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B.T. McElrath ~ Salty Dog Chocolate Bar

 

 

B.T. McElrath, Minneapolis, MN.

I used to sell B.T. McElrath products while working for Formaggio Kitchen a few years ago. I haven't seen their products in a while so it was nice stumbling upon them at Beacon Hill Chocolates. The Salty Dog sounded like just right thing too. Butter Toffee pieces in dark chocolate with with salt. God bless sweet and salty products. 

This is a really cute about page they have set up on their website.

 

A beautiful innocent 19 year-old server caught the eye of the chef de cuisine at a country inn on the Mississippi River. So he tossed a few peas and carrots at her. Stunned, she retaliated with ice cubes. Duly impressed by her quick response and sure aim, the chef married her. And together, they started a thriving artisanal chocolate company in 1996.

Meet Christine: Wife, Partner, Visual Designer, and Chief Taster.
“Brian opened my eyes to the world of cuisine, and fine chocolates. He’s a true artist in every sense of the word. From the freshest whole ingredients, he blends and balances flavors and colors with natural finesse.”

Meet Brian: Meticulous Artisan Chocolatier, Visionary, (still impishly young and doesn’t care about age; a Libra through and through, balance is his watchword in taste and in Life). A graduate of the California Culinary Academy, Brian worked fastidiously as a chef for 18 years at nationally recognized restaurants, bistros, hotels and clubs in the Midwest including the Nicollet Island Inn and Interlachen Country Club.

Read more about them here. 

 

At first when looking up their products, there wasn't much listed on the product pages about the chocolate being use. But luckily they have a pretty good FAQ page. 

 

Are B.T. McElrath Chocolatier products organic?

Cacao trees, grown only in the tropical rainforests, are part of a wide variety of plants, animals, and insects which provide a complex, natural pest-management system. On family farms, pesticides are expensive to buy and difficult to apply to cacao trees, making most cacao farms inherently organic.

While organic certification verifies farming practices, it does not ensure the quality of the cacao and/or the fermentation of the beans, two factors that fundamentally affect the flavor of chocolate. We are ensured of the quality of our chocolate ingredients through the well established relationships with our trusted suppliers, which go back for generations.

What kind of chocolate do you use?

Our chocolate products are sourced from premier chocolate makers in the U.S., Europe, and South America.

Our proprietary 70% dark chocolate blend is made exclusively for B.T. McElrath Chocolatier by Guittard Chocolate Company of Burlingame, California, under their E. Guittard family of products. We find this relationship forwards our mutual commitment to innovation, tradition, and a sustainable global community.

Our proprietary 40% milk chocolate blend is created in our kitchens with chocolate sourced from Wilbur Chocolate Company of Lititz, PA, one of America’s oldest manufacturers of fine chocolate, as well as several European manufacturers.

What is your policy regarding socially responsible sourcing?

Our commitment to quality extends to supporting global efforts towards sustainability and partnering with suppliers who are pioneers of socially responsible business practices which match those of B.T. McElrath Chocolatier.

Our chocolate suppliers are members of the World Chocolate Foundation (WCF), Cocoa Livelihoods Program (CLP), UTZ certified, Rainforest Alliance, and are licensed by Fairtrade Labeling Organization.

Our suppliers are actively involved at origin and purchase through agents selected by the farmers and in some cases bought through direct relationships with the farmers. A premium price well over market value is paid. These are long standing relationships and we are proud to be a part of that global supply chain.

 

 

Salty Dog Chocolate Bar

 

Type: Bittersweet, 70% filled.

Varietal: Unknown

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin), toffee (pure cane sugar, butter, soy lecithin, bicarbonate of soda, salt, natural flavor), sea salt.

Sample Size: 3oz or 85g. 

 

Big chocolate-y aroma of almonds, butter, smoke, berries, tobacco and hints of nuts. Nice deep dark brown chocolate color, shiny surface on a simple molded tablet with fat tabs. Simple monogrammed molding with some minor scratches on the surface. 

