In case you hadn’t noticed, here in the UK, the nights are drawing in, and yes, Christmas is looming large.
Of course, Christmas is a time for chocolate (although here at Chocablog every day is a day for chocolate) and for my first Christmas product review of 2010 I was given this – a Yule Log from Hotel Chocolat.
My first impression as that I had been given a solid lump of dark chocolate but closer inspection of the packaging revealed that this is in fact a ‘Melt-away Gianduja Praline’ bar. In other words, hazelnut paste blended with dark chocolate. Seasonal flavours come in the form of candied orange peel, cranberries and tangy Morello cherries (a personal favourite).
It’s an odd looking thing, made better (in my opinion at least) by removing the plastic wrapper and protective dome (the packaging really isn’t seasonal, although in fairness my ‘preview’ log had a best before date of November 2010). Once exposed, all that remains is to get hold of a good sharp knife and to have at it.
Contrary to my first impressions, this was not like the enormous dark chocolate heart I reviewed this Spring. No fragments of chocolate everywhere – this sliced like butter. Of course there’s a little resistance from the long strips of candied peel, but in the main it slices easily and neatly, making it very acceptable to offer up on a plate with some afternoon tea.
Flavour wise there’s a good balance of chocolate richness and fruity sharpness. The choice of peel, cranberries and cherries means there’s always a little citrus tang just around the corner to take the edge of the rich, dark gianduja. Were it not for the fruit, this could easily have been too much to take in any quantity, but the fact that the chocolate melts away and leaves tangy, zingy pieces of mouth-cleansing fruit makes this rather moreish.
Update: This competition is now closed.
With Christmas approaching rapidly, we thought you might like the chance to win some more amazing chocolate, so we’ve got together with our friends at The Chocolate Café to bring you this very special prize! A luxury chocolate & champagne hamper!
This competition is for our Twitter followers, but if you’re not on Twitter already, it only takes a minute to sign up.
To enter, just follow Chocablog and The Chocolate Café (so we can let you know if you win!), then retweet a link to this page.
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Update: This competition is now closed.
This competition is open to UK residents over the age of 18 only, as it contains alcohol, One entry per person.
The competition will close on Wednesday 1st December 2010, and a winner will be picked at random and notified by direct message on Twitter.
Booja-Booja sent this little box after company founder Colin Mace found Simon’s review of their Flambéd Banana Truffles and got in touch to say how much he liked our little blog. Never one to miss an opportunity, I managed to persuade him to send me something to review myself!
The actual box is tiny – less than two inches across, but open it up, and the chocolates literally fill up the box. There’s no wasteful packaging here!
But these aren’t just any truffles. They’re raw truffles, with no added sugar. They’re organic, vegan and wheat, dairy, gluten, soya and cholesterol free. Oh yeah, and the chocolate is 100% cocoa solids. So what is in them?
Ingredients:
Chocolate (100% cocoa solids, raw), Agave (raw), Coconut Oil (cold pressed, raw), Raspberries (freeze dried), cocoa powder.
How do they taste? Well personally, I love them, but they’re not subtle.
Bite into one, and first you get the bitterness of the cocoa powder, quickly followed by a subtle coconut flavour, then an intense, tangy raspberry hits you, before fading back to leave the lingering flavour of dark chocolate and coconut.
Like the banana truffles that Simon tried, these are quite dense – thicker than you’d get with a cream ganache, but they’re smooth and melt away quickly.
If you’re on a restrictive diet, then these could be ideal for you. But don’t be fooled into thinking these are just for health food fanatics and people with special dietary needs. They’re delicious, luxurious truffles, presented in a fun but understated manner. If you’re into tangy, fruity flavours than I highly recommend trying them!
I brought this bar along as a little treat while I work in the Middle East. It’s (currently) the last Zotter bar in my possession, and as we’ve come to expect the flavour combination is, shall we say, a little leftfield (although perhaps not that leftfield by Zotter standards).
Lemon and polenta isn’t a pairing I would have come up with, but I’m not Josef Zotter, and I don’t spend my time mashing unusual combinations of ingredients together to see what fits. As you ought to know by now, almost all of the ingredients are either organic, fairly traded, or both, and his bar comes coated in Zotter’s dark blend. The filling is a beige colour, and carries a subtle citrus aroma, while the dark chocolate adds the dark cocoa notes I’ve come to expect.
When I broke off a chunk and popped it into my mouth I was immediately hit by just how lemony this bar really is. A wave of bright citrus hits the palate, the result of Zotter using lemon oil, juice and zest.
Mouthwatering stuff, as you might well imagine! As the filling melts away the polenta grains are set free, adding a curious texture to the whole mouthfeel while the dark chocolate works with the lemon, toning down some of the brightness and adding depth to the overall taste.
I’d have to say that it’s quite unusual (who’d have thought that of a Zotter bar!). Once again it’s all about different textures – soft, rich chocolate, a light, moussy filing, and polenta and lemon zest for texture at the finish. There’s also a little salt, cane sugar brandy and almond in the mix – further evidence of the attention to detail and obvious refining of taste that all of Zotter’s products seem to go through.
Luckily everyone in the UK can enjoy these bars, either by purchasing from John Lewis or other stores or by ordering online. It’s been said before, but if you’re a fan of chocolate and have a penchant for the unusual, Josef Zotter is definitely your man.
