CREAM: Alcohol Infused Whipped Cream Caramel Flavor

First of all, my apologies for the lack of pictures. I am not at home right now, and somehow between picture taking, editing, emailing back and forth etc., they all seem to have disappeared down the ravenous gullet of the Great Picture Monster. Again, I apologize. I will back be home within the next several days, where everything will at least be under the same roof, and hopefully this won't ever happen again.

Anyway, I am writing from what is still the frozen tundra that the fair city of Atlanta has lately become. I know my Northeastern friends and my Canadian friends are probably laughing themselves purple over the idea that six inches of snow and a ton of ice shut down the entire city for days (and here in the 'burbs we aren't out of it yet)...but all this time stuck indoors means that I have lots of extra time to do things like, ummmm...perfecting my Wii Super Mario (which actually just involves a lot of swearing), and doing some updates to my computer (which involved a lot of swearing when my browser deleted all of my bookmarks), and then there's the fact that while being stuck inside with a reasonable amount of alcohol I can't drink any of (health issues -- and yeah, more swearing).

But before Snowpocalypse 2011, we had Christmas 2010. And as the house bartender (regardless of if I can drink it or not), I got to make cocktails for the grownups. One of them is a Gingerbread Martini that I normally garnish with a little dollop of whipped cream. While we were at the liquor store my mother spotted Cream -- alcohol infused whipped cream -- and had to have it. And I have to admit it was a pretty interesting idea, so I wanted to try it myself.

Cream makes several flavors, but all our store had was caramel. It comes in your standard issue aerosol whipped cream can and is meant to be kept unrefrigerated. Also, like every other canned whipped cream, it squirts out the top (well, actually you are supposed to hold the can upside down to dispense).

In terms of looks and texture, if you have ever had canned whipped cream...well, again, it's all kinda the same. Although in terms of richness, I would say that it reminded me more of a reduced fat whipped cream than the full fat stuff.

Taste: Okay, so no one tell on me please! I "cheated" and had some (well duh, how else would I be writing this). I have to say upfront that it tastes far better when it is used as part of a drink than it does on its own. I can think of about 30 different shots with names worthy of a Girls Gone Wild video (Do they even still make those? Have all the girls aged out of being wild and moved into being bloated in front of the TV?) that I am sure this whipped cream is being used for -- and it probably works pretty well for that. Hell, it worked well enough on my Gingerbread Martini.

On its own the caramel smell was really good. It smelled like the sweetener put you into coffee drinks type rather than the darker, richer kind. In terms of taste...eh, it tasted more like those cheap caramel flavored coffee syrups, with a strong generic alcohol push (although it's only 15% alcohol by volume). Again, both of these traits are not as noticeable when mixed with other booze, but personally I would never just snack on it by itself. That said, I love the concept and I would love to try the chocolate and the vanilla flavors.

Oh, and if you want my Gingerbread Martini recipe, here you go:

In an ice-filled martini shaker mix together:

1 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. Baileys/Irish Creme
1/2 oz. Kahlua/Coffee Liquor

Shake well and strain into the waiting rimmed martini glass. Garnish with a little dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of nutmeg (or cinnamon if you prefer).

This will make a two ounce martini. You can do it in larger amounts of alcohol (going to 1 full ounce of each mixer -- but because this is so sweet, it is super easy to down too much too soon, so I recommend going easy) or you could also mix in an extra ounce of half & half for a larger drink without the extra alcohol; although the flavor will be a little diluted this way. Have your martini glasses rimmed in the crushed hard ginger cookie of your choice (grind it reasonably fine -- bigger chunks don't rim as well).

So yeah....if you happen to see this, try it. Don't go out of your way, though.



PURCHASED FROM:
Random local liquor store

PRICE:
$8.99

ADDITIONAL INFO:
No dietary or allergy information available on either the package or the official website, although the official serving size is listed as 1 ounce.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
givemecream.com (must be 21 to access)

Simpler Times Pilsner Beer

I must admit that even as a bartender, I am not exactly the biggest beer expert on the planet. Quite honestly, I know far more about ice cream than I do about beer. And though I may not be able to tell you the difference between the types of hops or the malts and whatnot, I do know what I like to drink. Truthfully, I like my beer to be one of two types: either thick, dark stouts like Guinness; or light, crisp, super easy-to-drink lagers like Corona or Kirin.



Hell, at the moment I am not even supposed to even be drinking. But I sacrifice for you guys. (Really, that is the official excuse I am going to use.) Alright, honestly, when I saw this sixpack on sale at Trader Joe's for $2.99, I couldn't stop myself. Could three dollar beer really be decent? It seemed possible. After all, Trader Joe's does bring us the perfectly serviceable Charles Shaw (AKA "Two Buck Chuck") line of wines for only two dollars a bottle, so I thought it would be practically irresponsible of me not to review their three dollar sixpack of beer.



