Chocolate University Online Blog
 During a recent chocolate and wine tasting program, I introduced the pairing of a dark chocolate covered pecan and caramel cluster with a Bogle Petite Sirah.
Looking for a wine that would work with cluster, I described what I needed and then took the suggestion from a very knowledgeable wine guru. But up until serving it, I had not tried this particular combination. This always makes me a bit nervous because I am using something unfamiliar, yet I’m simultaneously excited to try something new.
The pairing did not disappoint! This wonderful twosome worked great in the tasting and would also be a very satisfying after dinner treat.
Petite Sirah wine is dark, and inky colored, with firm texture and thick mouth feel. This works well with the thick feeling of caramel and pecan. The flavor notes in this particular petite sirah offered deep fruit of plums and red berries with a hint of spice and a touch of astringency that enhanced the nutty and buttery notes of both the pecans and caramel.
The dark chocolate, around 60% cacao content, complements the tannins in the wine without creating a bitter aftertaste. I think if the dark chocolate were any higher in cocoa solids and the wine a bit more aged, this pairing would be unsuccessful. But somehow all this complexity works, and it works very well!
The wine came from the Bogle Winery in California. According to their website, www.boglewinery.com, Bogle Petite Sirah is “…voluptuous and full-bodied on the entry, the heady aromas of black currants and plums awaken the senses…tones of leather and cocoa…juniper and spice…this wine finishes long and lingering.”
They say it is best served with rich meat dishes and hearty sauces, but I should inform them that it is best enjoyed with Dark Chocolate Pecan Caramel Patties!
Enjoy!
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: Bogle Winery, caramel, chocolate pairings, dark chocolate, pecans, petite sirah, Red wine, tasting
Do you know the feeling of the idiomatic expression “hitting two birds with one stone”? That’s what you get when you eat this yummy confection. Chocolate per se is heavenly, but try incorporating it into caramel and you are sent beyond heaven.
Just so you know, the milk products are the most important ingredients since it is the primary source of fat in caramel, which gives it that delightful texture. Milk is known to have a lot of nutritional benefits such as calcium which is good for the bones, and chocolate contains antioxidants that can help prevent cell damage. Suffice it to say, you are really on for a healthily delicious treat!
Anyone with a sweet tooth who gets to taste this would surely ask for more of these rich, chewy, fudge-like and melt-in your-mouth goodies. Also, this treat also makes for a delightful yet inexpensive gift!
Chocolate Caramels
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 or 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups light cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup chopped nuts
Combine sugar, syrup, salt, chocolate and 1 cup cream in large heavy saucepan. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a full boil. Gradually add remaining cream so that boiling does not stop. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, to firm-ball stage (248°F). Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Pour into buttered 8-inch square pan. When cold, turn out on cutting board and cut into 3/4-inch squares. |
Enjoy!
Categories: chocolate gifts, chocolate recipes
Tags: caramel, chocolate dessert, chocolate gifts, unsweetened chocolate
Aunt Belle’s Confectionary, LLC has two stores in northern Minnesota, and I just found one of them in Walker, MN.
Walker is a small town with a main street that looks and feels like a trip back in time. Aunt Belle’s boasts old fashioned homemade candies and fudge. According to their website, you’ll step into their store and feel like a kid again. I did feel giddy like a kid in a candy store (pun intended) and picked out all the goodies I thought I’d enjoy; chocolate dipped brittle, chocolate covered potato chips, chocolate covered nut clusters, and chocolate fudge.
While they had several different types of nut clusters such as the traditional turtle, I chose one of the variations called the Bear Paw.
The Bear Paw is a caramel pattie with mixed nuts, completely covered in a dark milk (blend of milk and dark) chocolate. With full coverage that’s more chocolate than a typical turtle. And with more nut variety too, it piqued my interest. However, the combination brought great expectations but delivered mediocre results.
