François Pralus Brésil Forastero 75%

 

100g (3.5oz) bar

Ingredients: cocoa, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin

Ages ago I reviewed François Pralus's 100% cacao bar. I so enjoyed it that when I was visiting Cacao in Portland, I decided to try one of the chocolatier's many single-origin bars, in this case Brésil Forastero (Brazil is the country of origin; Forastero is the bean variety).

Corporate Info: François Pralus's website and press kit (a pdf) give pride of place to Pralus's father Auguste, a pastry chef whose work François considers his company to be carrying on; the franchises sell both Auguste's praline brioche (the “Praluline”) and François's chocolate. François Pralus processes all of its chocolate from bean to bar in its factory in central France, and while it sources the beans from all over the world, it now owns one plantation on an island off the coast of Madagascar. There is no indication that the beans are fair trade or organic, and this Brazilian bar obviously didn't originate from Pralus's own plantation.

Appearance: I rather like the look of François Pralus's bars; there's something pleasing about the symmetry of little squares and the large block with the Pralus signature. Otherwise, the chocolate is a nice reddish brown, with a slight gloss. Mine is also a little banged up.

Smell: There's not much smell but it's warm, reminding me of something like nutmeg, hazelnuts, and crème fraiche (like sour cream, but richer and not as tart).

Texture: Very rich and creamy, with some bitterness and a touch of acid. Nothing really distinctive, but not especially mild either. For me this chocolate is all about the creamy texture.

Conclusion: François Pralus Brésil Forastero is rich and creamy, with a little bitterness for complexity.

François Pralus Le 100% Criollo

3.5oz (100g) bar

Ingredients: Organic cocoa, o. cocoa butter

I was working on another review when the mail brought me a package from a thoughtful friend: François Pralus 100% cacao bar. What was I to do with such dark chocolate? I figured I couldn't review it, because without sugar, 100% cacao is bitter and sour. I also didn't want to bake it, drowning a relatively small amount of lovingly molded French cacao in butter and flour.

I unwrapped the foil, took a little sniff, then inhaled deeply: tropical, fruity, enveloping. So I tried a crumb, and this 100% cacao bar surprised me: it's not especially sour or bitter. It does have the expected acrid bite, but what predominates is the tropical fruit, not too flowery, something like pineapple or mango. The texture is more waxy than brittle, which I appreciate. This chocolate is complex but easy to eat—if you like 100% cacao, of course—because it's free of the sort of unpleasant edges that require dulling by sugar or milk.

Okay, I still wasn't about to eat an entire bar of unadulterated cacao. I discovered the solution in a leftover cup of heavy cream, and just for the heck of it, I tried it in two different but similar preparations. First I melted the bar with a bit of sugar. For one dessert, I whipped a small amount of the chocolate and sugar with half the cream to make an easy, soft, spoonable ganache. The rest of the chocolate mixture and cream (close to equal parts) I combined, refrigerated, scooped into balls, and rolled in cocoa powder to make truffles. In such a simple recipe inferior chocolate would have stood out, but these desserts tasted rich, pure, and dark.

Conclusion: For simple desserts that showcase high-quality chocolate, medium-bodied François Pralus Le 100% Criollo will not disappoint.