Martha’s Gardens Chocolate Covered Dates
March 23, 2015
Improve the Date Eating Experience – Cover Them with Chocolate!
I recently had the pleasure of taking a tour of Martha’s Gardens Date Farm in Yuma, Arizona. The farm overlooks the beautiful Gila Valley and is home to over 8,000 date palms.
The majority of dates grown there are the Medjool variety, 2½ times the size of a common date but with the same small pit.
During the tour I learned an assortment of fun facts about the history, genetics, and nutritional make-up of “nature’s candy.”
The highlight, of course, came at the end when we sampled several varieties of dates, and then topped off the experience with a sweet and creamy Medjool Date Shake! Yum!
My apologies in advance, but I’m going to get all science nerd on you now. Sometimes facts are just what we need to put things in proper perspective.
Stay with me, here goes: dates are rich in polyphenols, fiber, potassium and are a low glycemic index food. In other words, dates help slow the aging process, reduce inflammation, protect against stroke and coronary heart disease, and won’t significantly raise blood sugar levels after they’re eaten.
The whole time I was learning about dates, my mind kept comparing things to chocolate. Similarities abound.
For example, the growing and harvesting process of dates is very labor intensive with most if not all of the work done by hand. Same with growing and harvesting cacao. Both foods are rich in polyphenols with proven health benefits. Both have busted the myth of being bad for you.
Imagine my delight, then, while roaming the gift shop, I spotted the perfect union, the coming together of two super foods… dark chocolate covered dates!
Naturally, I was pretty curious (okay, drooling) to taste them and share my experience with you.
Martha’s Gardens Dark Chocolate Covered Dates
Visually appealing, the dark chocolate enrobes the date completely in a thin coating with a good sheen and nice snap.
The texture is firm and feels smooth and thick in the mouth but not cloying. The chocolate melts while chewing and the aftertaste is all sweetness, but not too sweet.
The chocolate has good cocoa notes along with a slight hint of general spice – maybe cinnamon? – the date imparts brown sugar, honey, and vanilla notes.
Together, the flavors morph into its own unique taste, a sum of its parts. There isn’t a specific forward flavor, or an end-note. Instead, from beginning to end, there is only syrupy cocoa in perfect balance.
There is room for improvement in my opinion...
The chocolate coating could be thicker, and I’d like the coating to be even more “chocolatey,” perhaps by increasing the percentage of cocoa mass.
The thin coating falls off the date while eating, thus making it more difficult to enjoy the two flavors together. I would also like a more bold pronunciation of the cocoa notes to overcome the sweetness a bit more.
Of course, I'm seeking perfection. Overall, the dark chocolate covered date is extremely delicious.
Add this to your list of culinary experiences to enjoy!
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Very interesting.