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Fleur De Sel Caramel Brownies

 

 

 

Chewy caramel mou salt caramel brownies using French fleur de sel butter "Paris Caramels" and TCHO Baking Drops. Yes, these were every bit as delicious as they sound.

 

I have had these caramels sitting in my pantry ready to be eaten, but I didn't want to eat them selfishly all by myself. I wanted to bake with them. I thought about melting them down for a salt caramel glaze on cinnamon rolls, or cup cake filling. I had a lot of options until I started thinking about Paul A. Young's salt caramel brownie. I have never had it before, but it just sounded AH-Mazing.

I followed the Brown Eyed Baker's recipe for Salted Caramel Brownies, but I tweaked my own caramel sauce. I also didn't mess around with the chocolate. I just used TCHO baking chips which had a big nutty flavor despite their description of intense chocolate flavors and fruity flavors.

 

 

Salted Caramel Brownies

Yield: 16 brownies

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 35 to 40 minutes

5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 eggs
1¼ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salted Caramel Sauce (click Brown Eyed Baker link above for their Caramel recipe)
Fine sea salt

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with overlapping pieces of foil and spray the foil.

2. In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt the chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. (Or, melt in the microwave on 50% power for 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.) Whisk in the cocoa until smooth. Set aside to cool.

 

3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture; then stir in the flour until just combined. Pour about half of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan and spread into the corners. Spoon 9 dollops of Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. Top with the remaining brownie mixture, spread into the corners and level the surface with a spatula. Again, spoon 9 dollops of the Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. With a dull butter knife, gently run it through the batter to swirl the batter just a bit (don’t do it too much or it will all mix together). Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top.

 

 

4. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

(Brownie recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated)

 

 

For my caramel, I melted down 36 caramels or 2 packs of 18 piece Paris Caramels with some heavy cream, about 3 tbls worth. Melted over a double boiler until blended and smooth. Then I followed the directions above for puting the caramel in between the batter and on top.

I also had some extra baking drops that dropped on top of the caramel in the center of the brownie mix. I put the chocolate drops on top of the brownie mix on the top layer and covered with caramel.

The caramel is perfectly fine to bake and won't become overly hard once cooled. It leaves a chewy caramel mou and not a soft and super runny caramel. It leaves much more stable brownies. Monitor your baking time. I found I needed longer than the recipe called for by about 15 minutes or so.

 

Blurry but fun up close of the caramel. Why oh why do I always use my iphone and not my $700 Nikon? The pictures may not have done these brownies much justice, but trust me when I say, they were incredible.

 

April 5th is National Caramel Day!

 

 

To celebrate this food holiday I have the perfect thing. William Curley's Almond and Orange Caramel Mou and Sea Salt Caramel bar.

When Angelo Scarnera, my London chocolate hook up, came back to the States, he asked me what I wanted and I specifically asked for the William Curley's Sea Salt Caramel Bar. I only had one of these bars before, but I knew I needed more. And this time Angelo came with a different Caramel Mou from Curley that I haven't had had before either. Mou is just the proper name for chewy caramel.

 

This is not something you should cut into pieces. I only did that to illustrate the awesomeness of the soft, runny caramel in this bar. No too runny where it's all over the place, but just right. Soft, buttery, and just about heavenly. Using Amedei Chocolate as the base for this piece of wonderfullness. I am not sure, but I think it's probably the 70% Toscano.

Deeply intense chocolate, rich and bold with lingering coffee notes. Caramel so soft and creamy like sweet butter. And just like the package describes, a hint of sea salt. Not actually salty or blended with coarse sea salt. The chocolate also has some bright berry notes that come through and a tiny hint of acidity.

This thing is just awesome. I once described this as "eyes-rolling-in-the-back-of-your-head-good!" This is sinfully good and the kind of thing that takes you places. Kind of like those old Calgon Bath commercials. "Calgon, take me away!" I know that's corny, but if you were to try this thing, then you would know that makes perfect sense.

