Chocolat Moderne: Hazelnut Hysterie Bistro Bar

In addition to the very seasonal Pumpkin Pique-Nique Bistro Bar that Chocolat Moderne sent me last weekend, I was also fortunate enough to receive yet another Bistro Bar – the Hazelnut Hysterie.

Packaged similarly to the Pumpkin Pique-Nique, it also featured the same bar-style blocks with smooth, intense dark chocolate base. The chocolate itself has a subtle coffee taste, and perhaps a hint of a vanilla undertone.

The praline inside is sweet and creamy, features bits of well-roasted, flavorful hazelnuts. There are also some bits of candied hazelnuts scattered throughout, and while they balance well with the dark chocolate bar, they are just a little too big for my liking, though not so much so that I couldn’t appreciate the praline.

The praline was soft, which is how I prefer my pralines, though this resulted in a bit of the thick chocolate bar breaking away from the praline during bites. As with the Pumpkin Pique-Nique, I would also prefer a higher ratio of praline to bar coating, though I’m not sure that’s structurally possible in this bar format. It appears that Chocolat Moderne offers traditional molded chocolates; perhaps those would present the ratio I’m looking for. I’ll have to procure some and try them out.

Chocolat Moderne: Pumpkin Pique-Nique Bistro Bar

Ah, Thanksgiving. We all sit around and talk about what we are thankful for. I’d rather be different. First, here’s an entirely out-of-place picture of the view from my balcony.

The main reason for posting this picture here is to make you jealous of the fact that I see this all fall. Without even having to get dressed.

So back to chocolate. Seems like a good day to go on about something involving pumpkin. Yet I already posted my recipe for vegan pumpkin truffles.

Luckily, Chocolat Moderne sent me a very seasonal bistro bar in that package last weekend: The Pumpkin Pique-Nique.

The bar itself is made of an intense dark chocolate with hints of coffee and a bit of an earthy undertone, and just a bit of added sugar to blend the flavors. This particular chocolate is smooth and melts away very, very slowly, and the chocolate flavor lingers for an appreciable amount of time.

This dark chocolate certainly makes up the majority of the bar, and I could go for a higher filling to coating ratio, but that’s difficult in bar form.

The filling itself has thin bits of roasted pumpkin seeds, which are mostly noticeable via the crunch that they add to the texture. There is a clear sugar and pumpkin spice flavor, composed of what tastes like some nutmeg and cinnamon, though the spice flavor is relatively subtle. There are also little bits of candy mixed in, which are small enough to not overwhelm the praline while adding a bit of sugar. Texture-wise, the praline is just a bit dry, but is substantial enough to stand up to the crisp dark chocolate coating such that biting into the bar is very easy.

This would be a perfect after-Thanksgiving pumpkin-themed treat. But I already made a cake. And already finished most of this bar. Oh well.

Weekend Chocolate Delivery: Chocolat Moderne

For most folks, Saturdays are a nice day to relax after the work week. However, since one of my life passions, in addition to chocolate and baking, is coaching a youth sports program, a good portion of my Saturdays are usually devoted to coaching and managing the administrative side of the team.

And then baking. With chocolate. Obviously.

This Saturday, however, was 100% dedicated to the team I coach. We had a clinic with a coach who honed her athletes' skills so well that they won an Olympic gold medal in 1996, so the day involved a round-trip drive to Williamsburg, an 8-hour clinic, and almost two hours of private lessons with our athletes. It was an inspiring, but long, day. When I finally got home at nearly 10 pm, I found that the front desk had a package for me.

The folks at Chocolat Moderne apparently knew in advance that I’d need a little something extra after a long day. But what was inside?

EPIC BUBBLE WRAP PACKAGE. Alright, that will be fun to pop away at like a six-year-old, but surely there was some chocolate in here.

And was there ever. Two Chocolat Moderne bistro bars. One Hazelnut Hysterie, which is filled with crunchy hazelnut praline, and one Pumpkin Pique-Nique, which is filled with pumpkin-pie spiced praline and pumpkin seeds.

Just in time for Thanksgiving week. Awesome. Reviews of these two bars forthcoming shortly.