Yoplait Whips! touts itself as “a whipped yogurt so unbelievably fluffy, so incredibly light, it’s an extraordinary experience.” They recently came out with three new flavors that are dessert favorites. It seems like they are trying to offer a healthier replacement when those cravings hit.

So do they do the trick? Can you have these yogurts and have your cravings healthily satisfied? I had tried the fruit-flavored Whips! before and liked the Cool Whip-like texture, so I was interested in seeing if their new flavors also succeeded.

Chocolate Mint: This is supposed to be a mint chocolate mousse, the most likely candidate for success, as a mousse and Whips! should supposedly have a similar texture. While I found that the texture did work, neither the mint nor the chocolate flavorings were very strong or intense. In fact, I found the mint flavor a little odd when matched up against the slight tang of the yogurt.

Dulce de Leche: Many times, real dulce de leche is made with sweetened condensed milk, which is indeed one of the ingredients Yoplait uses. There was a creamy caramel taste, but when I eat dulce de leche, part of its appeal is the rich mouth-feel it brings. A whipped yogurt texture just doesn’t seem to stand up to the strong flavorings. It was the best out of the three flavors I tried, I might consider buying it if I was desperate for some caramel flavors.

Creamy Latte: There was barely any distinguishable coffee flavor here, even though I knew that latte would imply a more creamy taste because of all the milk. Instead, it was more liked plain whipped yogurt with a tiny aftertaste of coffee.

Overall, these textures just didn’t work when paired against such intense, rich flavors. Whips! don’t succeed as dessert, but they don’t seem to work as yogurt either because of the whipped texture. I guess I just found it plain weird and hard to describe.

Is it healthy? Calorie-wise, it’s not fat-free yogurt and still has between 140-160 calories, not much different from their original line of yogurt. As I expected a whipped product to have fewer calories because air has been mixed in, this caloric count was surprising. The biggest surprise: there is about 22 grams of sugar in each 4-oz. serving. A 4-oz. serving of Coca-Cola classic has only 13 grams of sugar!

There are other Whips! flavors out there that I didn’t try. Unfortunately, I won’t be running out to buy them anytime soon. Give them a try if you are desperate to find a healthier dessert replacement, but don’t expect them to really taste like the real thing.

Southern California may have Disneyland, but Northern California has its own version of kid-swamped chaos: the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, just east of the Napa Valley.

Faith Kramer did an excellent article about the tour, so I decided to take it since I was staying just a few miles down the road. However, I guess I picked the wrong time to go: the line to take the tour would be over an hour!

As much as I love Jelly Bellies, I looked at the line, the happy yet sugar-high children, and decided that the tour would have to be another day.

It didn’t stop me from still going to the factory store though. You can buy “Belly Flops,” their slightly imperfect jelly beans, for $8 / 2.5 lb. bag. And they even had them buy 3, get 1 free! The only thing is that the flavors are all mixed together, so you probably end up with some you don’t like. Great for a candy dish or a fun random sampling though.

Instead, I went with the U-pull dispensers of their perfect jelly beans, priced at $8 / lb. In the process of filling my bag up, I mastered the technique of the mini-pull: pull the dispenser slowly and carefully, and you can control the amount of jelly beans you want. It’s perfect if you only want 5 or 6 of one flavor.

There were some interesting flavors there, including the gross Harry Potter beans. Some funky ones included bacon and buttered toast. Will fried eggs be next?

Here are the Jelly Bellies I chose, I seem to especially like the flavors that begin with the letter P!

A&W Cream Soda- you get only a slight cream flavor
Caramel Apple- not very apple-y, caramel was very much like a maple flavor
Crushed Pineapple- good but pineapple flavor wasn’t strong enough
Juicy Pear- one of my favorites, with a strong Bartlett pear taste
Mango- disappointing, it didn’t taste like mango at all
Orange Sherbet- you get a hint of creaminess before the orange takes over; a decent take on the creamsicle flavor combination
Peach- a strong contender against Juicy Pear as my favorite
Pink Grapefruit- strong grapefruit flavor but no bitter edges
Plum- my new favorite find: just try it and be wowed
Tangerine- nice and refreshing citrus flavor

Jelly Belly Factory
One Jelly Belly Lane
Fairfield, CA 94533
Open Daily from 9-5 (tours end at 4), factory in production only on weekdays

If you’re ever in the San Francisco Bay Area, I highly recommend the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory tour. As much as I love European (and especially French) chocolate, I can’t complain about the stuff they make here, as they specialize in dark chocolate.

