Vosges Haut Chocolate's Black Pearl Bar with wasabi, ginger, black sesame seeds, and dark chocolate
It’s been a couple of weeks since I made a chocolate dessert – Mexican chocolate ice cream was the last one - and I feel that I’m not living up to the My Morning Chocolate name. So today, I want to talk about chocolate. But first, some housekeeping.
You may notice that the home page has a slightly different look. ”We” (as in me and Kenny – I need to start giving him credit for the all the work he does with MMC’s pictures!) have a new tagline, a new Facebook page, and pretty, shiny icons for both Facebook and Twitter pages. Please do “Like” or “Follow Us” to get links to our newest blog posts and our favorite food articles, and to join the discussion about everything edible and delicious. Thanks so much!
And in the coming weeks, look for a new ”About” page and possibly a newsletter with new content not available on the blog.
Now let’s talk about chocolate!
Recently, I went to Ma Petite Shoe, a combination shoe and chocolate store in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood. They have a lovely selection of interesting chocolates in the back room, and a Chocolate Happy Hour on Friday nights. (I haven’t made it to the Happy Hour yet, but it’s the first thing I want to do the next Friday night I’m in town.)
On my first visit, I bought the most interesting chocolate bar I could find: Vosges Haut Chocolate’s Black Pearl Bar with wasabi, ginger, black sesame seeds, and dark chocolate (55% cacao). This chocolate didn’t come cheap – my bar cost $8 and some change – and I only tasted a hint of wasabi and an even slighter hint of ginger.
Still, the chocolate was smooth and rich. I also loved the crunch of the black sesame seeds, a rounder and more clean crunch than you would get from regular crunch bars. Now I crave that black sesame seed crunch.
What Chocolate Treats – desserts, bars, cookies, ice cream, etc. – Do You Crave? Your ideas may inspire future posts!
I’d be interested in a newsletter! Would it be through email?
Let me be candid – I crave anything with chocolate!!!
The day my sweets bet ended, (it was over on my anniversary at my husband’s request), I dove head first into the most delicious Dark Chocolate S’More from one of our favorite restaurants – Sienna. It was a sinful Chocolate-praline mousse, dark chocolate ganache, house made marshmallow and graham cracker crust. Not your typical camp fire variety! But I will just as easily eat chocolate covered brocoli if that’s what’s available!
Should I admit that The Mistah and I snack on two squares of Bliss after dinner each night? From the freezer of course. Wish my budget could support a more refined daily treat. Bliss may not rival the extra dark chocolates I brought back from Belgium but for mass produced happiness in a bag, it’s not so bad.
Some dark chocolate covered cashews would really hit the spot right about now… and I love it when sea salt crystals finds its way into the chocolate! Put a bag of peanut m&m’s in front of me and watch me perform a disappearing act.
@Colin: That’s great – thanks so much for the support! It would be a monthly email newsletter, but it will probably take me some time to plan it out. Look for it in the coming months though!
@Paige: That S’More sounds amazing, especially the chocolate-praline mousse. Yum! I wonder if I could recreate that at home…(Ha, also your chocolate-covered broccoli moment reminds me of one of my favorite Seinfeld quotes: “Newman, you wouldn’t eat broccoli if it was deep-fried in chocolate sauce.” That was Jerry talking. I just love that line!)
@Wendi: That Vosges chocolate bar was a splurge. If I wasn’t going to turn it into a blog entry, I wouldn’t have bought it. And there’s nothing wrong with Bliss chocolate. The chocolate I have now is Nestle Toll House chocolate chips.
@Kenny: You can do a number on the peanut M&Ms!
And I agree, chocolate with sea salt is delicious.
I, like Paige, crave anything chocolate. I grew up on Log Cabin in Fallston, MD every Easter. In my early twenties a friend introduced me to Bomboy’s in Havre De Grace, MD…try the butter creams, they are amazing. Bomboy’s also has an ice cream shop across the street from their large candy store…it is like a great dream that keeps getting sweeter.
I must say Hershey Park, “the sweetest place on Earth” is also a favorite summer stop. I don’t know what they do but the chocolate always tastes better when purchased (and consumed) within the Hershey city limits.
In Ocean City, good old fashioned fudge from Candy Kitchen is my favorite.
Wow…I guess since I walked 4.5 miles this morning I deserve some chocolate…hmmm, what to choose???
I love the chocolate sauce that gets hard after you pour it onto ice cream. No idea if it’s a real food, but it I love the taste. I’ve also been hearing a little bit about chocolate bacon, though, I’ve never tried it. Have you?
@Ryan: What did you end up choosing? I love butter creams, and I also agree that there is something special about Hershey. For me, it’s that the whole place smells like chocolate. You’re just enveloped in it, and that’s a great feeling for a chocolate lover.
@Sara: I haven’t tried chocolate bacon, but I saw it on TV too. It seems pretty easy to make, like the bacon is just dipped in chocolate and left to harden. One of us should try it!
OOohhh… mmmm!
I love Vosges’ s bars – my two favorites are the Woolamooloo Bar and the Peanut Butter Bonbon. (My post on these delectable treats here: http://oneperweek.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/happy-chocolate/) The blog of the Vosges owner is really great – she’s got a lovely (and enviable) business model.
Also, Green & Black’s Maya Gold bar – with orange and spices. It’s delicious and it’s a great dark chocolate bar to share with those not quite into more exotic chocolate offerings. It draws you in!
@DragonKat: I had to look up that Wooloomooloo bar because it sounds so interesting! (For anyone who is curious, it has roasted and salted macadamia nuts, Indonesian coconut, hemp seeds, and deep milk chocolate.) Sounds delicious! I love reading about chocolate, so I’ll check out that post.
@Jen, I always enjoy when we post about similar things – I have one of those “great minds think alike” moments! We should find a way to a way to connect sometime – we only live an hour or so apart!
@DragonKat: We definitely should get together! Maybe we can find a fun food event to meet up at in the future.
Every now and then I’ll get a craving for bacon chocolate (I think the makers of the bacon chocolate bar also make your black pearl bar). I was skeptical at first but loved it when I tried it. A friend who ate a piece said it tasted like a chocolate-covered pretzel–the perfect description for someone who’s never had it. More salty, less bacony, still delicious as a treat.
When I get homesick, I’ll ask my mom to send me a box of Berger cookies. It usually takes me a month to get through a box just because they are so rich, but I love them anyway!
@skeltzer: So many people love bacon and chocolate. I found this recipe for pig candy that looks pretty easy in case anyone wants to give it a try. And yum, Berger cookies. They taste like childhood, but I also can only eat a piece of one at a time. So good though!
That looks so yummy! I really crave for chocolates. So whatever chocolates I’m sure I’m gonna love it. The last chocolate I’ve tasted is the cadbury almond nuts and praline candies. So sweet!