Mass marketed chocolate isn’t necessarily bad – in fact some of it is downright tasty. However, since it’s easily accessible, we’re far less inclined to put it on a towering pedestal in the same way that we might with costly yet typically higher quality artisan confections that have limited distribution.
Here we go again – another artisan-style caramel product made with high falootin’, responsibly-cultivated ingredients. You’re probably thinking, “Wake me up when this review is over!”, right? Sounds likes a good idea. While you go ahead and take a snooze, I’ll just pop a few more of these squishy-delish, dairy delicacies in my mouth.
Fans of highly processed dime-a-dozen sweets, perhaps this particular indulgence isn’t up your alley. With just 8 ingredients (the majority of which most kindergarteners are familiar with), Nunu Chocolates’ Bacon Toffee Bar seems like far less of a devilish indulgence than what you might find at the checkout line of your local grocery store. Of course, I’m not about to suggest that anything incorporating bacon deserves a nutritional halo, and since the version used in this recipe is apparently not certified organic, it’s likely factory farmed which brings up an additional slew of red flags…but Candy Addict® is all about edible escapism, so let’s regroup, shall we?
As I have mentioned before, I frequently make deliveries to various businesses in downtown Austin for work. One of the interesting things about it this time of year is that the lobbies of these hotels, offices, and skyscrapers are littered with merchants. It’s like a mini-bazaar of people selling jewelry, candles, and clothing as convenient holiday gifts.
None of these things really pique my interest, and I normally just brush right past them. However, on a recent trip to the twenty-second floor of 301 Congress, one little table caught my eye. It was a display of artisan chocolates. I hurried to the elevator to make my delivery so that I could quickly come back down and review the products for sale.
Upon my return, I noticed a stunning collection. There were molded chocolates designed for Christmas and wine bottles matched with wine glasses that were both decorated in a chocolate coating so that you could enjoy a drink and nibble on some Belgian chocolate concurrently. But the highlight of the table by far proved to be a series of molded chocolates that were depictions of paintings.
I once listened to a radio broadcast about a baker who manufactured artisan bread in Maine. When he was asked what possessed him to become such a baker, he replied with a response of almost disbelief:
“To me, artisan bread just means making the best possible bread by hand. I think everything should be made that way.â€
The sheer simplicity and truth of that statement has stayed with me over the years, and it is one that rushed to mind as I began reviewing a line of chocolate bars from Blanxart.
Blanxart is a Spanish confectionery company created back in 1954 by three brothers. Now, Europe is frequently associated with gourmet chocolate, but rarely if ever did I equate Spain with such a thought. Truthfully, as the Spanish were the first to make contact in the New World – where chocolate originated – it would make sense that they retain a claim to being the original European purveyors of gourmet chocolate.
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