Salty and rich dark chocolate. Smoky flavors on the chocolate with a little bit of char, pen ink, and berries, that comes through even with the salt. Virtually no toffee to speak of, however. Pretty disappointed with that since that sweet and salty combo was what I was really looking for. Small, skimpy specks of it scattered throughout the bar.

I was hoping for that crunch factor with the toffee, but it came from the waxy chocolate. While it was smooth chocolate once it sat on the tongue and began to open, it was way too hard to bite into. The molding has everything to do with that leaving overly large and fat tabs. The salt lent for some nice crunch for a second until it dissolves on the tongue. 

Despite the disappointing lack of toffee bits, the chocolates flavor and aroma was good and strong. Lot's of good flavor characters in it and a good balance with the salt. The only issue here is lack of toffee and a hard texture. 

This could have been so much more had the Toffee been actually present. The chocolate was good and rich, and the salt was a good balance. I really need chocolate makers to start putting put products that are what they say they are on the packaging. If it's toffee, then there needs to be significant toffee in it. This is my main issue with Vosges skimping people on the bacon in their bacon products. You don't put it in there, or you go really skimpy on it, then you get a low score for misrepresentation.

I've never had this problem before with B.T. McElrath. I don't know what's changed. Hopefully this was just a fluke. It's been known to happen. But for now, C-. 

 

  score
 C-

 

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Denver

 

I ran into one of these Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores on my way out of Denver last week. I didn't have much time to linger so I made some quick decisions and ran out. It's a good thing I did too, because they were making caramel apples in so many different flavors and toppings on the caramel. I could have ran out with some popcorn too. And who knows where it would have ended if I went through all the fudge. 

RMCF is a franchised chocolate shop set up in various locations around the country and in Canada. The original shop and factory is in Durango, Colorado. This isn't a place for chocolate purists and snobs. Though I do think the Durango shop is probably worth a visit. You will need something like this after all the craft beer to be had in Durango. No, this is just a place for some creature comforts of old fashioned staples. There isn't anything extraordinary about the downtown Denver location, but it serves a purpose in a pinch. If nothing else, those caramel apples are worth it. 

Here are a few of the goodies I picked up. 

 

Haystacks

Milk and Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzels

 

Large Peanut Butter Cup

 

Almond, Macadamia nut, plain English Toffee

 

Chocolat Moderne ~ Red Fruits

 

 

I won! I won! I won! I won this bar of chocolate through twitter. I just started my new Chocolate Advocate twitter page and these fine folks, Chocolat Moderne began following me. They run a weekly contest about art. Guess the answer correctly from a series of tweets they send out as clues and you just might win. Granted when I won, it took me about 20 guesses. I am a total dunce about anything related to art. But needless to say their patience made it fun to guess and the very next day they sent me this fun bar of chocolate.

Chocolat Moderne is located in New York with Joan Coukos at the helm. Her biography:

Joan Coukos, Chocolatier & CEO of CHOCOLAT MODERNE, is a Native New Yorker. She graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a degree in French and Russian, and received an MBA from UNC Chapel Hill before entering the New York banking scene. Her extensive career included six years in Moscow during the rough and tumble days of Russia’s transition to a market economy, after which she returned to New York and Wall Street in 1999.

Open to new inspiration and challenge, in December 2000, on a trip to Brussels, she fell under the spell of old world, hand made chocolates and began creating recipes back in her tiny Manhattan kitchen. Her co-workers became the first enthusiastic guinea pigs, and upon receiving repeated accolades, she began taking formal steps to becoming a chocolatier.

Since that memorable day on the Place du Grand Sablon, she has studied chocolate and confectionery arts with a coterie of world-class French, Belgian, American and Swiss chocolatiers in NY and at The World Pastry Forum in Las Vegas. She is also a member of the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance. Now, after five years of honing her craft, Joan is creating sumptuous assortments of luxury gift boxed chocolates in her own chocolate laboratory on West 20th Street.