Lord have mercy this kind of confection deserves and A+.

   score
  A+

 

 

 

 

 

Slightly dusty surface as you can see my finger print in the chocolate from pulling it out of it's wrapper. Two "Fun-size" bars in the box individually wrapped. Very light orange aroma from cutting one piece in half. And of course rich smells of buttery caramel.

Soft, chewy, caramel, buttery and perfectly balanced with orange flavors. No artificial orange tastes, just lovely orange oils, soft and flowery. Very sweet and rich. Lightly crunchy slivered almonds for added texture depth.

This is how I want to enjoy caramel. Sometimes you get them too chewy, too hard, or too sugary. This is sweet, soft, and wonderful. Both caramel and orange in chocolate are not usually my favorite combinations of flavors with chocolate. But this was fantastic. The orange was beautifully balanced though out the caramel adding the right kind of flowery sweetness to the rich buttery caramel. The chocolate doesn't hold up as much. It's a rich pop of flavor right up front and then gets lost along the way. But chocolate isn't entirely the point with this confection. Elegant and gorgeous.

   score
  A+

 

I have been an admirer of William Curley for a long time now. There is a lot of skill in his work and possibly some of the best confections I have had period. I long for the day I am back in London and I can sit in one of his cafe's and taste all of the pastries they make too. What an awesome way to spend a national food holiday.

Chocolate Truffles And Other Noshes

 

 

Looking at my inventory of chocolate to be reviewed, I asked that if anyone had anything to bring me by way of chocolate that it not be be bars, but rather truffles or other chocolates to be eaten right away. I have a library of over 50 bars. All in due time for those reviews. For now it's nice to break up the reviews with fun things.

 

Angelo Scarnera brought me a nice little collection from London again. If you will remember, he is the person responsible for the British Chocolate Invasion. This time he came through with specific requests. One of those requests were more Milk Chocolate Bars with Welsh Sea Salt from Rococo. With it were two truffle bites.

 

Rococo has become a favorite of mine. That milk seas salt bar is ridiculously good. It snapped me out of this constant string of dark chocolate reviews and reminded me how good milk chocolate can be.

These truffle were lovely and rich raspberry truffle. Really clean finish. It opens up bright, bold and full of tangy raspberry. Follows through with some coffee notes of the rich chocolate but finishes clean. I am not sure of the cocoa percentage but it is a Valrhona single origin chocolate. I would be impressed with myself if I could identify the region, but the raspberry is the dominating factor. Tasty little treats.

 

Ahh Liddabits. Fun makers from Brooklyn, Ny. After having previously tried their pate de fruits and chocolate bar "The Snacker," which is sort of their version of a Snickers, I was given a bar of "Chocolate Doom." These are adult candy bars. Handmade, super rich, and super good.

"Chocolate Doom" is a chocolate sable cookie, milk chocolate ganache, white chocolate ganache, and dipped in chocolate. The cookie is a lot saltier than anticipated but is actually a nice break up to what would be an overly sweet candy bar. It ends up tasting like an Oreo cookie candy bar. Very rich. I could have done without the white chocolate, but that's just me being overly picky about white chocolate. The white chocolate gives off a weird artificial flavor. Again, this is just me being weird about white chocolate. I have never really liked white chocolate all that much except in obligatory things like white chocolate chunk macadamia nut cookies.

 

I liked this bar quite a bit. But I didn't think it was as good as "The Snacker." The peanuts in "The Snacker" end up being a more natural salty break up to the sweet handmade nougat in the bar. Still, anything called "Chocolate Doom" is worth having a go at.

 

 

Another William Curley truffle collection courtesy of Angelo. Can't ever be without a William Curley product within my reach. I've previously reviewed this truffle collection. I had a great time going through these truffles. They were very sophisticated. I had reviewed most of these but there were a few new ones in the box I hadn't tried before. The hand rolled collection.

The House Dark, Cassis and Hibiscus, House Milk, Framboise, Rothschild Champagne, and Yamazaki Malt Whiskey.

"Our fresh chocolates are made without additives or preservatives and have a shelf life of 14 days."

