Let's Talk Pro-Chocolate: Real Kinds We Like, How We Eat/Use Them

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Replies

  • siberiantarragon
    siberiantarragon Posts: 265 Member
    Dove Promises, strawberries (which are on sale for $2 this week at the supermarket!) and decaf English breakfast tea...quite possibly the perfect dessert.

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  • Antiopelle
    Antiopelle Posts: 1,184 Member
    I’m much more of a salty treat person but do occasionally fancy some chocolate. Always dark 70% and upwards, generally.

    But since this thread was posted all I’ve been able to think of is a bar of chocolate that was not available for very long a few years ago that I absolutely loved. Pretty sure it was a Lindt bar, in their ‘Excellence’ range, flavoured with Lavender.

    It was darker and smoother than an average UK milk chocolate but not as dark and bitter as I usually prefer. Slightly medicinal from the lavender which counteracted the sweetness of a lighter chocolate. Everybody else who tried it didn’t care for it, but I loved it, just a square at a time allowed to melt on my tongue…I can still taste it now and just wish it was still being produced!

    I’ve just looked on Amazon and there are Lavender chocolate bars available but I’m not going to order one (probably…) for fear of being disappointed! 😂

    I know that Newtree makes also a Lavender one. I've tried it, and kinda liked it, it was not overpowering. Shipping is as from 50€ though, but worldwide:

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  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,874 Member
    Antiopelle wrote: »
    I live in Belgium, pretty close to the Callebaut factory. I regularly get a whiff of chocolate when riding my bike in that direction. Also, some heavy trucks loaded with a few tons of chocolate will drive through my street every now and then.
    So no way to end the day without a bite.

    My favorite brand is Marcolini, but it is crazy expensive. When I buy a box (once or twice a year), I will eat one or two every night (23 kcal per piece). The taste is so rich, it stays in my mouth for quite a long time:

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    If there is no Marcolini available, I'll have one piece of Cote d'Or of 15gr (59 kcal) - dark with a pinch of salt.

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    When I travel, I take a box with me. Never a day without it ! :smiley:

    Oh, a fellow inhabitant of Belgium :smiley:

    Ah yes, I generally prefer Callebaut (now called Jacques?) but Côte d'Or mignonettes are nice, my parents prefer 'Noir de Noir' (and my mom will split every Mignonette in 4 :mrgreen: )
  • Antiopelle
    Antiopelle Posts: 1,184 Member
    Lietchi wrote: »
    Antiopelle wrote: »
    I live in Belgium, pretty close to the Callebaut factory. I regularly get a whiff of chocolate when riding my bike in that direction. Also, some heavy trucks loaded with a few tons of chocolate will drive through my street every now and then.
    So no way to end the day without a bite.

    My favorite brand is Marcolini, but it is crazy expensive. When I buy a box (once or twice a year), I will eat one or two every night (23 kcal per piece). The taste is so rich, it stays in my mouth for quite a long time:

    ldor8j62l58x.png


    If there is no Marcolini available, I'll have one piece of Cote d'Or of 15gr (59 kcal) - dark with a pinch of salt.

    gj9qwym5kvdv.png

    When I travel, I take a box with me. Never a day without it ! :smiley:

    Oh, a fellow inhabitant of Belgium :smiley:

    Ah yes, I generally prefer Callebaut (now called Jacques?) but Côte d'Or mignonettes are nice, my parents prefer 'Noir de Noir' (and my mom will split every Mignonette in 4 :mrgreen: )

    I split them in 12 ! 4 rows and then every piece into 3 :smiley: I hate it when the rows go askew !

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,640 Member
    edited January 2023
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    I can’t have chocolate in the house. It’s like crack cocaine to me. I used to eat a couple pounds a day. My diary will validate : All my calorie fails are chocolate related, witness the Milka Triolade bar I found buried in the freezer Sunday in a moment of choco-weakness.

    My #1 Fat-Me weakness was Cadbury’s Crispy Eggs. I haven’t had one in over four years.

    I also like the rainbow colored Guittard nonpareils tablets or drops.

    The best chocolate is See’s, out of California. Even better than Belgian. (Sorry, Belgian friends).

    However, there is one place our Benelux friends excel.

    The Van Houten’s cocoa is worth having around just to crack the can and get a whiff. It’s chocolate perfume. A gram or two on ice cream, or pdusted on frothed coffee milk….heaven.

