Teuscher Boston: Walnut Gianduja

Everything has to come to an end. Even good things. Even really good things, like a box of chocolates from Teuscher. I won’t be able to write about their truffles, giandujas, or pralines for a while, because this walnut gianduja was the last piece from the box I picked up on my trip to Boston.

As I wrote yesterday, I’m not the world’s biggest walnut fan, and prefer other nuts, like hazelnuts and almonds. Since this gianduja is topped with a gigantic walnut half, the walnut flavor permeates the entire creation, including the smooth, milk chocolate coating.

Inside, the gianduja is sweet, but not too sweet, and carries a definite walnut flavor thanks to the finely-ground bits of walnut blended into the gianduja. While I don’t particularly enjoy walnuts, the incorporation of the walnut offsets the sweet gianduja and milk chocolate coating nicely, so the end result is a gianduja that is sweet, but not overwhelmingly so.

Although I wouldn’t pick this gianduja for my next box because of my own personal preference, those who like walnuts and milk chocolate would likely find this quite pleasing. Now I must figure out when I will get my hands on that next box.

While I don't have a new box in my possession, I do have other great news to report: after all the discussion about using lavender in baked goods, Lauren from Once Upon a Brewhouse has some great ideas, including lavender-scented marshmallows in hot chocolate - you must read about it.

Teuscher Boston: Hazelnut Gianduja

IMPORTANT: Before you get distracted by this combination of chocolate and hazelnuts, don't forget that you can go vote for my vanilla-lavender scented white chocoalte custard in the Holiday Recipe Exchange.

Now it's time to talk hazelnuts...gianduja, to be exact

Even without the novelty of the layered effect of the Teuscher zebra gianduja, it’s truly a delicious creation. Teuscher seems to do a great job with simple, plain giandujas, so I was eager to check out the hazelnut gianduja, which prominently featured a whole hazelnut on the top of the creation.

The milk chocolate covering the gianduja and hazelnut was exceptionally soft and creamy, which made it easy to seamlessly bite into this creation.

The gianduja itself carries a strong hazelnut flavor, which goes nicely with the crunchy hazelnut on top. There’s a slight graininess to the gianduja that prevents it from being super-smooth, and the dominant flavors are hazelnut with a powdered sugar undertone; chocolate is not that strongly featured in this gianduja. It borders on just a little too sweet, but doesn’t quite cross the line. I enjoyed it, but I favor the almond gianduja instead.

Teuscher Boston: White Chocolate Gianduja

Given the Teuscher was one of the first truly luxurious chocolatiers I got hooked it, it shouldn’t be surprising that this is the third round of Tuescher truffle reviews in the past four months.

My justification? Each round of reviews featured a different shop. Chicago first. Then Philadelphia. Next up: Boston, where I first discovered Teuscher many years ago.

Though I picked up two previously-reviewed favorites in my box – the zebra and almond giandujas – I filled the other seven slots with others I hadn’t reviewed. Including the white gianduja.

The white chocolate on the outside is very soft, and is clearly constructed with high-quality cocoa butter. This softness makes the gianduja easy to bite into, and the shell blends seamlessly with the gianduja filling.

The gianduja itself features a subtle hazelnut flavor enhanced by what tastes like powdered sugar. The interior is also quite smooth, with minimal graininess in the gianduja that results in a wonderful melt. It’s a very sweet creation that is not for those who shy away from sweet treats. Luckily, I enjoy my sugar, and I will likely include this on my future lists of “must-get-creations” during my Tuescher visits.