My sister-in-law recently made a quick trip to Ireland (as you do), and clearly knows me too well. The chocolate ginger reputation is well and truly preceding me.
In her travels she discovered Butlers of Dublin who claim to be “Purveyors of Happiness”. As you can see from the photo, she had to write that on the pack so I would not forget.
In my check of the web site, I found the cost of these is kind of frightful – about €3.50 each for 100 grams! You’d hope for that money it’s worthwhile, and doubly so having survived the trip back to the land down under.
My criteria for a good chocolate ginger, as I’ve written before, is root ginger, crystallised, big pieces… lots of it. The ginger needs to give you a smack around the head. The chocolate needs to be dark, rich, and there needs to be lots of it. Blocks and bars are all very well, but big lumpy chunky pieces are even better.
So, we have here a block, not pieces. That, in my highly subjective and biased opinion automatically takes a few points off. I really like the huge great pieces, like the Ballantynes. I was guessing this would be part way between that, and something like a Lindt block, which seems to be flavoured with some kind of essence of ginger – but without the lumpy bits it just doesn’t do much for me.
Well, I’m pleased to report that this has to rate as one of the best chocolate gingers, ever. On the highly biased scale – another 8 out of 10. Which is high praise indeed for a block.
The chocolate was not in the least bitter like some dark chocolates can get, and is surprisingly rich and creamy. It melts very slowly, and there really are pieces of ginger in there with a delightful zing as you find them and bite them. The pieces are very small – mere grains – but its enough.
This is so good that the Lady of the House is cooking dinner, and I’ve just scoffed down three rather large pieces. I’ll be in trouble now for ruining my appetite. But it was worth it!
According to the press release that came with these, today – January 18th – is the most depressing day of the year. And that, apparently, is why Thorntons are giving away a million of them to people like you. Yes, you! All you need to do is pop along to a Thorntons store today and beg – assuming they haven’t run out by the time you read this. That would be depressing.
Whether free chocolate will help cure your depression or simply serve as a reminder of the futility of life and push you further toward your inevitable suicide remains to be seen. But that probably has more to do with you than the chocolate.
So what are melts?
Well as you can see from the photos, they’re little balls of milk chocolate, and as you can probably tell from the name, that chocolate conceals a hazelnut praline centre. They’re very reminiscent of Lindt Lindor truffles.
They taste pretty good too.
The milk chocolate is a pleasing 35% cocoa solids, and although there’s no mention of where the beans came from, it’s smooth, creamy and chocolatey with just the right level of sweetness. The chocolate is nice and thick and melts away slowly to a soft, smooth praline filling. Although I’m not a particular fan of praline, I did enjoy this. As the name suggests, it’s soft enough to melt in the mouth, but it’s also quite tasty with a pleasant level nuttiness and a hint of butteriness.
Overall, Melts are very nice, but they don’t quite match the quality of a Lindor ball. Thorntons are launching these at an introductory price of £2.99 for a 200g pouch, which I think is reasonable value. Share them around the office and I don’t think you’ll get too many complaints from your suicidal workmates.
Stockings I’ve always thought add to the fanciful, fun feel of Christmas. Sure, tearing and hacking away at wrapping paper has its charms, but a stocking filled with candy and a trinket or so — that’s festive. Hence, when my brother and I went up to our parents’ this year, I went with candies and chocolates in tow. What does it matter that we would now be four adults? Edible holiday traditions are not to be disposed of so easily.
In my carefully chosen selection were these limited edition Lindor truffles, dark chocolate and peppermint donning dark green for the season. The twenty-one separately wrapped truffles were perfect for slipping into stockings. I must not have noticed on other Lindor packages before, however, that Lindt uses artificial vanilla (which really annoys me for some reason), as well as vegetable oil. Is that really necessary?
All the same, these Dark Peppermints are all one expects from Lindor truffles. Some cross between chocolates and truffles, the thick chocolate shell is home to the Lindor filling, creamy as butter, cool, melting almost like the way foam dissipates. Smoothness is one thing Lindt does so well.
The peppermint has an even taste, its coolness combining well with the coolness of the filling. It makes its presence known without being at all strong. Just adds some flavor to perk up the chocolate. That chocolate, I would probably call it boring on its own. At 60%, though nice enough, it tastes of plain chocolate and nothing more.
