Roald Dahl Day Invent a Chocolate Bar Competition

Himself brought back a section of the Clare People at the weekend so that I could read all about Roald Dahl Day Invent a Chocolate Bar Competition sponsored by Wilde Irish Chocolate and Clare County Library. Kids under 13 (not us young at heart) are asked to design their own chocolate bar and a limited number of the winning bar will be made at the Wilde chocolate factory. What a superb idea and best of luck to all.

Also kudos to Wilde for giving us an easy to navigate online shop :-)

Wilde Dark Cherry and Vanilla

Of all the flavours in all the world you had to walk into my bar ….

I’ve never come across cherries and chocolate but this bar works in a most unusual way. At first there is the subtle vanilla notes softening the 70% smooth dark chocolate. Then, boom, the sourness of the dark cherry pieces causing the squinting eye reaction. Then the sourness subsides as the chocolate and cherry combine.

Sourced by Himself in Chocolat, Ennis but it is available in The Organic Supermarket, Blackrock.

Wilde Latte Coffee & Cinnamon

The milk chocolate base to this bar is like the Wilde Milk Chocolate, with added kick. As with all Wilde bars, the clear packaging sells because you can see the chocolate grinning out at you in that ‘you know you want me’ way. It is a bar for all the family especially coffee lovers.

I do not like cinnamon at all so I was reluctant to taste it. But I was pleasantly surprised: this is a milky light chocolate. The ground coffee beans give it a crunch to contrast the smoothness. There is no overpowering flavour of cinnamon, just a warm aftertaste. A great winter chocolate! The chocolate length is short but the coffee beans linger.

Would I buy this again? Yes, not for myself but definitely as a pressie for known milk-chocoholics.

Milk Chocolate Tasting

Here’s a few notes on our first milk chocolate tasting. A few interesting points about milk Vs dark chocolate:

It was more difficult to characterise than dark chocolate especially the smell. Maybe it was the high sugar content throwing us ‘off the scent’?

It was so much easier to eat lots of this chocolate :-0 Milk chocolate is lighter without that ‘hit’ so I find myself reaching for another square (and I was not alone).

It was not as glossy and shiny as dark chocolate is. Typical finish was matt bordering on satin sheen finish.

The ’snap’ test was different from dark chocolate, with milk chocolate the snap is softer, not a crisp break.

We tasted in order of cocoa content …

Lindt Swiss Classic Milk Chocolate

Notes from Lindt: Cocoa 31%. Apart from the usual ingredients, this bar has malt barley extract.

Source: Tesco €

Look: This bar is larger than usual at 125g. It is light brown in color, just a shade darker than Wilde, easy to break off rectangular squares.

Smell: smells synthetic, sweet though just like milk chocolate should.

Touch: snap is blunt, soft.

Taste: strong milky taste but does not overpower the chocolate. Hints of sweet (acacia) honey, slight nuttiness too reminds me of a praline or gianduja. The aftertaste is long with burnt candy floss notes.

Texture: very smooth, melts beautifully.

Buy again? Myself: yes Himself: no

Amedei

Notes from Amedei: 32% Cocoa. “… a pleasant aroma of fresh milk and cream, vanilla and honey.”

Source: 100g bar €6.39 in Donnybrook Fair … but have since found cheaper in Glasthule.

Look: This is a chunky offering from Amedei, no delicate neapolitans here. The bar is thick with large squares. Darker in color with clean finish.

Smell: This bar smells invitingly of rich creamy honey chocolate.

Touch: Again the snap was not as crisp, soft and a little crumbly.

Taste: This tastes very different to Lindt, a rich chocolate with strong caramel (not that sweet runny caramel). The flavor reminded me of Scottish Highland toffee I loved as a kid. This chocolate lasts too with a pretty aftertaste.

Texture: oh this takes creamy to another level, it is silky.

Buy again? Myself: oh yes Himself: oh yes (just a pity is is so expensive … roll on birthdays!)

