Norman Love Chocolates #1: Cherry Cordial Truffle

I was reading Consumer Reports recently and they had an interesting article about chocolates and they taste-tested and picked the top brands. I'm really not what you would consider to be a chocoholic, but I got inspired to order the chocolates listed in the magazine and do my own in-depth taste tests.

Over the holidays, I came upon a box of chocolates (Whitman's, maybe), and getting into one of those is like playing Minesweeper. First chocolate: cashews, you're safe! Second chocolate: caramel, safe again! Third chocolate: it's off-white and creamy...coconut? No, argh, butterscotch--abort! And then I'm left there awkwardly trying not to taste the piece of chocolate slowly eroding my enamel in my mouth. I never understand why those boxes don't come with maps all the time. I'm always a little wary of chocolate boxes, even the fancy ones, so I will take on the task of eating every single one of these chocolates and giving a report on what's inside.

I'm starting off with the top-rated box of chocolates from Norman Love. I got my first package today, and it is like a work of art.


It's almost too beautiful to eat, but then again I've never been sentimental enough to lose my appetite.

It's quite an experience to have your first bite of a well-crafted piece of chocolate, especially when what you're used to is Hershey's bars and Tootsie Rolls. I never really liked chocolate until I started getting the good stuff--no wonder! It's probably a good thing that the box of chocolates I ordered was so expensive ($50 for a 25-piece variety box, plus $30 for shipping) and not easy to get, because I haven't even eaten more than one chocolate and I'm already addicted.

The first one I picked was the Cherry Cordial Truffle. I'm mostly ambivalent about chocolate-covered cherries, because they come saturated in that milky syrup that makes my teeth hurt. (ButI have had some decent German ones however that have a liquor filling instead.) According to the description, this truffle allegedly has cherry jam and "dark chocolate Amarena ganache" encased in dark chocolate. ("Amarena" is apparently a type of cherry that grows in Italy.)

The quality of the chocolate was superb--it was slightly crunchy but then it was chewy, in a good way. There was a little dab of cherry jam on the inside at the top, and the cherry ganache was amazing. It had the consistency of sorbet and it was just a teeny bit tart, which complemented the dark chocolate shell. Definitely a winner. (By the way, you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge to food porn levels.)

Stay tuned for more adventures in the world of expensive chocolate!