Gourmet Christmas Chocs by Dean & Deluca - Cheesecake Caramels, Dark Choc Pistachio with Rice Puffs, Peppermint Choc Cranberries
With Christmas parties happening all around, some lovely Christmas fare is finally being revealed... These were from Dean & Deluca in Bangkok, Thailand.
Well, milk choc macadamias seemed pretty normal, so I skipped those and just went for these... A perfect colour trio for the season huh?
Cheesecake Caramels
These were basically cheesecake chocolate caramels. I guess the colour contrast doesn't show too clearly here, but the coating is not completely white... rather, it's cream with specks of brown in it, somewhat like the colour combination of the cream of cheesecake with the brown of the graham crumble base.
The chocolate was basically white chocolate with a vague cheesy taste, but that blended in quickly with the buttery caramel taste, so it was barely noticeable. Still, kudos for the interesting blend... cheese does indeed go well with caramel I guess, because the dairy in the cheese and the butter in the caramel make a good duo.
Texture-wise, the creaminess of the cocoa butter augmented the sticky and chewy caramel, making it a very soft snack... with a somewhat marshmallow-like feel, especially with its creamy colours.
Overall, a unique and well-executed gourmet work of art!
Dark Chocolate Pistachios with Crispy Rice Puffs
As you can see from the shape, these had more than just pistachios under the dark choc coating... there were crispy rice puffs too, although those weren't well-captured in the picture.
They used pistachios which still retained much of their roasted flavour, so I could taste it through the sweetness and the strong dark chocolate. It was therefore like a combination of toasted earthy flavour from the pistachio with the bitter dark taste of the chocolate, an interesting combination. I couldn't taste the nutty flavour of the pistachio though... Like the part of the pistachio taste that is somewhere between almond and pandan? I guess it can't be helped.
The nut was firm, but not crunchy anymore... not like pistachios are ever really crunchy anyway. So the crispy rice puffs added a nice crunch that enhanced the experience. Quite a thoughtful addition indeed.
Peppermint Chocolate Cranberries
The piece I picked happened to have a nice heart-like shape! ^___^
These were really nice too... although not included in the written description, there was actually a mild peppermint taste to the chocolate for this one. I thought it was a nice complement to the red colour and sweetness of the cranberry.
I think, also contrary to the written description, that it's *milk*, not dark, chocolate that was used. Well, the milkiness mellowed the tartness of the cranberry and the menthol of the mint so make it a friendly and soft mouthful indeed!
Overall, great job, Dean & Deluca! It's a holistic seasonal feast - for the eyes, palette and heart!
The chocolate was basically white chocolate with a vague cheesy taste, but that blended in quickly with the buttery caramel taste, so it was barely noticeable. Still, kudos for the interesting blend... cheese does indeed go well with caramel I guess, because the dairy in the cheese and the butter in the caramel make a good duo.
Texture-wise, the creaminess of the cocoa butter augmented the sticky and chewy caramel, making it a very soft snack... with a somewhat marshmallow-like feel, especially with its creamy colours.
Overall, a unique and well-executed gourmet work of art!
Dark Chocolate Pistachios with Crispy Rice Puffs
They used pistachios which still retained much of their roasted flavour, so I could taste it through the sweetness and the strong dark chocolate. It was therefore like a combination of toasted earthy flavour from the pistachio with the bitter dark taste of the chocolate, an interesting combination. I couldn't taste the nutty flavour of the pistachio though... Like the part of the pistachio taste that is somewhere between almond and pandan? I guess it can't be helped.
The nut was firm, but not crunchy anymore... not like pistachios are ever really crunchy anyway. So the crispy rice puffs added a nice crunch that enhanced the experience. Quite a thoughtful addition indeed.
Peppermint Chocolate Cranberries
The piece I picked happened to have a nice heart-like shape! ^___^
I think, also contrary to the written description, that it's *milk*, not dark, chocolate that was used. Well, the milkiness mellowed the tartness of the cranberry and the menthol of the mint so make it a friendly and soft mouthful indeed!
Overall, great job, Dean & Deluca! It's a holistic seasonal feast - for the eyes, palette and heart!
Found this chocolate interesting? Check out other unusual chocolates here.
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