They’re not the sort of chocolates that wow you, but they do fit into the holidays nicely. I certainly didn’t see any of my family complaining about them.
Bernard Callebaut is one of the best known chocolatiers in Canada. Based in Calgary, he’s been working out in Alberta since the early ‘80s and has built up an impressive reputation for himself over the years. The name might look a little familiar because he is related to the legendary Callebaut chocolate dynasty from Belgium, or it just might be due to the fact that people love his chocolates – his reputation does precede him.
A combination of geography and finances has stopped me from personally trying his wares, but thankfully the Festive Season is the perfect time the gift of chocolate. So I was presented with one of their copper foil Ballotin Boxes filled with supposedly the best of what Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut have to offer. Or at least what the person working in the shop thought was their best chocolates.
And here’s what I think, layer by layer.
Top Layer
Java Milk Chocolate – even without anything else added, the creamy milk chocolate has vanilla undertones that slowly emerge.
Bernard – two dark chocolate coins with a very rich buttercream sandwiched between them. The crispness of the chocolate is the perfect accompaniment to that vanilla cream inside, and just a hint of egg liqueur lingering at the end. Great stuff.
Leopold – rum and milk chocolate ganache sounds like a winning combination, but it really doesn’t manage to escape the dark chocolate shell. It isn’t until everything is long gone that the alcohol finally emerges and by then it is too late in my book.
Coconut – exactly what it says on the box; lots of coconut and not much else.
Amaretto – another of their flavoured crème frâiche creations. Not quite as good as the strawberry one, but the flavour is amply indicated by the chocolate almond on top.
Strawberry – an incredible amount of strawberry flavour jammed into a tiny little milk chocolate heart. The strawberryness of the crème frâiche just bursts out in a genuinely surprising way. Very, very good.
Crème Praline – more crème frâiche, but this one does disappoint. Not enough hazelnut; not even close.
Middle Layer
Carré Cognac – Bernard really appears to hold back on the alcohol and the cognac here isn’t too obvious until all the chocolate and ganache have gone. I’m really not sure if I like his subtle approach or not.
Gilberte – this one really has it all. Lovely crunchy almond nougat combined with a bitter buttercream filling and a splash of rum makes this a real winner.
Rice Crisp – the milk chocolate and hazelnut paste works well enough flavour-wise, but the addition of the crisped rice really pushes this one over the top thanks to that additional texture.
Cinnamon Ginger – this is all cinnamon at the beginning and when that fades, the tingly ginger sensation jumps into action. Better still, there are little bits of ginger to chew on at the end, like a gift that keeps on giving. Definitely one of their best.
Square – the white chocolate ganache comes as a bit of a surprise and counterbalances the dark shell. Again, the egg liqueur comes as an afterthought but not unpleasantly so.
Honey – just too cloyingly sweet with both the honey and milk chocolate ganache.
Bottom Layer
Pecamel – more caramel, but a thicker, chewier variety with a teeny bit of pecan sitting on top like a more sophisticated versions of Turtles. The amount of caramel is a bit on the skimpy side though.
Leaf – the layer of blackcurrent and the layer of milk chocolate ganache seem to be at cross-purposes here and don’t work that well together. Considering my love for fruity chocolate, I should like this a lot more than I actually do.
Mochaccino – I’m thinking that all the coffee flavour here came from the coffee bean on top of the chocolate because my second bite was more hazelnut paste than anything else. Meh.
Hazelnut – more of the hazelnut paste, this time in a chocolate trough with a hazelnut on top. The Rice Crisp version was better thanks to the added crunch.
Karamel – a nice runny caramel flavoured with Maraschino making it a little too sweet for my tastes; I’m more of a salty person.
Marsior – I’m one of those people who like marzipan anyway, but the candied orange peel in here might even win over the sceptics because they take turns being dominant instead of the usual single dimension. Marzipan fans will love this.
So was it the best that Canada has to offer? Well, the highs, such as the Strawberry, Gilberte and Cinnamon Ginger, were very, very good and while there were no real lows, there were also quite a few that were just pleasant and nothing more. It was still a very good collection, a lovely gift and an entertaining way to spend a couple of afternoons. And there are still plenty more Bernard Callebaut creations to try before passing final judgement – maybe next Christmas.