I took the tour last Thursday morning. Be sure to make reservations online before attending, the tours are free but can only accommodate 35 people at a time. Also remember to wear close-toed shoes, as you get to actually walk through the facility.

You knew you were in a chocolate factory the minute you stepped through the doors of the gorgeous brick building at the bottom edge of the city of Berkeley (across the bay from San Francisco). A big warm puff of chocolate-scented air wrapped itself around us and lured us in. Since we arrived early, we sampled some of their hot chocolate and looked around the store after checking in with the cashier.

The tour started with a guide taking us outside and explaining the history of the building. Then we proceeded into what he called the “classroom,” and we spent the next 40 minutes listening to him give a history of Scharffen Berger, chocolate, and their production process. I found it fascinating and informative- they are one of the few producers in the US to start their process from the plantations and beans themselves. The explanations were clear, concise, and he used pictures and actual samples of pods and beans that we passed around.

Oh, and did I mention the free samples we got during class? Large pieces were passed around of their classic blends, and we got to try their limited edition and seasonal blends at the end of the tour. Trust me, they didn’t skimp!

The tour ended with a walk-through of the factory, where we saw the machines that roast the beans, temper the chocolate, mold the chocolate, and finally the workers that wrap the bars. Everyone there seemed friendly and happy- I guess I would be too if I smelled chocolate all day.

Even though Scharffen Berger got purchased by Hershey’s last year, they said they wouldn’t change their processes. But then again, they almost have to say that, don’t they? I can’t imagine the tour guide saying that it was a bad thing. From what I could tell though, they still seem to maintain a lot of quality control and high standards.

There is an on-site restaurant called Café Cacao that looked like it had an interesting menu, plus pain au chocolats that looked mouth-watering. How can you resist chocolate wrapped in puff pastry?

A caveat: if you have small children (probably under the age of 6 or 7), I’m not sure they can sit through the classroom portion of the tour, as it’s catered more to educating adults than children. The few kids on our tour were slightly older but still seemed to enjoy listening to the explanations.

So if you ever find yourself in the Bay Area and want to learn how quality chocolate is made, make an appointment at Scharffen Berger and enjoy! If you can, go on a weekday to actually see the factory in production. I promise you’ll learn something new.

Scharffen Berger
914 Heinz Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94707
510-981-4066
Tours daily, reservations available online
*must wear closed-toed shoes!

After sampling some of his amazing desserts at Le Cirque 2000 many years ago, I knew that I had to visit his stores in New York City. I left with a dark chocolate ginger bar (60%) and a bag of chocolate-covered Cheerios as gifts, but struck gold when I took a sip of the frozen hot chocolate.

At $3.50 a serving, it’s quite a deal. You can get Classic or Wicked, wicked being spiced with chilies. And unlike the cold chocolate I had from La Maison du Chocolat, this was an actual blended beverage, not something served over ice cubes or just chilled and served straight up.

The Classic frozen hot chocolate was absolutely divine: thick enough to coat your mouth, but icy and cold enough to still be refreshing on a hot day, especially when you’re trekking across the Brooklyn Bridge in the summer on foot! The chocolate flavor was intense but not too sweet: deep flavor without an overtly bitter edge.

The drink passed the definitive test when we were walking in the hot summer weather, as it managed to hold up its intense flavor even as it started melting. How did it achieve that? Using ice cubes made out of hot chocolate? Was I suffering heat stroke and the integrity of the flavor just my imagination? After all, I didn’t see the drink being made, as I was too busy prowling the store for gifts. Hats (or toques) off to Chef Torres for figuring it out.

Those of you who live in New York City are lucky. I highly recommend the frozen hot chocolate and wish I had tried the Wicked flavor also. At $3.50, it’s quite a bargain when even your standard Starbucks hot chocolate will cost about that much. I’m glad to see that excellent European chocolat chaud can be found on the other side of the Atlantic!

Jacques Torres Chocolate
Hudson Square
350 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
(212)414-2462

66 Water Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 875-9772

Everyone knows that things in Paris are expensive. In fact, a cup of hot chocolate made from cheap chocolate powder at a random café can cost you more than 5 Euros. So knowing where to go makes all the difference, and what drew me to La Maison du Chocolat was a sign saying that they did their hot chocolate to go for only 3.50 Euros.