 

 







House Dark: Fairly intense truffle. Handrolled chocolate shell, with a deeply rich, creamy, and bittersweet ganache filling. Dusted in unsweetened cocoa powder.

"William Curley's Classic Truffles are made with a blend of Amedei's 9 and Toscano 70%. It has a fresh soft intense ganache, with a light coating of chocolate and cocoa. The House Dark has won Gold for Best Dark Truffle in 2006, 2007 and 2008."

Cassis and Hibiscus: Very tangy! The coating has a tangy cassis powder with a bump of rich and also tangy ganche right in the center, and finishes with a delicate hibiscus flowery finish. This isn't my favorite truffle, but I thought it was pretty cool. Certainly wakes your palate up.

I don't have the ingredient list for this one but I am pretty sure Amedei Toscano is one of the chocolates used.

House Milk: Much softer center and delicate flavors but still a fairly rich chocolate shell and unsweetened cocoa powder coating the truffle. This is still a very rich truffle it just has a creamier and milkier ganache filling. I liked this one much better than the house dark.

"The House Milk Truffle is another classic, rich and creamy made with a 32% Toscano chocolate. Enrobed in dark couverture and cocoa, this compliments the sweeter ganache creating a perfect balance. The House Milk has won Silver for Best Milk Truffle in 2007 and 2008."

Framboise: Tastes similar to the house dark with a delicate raspberry ganache filling. Mostly you find super tangy and overly flavored raspberry flavors. This is a lot softer and allows for more chocolate interaction.

"Fresh raspberry puree has been blended with Toscano 63% complimenting the acidity of the raspberry, coated with dark chocolate and cocoa. The Framboise has won Gold in 2008."

Rothschild Champagne: Very sweet with powdered sugar coating, and lightly flavored with champagne. You can taste classic champagne flavors but it's so subtle the sugars and chocolate over take it quickly. Still very nice though because of how sweet it is.

"Our Champagne truffles are made with Champagne Moutard which only uses the pinot noir grapes. It is an elegant and subtle light ganache dusted with icing sugar."

Yamazaki Malt Whiskey: Single malt whiskey from Japan. Very subtle. I am not sure what this whiskey is supposed to taste like though it's website mentions honey flavors. It doesn't taste like scotch or American whiskeys. I also don't know exactly what it's coated in but it's a clean tasting powder but a bit chalky.

It's interesting and soft. But perhaps if I knew the flavors better, I would understand what I was tasting. I could taste the Amedei flavors coming through but the the whiskey was so subtle I wish it were more bold.

 

Then Emily Shartin of Formaggio Kitchen, came through with some little noshes. She also brought the Liddabits candy bar. She likes the local Brooklyn food scene as much as do. She brought me a chocolate cluster, a small turtle, and two little truffles. I am not sure of the sources of these bits, but I will be sure to add an update to this post when I find out. Again, keeping with my theme of no more bars for the time being but bringing me small things I can eat and enjoy without deeper reviews.

 

Buttery pecan turtles with candied pecans. Soft chewy caramel with a slight bit of chocolate. This thing is all butter and it's all good. I am usually not a fan of turtles, but these are fantastic. I would love to cut these up in large chunks for the ultimate butter pecan ice cream.

 

The Cluster is chocolate covered nuts and corn flakes!! Simple yet so delicious. I should have saved it for breakfast. Pretty salty and barely sweet at all. This is something for someone who professes they don't have a sweet tooth. I think Jacques Torres had some of these clusters in his DUMBO store.

 

The polka dotted truffle turns out not to be a truffle at all but a chocolate shell filled with the softest, gooiest caramel. Nice little surprise. I almost ended up wearing it. But managed to recover it. The chocolate added some nice rich coffee notes. Sweet, sticky, and delicious. Nice little treat.

 

The dark purple lustered truffle was super rich and made with something from South America, possibly a Rio Caribe or something equally bold and deeply complex. Something coastal of Venezuela. At first I thought it was Madagascar cocoa with the strong wood characters, but it has to be something else based on the big tar, berries, and pen ink characters. I will be curious to see if I was in the right direction when Emily tells me what it is. Sweet caramel center but more of a creamed truffle texture instead of the runny and gooey caramel. The Center isn't the main attraction of this little nosh. It's the strength of the chocolate flavors carrying through to be the last thing you focus on as it lingers on the palate.

