Taste 13: Ritual Chocolate

It’s fun to unwrap. It has a perfect snap when you break off a piece.  Your taste buds immediately taste chocolate, and then as you let it just slightly melt in your mouth you realize it’s not overly sweet.  It has a smooth mouthfeel with no hint of chalkiness.  It’s such an exemplary bar of chocolate, I could make the sensory pleasure of eating this bar a ritual.

Ritual Chocolate is by far one of the best locally made artisan edibles in Colorado.  Owners Robbie Stout and Anna Davies fell in love with chocolate (and each other…) and started a bean to bar chocolate factory in Denver.  They are one of the very few chocolatiers in the United States that source cacao beans as the first step in the chocolate making process.  So, for my thirteenth taste of how much I care, I introduced him to one of my favorite chocolate bars.

I brought him a bar and he looked at it, thought it looked pretty cool, and tore off the top part of the wrapper within a few seconds of having it in his hands.  It would have made a great testimonial video for Ritual Chocolate because he broke off a piece (which made a snap), put it in his mouth, and immediately commented on just how fantastic that peice of chocolate was. By his second bite I was explaining how I had organized a blogger tour of the factory and know the owners, (how their story is so damn cool!), and how there’s a lot of time, effort, and dedication that goes into every single chocolate bar.

When you experience a Ritual Chocolate bar, you’ll understand how chocolate can and should actually taste.  There are a lot of chocolate bars out there, but most pale in comparison. Ritual Chocolate is available in a number of coffe shops and specialty stores in the Denver/Boulder area. Rather than spout out a list of places, I’d like to refer you to their website for info on their chocolate, their story, and where to buy a bar.

Taste 4: Double Chocolate Chilies and Cherries Chocolove Chunk Cookies

For my fourth way to show him how much I care (about his waistline) I pulled out one of my original recipes I created a couple years ago: Double Chocolate Chilies and Cherries Chocolove Chunk Cookies.  The title is a mouthful because once these babies come out of the oven, you will have a mouthful of cookies all night. Warning: eat responsibly.

Local Boulder-based Chocolove makes a Chilies and Cherries bar and it’s one of my favorites.  I’m known to make spicy brownies (coming up soon in this 14-part series), but wanted to branch out a bit on my chocolate baked goods, so one day I got creative and made up this cookie recipe.  I love it.

Here’s how I made them:

• 10 oz bittersweet chocolate (Ghirardelli sells 10 oz bags of chocolate chips which work well)
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 bars of Chocolove Chilies and Cherries in Dark Chocolate

Start by melting the bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler.

While it is melting, whip the cream into butter in your KitchenAid stand mixer. Then cream together the butter and sugar (evaporated cane juice). Next, add the eggs and mix well.

Slice the cold batter-logs into disks and roll them into ping-pong-sized balls.  Bake them on a parchment lined tray at 375 for 10-12 minutes.  They’ll still feel delicate in the middle when they’re done, so carefully slide them onto a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Boulder Granola

Boulder Granola will definitely satisfy all you granola-lovers out there.  This 45 year-old family recipe is worth tasting, and I tried Original, Cranberry, Gluten-Free, and Chocolate. I enjoy having this stuff in my house because it makes a great snack.  Everyone who knows me well knows I live off of Vitamix veggie smoothies all morning and afternoon.  So, I enjoy indulging in the evening, and Boulder Granola definitely satisfies my craving for something sweet (sweetened with maple), fulfilling, and organic.

This granola has a nice light crunchy texture and is just perfectly sweet.  I would be incredibly happy with a lifetime supply of the Chocolate Chip Granola, as I tend to eat this stuff in the later hours of the evening.   The Cranberry granola reminds me of my dad, so I’ll be sending him a package for him to try. The Gluten Free variety is fantastic and uses certified gluten free oats which are processed on equipment for certified gluten free grains.

You can sample some at the Boulder Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Or, go ahead and buy some online.  Give it a try and, as their tagline says, “unleash your inner hippie.”

Roundhouse Imperial Aged Gin

It all started with a cocktail. I was at SALT while guiding one of my downtown dining tours, and my guests got to “mix + match = make merry” with The Cocktail Element. As the esteemed libation experts at SALT know, I really enjoy my cocktails. And not just any ole’ cocktails. Real, thoughtfully prepared, unique cocktails. Sometimes I’m presented with a cocktail that’s not on the menu, or one that is a twist on a classic. That day, out came beverage director Evan Faber with a martini glass.

I, also sometimes known as Megan Maple Bourbon, immediately thought I had been served a bourbon or scotch cocktail, martini style. I took a sip and couldn’t quite place any flavors, but I knew it was a whiskey cocktail.

I couldn’t have been more wrong! I can only explain it like the moment the record player needles slides off the record and music comes to a screeching halt. It was a gin cocktail. A GIN cocktail! And not just any ole’ gin. This was made with Roundhouse Imperial Barrel Aged Gin. It was so golden honey brown, I was fooled. But, this barrel aged gin, disguised as scotch or bourbon to anyone ignoring the label, surprises and delights the palate.

Roundhouse Spirits, “Handcrafted Spirits of Uncommon Character,” is located right here in Boulder, and you can visit the distillery Thursdays-Saturdays from 3-7 pm. I did just that.

These barrels house the next batch of Imperial Barrel Aged Gin. Ted Palmer, el presidente, chief distiller, and tour guide, told me that the first batch had just gotten out to select restaurants and is available in limited quantities in liquor stores. Looks like the Imperial Cocktail at SALT is one of the first official barrel aged gin cocktails in town for Roundhouse Spirits.

Here’s Evan’s recipe:

2 oz Roundhouse Imperial Gin
1 oz Boissiere Sweet Vermouth
Dash of Orange Bitters
Garnish with a cherry

Stir well over ice and strain into a martini glass.

But, back to the place where the magic happens… Ted gave us a great tour of the distillery.

Turns out he has some custom made stills, handmade in Spain.

Ted is very enthusiastic about gin. He said he knew he wanted to make gin from the moment he had his first delicious sip. I was please at the end of our tour to enjoy some delicious sips of his libations. There’s a complementary tasting at the end of each tour, by the way.

Roundhouse Spirits currently makes gin, the newly released barrel aged gin, as well as Coretto, a fantastic coffee liqueur, which features a special roast from Boulder’s Unseen Bean. And, stay tuned for the new spirit… coming soon!

At the tasting bar, we learned about Ted’s theory of artfully producing a “Melting Pot Gin” with flavor profiles from the best parts of all world styles of gin. Come to a tasting and smell all of his choice ingredients and learn which ones are traditional in Dutch, English, and American styles of gin.

I bought a bottle of the first batch of Imperial Aged Gin. I have plans for this bottle…

You can try the Imperial Cocktail at SALT, but supplies are limited. Cocktail possibilities, on the other hand, seem endless.