I was disappointed by the chocolate impact. The chocolate was too mild for the sweet caramel and nutty flavors of the pattie. I did not taste much chocolate even at the end. The caramel was sweeter than it was buttery and, unfortunately, some of the nuts were a bit off-flavor. Overall, it reminded me more of a vending machine candy bar experience - I was simply not impressed nor satisfied.
Now, part of the joy of sampling is to keep going, trying something else, and giving the confections as many second chances as you can. I know, it is a tough job, but chocolate lovers just have to do it! :) Next week, I’ll review one of the fudges in Aunt Belle’s assortment. Did Aunt Belle’s get it right? You’ll find out!
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: Aunt Belle's, caramel, chocolate covered nuts, dark milk
I didn’t know that there were “Irish style” chocolates until I saw a box of chocolates from Grandessa. This box claimed an Irish assortment of filled milk, white, and dark chocolate. To satisfy my curiosity, I bought a box.
The chocolates are uniquely shaped in a square “cup” that holds caramel, lemon meringue, and strawberry truffle. The molded piece is open at the top. The Caramel Sensation is a smooth caramel inside a milk chocolate cup sprinkled with dark mini chocolate chips on the top. The Lemon Supreme is also inside a milk chocolate cup sprinkled with crystalline sugar on the top. And the Sumptuous Strawberry is dusted with a sweet red powder and tucked inside a white chocolate cup.
I thoroughly enjoyed the caramel, but the strawberry was way too sweet. I liked the lemon, and had forgotten how delicious citrus and chocolate combinations are together. I would have preferred a dark chocolate cup with the lemon, but the milk chocolate was mild and slightly fruity and blended very well as a whole.
The caramel in the caramel cup was smooth and butter. The dark chocolate chips added a more intense chocolate note to the mix without bringing any bitterness or aftertaste in the finish.
I don’t really believe that these chocolates represent some sort of Irish tradition of chocolate making. I think the marketing of these chocolates (suspiciously on sale in the States for St. Patrick’s Day) was to give it an Irish spin.
At least they were good, in spite of the marketing fluff!
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: caramel, dark chocolate, Grandessa, lemon, milk chocolate, strawberry, white chocolate
Last Monday I reviewed a Yuma Arizona chocolates shop called Chocolate Crafters. I reported on their chocolate covered candied orange peel. Oh – yummy memory.
Of course, I didn’t try just one item. The Sea Turtle, a dark chocolate-covered salty caramel and pecan cluster, captured my attention, too. It was all I expected and more. The pecans were crunchy, the salty caramel was smooth, buttery and, yes, salty, and the chocolate, although mild, blended perfectly into all the flavors with ease.
 The special mineral salt is imported and “the most expensive ingredient we have” says Lorena, co-owner of the shop.
The salt intensifies all the flavors but especially the caramel and chocolate. If you don’t believe me, try this little experiment at home on your own. Temper some chocolate and using both unsalted almonds and salted almonds, make separate chocolate coated clusters, and have a side by side taste test comparison. You’ll notice the difference straight away.
I could go on and on. There are more delicious chocolates to talk about, but I’m going to make you wait until next Monday for Chocolate-Covered Coffee Bean Bark and Aztec Chili Truffle!
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: caramel, chocolate shop, dark chocolate, pecans, sweet and salty
2004 was a tumultuous time for Chicago-based chocolate retailer Fannie May. It was the year they declared bankruptcy. More than 200 stores were closed.
Fannie May began in 1920 when H. Teller Archibald opened a chocolate shop on LaSalle St. in Chicago. In 1946, the famous Fannie May Pixies® were introduced and it continues to be their best selling item. Pixies are caramel covered nuts drenched in chocolate.
In 2006, 1-800-Flowers.com bought Fannie May in the hopes of turning its fortunes around. Now, with increased online sales, it is once again becoming a thriving business.
According to David Taiclet, president of gourmet food brands for 1-800-Flowers.com, people care about Fannie May products and the memories that go with them. The new owners plan on keeping the decades-old candy recipes. These recipes may not be trendy, but they certainly have a loyal following.