Trader Joe's actually has not stuck its name on this product. It's made by Minhas Craft Brewery (formerly Joseph Huber), which has been around for quite a while.

Once I had the beer poured into a glass, it struck me that the color looks exactly like apple juice. It did produce a decent head (which collapsed almost immediately), and smelled sort of like the way old empty beer bottles smell. Needless to say, this wasn't exactly encouraging. But, trouper that I am, I persevered.



So how did it taste?

Like any mediocre, cheap American beer. It's not horrible. In fact, it is drinkable if your standards are fairly easy. But it really doesn't seem to have much of a flavor beyond "malty." It calls itself a Pilsner, but -- like many cheap, mediocre American so-called Pilsners -- it resembles a true Pilsner only in the same sorry sense that instant coffee very loosely resembles freshly brewed Starbucks. Now I'm not an enormous Pilsner fan anyway, but Chris is, and he tried some of this with me. His take? If you tried to pass this off as a Pilsner in the Czech Republic (the original home of Pilsner beer) you'd probably start another World War. At the very least, you'd have some seriously pissed off Czechs pelting you with rotten vegetables and yelling things that sound so horrifying that you're glad you don't speak Czech.

Trader Joe's has done an admirable thing for decent, affordable wine with its "Two Buck Chuck" line -- but this attempt at decent, affordable beer seriously misses the mark. If you're a real beer lover, this will probably leave you wondering why you spent the time and the modest amount of money drinking it. (Check out BeerAdvocate's review here.)



PURCHASED FROM:
Trader Joe's

PRICE:
$2.99

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
minhasbrewery.com

Manischewitz Concord Grape Wine

This may be the post that finally causes my mother to board a plane from Atlanta to Los Angeles, for the sole purpose of coming to my house so she can slap me upside the head...

Wine is an important part of many meals, and the Seder dinner is no exception. The beginning of the meal starts with the kiddush, and during that a blessing is said over wine. The wine itself must, of course, be not only kosher but -- you guessed it -- kosher for Passover.

There are many, many kosher wines out there, and from what I have heard, some of them (I cannot say which, as I have not actually had them) are quite good. I went with Manischewitz because it is the brand that is most commonly found in American supermarkets, and also it's the subject of many a bad joke (which appeals to my warped sense of humor). It is also the wine that was used at my family's Passover dinners...and here's where my mother pulls out the whacking stick...



I should mention that my mother is not Jewish. Her roots are Italian and Albanian, and her religious affiliation -- on paper, at least -- is Roman Catholic. But she married into a Jewish family, and for her first big Passover Seder she decided to go with a combo of yummy homemade items, which naturally included our favorite honey-baked ham!

No, I am not making that up just for shock value. Yes, she really fed pork to Jews, and on Passover, no less. And no, she didn't do it out of some sick sort of latent anti-Semitism, either. She honestly figured that since she loves honey-baked ham so much, why wouldn't everyone else?

To be fair, though -- and thank G-d! -- that side of the family is very secular. They're pretty much the Jewish equivalent of the "holiday Catholics" that our side is, really only doing the bare minimum of observation, and even that just for the Jewish holidays. None of them keep kosher, and rest assured no one was offended. (Although my mother's embarrassment was...well, I can only leave you to imagine.)

The family's then-rabbi was invited to the next Seder the following night. (I don't know why exactly, but my mother did Seders two nights in a row.) For obvious reasons the ham was kept off this dinner's menu, but the Manischewitz wine was in attendance -- as was my then six-year-old stepbrother, who was raised Jewish.

Unnoticed by the adults, said stepbrother had grabbed of one of the many bottles of Manischewitz on the table. You see, he really loved grape juice. And he had been drinking a lot of the also-plentiful Kedem brand kosher grape juice...which looks just like wine when poured into a glass...and of course the Manischewitz has those gorgeous Concord grapes on the label...well, you can see where this is going, can't you?

It became clear when he passed out in front of the rabbi that he had been drinking something other than the Kedem. Yeah, I know it probably should have been more obvious, but when you have a pack of rowdy, loud, giggling six-year-olds running wild in the house, it can be hard to notice when one of them is a little more "off" than the others -- especially if that one tended to be the ringleader anyway. It has been something we have brought up ever since. And no, my mother has never again served ham at a Seder -- I think more out of hoping to hear the eventual end of it, rather than adding a second helping, so to speak.

Anyway, now that I am clearly out of the will...

I got my own bottle of Manischewitz. They make Concord grape, white grape, cherry, and black currant versions. We always had the Concord grape, so that is what I am using. (Though Googling has shown me that the Black Currant may actually be more popular.)

I also went with it chilled. Yes, it is a red wine, but that's the only way I have ever had it. I don't know if that is how it is best served, or if it is simply a preference that I have gotten used to.



It looks more like grape juice than actual wine to me. I am by no means a wine expert, but it seems thinner in body and more frothy than, let's say, a glass of Pinot Noir (my red of choice).

