Chocolate Revelations

Last night was another installment of the Ladies Tasting Club. This month's adventure centered around chocolate. Yes, can you believe we had an excuse to have chocolate as dinner? It was divine. The evening started out with a lovely spread of delicious appetizers - yummy blue cheese, bacony filled dates and this cheesy, walnutty, balsamic vinaigretty bruschetta. That was heavenly enough. (Yes, GF -- you are a divine hostess, chef-in-the-making! You always have yummy goods!)

After the delish appetizers, everyone settled with the wine of their choice. I selected a humble cab -- I'm partial to reds, but a good white on a hot day, I'll do. On this chilly spring night, knowing my fare, it was a bold red that I was seeking for my companion.

The first piece of divinity: Cote d'or Belgian Chocolate - Belgian Dark Chocolate "Noir de Noir" 56% Cocoa. Talk about starting the evening off right. This chocolate was the perfect balance of sweet and bitter. It melted in my mouth like a piece of satin gliding over my tongue. The best part ... it had a long finish that truly allowed you to savor every piece of it's perfection. It really is something that you could reward yourself with after a long week of pain and stress. And with it being at the peak of richness, a small indulgence was more than satisfying it.

The second chocolaty experience proved that the night was going to introduce to a wide range of experiences. El Rey “Gran Saman” Venezuelan, single origin, 70% cacao. This chocolate was dull in experience and much drier than its predecessor. Its aroma and taste were reminiscent of a potato cellar, there was just something a little more stale about it. It was mild for being 70% cacao and had a much shorter finish. It wasn't bad (let's be honest, really none of them were bad.) just very different than the smooth creamy Belgian. In fact, one taster thought it was really a divine piece of chocolate.

Our third endeavor was the Kallari, organic, single source origin, 75% cacao bar from Ecuador. This was a very dark chocolate that reminded me of burnt marshmallows and was extremely bitter. However, the texture was smooth and it melted in my mouth like butter. It was also the most acidic of the chocolates, but definitely something a true dark chocolate lover would want to add to their list of future purchases.

Hopping to another continent, we next experienced Green & Black's, 70% cacao bar. This -originally English - company's fares can be found everyone, including your local Target. Now owned by Cadbury, they are a way to help provide delicious organic chocolate options to a broader scope. I found the bar fruity, with hints of raspberry, smooth, with just a hint of chalkiness and a short finish. Something for people who might be hesitant to try dark chocolate might want to start slowly on this one.

The next bar smelled of burnt rubber, but melted like butter as soon as you picked it up. The texture was unlike any thing else we had that night, the creamiest of peanut butters -- meaning absolutely sticking to your teeth and gums. The Endangered Species, Extreme Dark Chocolate, 88% Cacao, bar was unlike any other for the evening. Now, here's a secret -- this is the chocolate I use to make chocolate covered strawberries. So my tasting group had actually had it before, but none of them would have realized it. It's the perfect amount of bitterness to cut a sweet, juicy ripe strawberry to make a most decadent dessert.

Our next treat was a Scharffen Berger Bittersweet Chocolate Bar, American, cuvee, 70% cacao. This American bar was actually very sweet, considering the cacao level, with a hint of vanilla. Truly a divine treat that I would purchase again. It was like the best cup of hot chocolate melting in your mouth. And the packaging (while this picture doesn't do it justice) was actually pretty where you could use this yummy bar as a gift and feel quite pleased that you are gifting a really worthy gift.

The final chocolate treat of the evening was Michel Cluizel “1st cru de plantation “Maralumi” dark chocolate bar, French, single plantation, 64% cacao. So, personally, I just like saying Maralumi -- it sounds pretty. And fortunately, this chocolate didn't disappoint. But again, very different than the rest. This had a lively, citrusy, almost bright and vibrant taste to it. Something you'd have in the morning to pick you up and get you set right for the rest of the day. Apparently, the French don't only know cheese and wine, they know chocolate, too.

All-in-all, chocolate can be one's dinner for a night -- just don't feel guilty the next day! And I must say, I think I did have a bit of a chocolate hangover because the bright sun was brutal when I slipped off my sleep mask in the morning. But ... it was definitely worth it!