 

Chocolat Moderne has a lot going on with the products they sell. From Salt Caramels, to truffles, and hot chocolates. But more importantly they have Bistro Bars. Bars with fillings such as Banane Flambe which is caramel with bananas and cognac.

They are a courverture shop using Valrhona blends as their base for their chocolate creations.

 

 

So what exactly have I won? It's called Red Fruits. It's one of their chocolate and toffee bars. Butter toffee infused with cherry, raspberry, and strawberry and crumbled into dark chocolate, 65%. I am totally ready for this.

Ingredients: Dark chocolate (cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural vanilla), butter, cane sugar, salt, cherry, raspberry, strawberry.

 

Click images to enlarge.

 

One thing to note about this bar, it was sweating a little bit when I opened it. My apartment is a very dry place so it was interesting to see the bar sweating. Because of this, it had a messy appearance. However, it smelled wonderful. Like flowers, fruits, and butter. That's a winning combination for sure.

Very soft bar. No snap sound whatsoever. A little acidic and sharp at first taste, a combination of the chocolate and the fruits. Nice consistency throughout the bar of soft flavorful chocolate and crispy yet chewy toffee bits. Extremely tasty and not dominated by the fruit like the title suggests.

Really nice bar. Fun, flavorful, and a mixture of textures. Very enjoyable.

I will look forward to trying their Bistro Bars and their Hot Chocolate collection soon. Their hot chocolates are called Cocoa Casbah and they have some really interesting flavors. I hope they expand on it and make more combinations.

Vosges Caramel Toffee Chocolate Chunk Brownies

 

 

Yep, you read that title right. Caramel Toffee Chocolate Chunk Brownies. Word is bomb! I picked these up while visiting Chicago over Christmas. They have a very cute boutique shop inside the loop in downtown Chicago.

Now, I have made gripes about Vosges before when it comes to their prices. They are very expensive for artisan chocolate and truffles. This brownie mix from them wasn't any exception at $18 a box. However, this is an exception to the rule where I say damn the costs. These brownies were so damn good! I will be ordering Three more boxes of it. Two for friends and one more for me.

I liked that even though this is a premixed brownie set up, it's more involved than just whisking in an egg or two. You have to get into this recipe a little bit. Makes you feel like you are still a baker and not a Duncan Hines cheater.

 

Recipe:

Yields 16 Brownies

1. 8" square baking pan
2. Aluminum foil
3. Brownie Mix (enclosed)
4. Brownie Mix bag 2 (Chocolate chips enclosed)
5. Toffee bag (enclosed)- Be sure to keep this bag away from the head of your oven.
6. Sugar bad (enclosed)
7. 3 large eggs
8. 1 1/2 sticks (6oz) unsalted butter, plus 1tbsp to grease the pan
9. 2tsp pure vanilla extract (I like Neilsen Massey

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and place an oven rack in the lowest position. Line an 8" square baking pan with two pieces of foil, crisscrossed to enable you to lift the brownies out with ease after they have baked. Butter the pan and set aside until needed.

 

 

In a wide bottomed saute pan over low heat, melt 1 1/2 sticks butter. Add the contents of the sugar bag and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl, set aside and cool for 10 minutes. The mixture should be cool or slightly warm to the touch before adding the eggs.

 

 

Add the 3 eggs one at a time, stirring well with each addition to combine thoroughly. Add 2 tsp vanilla and the contents of both brownie mix bags (flour mixture and the chocolate chips), stirring until just combined. Do not over-mix. Pour the batter into the preparred pan and place in the center of the lowest oven rack.

** That last picture is all about licking the spoon! It should be written into every recipe that once you get the mix in the baking dish, rock the shit of the remaining batter in your mixing bowl and on your spoon.

