There’s only one thing better I like seeing than chocolates on special and in large quantities, like this:
…is when I see this, something entirely new from Lindt. In this case it is a gorgeous looking box of Pralinés Noirs with 70% cacao solids.
Inside are sixteen beautiful chocolates that remind me of Max Brenner’s creations which are hideously expensive to buy, whereas these little charmers are not. Even better, they are in four divine flavours – Orange Frutée, Noir Intense, Noisette (hazelnut praline) and Cacao Croquant (which means they’re studded with crunchy cocoa nibs if you’re a non-sophisticate like myself).
See, didn’t I say they were beautiful? Plus, they’ve even made allowances for their Philistine fans like myself and not only added an elegant gold letter to match the flavour, but also put the description on each side of the row. Nice work, Lindtsters.
As you regular readers know, we chocabloggers have waxed lyrical about Lindt’s 70% dark chocolate before and deservedly so because it is some of the world’s finest. Well try multiplying that by four when each one of these marvels are eaten.
Firstly, the Noir Intense. A fine dark circle covered in a thin but solid layer of 70% that breaks down to reveal a softer and more intense buttery filling inside, thus creating two unique textures from the same base.
The Orange Frutée also has a buttery dark filling inside and not the marmalade-y layer that is found in their Creation 70% blocks. The continuation of the dark interior complements the style of chocolate perfectly – after the orange dissolves, there lingers an almost coffee-like kick to the dark 70% which just makes me want more of it.
So, on to the third flavour – Eclats de Noisettes, with very creamy, effortlessly melty and fine hazelnut praline which I really enjoyed immensely, which is rather unusual for a non-hazelnut fan like myself. Perhaps being expertly enrobed in a solid dark 70% outer layer was the deciding factor?
Lastly but not leastly, the Cacao Croquant – my newest and utter favourite. Who knew that tiny, slightly crunchy cocoa nibs could add a bit of fun and extra flavour? I hope that Lindt release these nibs into larger portions, such as their 150g Classic block range. More is more, I say!
Earlier this year I was chatting to a chef about chocolate (as you do) and he mentioned William Curley’s name, saying that he had a bit of a reputation as a chocolatier. Jump forward in time a few months and I find myself being sent to Shepherd’s Market in London to buy lightbulbs of all things. As I strolled back through the quaint (and very upmarket) shops, I walked right into William Curley’s Mayfair store.
Hurrah!
The lightbulb mission completed, I decided ten minutes or so spent buying a few special treats wouldn’t go amiss, and this is one of them. (It’s also the reason for my cryptic comment on Kath’s Sesame Chocolate review last month.)
Now William Curley’s principal occupation is as a patissier. Alongside his wife (who is also a patissier) he makes some pretty good looking cakes and pastries (as you may expect of a Michelin pastry chef!) and this year is the third year he has won Chocolatier of the Year at the Academy of Chocolate awards, so this is pretty serious stuff!
This Toasted Sesame Chocolate is just that – thin shards of 66% cocoa dark chocolate with toasted white and black sesame seeds; simple in both presentation and content and yet also slightly unusual. (I for one hadn’t come across any sesame chocolate before). It has also won Gold awards, and it’s easy to see (or rather, taste)why.
The chocolate used is wonderfully deep and dark in both appearance and flavour, with citrussy highs and tobacco and wood low notes, and when you start to crack open the sesame seeds the additional flavour adds a nutty kick to the whole taste experience. The chocolate is smooth, with a great mouthfeel and a clean, bittersweet finish. The addition of toasted sesame seeds may or may not be an Oriental influence (Mrs. Curley is Japanese, and some of their other chocolate and pastry creations use wasabe and sake) but it’s certainly an inspired one.
This chocolate is remarkably moreish, just like the Cote D’Or bar Kath reviewed and being über-posh Mayfair/Richmond chocolate it isn’t cheap, so beware – you may find yourself chomping your way through a tenner’s worth of chocolate without even realising it! Having said that, if you want to impress someone with a really special treat, you could do a lot worse than William Curley chocolate.
You can buy online from williamcurley.co.uk or at one of his shops in either Mayfair or Richmond, or at John Lewis. Definitely one for the serious chocolate lover.
Lindt is a regular feature here on Chocablog, but I’d never clapped eyes on such a large box of them before – 400g and just in time for Christmas. Surely this was the ideal time to shout myself a silver box and scoff the lot?
Not according to my daughter who spotted them lying next to my laptop – in fact the box is larger than my laptop – and insisted that I share. Rats!
Inside, Lindt have inserted eight popular fillings including white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, 60% chocolate (in the black wrapper), hazelnut (milk), raspberry (dark), coffee (dark) and orange (milk). All have been tried many times before by this writer and all are superb. Most afternoon tea and coffee drinkers, dinner party guests or fed-up Silly Season Bah Humbuggers are going to find something they like in here and at $26 per box it is both affordable and a better alternative to a dodgy Christmas compilation CD in my opinion.
However there are some rogue Lindt Lindor balls out there in the wild who seem to only appear intermittently that didn’t make it into this mammoth, magnificent box – deliciously devious flavours such as peanut butter, peppermint, cinnamon and stracciatella (white chocolate and cookie crumbs) to name only the few I’m aware of.
Will Lindt ever put out a box or specialty gift selection that includes all Lindor flavours? And if not, why not?
Back in January, Dom reviewed Amano’s Madagascar and Ocumare bars. They’ve just introduced this limited edition bar from southwestern Bali, so they sent me a couple to sample. Under the shiny sleek box and gold wrapper, the chocolate is a dark brown (70% here) with an almost purple twang to it. The fifteen perfectly-sized pieces break off with a particularly beautiful sound. The dark smell has a bit of bitter to it.
This chocolate is very different from others I’ve had. It’s cool and silver, with a slight gray kind of bitterness. The nutty taste soon comes in with dusty, earthy tones. Then it gets warmer, feeling incredibly soft as it slowly dissolves. It ends with a hint of a red taste. This is one of the very clean chocolates, leaving only its memory and lingering flavors instead of thick layering.
It’s described as “rich and gentle at the same time, without any harshness or astringency.” I think that gets right to what this chocolate is about. You can enjoy its flavor by simply letting it melt in your mouth, but not having to get all detailed in tasting. It reaches its hand out to you instead of making you climb up to its height.
