Bittersweet

Several months ago, I had the pleasure of receiving a box of Recchiuti’s Asphalt Jungle Mix. It was such an unusual mix of sweet and salty flavors that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

Based in San Francisco, Michael Recchiuti’s chocolate company is built around the idea that  ”once you introduce people to truly exquisite chocolates they will be won over instantly and forever”. Well, if world domination is his mission, he’s clearly found the right medium.

Asphalt Jungle is described on the box as “a riot of burnt caramel hazelnuts and almonds, cherries two ways and peanut butter pearls.”   At first glance, the mixture is a jumble of shapes and textures – roundish, some shiny, some matte, with intriguing nooks and crannies. Sort of like an upscale Bridge Mix. It has an interesting combination of flavors. Each new piece reinvents the mix, daring you to choose a favorite.    

The individual pieces are difficult to determine at first glance, so just pick one and dive in.

Burnt Caramel Hazelnuts: The chocolate hazelnuts are roundish with a leathery, weathered  finish. Slight indentations still hold cocoa powder, as if the hazelnut had been rolled in it, but the powder had worn off in all but the creases. When you bite into them, they are salty amd crunchy with a light airy texture.  The chocolate is silky and complex. The taste of salty chocolate lingers long after the piece is gone.        

Burnt Caramel Almonds: The almonds are covered in dark chocolate and have the appearance and aroma of cocoa powder pressed into the chocolate. When you bite into them, the flavors unfold like a red carpet; first comes silky and bitter chocolate, then salty caramel, then bitter, almost tannic almonds, leaving the almond’s trademark taste tingling around the back of your tongue. 

Cherries Two Ways: The largest pieces in the mix, the cherries are as different as night and day. The first is a sweet candied cherry rolled in dark chocolate and cocoa powder. It’s dark with craters of powder, an fruity aroma and a bumpy matte finish. At first taste, the chocolate is bitter and dry, but the cherry is sweet, almost jammy, leaving a sweet tangy aftertaste. The second cherry is shiny with holes and looks like the fruit pieces in bridge mix. The chocolate is sweeter, silkier and more complex, and the cherry is sour, like you might find in a pie.

Peanut Butter Pearls: These small shiny milk chocolate bits are sweet and creamy with salty, crispy centers. As you bite into them, they are silky and chocolately, but then the peanut butter sneaks up and surprises you, leaving you with a lingering salty-sweet taste.

Overall: Asphalt Jungle is a little pricy ($12-15 for 6 oz.) but is surprisingly rich and decadent. It is an extravagant treat for any chocolate lover who revels in the new and unexpected. 

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Recchiuti Asphalt Jungle Mix: A riot of burnt caramel hazelnuts, and almonds, cherries two ways and peanut butter pearls. 6oz.   

Cost: $12-15

Related Products: Cherries Two Ways, Peanut Butter Pearls, Burnt Caramel Almonds, Burnt Caramel Hazelnuts

Available online at Recchiuti.com

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This entry was posted by Chelly on Thursday, August 20th, 2009 at 12:58 pm and is filed under Caramel, Nuts, Peanut Butter, Recchiuti. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.