It smells vaguely wine-like. I say "vaguely," because it smells too sweet; more like store brand made-from-concentrate grape juice, or maybe a very cheap wine that Kool Aid mix was added to.

So how does it taste?

It tastes like purple! And what I mean by that is that it's like every other purple grape juice on the planet. Then add Dimetapp to it and toss in a healthy cup or two of sugar. If you have ever tasted Drank, you've got the idea. As a wine, it's perfectly dreadful. But as just some sort of a sweet grape drink (albeit with alcohol), that's another story. In fact, if you take the concept of the drink actually being wine out of the equation, it's really not horrible at all. It's one of those things that are so bad they're kind of good.

Again, I will be the first to admit that there are far more sophisticated kosher wines out there. But it would almost be a disservice to ignore this old and popular holiday staple.



PURCHASED FROM:
Gelson's Market

PRICE:
$4.50

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
manischewitzwine.com (Cookies must be enabled.)

Sweet's Candy: Cabernet Dark Chocolate Wine Gels

I love gel/jelly candy. There is something about the texture that always seems to rock my world...sort of like an edible Hugh Jackman, rising glistening from pristine blue water. (Sorry, Gigi just really likes the image.) I also really like Cabernet, but for various uninteresting health reasons I don't get to drink as much of it as I might like to. The idea of getting the flavor of the wine without the aftereffects really appealed to me.

These candies are long sticks of Cabernet wine flavored gels, enrobed in dark chocolate. The domed box opens from its side, and reveals the sticks ensconced on a protective bed inside a decorative plastic bag.



Each stick is thin and about 2.5 inches long. The sticks are a dark, rich brown and smell sort of like weak wine and chocolate. The candy is in fact made with wine. However, there is no actual alcohol in the sticks.

When you bit into the candy, it is very soft and a little sticky. It's incredibly smooth. The chocolate layer is thin and quickly flakes away when bitten into.



Honestly, I am glad the chocolate is so thin -- because while it's not bad, it's also not great. It's waxy and kind of grainy. It seems too sweet for a dark chocolate. It actually reminded me more of the type of chocolate coating you'd find on ice cream bars rather than a good dark chocolate. (There also a milk chocolate version as well. I had planned on picking that one up too, but by the time I got this box the milk chocolate boxes were gone.)



Really, this candy is all about the gel center. The gel is a shade of stained glass red -- and set against the darkness of the chocolate, it does make for a pretty candy. And woohoo! The gel in fact does taste like Cabernet!

OK, you wine snobs out there probably won't be impressed. No, it's not the most high end cab out there, but it's not the worst either. And we shouldn't expect it to the finest. After all, it's just candy, not a cherished, dust covered vintage from a French wine cave. It's sweet, but there is no mistaking it was meant to taste like deep red wine.

In my never ending quest to be as thorough as possible I discovered that there is however, a very real, very interesting aftertaste. Once the chocolate flavor wanes and the wine flavors back down the jelly that's left (this is assuming you are simply letting the candy melt in your mouth rather then chewing) tastes remarkably like sugared beets! Granted this flavor come up long after most people would have just swallowed and been done with it, so it is not something you will probably notice just casually eating the sticks. I don't know if the taste is caused by the wearing off of the wine flavoring or if perhaps the candy is made with Beet sugar or maybe it's just a subtle tribute to Dwight Shrute. In any event if you wait long enough it's there.

So-so chocolate aside I really liked these gels. It's a nice to have a gel option that isn't merely fruit flavored. The texture was addicting and it made me think about Dwight Shrute so how good that be anything other then good?

Cybele recently reviewed the Dark Chocolate Port wine version. Be sure to read her review HERE


PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$2.99

CALORIES:
160 calories per 5 sticks

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Made on equipment shared with nuts. Kosher, gluten free, contains sulfites.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
sweetcandy.com

Weinrich Trüffel: Whisky

I am a bit of a whiskey lightweight. I admit that in my younger days I drank my share (and probably some of yours) of whiskey sours, and yes, I did the horrible girly bit of mixing Jack Daniel's with root beer or Dr. Pepper (*facepalm*). I know that the true whiskey fans out there are reading this in horror, and I hang my head in shame.

Nowadays, while I still like the smell of whiskey (or Scotch), it is just a little too strong for me to drink. I dunno what happened to me. I like the idea of this bar because it's a whiskey filled truffle surrounded by milk chocolate.



As I've observed in a review of Weinrich's Marc de Champagne bar, I would again like to point out how beautifully molded these bars are. The chocolate is glossy and it made me think of an edible Art Deco tile.



You can really smell the whiskey in this bar -- even before you break a piece off. It's a woodsy, nutty, boozy scent, in all the best meanings of the words.