Green & Black Milk

Notes from Green & Black: 34% Cocoa. “made with more cocoa and more milk for a darker intense taste “

100g Source: Tesco €2.83

Look: This is by far the darkest in color. The format of the bar (same as all the other Green & Black bars) is not ideal though. It has tiny squares that never break off evenly and neatly.

Smell: The smell is more like a dark chocolate (bitter) aroma compared to the other bars.

Touch: This has the crispest snap.

Taste: Again very different to previous bars. Stronger in taste, malt, with a sourness. Mild aniseed notes appear briefly. It tasted like flavored chocolate not milk chocolate. It is more like a dark chocolate than a milk chocolate given the taste, snap and color.

Texture: Texture is crumbly before coming together.

Buy again? Myself: no Himself: yes

Wilde Irish Chocolate

Notes: 38% Cocoa. This is Irish handmade chocolate bar from Co. Clare.

Source: Chocolat, Ennis €4.50

Look: The packaging on this bar lets the chocolate do the selling rather than the salespeople. It shines through the clear cellophane wrapper. It is by far the lightest in color too. It is in small easy to break off squares.

Smell: mild sweet milky aroma … not surprising since its milk chocolate.

Touch: soft definite snap.

Taste: This is not a rich heavy milk chocolate. It is light, mousse-like and very edible, a delicate offering with a sweet milky taste that does not reflect its 38% cocoa content. I had expected this to be stronger cocoa taste, but as they say “you can’t judge a chocolate by its percentage cocoa”.

Texture: The texture in this chocolate is a little magical. It is so light and airy, it disappears very quickly when you chew it.

Buy again? Myself: no Himself: no.

The result in order of preference:

Myself: Amedei, Lindt, Wilde, Green & Black

Himself: Amedei, Green & Black, Wilde, Lindt

Treats at the National Crafts Fair

The National Crafts Fair is held each December in the RDS and has become for many a traditional day out. It is shopping with a difference; the stalls here are crammed full of designer crafts. Last year I was lucky enough that Himself bought me a necklace from Pol. This year I went on my own because it is really not the place for Honeyb to be foot loose.

I was looking forward to visiting the Food Emporium which was bigger and better this time around. I came home with a pain in my tummy after tasting so many great chutneys, relishes, jams, meats, cheeses and of course chocolate. The irish chocolatiers were out in force: Wilde Irish Chocolates, Co Couture, Cocoa Bean, Skelligs, Chez Emily, Lorge, Fosters, Adam Chocolates for Men and Garden of Ireland Chocolate.

First stop was Wilde Irish Chocolate for some White Chocolate Hazelnut spread for my nephews, a bar of Super Chocolate (80%) topped with nibs pour moi and a special gift of a chocolate bunny lollipop for HoneyB. I would highly recommend the Super Bar, it is a bar to nibble and savour.

Co Couture made my visit to the fair astounding. This chocolatier’s brother and father happily (and proudly) manned the stand while she was at home making more truffles for the show. I tasted a 70% caramel truffle which was a bold strong caramel (not a gooey sweet substance). Wowed by that one, I tasted the next truffle and only when I had it in my mouth was I told it was a Black Bush whiskey truffle. Surprise! I could not believe that a whisky truffle could taste so divine, smooth subtle malty flavor. A thin layer of chocolate surrounded the truffle and a sprinkling of gold dust finished it elegantly.

Cocoa Bean (who have joined forces with Skellig Chcolates) lured me to their stand with their funky, energetic packaging. And their chocolate matches this, the Gin & Tonic 70% bar is full of flavour and a little giddiness that goes with G&T.

I love these fairs because I get to meet the faces behind the products and chat to them about their passion. And the Cooks Academy were no different. Maybe if I am good Santa will send me off on their courses, the chocolate one I hope.

Temple Bar’s Chocolate Festival

On 25th – 27th July Temple Bar had a Chocolate Festival with talks, workshops and a fair (market) dedicated to Irish artisan chocolate makers. What sounded like the most interesting talk ‘Sensory Analysis and Tasting of Chocolate’ was booked out over a month in advance. But I did get a seat at ‘The Chocolate Revolution’ talk given by Natasha of Living Foods.