 

Update: Emily has advised me that these treats came from Elaine Hsieh in Somerville, Ma. Now I know where to buy in bulk, the Pecan Clusters. (Fresh pecans roasted in maple syrup and a touch of sea salt surrounded with soft Knob Creek Bourbon caramel and topped with E. Guittard’s 65% dark chocolate and a sprinkle of fleur de sel. Each box is 6.5 oz and contains approximately 12 pieces.) I want to large chop them and toss them into an ultra exquisite batch of butter pecan ice cream. It would be dope yo!

She also made those incredible Rochers. (A "haystack" of crunchy caramelized flakes, roasted and candied almonds, covered in dark and milk chocolate. Each box is 6 oz and contains approximately 8 pieces.)

The polka dotted caramel was a Bourbon Caramel. I feel way off the mark with that because I didn't notice the bourbon in it at all. It just means they are getting another day in court. (Bourbon Caramel - Bourbon Caramel - Buttery soft caramel with a touch of Knob Creek bourbon.)

 

Hot chocolate spoons seems to be all the rage in the UK. Large chocolate squares on stir spoons from Melt, and now these chocolate cups with spoons for easy stirring into a hot mug of steamed milk. Angelo, knowing that I wanted more drinking chocolate this time around, spotted this little gem at L'Artisan du Chocolat.

It's called First Crush. Dark chocolate with salted caramel spoon.

 

I scaled a cup of vanilla almond milk for this cup. Scalded vanilla almond milk smells like toasted marshmallows when coming off the stove. Stirring in the chocolate cup, it took a while to melt it all down but it made a nice rich brew. I licked the spoon at the end like advised on the package. It was really good rich dark chocolate and sugary just like the UK likes it.

I didn't get much of a salt caramel taste until the finish of one sip. The almond milk made it taste like I had stirred a peanut butter cup into hot milk. Very tasty. Super rich brew too.The almond milk is sweet already and flavored with vanilla so it added more sweetness to the drink as did the dark chocolate.

After not have a good introduction with L'Artisan du Chocolat's Jamaican bar, I was very impressed with this cup of hot chocolate. Nice and rich and sugary. I am kicking myself however, I should have had this in the morning and not after 5pm. I am going to be jacked for the rest of the night.

One thing I didn't like was the wooden spoon. I had to be very careful licking the rest of the chocolate off. I have a serious aversion to wooden spoons. It's cringe worthy and gag inducing for me like nails on a chalk board. Teeth scraping wooden spoons is a horrible thing and makes my teeth ache just thinking of it. I am not the only one with a reaction like this. My husband has it too. We both cannot deal with doctors office tongue depressors, flat wooden sticks for Italian icees, or Popsicle sticks. I freely admit that this is not their fault but my own weirdo aversions.

 

Just look at that thing. You can tell that sucker is rich and I am in for a long night of being awake. I didn't taste all of this in one day either. Okay, two days is still pretty gluttoness. But these are items with a very short shelf life. I HAD to do it, right?

Liddabit Sweets ~ The Snacker

 

Yeah, I mainly review chocolate bars or tablets, but that doesn't mean I am not interested in handmade candy bars!

Liddabit Sweets is the creation of Liz Gutman and Jen King. Specializing in handmade sweets such as pȃte de fruit, caramels, brittles, lollipops, and candy bars. With a commitment to using local and seasonal ingredients as much as possible, this makes them a step above the rest.

 

 

I like to call these adult candy bars. Unfortunately, when it comes to homemade and locally sourced, things can get a little pricey. $6.50 to $8.50 for a candy bar isn't exactly what you want to toss around in a 12 year olds Halloween basket. But for the adults, it's a small price to pay for handmade gem that doesn't contain a whole list of chemicals and ingredients you can't even pronounce.

