The Chocolate Cellar Ganache & Bon Bon Selection Box
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I bought this chocolate selection box from The Chocolate Cellar after eventually venturing into Liverpool for the Easter Market in Liverpool One. I wasn’t overly impressed with the handful of sheds that made up the event, but I was very impressed with the selection of chocolates within their shop and the warm friendly atmosphere of the staff in there. I’ll definitely be popping back! But this time I came out with this selection box and two bars which included another ginger one – I bought another a week earlier at the Ramsbottom chocolate festival – doh!
The first I tried I’m sure was the Dark and Stormy bon bon which was absolutely fantastic. The dark chocolate and the whisky combined exceptionally well. The flavours were strong, intoxicating and brilliant whilst the centre was soft and velvety! A great start!
I wasn’t so fond of this second one which was the Lavandula as it was predominantly white chocolate. Even though the quality was undoubted and the ganache centre smooth and luscious, there wasn’t enough going on for my taste.
The next was the Caramel dream in milk chocolate. I actually loved this one. There may not have been anything unique or outstanding about it. But with chocolate selection boxes you need some good ones with mild flavours and some family favourites too. This is where this caramel comes in. The milk chocolate is sweet and works well with the caramel centre. Very good.
I then tried the Tia Maria Pots which was dark chocolate ganache made with Tia Maria which was covered with milk chocolate and topped with a coffee bean. This was absolutely sensational. It may have been difficult to bite into but the flavours were rich, strong and delightful. I’m not sure if the very crispy coffee bean on the top added to the experience or not. But over all I thought this ganache was terrific.
Ok, so this is the Whisky and Gunpowder and it’s truly fabulous. The whisky might be mild, but the chilli is wicked. It’s very strong and will give the back of your throat a hard time. But I thought it was great. The flavour was full of character; whist the texture was soft and delicate. This is a juxtaposition that works extremely well.
And we’re on a roll! Next up was the Minty Surprise which was made with Crème de Menthe with crushed chillies in a white chocolate ganache encased in dark chocolate with a marbled top. Another great one. I’m a huge fan of mint. The only problem was that it came just after the very powerful Whisky and Gunpowder ganache which made this one feel a little understated. The milk chocolate casing did work incredibly well with the crème de menthe centre which left me wanting more. Alas there was only of these in the box!
I’m sure this one is the Hunny Almond as it’s a milk chocolate made with honey with crushed almonds in the middle. Life couldn’t get better! I just love honey and almonds. I’m easily pleased! This is nice solid, substantial bon bon which reminds me of Toblerone – which I also love. This one might not be as flavoursome as the others, but I feel it’s important to have milder chocolates in a selection box and this does a great job of bringing you to a nice place after the very rich ones before.
This one was more difficult to work out what it is. I think it’s the Molten Maple which is maple caramel with cinnamon in a milk chocolate casing. It would have been very difficult to match the flavours of the other ones, but actually this is another simple caramel with sweet flavour. Nothing really stands out, but it’d be difficult to have robust flavours in each. Still very nice.
I think this one was the Gold Rush which is made out of Galliano in a dark chocolate ganache coated in more dark chocolate. This one was lovely. There weren’t many flavours than the dark chocolate, but that’s perfectly fine with me. I really did enjoy this one.
And now we’re on to The Danish which won a Taste Awards prize. This is a pecan nut praline which has a slight cinnamon flavour and finished off with a white chocolate swirl. And what can I say? I take everything back I’ve ever said about praline. This reminds me of Sunday mornings with a cuppa and a Danish whilst watching something completely useless on TV. Being pecan it’s obviously got an intense sweet taste which should satisfy most people’s sweet cravings. The texture is great too; it’s very crumbly but actually melts well in the mouth. The milk chocolate is sweet too so it’s a bit of a sugar rush – but totally welcome!
And now we have what’s called “Viola”. This is a white chocolate ganache with violet and coated in dark chocolate and topped with a bit of the candied violet. This is as smooth and as inoffensive as you could probably want. It’s like chewing on a summer’s day. I’m generally not a huge fan of flowery chocolate, but it serves as a type of sorbet between chocolate courses. Very nice indeed!
And the last one I have absolutely no idea what it’s called. But it’s obviously runny caramel in a milk chocolate case. It’s very sweet, but it’s the last in selection box so it won’t ruin a simpler one next. Caramel isn’t normally my thing, but it was nice, messy, sticky and bound to please!
Overall I was very impressed with these ganaches, pralines and bon bons. Great work guys!
Update: If you would like to make chocolate like this then have a look at the Chocolate Cellar Chocolate Workshops.
