with:

• 200g dark chocolate, chopped
• 200ml single cream
• 3 tbsp butter at room temp
• 50g crystalised ginger, finely chopped

I’ve never used edible glitter so I could not resist adding it to my Candyland Crafts order. Green glitter to top a mint truffle, green glitter to top Nigella’s mint cookies, green glitter to top a christmas tree shortbread, green glitter to top Rachel’s rosemary chocolate mousse … stop enough already!

For the mint truffle filling:

• 200g dark chocolate, chopped
• 200ml single cream
• 3 tsp butter at room temperature
• 3/4 tsp peppermint extract

1. Bring the cream to the boil then leave it cool to room temp.

2. Gently melt the chocolate then beat in the butter with electric mix.

3. Beat in the cream, then stir in the peppermint extract.

4. Allow to firm up before rolling the truffles. Dip in chocolate and decorate. Or roll in some cocoa powder mixed with edible glitter.

The glitter is surprisingly crunchy, super with the smooth filling.

I found this great tasting wheel on All Chocolate and added some words that might be used to describe chocolate with all five senses. Sometimes a smell or flavour is on the tip of my tongue but I can’t think of it … the tasting wheel gives some possibilities and hints.

HoneyB is getting very helpful in the kitchen and took her place at the worktop this weekend to ‘do cooking’. Her mixer in her hand, she made the ‘whoooooo’ noise and, without, any encouragement tucked into the raw bun mixture.

To make Rocky Road buns, just take any chocolate bun recipe, add 50g marshmallows, 25g flaked almonds (optional) to the mixture before spooning it into bun cases.  Once cooked, the marshmallows melt and leave gooey holes on top of the buns … a little concealer is called for!

I used Alice Medrich’s Glace A L’Eau from Bittersweet (changed it slightly). Alice does warn that “It naturally produces a very intense bittersweet flavour, even without using a high percentage chocolate”.

• 4 oz chocolate, chopped
• 4 oz butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup water or strong coffee

1. Add all the ingredients into a microwave bowl.
2. Melt in the microwave on medium heat stirring ever min until everything is nearly melted.
3. Remove and stir until smooth. Allow it to cool and spread over the buns … decorate at will.

Hmmm, sometimes I think yes I am a good mother spending quality time with Honeyb, this morning when she was eating buns before her porridge I think, hmmm maybe I am not :-|

How lucky are the French?? They have great chocolate and can score a goal with a touch of the hand :-(

In a Parisian corner shop one can buy a pretty OK dark chocolate at a snip. This Cote D’Or 70% Framboise was €1.19! I am not sure we could get a Cadbury’s here for that price. Now I hear that they’ve reduced VAT on dark chocolate … French government are encouraging people to eat it such are its health benefits. I would mention this to Mr. Cowen but I feel he has more pressing issues to deal with.

Anyhow, I won’t be going back for another bar unfortunately. It was waxy, bland and tasted of nothing distinct … maybe like eating a candle with raspberry crisps. Ah well, you win some, you lose some! And I won with the Lindt purchase from the same corner shop.

On Sunday the ‘girls’ (NannyB, Mommie and HoneyB) went to the new Showgrounds Shopping Centre in Clonmel. There was M&S for NannyB, a fab kids clothes shop called NameIt where HoneyB got her ‘christmas dress’. And for me … a chocolate shop which stocks Parlibel exclusively.

The shop is sleek white, with the brown Parlibel logo and dashes of orange. Who forgot their camera??? Arghhh!! The owners offered copious samples and were very enthusiastic. I was expecting Leonidas type experience and certainly you can pack your own selection from an array of flavours. But owners tell me that Paribel is a few steps up from Leonidas and they are the only Irish importer. I spy a 4ft chocolate santa in the cabinet … apparently one will be raffled for charity before Christmas.

My favourite was the dark lemon truffle and this was not dark chocolate filled with some moussey lemony cream … this was dark lemon ganache. The truffles were big … big enough to share and coated in lots of chocolate. This is kinda the opposite to my favourite truffle which is small, delicate and coated in a thin layer of chocolate. But it’s good to share!

I am so disappointed that I have no photos which show off their visual appeal. Just wait until next time! There were really groovy ones (think white chocolate but spray painted with green dots) which went to my babysitter-bro.

Nestle – yum. Yes indeed, this ‘Eclat Caramel Pointe de Sel’ from the Nestle Grand Chocolat range shocked my taste buds. I suppose I was expecting, ‘ya, it’s ok’ but this bar is quite a treat. I’ve had milk chocolate fleur du sel and milk salted caramels before and was never totally accepting of them.

But the lack of sugar (64%) in the mild dark chocolate works nicely with the crisp of the caramel shards and the salt grains. Me likey ;-) I wouldn’t eat too much of it though but I might experiment myself with this combo.

The problem is that this was bought in Salon Du Chocolate, not at my local :-(

Did I mention that I bought 3 bars of Aine dark chocolate at the Chocolate Sundae? Anyway I did. I had already tasted the 70% bar so it was time to taste the flavours range. I am not too keen on the 70% but I think it would be a winner with lots of folk. Actually it would be a nice addition to a 70% tasting plate, offering it as the first sample.

Honeycomb

Lovely crispy random sizes of crunchiness. The presentation is a treat too, neatly wrapped bars with greaseproof lined foil as opposed to just foil. I tend to make a big mess when I get foil … I try to re-wrap the bar for later and it never goes back neatly. Maybe I should take the hint and eat the lot!

Lemon Zest

Yes indeed lemony, like grains of lemon sugar, but an aftertaste of honeycomb … and that would be because there is honeycomb in the bar. It adds a chewy feel against the crispness of the zest.

Butterscotch

This one suffered chocolate bloom :-( I’ve had Cluizel bars, truffles, Galaxy bars with the same thing. It’s unfortunate but bring on the see-thru wrappers!!

People say that it is ok to eat – I disagree – it’s rotten, the mouthfeel, the grainy texture, no melt away sensation, the flavour is definitely impaired.

People say you could cook with it – I disagree but no one refuses brownies – anyone for a blooming brownie :-o Maybe during the cooking process, the structure breaks down anyway so the bloom damage does not matter?

I do not know what type of bloom this was (am guessing sugar) but Wikipedia have suggested test that can help tell … must try them in future.