Vosges Caramels: Tarte

One of the more intriguing-sounding caramels in the Vosges exotic caramel box I picked up was the Tarte caramel, which includes blood orange and hibiscus powder.

The caramel itself is coated with dark chocolate, and sprinkled with some very tart hibiscus powder that adds another delicious dimension to the treat.

Inside is a caramel with a bit of a tart kick that is just sweet enough to contrast the super-tart exterior dusting and dark chocolate coating. Texture-wise, the caramel is a bit chewier than I personally like, but not excessively so, and the dark chocolate is soft enough that the two meld together perfectly in each bite. The combination of tart, sweet, and chocolate is spot on, and the texture contrast is nearly perfect as well. By far my favorite caramel from this collection, which I regret to report I have polished off completely.

Vosges Caramels: Crema

Since I thoroughly enjoyed the Vosges Dulce de Leche truffle, I was very excited about trying out the Crèma caramel, which involved dulce de leche caramel. They had to be similar, no?

There are cashews on top of the milk chocolate, which was the first similarity with the truffle, so my anticipation grew before I bit in.

Sadly, the caramel inside was very chewy, which resulted in the milk chocolate crumbling away with every bite. Now the milk chocolate was the signature ultra-smooth Vosges milk chocolate, so this tells me that the caramel was super chewy. Though the texture was disappointing from my perspective, I did detect a pleasing cream flavor in the caramel, and thought that a dark chocolate might blend better with the sweet dulce de leche caramel. However, a dark chocolate would have certainly crumbled if molded against this ultra-chewy caramel, so the final product still would have been a tad disappointing. While I enjoyed the flavor of this caramel, I had a difficult time overcoming the chewy texture. Other caramels in the collection are better.

Vosges Caramels: Maple

Having enjoyed the Sunshine caramel, which incorporated honey into the caramel, I moved along to another Vosges caramel that utilized a non-traditional sweetening agent: the Maple, which used, well, maple syrup.

Before I got to that caramel, I found a sprinkling of sugar on top of some soft dark chocolate. While the sugar didn’t add much, it didn’t interfere with the taste or texture.

Inside, some walnuts give a nice crunch to contrast with the slightly chewy caramel, which imparts a definite maple aftertaste. The soft dark chocolate blends well with the caramel texture and doesn’t crumble at all. In terms of the overall texture, this caramel has diversity and harmony, but the taste doesn’t involve anything too notable aside from the hint of maple. It’s a neat idea, but it wasn’t my favorite from the collection.

Vosges Caramels: Sunshine

The final bit of loot I have to report on from my trip to Chicago is a box of exotic caramels from Vosges.

These caramels all sounded intriguing, but the most exotic-sounding of all was the Sunshine caramel, which included honey and bee pollen.

Bee pollen! Sprinkled right on top of that milk chocolate coating. The bee pollen itself was a little tart and added a nice zing to contrast with the sweet milk chocolate exterior.

Inside, the caramel itself was a little more standard, though there was certainly a distinct honey flavor that was noticeably different from standard sugar-based caramel. The caramel was nearly halfway between liquid and chewy, but did trend a bit towards chewy. Fortunately, the soft milk chocolate accommodated this so that each bite included chocolate and caramel, and there was no crumbling from mis-matched textures like there are in some less superb chocolate-covered caramels. I liked this caramel overall, and the bee pollen was a great touch.

Vosges Bars: Black Pearl

After sampling the rest of my Vosges library, I was left with the Black Pearl bar, which is a dark chocolate bar that includes sesame seeds and wasabi.

When I unwrapped the bar, I saw some letters that, again, probably were supposed to mean something. However, I didn’t spend much time bothering to read it, because I was looking forward to eating this one to the point of being impatient. I was especially excited because experience indicates that Vosges usually does a pretty good job of mixing chocolate with spicy flavors.

The sesame seeds are evident immediately, and give a nice satisfying crunch to compliment the smooth dark chocolate. The wasabi is much less noticeable, and comes across mostly as a generic spicy kick that is present more as an aftertaste than as a primary feature. While the wasabi is not strong, this allows the intense dark chocolate flavor, which features a bit of a coffee undertone, to come through with the tiny bit of sugar that cuts the bitterness just the right amount. The overall effect is one I’d be interested in eating again. Often.

Vosges Bars: Gianduja

It's Election Day. In most of the U.S., this is a big deal. For DC residents, the general election is a non-event because the winner of the Democratic primary almost always wins the general election. I spent a lot of time researching independent and third-party candidates, and found some who I will vote for in vain. In other cases, I'm simply casting a write in vote.

If I could, I would vote for whoever developed the concept of mixing chocolate with cream, hazelnut paste, and sugar. I would do this because gianduja is such a wonderful creation that I can eat by the pound, and I would love to simultaneously thank them for the immense enjoyment I’ve gotten from this and berate them for the number of times I’ve been unable to eat a proper dinner because of gianduja overindulgence. It was therefore quite fortunate that this bar was part of the Vosges library that I picked up.

Not only was this bar filled with one of my favorite approaches to mixing chocolate and nuts, but it had a nice message for me before I devoured it.

Never lovelier? Aw, thanks chocolate bar that I’m about to eat every last crumb of!

The deep milk chocolate in this bar seems even sweeter and creamier than that in other bars. It is very, very soft, similar to the chocolate coating the Vosges toffee, and the melt-in-your-mouth factor is off the charts. Joined with that softness is a bit of a nutty crunch, and it seems that there were finely ground hazelnuts added in to boost the fat content and make the bar even smoother. I swear there’s even extra cream incorporated, and the entire bar is like the center of a high-quality praline or truffle. Even though I’m partial to giandujas, I think that I can objectively say that this bar is an exceptional one that would be worth anybody’s money. I know that I’ll certainly be spending more of mine on it the next time I find one. I call it "voting with your pocketbook."

The rest of you, though, should vote for real.

Vosges Bars: Red Fire

I've been neglecting reviews of the chocolates I picked up in Chicago almost three months ago. Just so much exciting stuff going on in DC - a Malgieri demo, my own baking, and just great chocolate happenings. Luckily, that didn't make the Vosges treats I picked up any less delicious. The last few treats will be reviewed in the next week or so, be sure to check in.

One of the truffles from the Vosges Aztec collection that I enjoyed the most was the red fire, with the combination of chilie, cinnamon, and chocolate. Luckily for me, though I’d quickly consumed the truffles, my library of Vosges bars included a red fire bar.

I was hopeful that the effect would be similar to that from the truffle. The bar wasn’t sprinkled with spices like the truffle was, but it did tell me that I was a goddess.

Don’t you love it when your chocolate talks to you? I sure do. I also love it when dark chocolate manages to come across as creamy and flavorful, which is impressive for a chocolate with 55% cocoa solids. The intense chocolate flavor is the first taste, and is followed by a fiery cinnamon and then the ancho and chipotle chilies. The chocolate and the extras are well balanced, and isn’t overwhelmingly spicy like the Oaxaca bar was. Nice work, Vosges.