Valrhona Chocolate Assortment: The End

Life is like a box of chocolates: No matter what you do, it’s eventually over.

Did I get that wrong? Sorry. Either way, my box of Valrhona chocolates is about done, save two varieties from the assortment. One of the remaining chocolates was a nut praline with almonds and hazelnuts.

The outer shell is composed of soft milk chocolate, and the bottom of this chocolate boasts some nicely-roasted hazelnuts that add a nice nutty flavor and a pleasing crunch.

The interior has a strong nut flavor and a bit of a caramel note, and would be exceptional if the texture didn’t carry a bit of a gritty character. Minor texture issues aside, the flavor is a perfect blend of milk chocolate, hazelnuts, and sugar, and combines with the toasted hazelnuts and couverture to make a sweet, satisfying treat that I enjoyed more than most of the other chocolates from this box.

The very last piece of chocolate was unique in a couple of ways: first, it was enhanced with fruit – specifically, blackcurrant – and second, it was covered in white chocolate.

The white chocolate was sweet but carried little flavor on its own, so the interior ganache to carry the flavor.

Fortunately, it did. The blackcurrant presented a flavor between cherry and raisin, which was fairly tart and required the white chocolate couverture for balance. The ganache was also fairly firm, and not too buttery like the other ganaches from this box, and it was texturally well matched to the white chocolate couverture. Overall, a unique chocolate and a nice ending to this box.

Because every chocolate box ends. It’s true.

Have you eaten chocolates with blackcurrant before? How did you like it?