    But my particular favorite, and the one chocolate I find I can limit easily, is Dutch hagel.

    It’s like American sprinkles, only it’s real chocolate and tastes like chocolate. If I remember right, 4 grams is about 20 or so calories, and that’s a generous sprinkle on ice cream or pancakes or whatever. A box can last me a year, which isn’t something I normally use in the same sentence with “chocolate”.

    I very grateful I don’t buy into the typical Dutch use, which is to coat fresh buttered bread with hagel and enjoy much like we’d eat a doughnut.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,362 Member
    xok6z1d1lgvx.jpeg

    I can’t have chocolate in the house. It’s like crack cocaine to me. I used to eat a couple pounds a day. My diary will validate : All my calorie fails are chocolate related, witness the Milka Triolade bar I found buried in the freezer Sunday in a moment of choco-weakness.

    My #1 Fat-Me weakness was Cadbury’s Crispy Eggs. I haven’t had one in over four years.

    I also like the rainbow colored Guittard nonpareils tablets or drops.

    The best chocolate is See’s, out of California. Even better than Belgian. (Sorry, Belgian friends).

    However, there is one place our Benelux friends excel.

    The Van Houten’s cocoa is worth having around just to crack the can and get a whiff. It’s chocolate perfume. A gram or two on ice cream, or pdusted on frothed coffee milk….heaven.

    But my particular favorite, and the one chocolate I find I can limit easily, is Dutch hagel.

    It’s like American sprinkles, only it’s real chocolate and tastes like chocolate. If I remember right, 4 grams is about 20 or so calories, and that’s a generous sprinkle on ice cream or pancakes or whatever. A box can last me a year, which isn’t something I normally use in the same sentence with “chocolate”.

    I very grateful I don’t buy into the typical Dutch use, which is to coat fresh buttered bread with hagel and enjoy much like we’d eat a doughnut.

    I have been known to sprinkle some Dutch-process cocoa on plain yogurt with either oats, seeds, or apples... or some combination. Not bad, and for sure a dose of the cacao bean to make smiles happen.

    I think I mentioned I used to get cacao nibs for the same reason. More crunchy texture, and unprocessed. Well, less processed. It's a process to turn a cacao bean into a nib.

  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member

    I recently bought cacao nibs and food such as yogurt serve as a vector just for them.

    Organic nibs from the Amazon! I just ordered a bag from Amazon. Thanks for the tip!
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,071 Member
    I'd like to say I opened this box six days ago, but I opened it last night. :o

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  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    It's interesting that we all refer to "Belgian chocolate," when the cacao comes from many tropical sources, but not Belgium! No shade on the seminal chocolate processing methods developed and still operating in Belgium.

    The chocolate-loving world is awakening to the variations between cacao grown in different parts of the world, from different cacao species, and processed differently. It's amazing to watch a video on how the goopy white cacao beans become rich dark chocolate.
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,071 Member
    edited January 2023
    It's all my fault. :D I only mentioned Belgium because it the most affordable and readily-available real chocolate near me. The best chocolate I've ever eaten was in Paris and it was stoopit dear. In my reply to the OP - I stated the Belgian import was my nearest go-to for chocolate cravings - not that it was the global ultimate.
    Choc on!
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    It's interesting that we all refer to "Belgian chocolate," when the cacao comes from many tropical sources, but not Belgium! No shade on the seminal chocolate processing methods developed and still operating in Belgium.

    The chocolate-loving world is awakening to the variations between cacao grown in different parts of the world, from different cacao species, and processed differently. It's amazing to watch a video on how the goopy white cacao beans become rich dark chocolate.

    Well, to be fair, "Belgian chocolate" would be correct, no matter the origin of the cacao. Cacao doesn't become "chocolate" until it's processed, and if that's happening in Belgium, then it's Belgian chocolate.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,540 Member
    I use unsweetened cocoa/cacao powder pretty regularly in some savory foods, too - it adds a certain umami richness. Rich tomato-y sauces, chili, black bean soup are a few examples.

    I usually use about a tablespoon for one good-sized serving of the food. If you've never tried it and want to, I'd suggest starting with less - maybe half a tablespoon per serving - then tasting and adjusting. Note that it needs to cook at least briefly for best flavor.

