Sunday, March 13, 2011

Valrhona Chocolate Assortment: Almond-Hazelnut Pralines

Having been a bit let down by the just-a-bit-too-buttery ganaches in my box of assorted Valrhona chocolates, I was ready to move on to something new: their nut-based creations. First up was the almond-hazelnut praline, which was only adorned with couverture on the top to allow a peak at the nutty filling.

The milk chocolate layer topping the chocolate had a hint of a nutty flavor, and was fairly soft.

The praline, which composed most of the piece, offers a bit of a nutty crunch, and to accompany the nutty flavor, hints of vanilla and added sugar. The two chocolates mesh together well texturally, and the nutty crunch adds a bit of complexity. The combination of sweetness, nuttiness, and chocolate is blended well, and I enjoyed the taste and texture of this chocolate much more than the too-buttery ganaches.

My box offered a similar chocolate, an almond hazelnut praline with chopped almonds, which was a little more, well, rustic looking.

The shell is a soft milk chocolate that is texturally well-matched to the interior filling. No collapsing or breaking here.

That interior resembles a chocolate caramel more than a nutty praline, and though there was a hint of a nutty flavor, the caramel flavor dominated. To make matters worse, the nuts were soggy and lacked flavor. I was expecting to enjoy this based on the other praline, but was quite disappointed.

Do you expect nuts in chocolate to be flavorful, or is texture enhancement enough?

4 comments:

  1. Oh i love pralines, for me there has to be the flavour and the texture! Sorry you didnt enjoy these loads.

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  2. You gotta have the flavor! Why else are we here?

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  3. I'm definitely disappointed when the nuts don't add both texture, crunch and flavor. The first one sounds divine though.

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  4. Gosh, how disappointing! I'm saddened that Valrhona put out such a lacklustre piece.

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