Chocolate

Dark and Dry

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Hey folks, I said that we were going to be seeing some more from Alkemio Kitchen soon. So, what better time and way to start than today, with a sauce that I’ve already shown you but couldn’t previously go into depth about?

This is Fergus’ Black Garlic, Chipotle, Tamarind, Chocolate and that last titular ingredient makes it a perfect fit for my first post after World Chocolate Day. But it’s not the only such festive item that I have for you, this year.

I’d also like to showcase a little something in the same vein – Featuring the same blend of chipotle and chocolate – from a less familiar company:

The Chipotle Chocolate Stout, from Hop’t. Which, as their name implies, is heavily focussed on the use of hops. Albeit in a very different setting from any that we’ve seen such herbs in before.

In fact, it isn’t even the same sort of hops as any of those past products. But you’ll have to read on if you want to see what sets them apart.

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Alkemio Kickstarter

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Hey folks, happy thursday!

This is not a post that I was planning to write but, today, I have some fantastic news to share: I’ve got my first affiliate link. And it’s not from the company that I was expecting.

The one that I’ll be featuring is Alkemio Kitchen, who you’ve seen a couple of reviews for, in recent weeks, and are just now making their way onto Kickstarter. So, if you’ve liked what you’ve seen, so far, please do use πŸ’°this linkπŸ’° or the one in my sidebar to go check them out and support both me and the company.

Or read on, to find out more about them and what this means for my reviews.

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Chocolate Hell

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Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to the last tuesday of march. The perfect time for a quite unusual pair.

Today we have two very different sauces, with very different heats and flavours, but one particularly appropriate ingredient in common: Chocolate.

It is coming up to easter, after all, so why not start the celebrations early with Ignis’ CNC9 and Haskhell’s Chipotle?

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Death Brownies

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Sup folks, it’s white day today and, if you haven’t heard of the holiday before, you might think that it sounds a tad controversial. But, in reality, it’s just the japanese holiday where people give back to those who gave them valentine’s chocolates.

No, the real controversy, today, is going to come from my recipe. Because, while I’m following the white day tradition of cooking up chocolate-based sweet treats, I’m also going to be adding in black garlic. As suggested by the Isle of Wight Garlic Farm.

I know that that’s going to raise eyebrows, at the very least, because most people seem to think that garlic should never go with sweets. And normally, those people would be correct. But this isn’t normal garlic.

Raw, cooked or even caramelised, the bulb has an intense, aromatic and sometimes almost fiery quality to it, which belongs as far away from chocolate cake as one can possibly get. But, by cooking it low and slow for a whopping fourteen days straight, the act of turning garlic black gets rid of every last ounce of that pungency. Leaving behind only rich, earthy undertones, a dark, balsamicky sweetness and a slight hint of anise.

And I don’t know about you but that sounds like perfect brownie material to me!

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Somerset Chilli Choc

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Hey folks, it’s february and I really appreciate all of you, for reading my reviews and making this blog feel worthwhile. Chilli is my love and my passion but it’s you, dear readers, who give my writing meaning. And so, with that in mind, I’d like to share my valentine’s day chocolates with you.

Chocolates which are, of course, very on brand for my site ;).

This year’s come to me from Somerset Chilli Garden – Not to be confused with The Somerset Chilli Co. – and were actually sent to me a little in advance of their public release. Since a friend of mine happens to live nearby and put me in touch, back when they were still just prototypes.

What I have now, however, are the finished release. Just a little bit early, in order to give you all a good look at what’s inside, before you buy.

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Pasilla Chocolate Pudding

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Hey folks, it’s recipe time again and we’re now in the middle of winter, right after what can only be described as the most depressing year of the century. So, I don’t know about you, but I think we could all use some serious comfort food.

This is chocolate denver pudding and it is one of the richest, gooiest, chocolatiest and most warming desserts that I know. A recipe handed down the american side of my family for generations, which always comes out at times like these.

And, today, I’m going to pass it on to you.

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A Bunch of Cherries

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Hello again, everyone. We’re fast approaching the end of the month and I would normally use this week to feature something just a little bit on theme for the winter season.

This year, though, I already highlighted Tom’s Curious Sauces‘ Cranberry, in the run up to december, and I’m fresh out of everything else with a christmas theme. So, instead, here’s a little gift set from me to me:

Three cherry-based sauces that can hopefully finally replace the long lost πŸ’€T.N.T.πŸ’€ that I loved so much.

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Sweet Alchemy

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Hey folks, it’s been almost a month since the intersection of international chocolate day and national curry week, when I featured The Chilli Alchemist‘s Dark Matter Chocolate, and, in that time, I had hoped that I’d also be able to show off their sauces.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.

Major computer problems have slowed down the release of the video in question and, while I’m working on a solution as we speak, it may still be a short while before I can properly feature the company’s main range. So, for the time being, you’re going to have to make do with their dessert toppers, instead:

An indulgent-sounding pair of chilli chocolate and salted caramel spreads, wrapped in equally dark and decadent-looking labels which have only heightened the excitement that I already had for them.

I’ve been looking forward to these two for quite some time now and, if they’re even half as good as I imagine, they’re going to be utterly amazing. So let’s see how they compare to my mental image, shall we?

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The Chocolate Curry Combo

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Hey folks, today’s going to be a bit of a weird one.

You see, I’m celebrating international chocolate day, for the very last time, but it’s also the end of national curry week. The same bizarre blend of food holidays that we saw in twenty eighteen but, this time around, it falls on a tuesday.

So, instead of a recipe, I’m bringing you a thematic review. Or two, since I have nothing on hand to match both celebrations and haven’t had since MonteΖΆuma’s satay bar.

That said, though, I still think I’ve got some pretty exciting products to share with you today:

Fire Foods’ Tandoori Butter and The Chilli Alchemist’s Dark Matter chocolate.

One’s a blend of indian spices with a peanut butter base and the other’s a seventy percent dark chocolate with mint and popping candy, in tribute to the Alchemist’s Melliculus range. The first thing to come from the brand since Russell, of Grim Reaper Foods, took over.

Though it’s taken me a little while to get to it, because I wanted to hold off on writing about this one until its second batch.

I’ll explain why that is and why I won’t be celebrating international chocolate day again in my main post but first, I want to quickly mention the one thing that links today’s two products: Their use of ghost pepper.

Probably not a tonne of it, judging by everything else that I’ve had from Fire Foods and the Grim Reaper. Just enough to provide a pleasant, medium warmth and maybe some of that delicious, full-bodied, red chilli flavour.

Let’s have a closer look, shall we?

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Triple Chocolate

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How’s it going, fellow fiery food fans? It’s been three weeks since world chocolate day, making this post quite disappointingly late, but here it is: The promised confection!

PricesChocolates

Not one, not two but three whole bars from Prices Spices, who’s delay in shipping them out to me apparently stems from a chronic inability to keep up with demand. So many people want Michael Price’s chocolate that he just can’t keep it in stock and he seems to have to make each batch to order.

So it would seem that these are some seriously well-liked bars. But is their popularity truly warranted?

Let’s find out!

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