One of the bar's big selling points for me is that the filling is indeed a truffle-type consistency, rather than being filled with a syrupy liquid. I am a big fan of alcohol-flavored chocolates. I just tend to not enjoy versions that are liquid-filled, because they often taste only like some half-assed version of whatever it is supposed to be -- or worse, they have that fake Star Trek "synthahol" flavoring that makes them taste more like edible lighter fluid. The filling in this bar avoids all of those pitfalls.

The Weinrich filling has a very rich, almost ganache texture. It's super smooth on the tongue and is a deep glossy brown. The flavor is all classic whiskey. You can almost imagine that you are in a mahogany-panelled salon with stodgy old men in huge leather wing chairs, puffing on cigars while sipping single malts and complaining about what doofuses their daughters ended up marrying.



The flavor of the whiskey is strong -- but what keeps it from being too much, even for a whiskey wimp like me, is the chocolate. The milk chocolate is sweet and has strong milky notes to it. It melts with a little grain that goes great with the smoothness of the filling (on its own, it would be on the throat-burning side). There's not a lot of snap, but the melt is fast.

I really liked this bar! I'll leave the actual Laphroaig to Chris (it's one of his favorite Scotches), but this bar made me very, very happy.



PURCHASED FROM:
The German Deli (Upland, California)

PRICE:
$3.10

CALORIES:
Not available

ADDITIONAL INFO:
May contain traces of wheat and nuts. Contains real whiskey.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
weinrich-schokolade.de

Trader Joe's Brandy Beans

You may have noticed that I review a lot of liqueur flavored items. That is because I like various spirits, and I really like items flavored with booze. I blame my parents.

As living proof that the Seventies were a very different place to be both a parent and a toddler, let me reveal a tidbit of Gigi family history:

The house I lived in back in Boston was a typical three story house for the area. The bottom floor had living quarters for my grandmothers as well as family room. One corner of said family room was taken up by the same leather-padded bar that every other goombah house in the neighborhood was equipped with, and which looked like Sopranos fan's wet dream. (Everyone in our neighborhood was a goombah. Everyone. Even those who weren't Italian.) Neither of my parents were or are really drinkers -- but again, in that time and place, it seemed everyone had a similar set-up. My parents' bar was stocked mostly with those little "nip" bottles that you get on airlines or on the counter of package/liquor stores. And apparently they had quite a collection going.

One autumn, they noticed that these tiny bottles were being drained of their contents...but whoever was doing it wasn't bothering to throw the bottles away, nor even to finish them. Since they knew they weren't the ones doing the drinking, they immediately assumed that it was my grandmother; who was known to like her glass of wine before bed. They told her that they didn't mind her drinking whatever she wanted, but asked that she at least get rid of the bottles afterward. She denied having anything to do with it. And after this went on for a few months, they started to wonder if she didn't have a drinking problem...but they never caught her in the act, so what could they say?

One night they were watching television (old school TV -- no cable! -- analog! -- with only 3 three channels! Can you imagine?!) and they heard the clinking of bottles behind the bar. They thought this odd because they had not seen my grandmother go by, and my other grandmother was long asleep. I was tucked in upstairs. They thought it might have been the cat...but when the noise continued, they were forced to get up and look. And there behind the bar they found three-year-old me pounding shots. Somehow I had managed to not only get down two flights of stairs, but I got those damn little bottles open -- a feat the much older me today has a hard time doing. My grandmother got to let out a big "I told you so!" and I was labeled a booze hound for life.

Yeah, like I said, the Seventies were a much different place...



Fast-forward about 30 years, and that leaves grown-up me sitting here with a box full of boozy chocolates from Trader Joe's. The box even bears the following warning: Sale of this product to persons under the legal age for purchasing alcoholic beverages is unlawful. It further adds that the beans have a maximum alcohol content of 5.2% by weight. Well, that had my tail wagging like Brian Griffin.



Each little bean is nicely molded into a little glossy crescent of semi-sweet chocolate happiness. When you bite into the bean, the liquid center starts to ooze out. I can understand why they aren't sold to kids! There is certainly a kick. But if you are expecting fine brandy, well...yeah. Right.

Yes, it does have the warm burn alcohol brings, but none of the actual flavor. The most redeeming factor the brandy filling brings to the table is the fact that, if you ate enough of them (and I have a feeling "enough" would be at least the entire box), you might, just possibly, get a minor buzz. Well, the same thing can be said about liquid NyQuil -- and I don't want to eat that enrobed in chocolate, either.



The chocolate: It's waxy, it's kinda gritty, and the bottom of the bean is surprisingly thick. It's a semi-sweet. Not light and sweet enough to be milk, yet not dark and brooding enough to be...well...dark. It's somewhere in the middle, and it's a pretty mediocre middle. And the lingering aftertaste could best be called "stale Raisinet." Yeah.

Trader Joe's so seldom lets me down that I am somewhat surprised that these were as "bleeh" as they are. Don't get me wrong, they aren't the worst candy out there. They won't make you die or anything...in fact, they won't even make you want to die. But they will make you wonder why the hell you wasted your money on them.