They also offer cool varieties like the Pumpkin Pie bar, Pecan Pie bar, S'mores, Lime-in-the-coconut, and The King.

 

 

Right away these candy bars are extremely aromatic. Huge aromas of chocolate and peanuts. It smells like a Snickers bar but 100 times better.

Sweet and super soft texture. The nougat and caramel are very soft and not overly chewy. I would have liked a few more peanuts in my bar to add a bit more of a salty contrast or a bit more salt in the caramel, but this thing really hits the spot. And yes I am writing about this at 4 pm in the afternoon really needing a treat like this to make it through my day. Believe me, I am sold. Alas, the salty peanuts I was looking for were hiding at the ends of the bar. Defintiely makes it more worthy.

If you like Snickers but like to support your local or a small producer, then this is for you. It's a big candy bar, it's tasty, satifying, sweet, salty, and most importantly they nailed how to keep the caramel and nougat so soft.

Kudos Ladies!

William Curley Caramel Mou's

 

 

You might recall a while back when I posted about a package that William Curley sent to me from London. As part of that package came caramels. Lovely, divine, chocolate covered awesomeness.

 

 

 

These were different caramels to try, Caramel Mou. The first time I had a William Curley caramel, I nearly died trying the filled sea salt caramel bar. It was so unbelievably good. These new caramels recently added to their collection, are chewier and not like the former filled bars.

 

Assam Caramel Mou

 

Sweet, sugary caramel infused with very nice hints of floral Assam tea notes. Big tropical passion fruit flavors as well with the floral notes. Buttery richness comes along and finishes in the palate. This is delicate, and flavorful caramel. Very sweet and sugary, but not unwelcomed. Simply gorgeous.

 

 

 

Sea Salt Caramel Mou

 

 

Rich, buttery caramel, sweet and salty, more of a chocolate presence and linging taste of chocolate. Buttery flavors linger on the finish like the Assam Mou. This one is more balanced with the salt, but still fairly sugary. I love that the chocolate interaction is more noticable on this one. This caramel tasted much more classic.

 

 

It's funny how I never really cared that much for caramels before. Not that I didn't like them, but they usually aren't the first things I go for in a sweet shop. But I really love the differences in these two. I love the floral, tropical fruit notes and rich sweetness of the Assam Mou. I equally enjoyed the classic richness and buttery, salty balance of the Sea Salt Mou.

Thank You William Curley!

I haven't had much time to blog about chocolate recently. Work, beer dinners, charity auctions, a trip to Belgium, and next week a trip to Denver. I have been incredibly backlogged. But I haven't forgotten about a very special package sent to me by William Curley in London.

A while back, I wrote a rather harsh review of one of his chocolate bars. A friend of mine stormed London and brought back over 50 bars of chocolate for me. WC was definitely on the list. The Caramel Sea Salt bar from WC was fantastic. But one of the bars of chocolate was off. I stand by the review.

Mr. Curley had seen the review and offered to send a replacement. Sending things overseas is a big deal to me. Not only did he send a replacement bar, but two other caramel bars, caramelized hazelnuts, and a box of assorted truffles.

Way above and beyond customer service. These things really matter. Yes, if something is off most people do expect some sort of compensation. I am just not one of these people who demands it unless the service has been really bad or the person behind it is unworthy or rude. William Curley couldn't be more gracious. I am grateful for such a nice package.

 

This a serious assortment of truffles too. Interesting and unusual flavors not to mention WC uses famed Amedei chocolate for his coverture chocolate.

* Every truffle contains butter, cream, and invert sugar. May contain nuts, sesame seeds, wheat, alcohol, honey, and gold leaf.

Amedei Chuao 

Made with Chuao cacao (Criollo) from Amedei in Italy. 70% dark chocolate from the Chuao peninsula of Venezuela and topped with a small hint of gold flakes. Amedei is considered by me and many around the world to be one of the finest chocolate makers in the world WC uses their chocolate as couverture chocolate. Amedei Chuao is widely considered one of the best chocolates in the world and have won many awards for this chocolate. Chuao beans are also considered to be some of the worlds most rare and finest cacao. 

