Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Vosges Bars: Marzipan

Marzipan seems to be a divisive force – folks either eat it by the truckload, or think that it is a sickly-sweet concoction good for little besides being shaped into three-dimensional sugary objects unfit for adult human consumption. I fall a little bit closer to the first camp than the second, so when I saw that Vosges was offering a Marzipan Exotic Candy Bar for the holiday season, I knew I had to procure one, and did so at the Biagio sample day.

The bar features a 62% cocoa dark chocolate, which has a hint of a coffee undertone and surrounds a marzipan blended with “a touch of Amaretto” (per the Vosges description).

Sadly, as one who shies away from strongly alcohol-infused chocolate creations, this bar seemed to have more than just a bit of Amaretto mixed in with the marzipan, which resulted in a thin, wet, runny interior that broke away from the chocolate instantly.

The result was an alcohol-heavy mess that I had a difficult time biting into and enjoying, which is unfortunate given how much I was looking forward to this bar. That being said, Vosges did do a great job of selecting a slightly bitter dark chocolate to offset the sweet taste of the marzipan and Amaretto, so the bar is well-balanced in terms of sweetness, but the Amaretto completely dominates the flavor. A true Amaretto lover would likely love this bar – assuming that they could look beyond the mess factor, which I can do myself for chocolate that I enjoy.

Do you like marzipan? Plain or alcohol-infused?

20 comments:

  1. Never had marzipan before....too bad about the chocolate bar.

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  2. I love anything made with Amaretto and love Vosges bars so I will be on the look out. Have you tried the Vosges chocolate bacon bar?

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  3. @fitchocoholic Fortunately, most marzipan is a little drier and less alcohol-filled - you should try some. Delish!

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  4. @Pixie Definitely try to snag some, I think this is limited edition for the holidays. And I still haven't tried the Vosges bacon bars - strange, huh?

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  5. I don't have strong feelings about marzipan, but I love Amaretto! It's also the first alcoholic drink I ever tried, by accident during a family celebration when I was maybe 4 years old. Actually, this post is inspiring me to go pick some up.

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  6. @Alina @ Duty Free Foodie That is TOO FUNNY. And RUN; this is one of the limitted edition holiday bars that Vosges may or may not carry forward after the new year.

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  7. I've actually never tried marizipan! I do love amaretto though so I bet this bar would be right up my alley.

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  8. I'm pretty new to marzipan, but just used a little almond extract when I made it. I do like booze (and amaretto), but usually shy away from using it in the kitchen. re: the bacon bars - I've had the milk chocolate (prior to veggieness) and thought it wasn't bacony enough! XD

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  9. Ack!!! My brother is currently en route to New York and this Marzipan bar is one of the chocolates I told him to look for above all others! I think I'll have to email him to change my list, as while I love marzipan I don't do too well with super strong alcohol flavours...

    Though do you know if any of the new chocolate bars *aren't* holiday bars? Like the Amalfi, or Bapchi, or anything? He may not be able to find any of the ones I asked for...

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  10. @Hannah Anything listed here: http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/category/new_chocolate_bars is seasonal - though some of them, like the cherry rooibos and black salt caramel don't strike me as "holiday" bars. Maybe he can get you a mini of the marzipan bar and you can decide for yourself - I definitely tasted the booze, though.

    Anyway, a lot of the holiday bars are still around on the shelves of various stores. The stores here in DC don't have full stock, but one has a slew of Amalfi (review coming tomorrow) while another seems to have enough stockpiled Bapchi's caramel toffee to help everybody survive armageddon. So maybe have your brother pick up a few non-holiday bars, too. Email me (vkanders@gmail.com) for recs.

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  11. @Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin Some of the local Whole Foods stores have these - it's definitely high-quality chocolate that will satisfy your chocolate cravings with just a bite. And maybe alcohol cravings to boot!

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  12. @Jessica @ bake me away! Jessica, who I have recently crowned queen of marzipan, I have a mission for you. Marzipan. Plain. Amaretto-infused buttercream on top. Chopped into 1" squares. Dipped in bittersweet chocolate.

    It needs you to make it.

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  13. Marzipan is delicious. Sounds disgusting when mixed with too much alcohol though.

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  14. @Amanda Well, it was too much alcohol for me, but some people like their marzipan that way.

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  15. It sounds like I would love this. Chocolate with a little(or a lot) of booze is right up my ally.

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  16. Thanks Victoria! I've tried almost every non-seasonal Vosges so am hoping he'll bring back some of those, and hopefully one or two of the fancier ones. I didn't realise all of the new ones were seasonal, though! The mini bar idea is a good one :)

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  17. @Hannah Now if only your cute brother were coming closer to DC, I could take him to Biagio and help him pick out chocolate for you. We'd all be better off.

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  18. @Evan Thomas Go for it, Evan - if you can find it in stores. It's part of their holiday series, so availability is spotty. The chocolate was, as is always the case with Vosges, top notch, I just don't go for super boozy.

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  19. @Victoria (The District Chocoholic) Ooh, I just saw this! That sounds amazing. If this happens (which I agree that it should), I will export some your way.

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  20. @Jessica @ bake me away! No no, save it for yourself. Me and the alcohol flavors don't do so well together.

    Except creme de menthe. But that's different.

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