Well, Beth is back from her Birthday/Cancer Free vacation in Las Vegas with her sister. And it turns out she didn't forget me. She brought me goodies from Vosges Haut Chocolat from their "library" collection of mini chocolate bars.
What did she get me? Three "library boxes" consisting of:
| 7 | Mo's Dark | 62% Dark chocolate, Hickory smoked uncured bacon, Alderwood smoked salt |
| 5 | Mo's Milk | 45% Deep milk chocolate, Hickory smoked uncured bacon, Alderwood smoked salt |
| 4 | Red Fire | 55% Dark chocolate, Mexican ancho & chipotle chilies, Ceylon Cinnamon |
| 3 | Black Pearl | 55% Dark Chocolate, Ginger, Wasabi, Black Sesame Seeds |
| 3 | Oaxaca | 75% Tanzanian bittersweet chocolate, Oaxacan guajillo & pasilla chilies |
| 1 | Naga | 45% deep milk chocolate, sweet curry, coconut |
| 1 | Bapchi's Caramel Toffee | 45% deep milk chocolate, sweet butter toffee, walnuts & pecans |
| 1 | Woolloomooloo | 45% deep milk chocolate, roasted Macadamia nuts, Indonesian Coconut, hemp seeds |
| 1 | Amalfi | 36% White Chocolate, lemon zest, pink peppercorns |
| 1 | Barcelona | 45% deep milk chocolate, Hickory smoked Almonds, grey sea salt |
So... 27 half ounce chocolate bars in ten flavors waiting for a tasting. Since Beth deserves to have some I decided to try a couple of the "duplicates": Mo's Dark and Red Fire.
The first thing you notice about the Mo's Dark bar is the intensity of the chocolate followed by the crunch of the smoked salt. We've used coarse sea salt in desserts a few times and even so it's still a wonderful surprise. The bits of bacon have a little bit of crunch and contribute a nice porky sweetness without overwhelming the main event - chocolate.
A careful sniff of the Red Fire bar reveals a nose rather surprisingly dominated by the smokey chipotle though the chocolate is barely behind. The cinnamon pops out the instant you bite in. Once again the chocolate is a powerful presence. There's a tiny crunch from what I suspect are fragments of the peppers. The chili flavors are nearly as complex as a good mole. While this bar is delicious, I slightly prefer a somewhat simpler chili laced chocolate from Gay Odin in Napoli.
I'll resist further nibbling until Beth and I have time to sit down and enjoy them together!
Coming Soon: The Grand Chocolate Tasting!
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