Soft, smooth texture, slightly tangy, rich, buttery, and creamy filling with hints of pepper and honey. (Some flavor profiles may be because of direct contact with other truffles in the box.)

Normally I find beer and chocolate a much more suitable match. I think this is a red wine truffle all the way. This truffle is complex and almost a little savory.

Raspberry & Toscano 

Half raspberry gelee filling topped with a layer of soft truffle filling made with Amedei Toscano (Criollo, Trinitario blend) 70% dark chocolate.

Soft, creamy and delicate chocolate filling on top of a sweet raspberry gelee square with the seeds in it. Natural flavors make this more sweet and fruity than tangy. Chocolate is sweeter and softer than the Amedei Chuao.

Very, very nice truffle.

Fresh Mint

Super soft center slightly sunken in shell top, light and delicate mint flavor, bright but not overwhelming, brief tangy sharpness up front to this truffle, smooth and creamy texture. Slightly milky after taste on the chocolate.

Once again, a very nice truffle. Subtle minty flavors and uncomplicated cocoa flavors. 

Caramel

Soft, gooey center, tangy. At first I thought this was the Heather and Thyme truffle. The caramel had honey like flavors and herb tastes that were similar to flavors found in beer. Naturally I thought it was the heather but the thyme flavors were virtually nil. And identified the thyme and heather truffle later on. It could be a small taste of the Assam caramel bar! I really hope it is, because it's quite delicious and would be amazing in a full bar.

Passion Fruit & Mango

This one was a big rough looking around the edges, but gorgeous in taste. A bit acidic and tart from the fruits, but softer passion fruit and mango flavors made for a lovely truffle and balanced the rich chocolate.

A nice little surprise with this one.

Apricot & Wasabi

 

Soft apricot gelee topped with a layer of soft ganache. Barely noticeable wasabi flavor. A bit disappointing with this one as I was expecting some heat. No heat and virtually no wasabi flavor. On the upside, it was still a delicious bite, with more focus on the cocoa flavors and stone fruit flavors.

Blackcurrent & Juniper Berry

Very nice truffle. Black current gelee topped with a juniper berry ganache. The flavors pop and are quite distinguishable, but do not linger and are not over powering. The rich chocolate is also not over powering. It's almost palate cleansing in a way as the rich flavors sort of cancel each other out. They make their presence known and then bow out to the other flavors.

Sea Salt Caramel

This is my favorite. As was the Sea Salt Caramel bar, this one is a small bit of that. Rich, super soft, buttery, and lightly salty caramel around a molded chocolate cover. The top design is covered with cocoa pods. This is the taste of Amedei that I love. Rich chocolate that takes it's time opening up so you are allowed to enjoy the caramel. Once you have been swept away by the rich caramel, the bold and savory cocoa flavors leave a lasting lingering finish.

Just fantastic!

Piedmont Hazelnut

This top shell design reminds me of beer rings or the logo of Camrbidge Brewing Co. I expected this to be a gianduja center but was delighted at the actual hazelnuts inside. Sweet and honey like flavors, a crispy hazelnut bottom, with a chocolate ganache top. Lovely and not heavy. Gianduja can sometimes be very rich. This was very sweet but light and delicious.

A nice break from all the soft textured truffles. Though the gelee centers have been very enjoyable.

Richmond Park Honey

Sweet and lightly tangy, buttery ganache with soft smooth finish. Very delicate with slight floral hints. This was one I was least impressed with flavor wise, but with the super high quality of these truffles, it's not like it's bad quality. Still has a rich cocoa flavor with a gorgeous buttery, and soft texture. Still fabulous.

Toasted Sesasme

I found the missing seeds from this truffle under the Piedmont Hazelnut. The toasted sesame seeds were nice with chocolate. They gave it almost a sesame seed brittle taste. However, the ganache center was very floral and citrus-y. Bright and but not tart ganache with lovely roasted cocoa.

