Nib-bling

Consider yourself warned. I told you I had chocolate on the brain.

This is my new favorite chocolate bar, by leaps and bounds. I already loved Scharffen Berger's Milk Chocolate bar, but now they have gone and added nibs. They might as well have included a needle with that, because I just want to mainline it forever and ever.

Lest you pooh-pooh milk chocolate in favor of dark, let me assure you that this is no ordinary hollow-Easter-Bunny variety milk chocolate. It's rich, chocolately, smooth and with a hint of caramel. The reason that it's so much better is that the percentage of cocoa is as much as some manufacturers put in their dark chocolate (I learned this on the factory tour a few years ago, and sadly, they no longer give tours). The roasted nibs and crunch and an extra punch of pure cocoa.

It's a little bit hard to find, but fortunately there's a little corner market not far from my house that carries them. Fortunately, or unfortunately - hm, I could use one right about now!

(extra thank you to Jude who put one in my Christmas stocking AND brought one to the movies with us last week. Milk Nibby, popcorn and "Black Swan" - a most excellent combination!)

Nibble Nibble Like a Mouse

Here is my tribute to Robert Steinberg and the wonderful chocolate that he brought to the world. The recipe, and others, was right inside my trusty can of cacao nibs.


From the Scharffen Berger website:
Cacao Nibs are perfectly roasted cocoa beans separated from their husks and broken into small bits. They are the essence of chocolate. Nibs add crunchiness and subtle chocolate flavor to baked goods and savory dishes. They make a great substitute for roasted nuts or chocolate chips, without added sweetness. Packaged with suggestions for use in a 6-ounce nitrogen flushed mylar bag, they are a unique gift for the home baker.


Scharffen Berger Nibby Cookies

• 1 c. dark brown sugar
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 lb. (1 c., or 2 sticks) butter - NOT softened
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3 c. flour
• 1/4 t. salt
• 3/4 t. baking soda
• 1/2 c. Scharffen Berger Cacao Nibs

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Measure sugars into food processor and blend
- Cut up butter into chunks and drop into the feeding tube until blended.
- Stop processor, add 2 egss, followed by vanilla. Process for 15 sec, scrape down sides, process for an additional 10 sec.
- Remove cover, pour in flour. Add salt & soda and mix it into flour. Cover and process for 30 sec. Scrape down sides and process for an additional 10 sec.
- Remove cover, add nibs, and process for 15 sec.
- Drop onto cookie sheets, adding a sprinkle of nibs on top of each cookie, and pressing down.
- Bake for 8-12 min (until edges are brown, may take longer).
- Cool on cookie sheet 5 min before removing.

A Walk Down Chocolate Memory Lane

Yesterday Robert Steinberg passed away from lymphoma. Steinberg was one of the original founders of Scharffen Berger Chocolate, along with his friend John Scharffenberger. They took a different approach than most American chocolate makers, with the intention of making chocolate in the European tradition. They bought a machine from Germany and crafted their first batch in Steinberg's kitchen - working and reworking it until they got it right. They insisted on using more cocoa in their product than the minimum required by law, creating an exceptional quality chocolate that raised the bar for the chocolate industry in our country.

I took the tour of the factory in Berkeley last year. It's one of the few chocolate factories that let people in - most keep their secrets highly guarded. It was so interesting to see the process, and to learn about the nuances of different types of chocolate.


The tasting was the best! I remember our guide saying, "Even if you don't love milk chocolate, you will love this chocolate." I thought, "Yeah, right" and then I tasted it. Rather than the flat, overly sweet, chalky taste that I expected was a rich, smooth, complex bite of chocolate. I learned that the milk chocolate in the SB bar has as much cocoa as most manufacturers use in their dark chocolate. Now when I stop by my local Peet's Coffee, I usually buy a square or two of the milk chocolate as a treat. My absolute favorites were this limited edition chocolate pictured below that had a rich, almost grassy flavor (no longer available), and the Nibby Bar which have the added crunch and nuttiness of chocolate nibs.


Tonight I was supposed to go to an event hosted by restaurant expert and gal-about-town Marcia Gagliardi, aka the tablehopper, called a "Chocolate Adventure Contest". It was sponsored by Scharffen Berger and Tutti Foodie, so out of respect to the Steinberg family, the event was called off. The event was going to be a contest between two local pastry chefs, Boris Portnoy of Candybar, and William Werner of polite/persuasion, to whip up something chocolicious using a selected ingredient. And John Scarffenberger was going to conduct a blind chocolate tasting...yum. All of this and a discount at Sur la Table - what a dream. Instead, I will pick up some Scharffen Berger chocolate tonight and embark on a chocolate adventure of my own, as a way to honor the innovation and high standards that Steinberg was instrumental in bringing to the American market.

I wish I had had the chance to meet Robert Steinberg in person. David Leiboviz, an American living in Paris and chocolate connoisseur, wrote a very nice tribute today which you can read here.

I leave you with a delectable slice of cake that Sean and I enjoyed at the Scharffen Berger cafe, the day of our visit. It's rich, silky, smooth flavor still lingers.


Note: they have just added a tribute to Robert Steinberg on the Scharffen Berger home page, so do check it out. There is a lovely statement from his partner John Scharffenberger.