 

Bake for 20 minutes then remove from the oven and sprinkle the broken toffee pieces on top. The mixture will be quite wet still at this phase. Bake for an additional 25 minutes. You will see the caramel toffee pieces liquefy and coat the top of the brownies. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the brownies. The toothpick should come out somewhat dry (but not wet) with a few gooey crumbs attached. Place pan on a rack to cool. Hold off on cutting into these decadent brownies until they are almost cooled, about 40 minutes. This will ensure that all the moisture stays in the brownie. Store up to 2 days in a tightly sealed container.

 

Click to enlarge pictures.

 

 

These brownies were incredible. Super gooey and rich without being underdone. Warm and fabulous. Even the next day when they cooled completely, the toffee bits solidified again and gave a lovely buttery crunch. Also, the chocolate chips which are 62% dark chocolate, solidified as well giving it a nice crunchy texture as well. When they are warm, it's like swimming in chocolate caramel. When they are cool it's like swimming in chocolate with a much better texture balance.

These were better than sex!! Yeah, I said it.

 

Vosges ~ Bacon Caramel Toffee

Vosges Bacon and Caramel Toffee

What on earth could exist in a finer combination than chocolate, caramel toffee, and bacon? Nothing! The answer is nothing.

Vosges has a collection of chocolate and bacon goodies. I took the plunge and ordered their Bacon & Eggs, Bacon Caramel Toffee, and a few of the Mo's Bacon Chocolate bars. Oh and lest I forget, their Mo's Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix.

Word is Bomb!

"I began experimenting with bacon + chocolate at the tender age of 6, while eating chocolate chip pancakes drenched in Aunt Jemima® syrup, as children often do. Beside my chocolate-laden cakes laid three strips of sizzlin' bacon, just barely touching a sweet pool of maple syrup. And then, the magic—just a bite of the bacon was too salty and I yearned for the sweet kiss of chocolate and syrup, so I combined the two. In retrospect, perhaps this was a turning point; for on that plate something magical happened, the beginnings of a combination so ethereal and delicious that it would haunt my thoughts until I found the medium to express it–chocolate.

From there, it was just a matter of time…and what began as a love of salt and sweet quickly unraveled into an obsession. No sooner could I wait to unveil the royal coupling in solid bar form, a deep milk chocolate with bits and pieces of applewood smoked bacon and just a sprinkling of Alder salt. Really, what doesn't taste better with bacon?"
–Katrina

Now I have to admit, I wasn't so easy on the Bacon & Eggs review. I had a taste in mind when I ordered these, and I didn't feel like they hit the mark for me personally. They were kind of small, kind of expensive, and overly sweet. I felt like salt was missing from the equation. It needed to be a salt caramel in the center and larger bacon bits. I also felt like they should have been in milk chocolate, not dark.

But then I tasted these bad boys and all was right with the universe again. This is what it's all about. Sweet and salty caramel toffee covered in chocolate with bits of bacon throughout the square, and yes they are covered in milk chocolate. The exact right balance I was looking for.

There is only one problem with these though. They taste so fucking good (excuse my language), and there isn't nearly enough in the package they come in. This is like drug dealer stuff. "Let's get them hooked on our special crack in the form of Bacon Caramel Toffee, and they will be begging for more! Muhahahahah!"

Damn you Vosges! DAMN YOU!!!

They did come in a silver package and were not just nestled in the box. Once again I do find this product kind of pricey for the amount you get, about $12 for four ounces or five chocolate covered squares. But based on the way these taste, I would say it's totally worth it. Vosges are crack dealers. You need to know what you are getting into with them. You will be hooked.

Ingredients: Toffee (58.6%) (sugar and butter), Milk Chocolate (42%) (sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa mass, soy lecithin, vanilla), Uncured Bacon (10%) (pork, sea salt, raw sugar, white pepper, dry juniper berries, celery juice, lactic acid-starter culutre) salt, corn syrup, water, flavoring: natural hickory smoke.

The bacon revolution continues.