PURCHASED FROM:
Trader Joe's

Vosges Holiday Bonbon Collection

Let me say a big thank you to Vosges Haut Chocolate for ignoring the fact that I rank rather high up on the Naughty List, and for treating me to an early Christmas present by sending me this collection of holiday-inspired truffles.




There are four different truffles in the collection:

* Mascarpone & Ceylon Cinnamon Snap
* Holiday Plum Pudding
* Candy Cane Peppermint
* Eggnog & Jamican Rum

And just try tell me they aren't beautiful to look at, I dare you! Anyway, for this review, I will start with...


Mascarpone & Ceylon Cinnamon Snap:



I love mascarpone cheese so much that I have been known to eat it plain, straight from the container. Mascarpone, should you not know, is a type of super-rich cream cheese that can be eaten on its own -- or mixed into anything and everything. In my family, we make cannoli filling with it. (Should you want to try my family's version pick, up a copy of Henry Hill's The Wiseguy Cookbook. The cannoli recipe on pages 86-88 is actually my mother's.)

And keeping with the Goodfellas theme, Ceylon cinnamon is basically the Godfather of the cinnamon world. All other cinnamon-type products, while still members of the family, are various levels of underbosses, capos, and plain old soldiers. The cinnamon is sprinkled generously atop the 45% deep milk chocolate shell. Inside is the mascarpone. This truffle also contains organic sour cream.



Giving the truffle a sniff from the top, it's the deep woodsy spice of the cinnamon that you notice. Once you get into the center of the truffle (normally I would just bite and dig in, but for the sake of pretty pictures we sliced the truffles first), what immediately stands out is the rich dairy smell of the cheese.

When I bit into this truffle, for a split second I swear all I saw was blinding white light and unicorns! There might have been a rainbow or two, and Barry Manilow was in the background singing a soaring crescendo. Yeah, this truffle is just that good. You start with a little heat from the cinnamon on top, then when you break through the deep milk chocolate shell, the cool silky filling flows into your mouth. It's sort of like an extra creamy chocolate mousse, mixed with a healthy dose of my beloved mascarpone cheese. The deep milk chocolate was the perfect choice. It's creamy enough that it didn't get lost in the strong dairy of the cheese, and yet not dark enough that it was bitter or upstaged the cinnamon. If I didn't know the sour cream was in there I wouldn't have noticed it -- but you know what? I don't care! If you only try one Vosges truffle in your lifetime, make it this one!


Holiday Plum Pudding:



I don't have much base of reference for plum pudding. About all I really know is that the Cratchits (the family from Dicken's "A Christmas Carol") seemed to think it would not be Christmas without it. Oh, and that the traditional version is a type of steamed pudding made with different dried fruits, liquors, nuts, and is often topped with hard sauce. But I can't say I've actually had one.



The Vosges version contains plums, Armagnac (a type of brandy), and marzipan, and is covered with 65% dark chocolate.

The truffle is topped with a pretty little piece of edible silver foil. What made this one stand out was the texture. The center, rather than being completely smooth, is layered. The top portion of the filling is the same silky creme as the others. Then right below that is a layer of what looks like finely chopped plums, and on the bottom of that is the grainy marzipan layer.

I loved the overall flavor. It was lightly boozy, and the plums were plump and sweet. The dark chocolate takes the edge off of the sweetness and melts nicely. I hate to say that what ruined this truffle for me actually was my beloved marzipan. Mind you, the flavor of the marzipan was good: almonds with mild cherry notes. It was the texture I didn't like. It was like a very loose, grainy fondant. Had it been smoother or firmer, I would have really loved it as is...did I mention that the plums were really sweet?


Candy Cane Peppermint:



It's hard to get more simple than all natural candy cane pieces, peppermint, and 65% dark chocolate. And simplicity is often a virtue.



I liked the fact that the top is where the crunchy bits of candy live. It gives a little contrast in texture, and the red bits look like shards of stained glass. The outer 65% dark chocolate shell is a really deep woodsy, earthy chocolate. There's some coffee flavor. On its own it would be a bit too bitter for me -- but paired with the sweetness of the smooth mint center, it's perfect.

The center is very cool on the tongue and the texture is almost like pudding. The chocolate is so smooth and rich I could practically drink it. The peppermint is brisk. It's very natural, not mediciny or artificial. Overall it worked beautifully.


Eggnog & Jamaican Rum:



WOOHOO! Eggnog! Eggnog with RUM! As I have said before, in honor of my best friend who is from St. Croix, I am partial to Cruzan rum. But Vosges didn't get that memo and instead they opted to use Appleton Estate rum. Appleton has been distilling rum since 1749 and is the oldest distillery in Jamaica -- so it's safe to say that they know a thing or two about making rum. The truffle also contains nutmeg and ginger, and it is all wrapped up in white chocolate from the Dominican Republic.