Thyme and Scottish Heather Honey

Very herbal and flavorful. Not too cloying with the honey. The thyme comes out right up front finishing with a soft heather honey flavor. The herbal flavors roll nicely with the rich chocolate. A sweet lingering finish is left from the soft honey. 

Once again, a very big thank you to William Curley for taking time out to send a lovely care package all this way. I am forever grateful and the truffles were to die for. Excellent quality. I can't wait until I am back in London so I can sit in his shop and have more of his fine offerings.

Look soon for me to post my notes from the Caramel bars and the house bar reviews part 2.

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. 

Vosges ~ Bacon & Eggs

 

Vosges


Easter sales are always a good idea. What people don't get is that chocolate has a very long shelf life. So whenever Easter or any good holiday for chocolate comes around, remember the day-after sales. Believe me, with all the hard work these chocolate makers go through for certain holidays, reward them with buying their efforts and then helping them to get rid of it after the fact. Let nothing go to waste.

I totally took advantage. I bought a complete bacon collection from Vosges.  Bacon Caramel Toffee, Mo's Chocolate Chip Bacon Pancake mix, two Mo's Bacon Chocolate Bars in milk and dark chocolate, and the Bacon & eggs.

I had been taunted for months by the people behind the Vosges Twitter page. Taunts of posts about their Bacon Pancake mix. Finally, I gave in. I had previously reviewed the Mo's Bacon Bar with Milk Chocolate before. The bar was so delicious, I had to get more products from them.

So, I took advantage of the post-Easter sale and bought their Bacon & Eggs.



 


Five flat bottomed eggs with intricate moldings. The inspiration for these eggs:

 

"I was drawn to the different textures on these egg molds and love their antique-feel. I have been thinking about soft caramel fillings for years and these presented the perfect opportunity to introduce some of the first. The Wink of the Rabbit and the Bacon Caramels are the first of more soft caramel fillings to come." -Katrina

 

 

 

This one was a bit damaged on top with a slight cracked and sunken in top. I ate that one first.

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), organic cream, wheat glucose syrup, sugar, butter, uncured bacon (pork, sea salt, raw sugar, white pepper, dry juniper berries, celery juice, lactic acid starter culture), water, salt, and natural hickory smoke flavoring.

Dark chocolate (55%) contains 30% cocoa solids minimum.

 

These were one ounce eggs, and were a little bit smaller than I had anticipated. They are expensive for a pack of 5 originally priced at $22. The sale price was $18.

I didn't find them to be as good as the Mo's Bacon bar with milk chocolate. The bar had more bacon and salty contrast to the sweet milk chocolate. There wasn't as much of a balance or a contrast as I had hoped for with these eggs.

The caramel was dark and sweet, but not as buttery as I had hoped. I think it needed to be sea salt caramel with nice, course salt mixed in. The bacon bits were too small. This was on opportunity to have had bigger chunks of bacon it to give it more of a hickory taste and add more of a salty contrast since the caramel was regular caramel.

The first egg had very little bacon in it. The second one was more loaded with bacon and had a better smokey flavor. The chocolate is sweet and rich. It's more like a dark milk chocolate than actual dark or semisweet chocolate.

Now having said all that, these were good. I ate two of them back to back and if I weren't in great control of my gluttonous ways, I could have easily plowed through this package. The price however, stops me from devouring these completely. I need to take my time with these to ensure the value. 

Still, this is a fun a holiday gift and with the bacon in it, it's perfect for an Easter gift. 

The Bacon Revolution continues.

William Curley ~ Sea Salt Caramel Bar

Now this is what life is all about! William Curley's Sea Salt Caramel bar.

This thing is like heaven. The chocolate is rich and wonderful, while the caramel is so soft, and buttery. The taste of the caramel and chocolate together gives off a little bit of a rich coffee flavor. Beautiful roasted cocoa lingers on the palate.

This is eye's-rolling-into-the-back-of-your-head good!

I don't need to write a detailed review for this. You can tell just by looking at it that it's good. I just want you to look at it and crave it. I want you to envy me for having such a life where I get to write about these kinds of tokens from the gods.