By the end of this year, 2010, Fannie May will have a total of 85 stores in 6 Midwest states and will produce about 10 million pounds of chocolate.
Categories: chocolate in the news
Tags: caramel, chocolate candy, chocolate covered nuts, Fannie May
Here’s a recipe for pretzels dipped in caramel and then covered in semisweet chocolate. These are a little fussy, but oh-so-good!
Caramel Dipped Chocolate Covered Pretzels
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 20 caramels
• 2 1/2 teaspoons water
• 36 pretzel nuggets
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
Grease a cookie sheet with the vegetable oil. Combine the caramels and the water in a saucepan and melt over low heat, stirring frequently, or in a covered dish in a microwave at full power, for 1 1/2 minutes. Dip the pretzel nuggets, a few at a time, into the caramel and remove with a fork to the greased cookie sheet. Refrigerate until caramel is firm.
Temper chocolate; Quick Method:
Melt 3 ounces of the chocolate. Remove from heat. While the chocolate is warm, but not hot, mix half of the remaining 1 ounce of chocolate into the melted chocolate. Stir until completely melted. Then add the final solid piece of chocolate. Stir until melted. The chocolate should feel as though it is thickening.
Lift the caramels from the sheet and dip, one at a time, into the chocolate. Coat completely and lift with a small fork. Shake off excess chocolate by rapping the fork on the edge of the bowl lightly. Remove any drips from the bottom by running the fork across the edge of the bowl. Slide the candy onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper. Allow to cool until solid. |
Enjoy!
Categories: chocolate recipes
Tags: caramel, chocolate candy, pretzels
Sure, apples are delicious all by themselves, but dip them in caramel and cover them with chocolate, nuts (and anything else you can think of), and they become extraordinary!
This recipe uses chocolate chips and pistachios for an exciting taste sensation.
Caramel Apples Rolled in Chocolate and Nuts
• 6 apples (works best with cold apples)
• 6 ice cream sticks
• 1 package (14 ounces) creamy caramels
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3/4 cup pistachios, chopped
• 12 ounces semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Remove stems from the apples. Insert one wooden stick into stem area of each apple.
Place caramels in saucepan. Add the water. Heat, stirring until caramels are melted. Working quickly with one apple at a time, while keeping caramel over low heat, dip the apple into the caramel, turning to coat the apple. Remove the apple from the caramel and gently shake.
Roll apples in pistachios and chocolate chips. Place on the prepared sheet. Refrigerate until caramel is cool. |
Enjoy!
Categories: chocolate recipes
Tags: caramel, chocolate covered fruit
 One of my email subscribers was wondering how chocolate candies made with high water content fillings, like caramel, can seemingly withstand blooming or other adverse effects?
It is true that even the smallest amount of water and chocolate don’t get along. The combination often leads to problems like seizing and sugar bloom. Yet, you can buy chocolate-covered caramels and see for yourself that they look good and tastes good. They have a fairly decent shelf life, too.
So what is the secret for getting this to work?
Let me say, first of all, that it isn’t so much a secret as it is strategy. It is a timing game. How long can we keep nature’s forces at bay because eventually the issues between a high water content filling and the chocolate coating will come to life.
Tip #1 – Find the right caramel formula. During the caramel making process, boiling the ingredients will allow most of the water to evaporate and the remaining water should be trapped among the sugar solids. But this behavior depends on the right recipe. Finding the right formulation will take experimentation and practice.
Tip #2 – Wrap a thick coating of chocolate around the filling to slow down the migration of any water or liquid fat from reaching the surface. You’ll know pretty quickly if the coating is not thick enough because bloom will appear early and the shelf life will be shorter than expected.
Tip #3 – Store and package the final product correctly to prolong the arrival of bloom. It is optimal to store at a room temperature of 70F and 50% relative humidity.
Categories: chocolate education, chocolate Q&A
Tags: bloom, caramel, chocolate questions, working with chocolate
|