I went into this truffle excited because it's eggnog and rum, but also a little worried, because it's a white chocolate truffle and I am just not a fan. But if anyone could make white chocolate doable for me it would be Vosges, so...

The truffle smelled sort of like rum and steamed milk. I didn't get the eggnog or the ginger at first. But the truffle center is like the best eggnog ever. It's creamy, it's rich, it's custardy. The nutmeg is there. The rum is strong enough that its presence is known, but it doesn't over power the other flavors. The ginger is represented by little soft bits of ginger that go unnoticed until they explode in your mouth. Yum! The white chocolate... OK, again let's remember that I don't like white chocolate. I did find that the outer shell seemed dry -- and that was not the case of the dark or the milks. It was creamy tasting, and there were good vanilla notes. If you are a fan of white chocolate, I expect you will love the shell. I loved the filling...oh, the bad things I would do for large quantities of that filling...

Overall, even with the couple of (minor) qualities I didn't care for, this remains a truly stellar collection. The Mascarpone/Ceylon Cinnamon Snap alone is so good that no matter how the other three flavors had turned out, I still would have been happy.

Absolutely outstanding.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

Let me remind those of you who are still shopping for the perfect gift for the old friends and loved one (or for yourself) that Vosges Haut Chocolate is offering my readers 10% off orders placed by December 31st. Just be sure to use the special code BLGF09 when checking out.

Weinrich Trüffel: Marc de Champagne

Whilst browsing in my local German deli, I came across a collection of Weinrich Trüffel bars, all filled with a variety of liquors and liqueurs -- so naturally I had to buy them.

I opted to start with the Marc de Champagne bar because I have a slight addiction to Champagne truffles. But what exactly is Marc de Champagne? Well, it's a brandy-like liquor that is distilled from the seeds and skins of the grapes used in Champagne production...sort of the hot dog of the Champagne world, if you will. I admit I have never tried it. But if it has any Champagne notes to it -- as grape based, distilled liquors such as brandy, Cognac, etc often bear a faint family resemblance to the wines they are derived from -- I expect I would like it. And I always seem to forget how much I like Champagne or sparkling wine until I actually have a glass (which is not that often). Also, there is something about Champagne mixed with chocolate that really raises my bubbles. Incidentally, I did not inherit my love of the "Champers" from my parents...

...One Thanksgiving, my brother and I were especially mortified by our father; in that special way that only siblings can share. That night, we'd gone to the fanciest-schmanciest restaurant in our 'hood. It's a restaurant that is widely known for its extensive wine cellar. And when the wine steward inquired as to my father's choice for the table, he was rather horrified when my father chose to lecture him on why the place should carry Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante! Now to be fair, it's not that there's anything particularly wrong with M&R's Asti. It's decent stuff. It's just that in this case, it was like walking into Peter Luger's (or even Ruth's Chris) and telling them they should serve the sirloin just like they do down at the Sizzler. Yeah, just another one of those times when it's so close, yet so far away... anyway, magical holiday family fun aside...



The Weinrich Trüffel has a milk chocolate shell that encases the truffle filling. Taking the chocolate out of the wrapper, you immediately notice an aroma that I could best describe as "boozy." But, it is a Marc de Champagne truffle after all, so let's call that a good thing.



The smooth outer shell is thin and the center truffle filling is a soft creme. The actual flavor of the truffle reminded me more of Turkish delight than Champagne or anything related to it. There is a soft, sweet rose note -- not as strong as in Turkish delight, but very similar. There is also definite fruit flavor in the background. I want to say it's grape...mostly because my brain is still trying to pin down something Champagne-like being the source of the flavor. But in reality, the best I can tell you is that it's fruity. The filling is sweet, but magically it never gets too sweet. There is just the tiniest amount of alcohol bitterness (whether it's actually alcohol, I don't know -- the label lists both Champagne and Marc de Champagne as flavors, but leaves it at that). It's actually the perfect amount, because it just keeps everything in check. And it was fantastic. I want vats of this filling. I want to put it on everything.



The milk chocolate that the bar is molded with is soft and melty, but held the molded design beautifully. (And did I mention how pretty the molding is? It really is a very nice looking bar.) It's creamy and you can taste the generous amount of dairy in the chocolate. On its own it might be a little bland, but it pairs with the truffle filling perfectly.

It's hard to rate this one. On the one hand, it didn't remind me of a Champagne truffle in the least. On the other hand, the filling is just so darned delicious that they could have called it Gebeizt Seife Trüffel and it would still taste great. (I will save you the Googling; that means "Pickled Soap Truffle.") It kind of goes against my standards in a way, but I am still scoring this one an 11 -- because even though it does not taste of anything akin to Champagne, it is still 17 kinds of awesome. Maybe even 18. Or maybe more than I could count.

Find it. Buy it. Eat it. You will be very glad you did.