She talked about history, health benefits and how to get the best from cacao without any roasting, cooking or sugar. As she talked the audience nibbled on unroasted cacao nibs. She was a full of life and buzzed through the presentation jumping from historical fact to health benefit. Many of the audience questions centered on “I get headaches when I eat chocolate, what can I do?’ ‘I am allergic to cow’s milk and take goat’s milk instead, is there a chocolate alternative?’ All the answers were the same, its not the cacao that gives the allergic reaction, headaches, migraine; its all the other ingredients used in chocolate bars today.  Natasha’s solution: munch cacao nibs or indulge in her pure chocolate sweets. The latter are made from cacao nibs, guava to sweeten, and a range of other spices. She had a chocolate making kit for sale 35 euro only.

Drum roll … introducing a market dedicated to artisan chocolate makers of Ireland. Woohoo! This happened on a very special day (birthdays all round!) so we popped into it. After much skirting around the city, we managed to find a way to drive from Stephen’s Green to Fleet Street car park. I suppose that is the downside to car free city centre. Anyhow, we arrived at the fair at 12:10 thinking we’ll get there early so we can use the pushchair for Honeyb. Ha, the place was jammers and no way to get the pushchair near the stands. So with Honeyb in arms, we tackled the crowds and chatted to the makers.

The lovely woman (who always has me green with envy because she is living her dream .. and mine) from Wilde Irish Chocolates was the first port of call. We have fond memories of Wilde factory in Tuamgraney Co. Clare and from Chocolat in Ennis. She has been very busy making her flavoured bars, organic range, spreads that she hasn’t had the chance to do ‘bean to bar’. I really hope she does though. Much to our disappointment, she had no chocolate bunnies but Honeyb got a big handful of buttons to keep her smiling instead.

Next we ‘called’ (I really mean queued) at O’Conaills who had a very impressive stand; half displaying their range of chocolate, the other half dedicated to chocolate moulds. Oh my lordie, these were definitely the highlight of the fair. It is so obvious that Lola O’Conaill is passionate about chocolate and has kept the moulds in great nick. Cats, elephants, bunnies of all shapes and sizes, bars, sweets, teddy bears, santas … all metal moulds some dating from 1900s. Her dad was a German chocolatier and taught her the trade; no prizes for guessing where their chocolate couverture comes from so.

 

Chez Emily from Ashbourne had some lovely chocolate characters, very glossy and ideal for a kids pressie. They also had little samples of output from each stage of the chocolate production: beans, nibs, shells, powder and butter. Their 60% Madagascar buttons were probably the nicest chocolate samples at the fair. We might pay a visit to Ashbourne some day …

Lorge, the French man from Kerry, was run off his feet such was the demand for his pretty boxes of truffles. I was dying to taste them considering he uses Valrhona for the centres (Callebaut everything else). Actually Chez Emily also use Callebaut. And some interesting flavours, himself was a little disappointed that the Whisky and Paprika truffle had only a subtle hint of whisky … maybe he needed a stiffer hit what with the highs and then lows of the hurling match.

Others there included Aine, Glenstal Abbey, Natasha Living Foods, Skellig Chocolate Co, Cocoa Bean Chocolates, Gallweys, Chocolate Garden, Amnesty with Fair Trade chocolates. Where were Danucci??

Here is my wish list for the next festival (fingers crossed there is one):

• Several Tasting workshops so that the group size can remain small and that everyone can attend one. I am sure that people wouldn’t mind paying a few euro to cover the cost of chocolate samples for the tasting session.
• A Market where the stalls are big and spacious. I suppose this is not so possible if there is only one person manning the stall (but then again its my wish list … and we do have a pushchair).
• Open air demos like they have in the Ideal Homes Exhibitions! Like ’How to make the perfect Easter Egg’, or ‘How to dip truffles’. Kitchen Compliments did it at Easter this year and it was pretty good considering that their basement is teeny tiny.
•  A market where there is not just chocolatiers, but all things chocolate:  pairing wine and chocolate, savoury chocolate dishes, chocolate art.