    It doesn't taste overtly chocolate-y, just richer . . . and yes, it makes the food a darker color if not already dark.

  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,362 Member
    I hadn't thought about adding to savory dishes. I don't know why that escaped me. Had I thought of it, I could have experimented with the huge lunch I just cooked. On the other hand, I knew it would be good as it was and would have been sad to have taken away from the deliciousness.
  • history_grrrl
    history_grrrl Posts: 216 Member
    Ah, I have found my people. Chocolate connoisseurs, unite!

    For a tiny treat, I keep some Baker’s 70% in the cupboard and melt a little to eat with fresh strawberries, or sometimes make a frozen chocolate-covered banana. I have some very simple, quick chocolate pudding recipes, too. I got inspired by the Great Canadian Baking Show to make chocolate ganache (yum!) and tempered chocolate (fail).

    For a while, I decided my favourite quality chocolate was Baci (there’s a significant Italian population where I live).

    But then a friend introduced me to Peace by Chocolate, a company based in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The story behind it is amazing; it’s run by a Syrian refugee family who made a new life here in Canada. The chocolates are absolutely sublime, and I think they now ship to the States too.

    https://peacebychocolate.ca/
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,640 Member
    Lidl has a high quality, “woke” type (for lack of the right words) chocolate bar called Way To Go.

    They are delicious but deadly. The pecan and coconut are amazing.

    And really great price.

    And let’s not forget Niederegger of Lubeck for those of us who fancy marzipan with a nice coat of chocolate. It comes in 101 flavor variations.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    @AnnPT77 : I love the idea of cocoa powder in tomato sauce! I sometimes make a beef, onion, pepper stir fry with tomato paste which would be excellent with a little cocoa powder, I think. Maybe also a little nutmeg.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    @springlering62 I see that "Way To Go" is supported by the Fairtrade organization, which is definitely "woke" in the absolute best sense. No one wants to support human trafficking or child labor to get their chocolate fix! I am happy to buy Fairtrade certified products when I like them.

    I commonly buy Lindt 72% Cacao chocolate at our supermarket. Lindt is not Fairtrade certified, but they do claim to adhere to fair business practices. And the chocolate is very good! (Best of the supermarket brands, IMHO.) Organizations like Fairtrade help raise awareness and push the larger companies to act better and I really appreciate that.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,540 Member
    @AnnPT77 : I love the idea of cocoa powder in tomato sauce! I sometimes make a beef, onion, pepper stir fry with tomato paste which would be excellent with a little cocoa powder, I think. Maybe also a little nutmeg.

    That sounds promising!

    The cocoa/cacao in savory foods is of course a sort of branch off the idea of things like the dark mole sauces, where chocolate is typically added near the end of sauce prep. The cocoa powder needs a bit more cooking, IMO, for best flavor. I think of this (cocoa in sauces) as a sort of vegetarian trick to add a bit of umami and . . . I don't know, almost a slight quasi-metallic tang (?) that some meats have to vegetarian dishes where appropriate, while not actually tasting like meat (a thing I mostly never liked all that much, even in my youth when I ate it).

    I'm going to risk a digression, since this is my thread ;) . Nutmeg *is* also good in savories, either in the sort of Indian or Caribbean flavor profile (like jerk spices) among others, and of course nutmeg in cheese sauce is a classic. Further afield, if you like a bit of heat, jerk style hot sauce is delicious on grapefruit.

    Oooo, I can bring it back on topic: Those Caribbean-ish flavorings are also good with chocolate! ;)
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,362 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    The cocoa/cacao in savory foods is of course a sort of branch off the idea of things like the dark mole sauces, where chocolate is typically added near the end of sauce prep. The cocoa powder needs a bit more cooking, IMO, for best flavor. I think of this (cocoa in sauces) as a sort of vegetarian trick to add a bit of umami and . . . I don't know, almost a slight quasi-metallic tang (?) that some meats have to vegetarian dishes where appropriate, while not actually tasting like meat (a thing I mostly never liked all that much, even in my youth when I ate it).