PURCHASED FROM:
The German Deli (Upland, California)

Hershey's Kisses: Irish Crème filled (Limited Edition)

OK, I admit it. As soon as I saw Cybele's review (be sure to read it here) for these kisses, my Candy Envy went into warp speed and I set out on a quest for my own bag. Unluckily for me, these kisses seem to be Target exclusive, and I live close to what might be the most ghetto Target in the county. (If you have seen them elsewhere, please leave a comment.) But in the name of selfless research for the betterment of humanity, I braved the elements and purchased a bag.

It's funny that I tend to like Irish Crème flavor far more than I like an actual glass of Irish Cream liqueur. (I wonder why the variant spellings?) Anyway, if you have never had Irish Cream/Crème, it's a mixture of whiskey, cream, and coffee flavors (sometimes with real whiskey, but not in this case). And while I may not ever choose Irish Cream as an after dinner drink, I do like Irish Crème flavored coffee creamers and candies.



Opening the bag the first thing you smell is the Irish Crème. It's a sweet, warm coffee-like aroma. It's a little overwhelming in the beginning. But the individual kisses have a really wonderful whiskey-like smell.

These kisses have a milk chocolate outer shell, and the inner filling is the Irish Crème flavor. I like that Hershey's kept the proportions closer to the classic kiss than they have with some of the special editions past, such as the New York Cheesecake Kisses.



The milk chocolate is standard issue Hershey's. It's sweet, it's got a slight grain, it's got a strong milky taste. So do I really have to go on?



With this kiss, it's all about the center. The Irish Crème flavored fondant is smooth for the most part, but there is a little sugary grain. The flavor could be described as cheap coffee creamer meets cheap store-brand Irish Cream. They are super sweet, and the main flavor seems to be "fake alcohol" -- not necessarily a specific one, just sort of a Star Trek Synthahol flavor. There's kind of a coffee taste...but I'm not sure if I am really tasting coffee or if it's just that the chocolate is slightly more bitter than the filling, and thus it might be an aftertaste resulting from the two flavors combined. It's pretty rare that candy ever makes my throat burn, but this one did.

It's not that these kisses are dreadful, even if I just made it sound that way. They're not dreadful at all. They're just one of those flavors that sounded like a great idea, but in reality didn't pan out all that well.

No, I probably won't just throw them away. But I'm not sure I'll finish them soon, and I certainly won't be buying another bag.



PURCHASED FROM:

Target

Hotel Chocolat The Serious Dark Fix Extra Thick Easter Egg

It bears repeating that I have a theory that any candy can be made better by putting it in egg shape.
I'm not really sure why it seems to work out like that but it does. So what do you get when you take already great chocolate and put it into egg form?- you get one freaking fantastic egg that's what you get!

Hotel Chocolat has some beautiful Easter products and they were kind enough to send me one of their ginormous eggs.
Since I have tried and loved Hotel's milk chocolate (I tried the Caramellow Slab) I was quite eager to taste Hotel's dark chocolate- Especially since Jim over at Jim's Chocolate Mission reviews Hotel's products on a regular basis and always makes me drool! (read some of Jim's Hotel reviews HERE)

The egg's are split into two thick shells. One shell is made of 74% dark chocolate and the other shell is 74% dark chocolate studded with Cocoa nibs. Then there are two lovely foil packs of individual candies that make up the center of egg. There are seven different candies which are:
* Chunky Nut
* Gin Truffle
* Caramel & Rum Truffle
* Blackcurrant & Champagne
* Single Origin Trinidad 72% Dark Chocolate
* Single Origin Ugandan 80% Dark Chocolate
* Orange and Lemon Sandwich


I started with the "plain" shell. First the aroma of the egg as a whole was outstanding. It smells just like I imagine Homer Simpson's version of Heaven would. Rich and just a little sweet. Almost like really strong hot chocolate.
The chocolate it's self- which was just thin enough to break off a piece with my hands was still pleasingly thick. The first thing I notices was almost a coffee like bitterness, but it is not so bitter that it gives you CBF (Cat Butt Face). There's just there tiniest bit of a milkiness to it, I think that's what keeps the bar from being too bitter. There is a sweetness to it that reminded me of the aftertaste of slightly unripe strawberries. I also liked that for such a strong chocolate the melt was nice and smooth. Not grainy or chalky in the least.


Next up was the other half of the shell the 74% dark chocolate with cocoa nibs.
I think for some reason I had the idea that the nibs would be larger and visible on the outer shell. They are actually quite small- they show up as the orangy specks in the picture.
The only difference between the two shells are the nibs. I am torn on how I feel about them. The nibs up the overall bitterness of the dark chocolate and it was a little much for me. When I isolated the nibs I really liked them on there own. Again I am going to keep using coffee as a comparison because the nibs reminded me of chocolate covered espresso beans. I think I would love them in a milk chocolate- that would be a great contrast. I also wasn't too keen on the texture, because the nibs are so small and because of the strong flavor it reminded me of chocolate with coffee grounds.


