Today I tried some Chocolat-Menier, this yellow bar with an old-style label that looks like it hasn't changed for the past 150 years. What is this stuff? The label says "Established 1816. Medailles Diplomes D'Honneur: Paris 1849 Or, Londres 1862 H.C., Paris 1889 Gd Prix, Philadelphie 1876 Or, Paris 1867 Hors Concours, Paris Grand Prix 1878, Paris 1900 Grand Prix. Sweet Chocolate, with added emulsifier and vanillin, an artificial flavoring." Quite impressive and old-school.
A 227g bar costs $2.19 at the local Met supermarket. 28g contains 6g fat (giving it a 21% cocoa butter content - compared to most other eating chocolates at 55-60%) and 22g sugar. No milk.
I took a bit out of a finger of chocolate and was revolted. This stuff had crystals of sugar embedded all throughout it! How could people eat this stuff? It was like that Sol brand chocolate that I hated so much.
Then I read the fine print in the back. Apparently, this stuff is supposed to be used to make hot coco. Its not supposed to be eaten. So, I give it a try in the microwave: 1 finger + 1 glass of lactose-free milk.
The result is weird. The stuff doesn't dissolve very well, but results in a blob of semi-melted chocolate at the bottom of the glass. I stir vigorously, and stir, and stir, and stir,..... The stuff never completely dissolves. You can still see a thin layer of dark granules of chocolate floating on the top, despite the emulsifier. The body had this light brown mocha color. So I give it a try.
This stuff isn't bad! It has a raw taste to it, quite different from coco made from powder or syrup. It doesn't have the "beaniness" of Luker. Not bitter, but it certainly was chocolate. It's a tad bit too sweet for my taste, but it is much better than most commercial coco mixes. I'll save this for cold winter nights when I want something warm and soothing but also raw and authentic.
Topic: Chocolate addicts thread (Read 10269 times)