Nothing makes me happier than beer and chocolate! This Fall we have some new truffles that were paired with selected beers for our first ever Choctoberfest celebration. I was hoping for a large selection of German beers but after tasting over a dozen, I decided on only one. It must be my American taste buds because Germany is home to over 1,300 breweries, equal to about one third of all breweries in the world. Also home to the oldest regulation put on food in the world, the Reinheitsgebot. This German purity law regulates ingredients to include only barley, hops and water, helping to create a long standing reputation for German beers to be of of high quality. Yeast was later added, as they were not aware of its importance in 1516 when the law was made. 
Ironically the brew I chose is a collaboration between Schneider brewmaster Hans-Peter Drexler and Brooklyn brewmaster Garrett Oliver. The 400 year old Schneider brewery traditionally brews only wheat beers which are minimally hoped, but the two agreed this collaboration would be a celebration of hops, highlighting the local terroir. After reading up on this info it’s no wonder I chose this beer, my american taste buds and my love for “hoppy” beers. This beer pours a hazy gold/orange color and has aromatics of lemon citrus and hops. Personally, I prefer to let the beer warm to open up even more aromas and flavors. As it opens, citrus gives way to banana and cloves which are also present in the taste, along with a slight bitterness due to the hops. 
For this reason I paired it with our all new Bananas Foster truffle. Bananas Foster is a famous dessert originating in the big easy, made from caramelized bananas in a rum sauce over ice cream. Ice cream aside I created this dish as a liquified caramel based chocolate, including banana liquor and aged rum. Cinnamon adds the perfect spice to complete this piece and marry the chocolate and brew together so exquisitely. Separately these two are enjoyable but together they are divine, Cheers!
Bananas Foster and Schneider & Brooklyner Hopfen Weisse
November 9th, 2011Meaty Sirloin and Stout Chili
November 6th, 2011
I always wanted to try making chili with beer and chocolate and this actually turned out awesome so I’m happy to share the recipe with you! A couple of things first, I usually make chili with ground turkey or chicken but I thought beef was a must with the inclusion of beer and chocolate. I’m a firm believer of “if your gonna go, go all the way” so I decided to use sirloin and a lot of it. This is Chili for a crowd for sure, a crowd of meat eaters. Also those who appreciate chili with a kick! If you want to tone it down I suggest using half the amount of chili powder or omitting the cayenne.
Pacari Chocolate
October 5th, 2011
Pacari Chocolate is another great company I was introduced to last week at both Indulge LA and the LA Chocolate Salon. Pacari is family owned and partners directly with organically certified cocoa farms, to purchase quality beans above market prices. They take pride in keeping all production local to help support Ecuador’s economy, the environment and sustainable organic agriculture. Ecuador is home to the coveted Arriba Nacional bean, which is said to be the only “fine flavor” Forastero bean.
Marti Chocolatt
October 3rd, 2011
Marti Chocolatt continues to inspire me for the third year in a row at the LA Chocolate Salon. Chocolatier Tonet Tibay, always friendly and enthusiastically engaging, encourages everyone to sample each of her delicious creations. These traditionally French style chocolates have some of the creamiest ganache centers I have ever tasted and many of the unique flavor combinations are inspired by Tonet’s Filipino heritage. After sampling around 8 different flavors I hand selected this 6 piece box for further enjoyment.
Bootleg Chocolates
September 29th, 2011
Another quick review from my swag at the La Chocolate Salon on Sunday in Pasadena. I came across this table at the end of the day and was drawn to it because I liked the simple yet cute package design, their logo and their name. Bootleg Chocolates- island inspired chocolates with flavor inclusions of hibiscus, guava, coconut and of course, rum! When I asked them to tell me a little bit about the chocolates, Amanda co-founder and chef told me about the origin of the name and how her granny used to tell her stories about prohibition on the islands. I tried digging into more info about the actual chocolates by asking about the ingredients and she highlighted the use of island fruits, spices and rums. She also assured me they use only quality ingredients but revealed no real info about the chocolate itself, which to me is the most important part. Unfortunately they were out of samples but I was intrigued so I purchased this 8pc box pictured above for 20$
Kallari Chocolates Sacha Bar
September 27th, 2011
Kallari (pronounced kai-YAH-ri) is a cooperative made up of about 850 organic cacao farmers in the Napo region of the Ecuadorian Amazon. 100% of the profits from this chocolate are returned to the community in support of sustainable development and rain forest conservation. This chocolate is not fair trade certified because of how much it would cost the farmers, but they receive four times the price of fair trade for their product. I was introduced to Kallari a couple of years ago when I bought one of their more commonly found 75% bars with black and green packaging at whole foods. At the time I believed it to be too strong and bitter, but as my taste has evolved I have come to appreciate the intense flavor of Ecuadorian cacao. I also didn’t quite grasp the importance of the co-op and their role in supporting local economy.
5th Annual Los Angeles Chocolate Salon
September 26th, 2011Los Angeles had the sweetest weekend yet, what with the first ever Indulge LA on Saturday and the LA Chocolate Salon the very next day. Because I was participating in Indulge I debated attending the salon again this year up until the last minute. I was also dragging my feet because this event seems to go down hill every year and ticket prices were $30 at the door. But of course I went so I could replenish my yearly supply of Amano bars and hope to discover some stunning new chocolate to blog about. And honestly I’ll have to admit, I wanted to compare it to the previous days festivities a bit.
Indulge LA
September 26th, 2011
Saturday I was pleased to join some of the areas top pastry chef’s and chocolatier’s to participate in a sweet festival called Indulge LA. This lavish event was held from 1-5 at the Olympic Collection’s elegant banquet hall and for a mere $35 one could indulge in not only an array of chocolates but cupcakes, wine, champagne and even Patron! With all of the proceeds being donated to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, I was thrilled that the show was sold out, not bad for it’s first year. What an amazing turnout and on the same weekend as the 5th annual LA Chocolate Salon, proof that there are large numbers of chocoholics in this city!
What is Single Origin Chocolate
June 7th, 2011
Map of Cacao growing countries, via Nestle's thecocoaplan.com
Single Origin is a term used to describe chocolate made from beans sourced from one country. The exact history of this is a little unclear, although it seems it all started with El Rey, established in 1929. This Venezuelan chocolate maker sources only locally grown beans, which are considered by many to be some of the most flavorful in all of the world. In 1984 Bonnat Chocolatier first began producing single origin estate chocolate, for their 100th anniversary. Although the concept of single origin was made popular a few years later by another French based chocolatier, Valrhona. Valrhona who is now one of the most wide spread brands in fine chocolate also coined the phrase “grand cru”, which is mostly a marketing term.