    Isn't it really amazing? A food we associate with sweetness actually can also be used to create an entirely different one of the five tastes. And while we're at it, when it's not sweetened, it's actually just a little bitter. Three of five flavors from one plant product. I veritable trifecta of flavor. Adding salt and vinegar for the "quintafecta." Is there actually a word to describe a run of FIVE wins?
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,250 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    The cocoa/cacao in savory foods is of course a sort of branch off the idea of things like the dark mole sauces, where chocolate is typically added near the end of sauce prep. The cocoa powder needs a bit more cooking, IMO, for best flavor. I think of this (cocoa in sauces) as a sort of vegetarian trick to add a bit of umami and . . . I don't know, almost a slight quasi-metallic tang (?) that some meats have to vegetarian dishes where appropriate, while not actually tasting like meat (a thing I mostly never liked all that much, even in my youth when I ate it).

    Isn't it really amazing? A food we associate with sweetness actually can also be used to create an entirely different one of the five tastes. And while we're at it, when it's not sweetened, it's actually just a little bitter. Three of five flavors from one plant product. I veritable trifecta of flavor. Adding salt and vinegar for the "quintafecta." Is there actually a word to describe a run of FIVE wins?

    It's amazing actually when I add chocolate to my mole and how it transforms it into a totally different product. I adjust the amounts depending on which entree I'm preparing for my menu. cheers
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,540 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    The cocoa/cacao in savory foods is of course a sort of branch off the idea of things like the dark mole sauces, where chocolate is typically added near the end of sauce prep. The cocoa powder needs a bit more cooking, IMO, for best flavor. I think of this (cocoa in sauces) as a sort of vegetarian trick to add a bit of umami and . . . I don't know, almost a slight quasi-metallic tang (?) that some meats have to vegetarian dishes where appropriate, while not actually tasting like meat (a thing I mostly never liked all that much, even in my youth when I ate it).

    Isn't it really amazing? A food we associate with sweetness actually can also be used to create an entirely different one of the five tastes. And while we're at it, when it's not sweetened, it's actually just a little bitter. Three of five flavors from one plant product. I veritable trifecta of flavor. Adding salt and vinegar for the "quintafecta." Is there actually a word to describe a run of FIVE wins?

    Yeah! Also, good chocolate/cocoa/cacao is a nicely complex blend of flavors. I think that's why we humans like it so much (well, probably that and in most chocolate the fats and some sugar (negligible in cocoa powder)! ).

    Cocoa powder also has some fiber, and a surprising amount of protein (EAA incomplete, though - low on methionine** :D ). The cacao powder I usually use claims 26% of calories from protein, and per 8g (a bit over a tablespoon) almost 3 grams of fiber, 160mg of potassium, around 57 mg magnesium (18% DV), over 5% of daily iron . . . whoo-hoo, it's a superfood! ;)

    Maybe it's the bitterness that led me to say "quasi-metallic".

    ** source (of unclear authority): https://www.soupersage.com/complete-protein-pairings/cocoa-powder
  • Antiopelle
    Antiopelle Posts: 1,184 Member
    Even better than Belgian. (Sorry, Belgian friends).
    Whaattt !!! There is no such thing Sprinlering !! :wink:
    However, there is one place our Benelux friends excel.

    That's Dutch, ow the blasphemy !! :astonished:

    (although I might slightly agree with you - but I wouldn't say it out loud) :wink:

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,874 Member
    Antiopelle wrote: »
    Even better than Belgian. (Sorry, Belgian friends).
    Whaattt !!! There is no such thing Sprinlering !! :wink:
    However, there is one place our Benelux friends excel.

    That's Dutch, ow the blasphemy !! :astonished:

    (although I might slightly agree with you - but I wouldn't say it out loud) :wink:

    Jacques has great 'hagelslag' as well!

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  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,640 Member
    Antiopelle wrote: »
    However, there is one place our Benelux friends excel.

    That's Dutch, ow the blasphemy !! :astonished:


    To us, Benelux is Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg. 😚
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,640 Member
    As I see it, the problem with nuts in chocolate is that they leave less room for more chocolate. 🤔
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,362 Member
    As I see it, the problem with nuts in chocolate is that they leave less room for more chocolate. 🤔

    Yeah, there's that. But I wanted the salt, and I have had almonds before. This will be a new flavor combination.

    I have no idea how I manged to NOT open the package yesterday.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    As I see it, the problem with nuts in chocolate is that they leave less room for more chocolate. 🤔

    Amen. Peanut butter, on the other hand, is great.