White Chocolate World

Coming in a more subdued paper package than it’s Cranberry and Spice bar, the mixed Berry and Vanilla Bean is in many ways a better bar of White Chocolate. The combination of Vanilla Bean and Mixed Berry makes for a much more rounded flavour than either the Cranberry and Spice bar by Coco (which is lovely but quite powerful) or the Chocolate Tree’s White Chocolate and Raspberry (which is again quite strong with it’s entire back being covered in Raspberries).

174 Bruntsfield Place
Bruntsfield
Edinburgh
EH10 4ER
www.cocochocolate.co.uk

250g White Chocolate
250g Mascarpone Cheese
250g Cream Cheese
300ml Double Cream
2tsp Vanilla Extract
250g Shortbread fingers
100g butter

Crush shortbread. Melt butter and stir into crushed shortbread, empty into a 26cm loose bottom tin and press down firmly with back of a spoon.

Melt the Choc and let cool whilst you whisk together the Mascarpone and cream cheese with the vanilla extract.

Slowly stir in the white Choc a spoonful at a time. Set aside.

Whisk the double cream until it thickens and leaves peaks when you lift the whisk. It shouldn’t be completely stiff as you then need to fold this into the mixture of cheeses.

Once it’s all folded in, spoon it on top of the biscuits and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

The first thing to mention about this bar is that it comes and a beautifully design pouch much like you buy tobacco in and the hand drawn illustration really echos the artisan feel. The ingredients say that it’s made with 100% Cocoa Butter and Natural Vanilla but I’m not sure how that can be when it also contains sugar, whole milk powder, vanilla, soy lecithin, 2% cranberries, organic cinnamon, organic nutmeg, organic all spice, organic clove and organic star anise. Confusion aside this is a beautiful bar of white chocolate. If I were to sum it up I would say it is a very Christmassy aroma and the spices give the taste a great deal of depth. The cranberries are sparsely arranged on the back and I think it could do with a few more but on the whole this is a lovely example of artisan white chocolate.

The Coco of Bruntsfield store is located at:
174 Bruntsfield Place
Bruntsfield
Edinburgh
EH10 4ER
www.cocochocolate.co.uk

My first review goes to The Chocolate Tree who describe themselves as ‘ a world of organic & bean to bar chocolate, providing a friendly & welcoming atmosphere where people can engage with and learn about real artisan chocolate’ and I couldn’t agree more. Happy to talk through the range of chocolate they create as well and the way they create it, even on a busy Saturday morning. Opened in 2009 they make chocolate from the bean and work with growers directly and encourage the growing of heirloom varieties as well as giving them the best deal possible.

This bar I’m particularly looking at today is organic white chocolate with non organic dried raspberries covering the back. Containing 29% cocoa butter, sugar, milk powder and vanilla powder it’s a gentle soft creamy taste with the dried raspberries on the reverse giving it a slightly tart aftertaste but not too overpowering. The mix of cocoa, sugar and vanilla is just right and it’s not too sweet although I think without the raspberries is might be too mellow for some, however in this combination it’s visually engaging and a great take on the classic white chocolate and raspberry pairing.

The Chocolate Tree
123 Bruntsfield Place
Edinburgh
EH10 4EQ
http://www.the-chocolate-tree.co.uk/