Next up was the Single Origin Trinidad 72% Dark Chocolate
This little bunny was beautifully molded and I almost felt bad for eating off his ears... almost
The first thing that came to my mind when tasting this chocolate was that it tasted nutty. I couldn't tell you what kind of nut- it was just nutty and then the nuttiness gives way to the other notes. This chocolate had strong lemony citrus notes. After tasting this it made me notice that the 74% dark of the main shell has more of a vanilla flavor then I noticed on the first go around. I didn't sense as much sweetness with the bunny. It also had a wonderfully crisp snap.



The Gin Truffle was the one thing in this egg that I was both really wanting to try and really sure I would like. I am not a fan of gin. I'm a vodka drinker and much like Coke Vs. Pepsi fans most people tend to like one or the other but not really both.
The chocolate is dark but not as dark as the outer shells or the bunny (not sure what the percentage is) the center is smooth and cool on the tongue- it also explodes into a burst of REAL gin flavor. I wasn't sure how the gin would translate but it comes through loud and clear. If James Bond ate truffles he would love this one! I don't even like gin and I LOVED this truffle. The gin adds a dryness to he chocolate. I also tasted orange- but that may have been the bite of the alcohol mixed with the strength of the chocolate. Oh, and should you ever want to really annoy a gin drinker tell them that gin is just juniper infused vodka- they tend to get all uppity when you say that.


Chunky Nut
The nut on the top was nice and crispy- I am not great with nuts and I am not sure what kind it was, I am guessing hazelnut. I realize I should probably have eaten it with the chocolate rather then plunking it off, but I did and we will all just have to deal with it.
I am not sure what nuts made up the chunky nuts but the inner ganoush was super smooth. It reminded me of a cross between hazelnut gianduja (hazelnut & chocolate paste) and natural peanut butter. The creamy center is also studded with little bits of crunchy nuts. I have said many a time that while I like chocolate, and I like nuts I tend to not like them together but this an exception. It was just plain yummy.


Single Origin Ugandan 80% Dark
"Hey there, I think your a groovy chick in a far out sorta way..." Sorry I watched The Brady Bunch Movie the other day and I could not resist. Anywho...
I was surprised that this wasn't as bitter as I thought it was going to be. In fact although it has a higher percentage of cocoa then the bunny I thought it was less bitter. This chocolate seemed almost salty to me, it was woodsy and deep. I think this would be excellent used for baking. There is just enough of a vanilla flavor to it that being used in say a cookie would mellow it out only slightly. This has been my favorite of all the solid chocolate.


Orange and Lemon Sandwich
Do I really have to remind everyone how much I love pretty much all conceivable combinations of lemon, orange and chocolate?
This was no exception. The citrus flavor in this piece sort of remind me of a bowl of Trix cereal- you know how after the first few bites all the flavors just sort of blend into just a general fruity flavor? that's what this tasted like. Don't get me wrong, it was great but neither the lemon nor the orange stands out independently. The filling is remarkably smooth and has a fantastic melt.


Caramel & Rum Truffle
When I think of rum the first thing I think of is my best friend. He grew up on the island of St. Croix and one of the main export of St. Criox is Cruzan Rum. As a good St. Croiz native as far as he's concerned it's THE only rum. I have no idea what brand of rum (or even type of rum) Hotel has used for this confection but in honor of my friend I would like to think it's Cruzan (and if it's not I feel safe to say he will survive) I've never had rum and caramel paired before so I thought it was an interesting idea. No one will ever accuse Hotel of not using real liquor in their truffles because let me tell you there is a different kick. The chocolate shell is great. The percentage is again not listed but it is strong enough that it holds it's own against the strong flavor of the rum. It has a nice thick shell. I was expecting this truffle to be chewy because of the caramel, but honestly if I didn't know that the caramel was there I never would have guessed it. There is no buttery quality. There is no sweetness and the texture gives no hints that there is anything remotely caramel like. For the filling the only thing you taste is the rum and even that is not so much a rum flavor but a chemically alcohol burn. I really hate to say this because overall I find Hotel to be outstanding but I wouldn't be telling the truth if I didn't say it almost reminded me of gasoline. I am not sure what went wrong here.


Blackcurrant & Champagne Truffle
Last but not least...
I LOOOOVE me some champagne truffles. My all time favorite can be found at a little shop on Manhattan's Upper West Side called Mondel's Chocolates but let me tell you Hotel has given them a run for their money!
The red hued outer shell has the fantastic sweet/tart flavor of blackcurrant. It's actually came off tasting in a way I can only call juicy. The chocolate is mild but still dark. Once again the truffle center was milky smooth but this center was very soft, almost to the point of being fluid. The champagne is so vivid you almost wait for the bubbles! I could have eaten an embarrassingly large amount of these!

All in all (even with the exception of the caramel & rum truffle) this was wonderful. It was nice to have such a wide selection of dark chocolates in one collection. Hotel has made this egg an 11!


PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company
Be sure to visit Hotel's website to get your own!