Two things to notice:
1. It’s an amazing bargain for Paris. (Note- Drinking inside at the cafe, the hot chocolate is 6.50 Euros.)
2. To go? In Paris? Unless you go to an American chain, takeout is not a very popular thing, especially for coffee and hot drinks.

And the verdict? Not surprisingly, a great balanced chocolate flavor. In the first few sips, the taste of sugar seemed to be distinct from the chocolate, a little strange and disconcerting. But after awhile, it balanced out and had a good ratio of sweetness, richness, and deepness of flavor. Plus, it was piping hot. The size was also perfect for a single serving. You do get less than the other places I’ve reviewed, but the price is also much more affordable.

There are two versions of hot chocolate to choose from, but the shop I visited happened to stock only one (I’m not sure which). If you go to their main store in Paris, there is a brochure with a great description to help you choose.

With summer in full swing out here, hot chocolate is not really a drink that’s refreshing. Again, this store shows some great initiative by offering chocolat froid (cold chocolate). I dutifully returned, tasted (I take my job seriously) and really didn’t like it very much. It was basically their hot chocolate chilled. The texture was slightly grainy, and it was too thick to have the refreshing feel that a summer drink usually has. Maybe it would be better blended with ice or made with milk rather than cream? Stick with the hot chocolate, mes amis.

Since I am saying farewell to Paris in a few weeks, I take comfort in the fact that there are La Maison du Chocolat stores in New York. At least it’s 3,600 miles closer to San Francisco. Hopefully I can convince them to expand to the West Coast.

Thus ends the quest for hot chocolate in Paris. See the bottom of the post for my final rankings.

La Maison du Chocolat
Boutiques in:
* Paris (below is the main location, others are listed on website)
- 52, rue Francois 1er
75008 Paris, France
* London
* Japan
* New York
- 30 Rockefeller Center
New York City, NY 10020
- 1018 Madison Ave.
New York City, NY 10021

***********************************

Here are my final rankings for Parisian hot chocolate:
1. Ritz Hotel: Perfect hot chocolate, glitzy atmosphere, complimentary petit fours. High end of the price scale, now 9 Euros. I’m heading back there this afternoon for a farewell cup before leaving Paris!
2. La Maison du Chocolat: Great hot chocolate to go, an amazing bargain at 3.50 Euros. Plus, stores in the US!
3. Angélina: Le chocolat africain has deep flavor but served lukewarm, 6.20 Euros. Rude service, ordinary pastries.
4. Jean-Paul Hévin: Not enough chocolate flavor, 6.30 Euros. Cute café, good pastries.

I know there are many more places in Paris that I couldn’t review, but it’s my incentive for returning to Paris one day!

“…son fameux chocolat chaud…” (”…his famous hot chocolate…”)

This line was taken directly from Jean-Paul Hévin’s website and thus immediately piqued my interest. Anyone gutsy enough to make such a claim deserved to be investigated immediately.

Situated a mere block away from Place Vendôme (and the tempting perfection of chocolat chaud at the Ritz Paris Hotel), the small storefront houses a chocolate and pastry shop on the ground floor, with a salon de thé on the second.

Dark wood-paneled walls and floors made an inviting setting, especially overlooking the narrow but always frenetic Rue Saint-Honoré below. In fact, the elevation was a nice change from typical Parisian cafes, where one can easily be distracted by what’s going on outside.

Jean-Paul Hévin was obviously popular with tourists- the menu of pastries included large color photos. The tarte tatin that I had heard raves about was unfortunately crossed off the menu, and it took two tries before I was able to find a pastry that they had available. However, the pastries that we tried were surprisingly good and overshadowed the hot chocolate.

But on to the purpose of the visit! Chocolat chaud was 6,30 Euro a serving, 6,80 Viennoise-style with whipped cream. Served piping hot in a little pitcher, we were a little puzzled when the server filled our cups only halfway and then walked away. Since it wasn’t served with a side of milk, and we didn’t order whipped cream, why only halfway? It was a mystery we couldn’t solve. She also asked if we wanted sugar, which we declined and later regretted.

Temperature and texture-wise, the hot chocolate was fine- steaming hot, thick enough to coat the mouth without being too thick to sip. Unfortunately, it was severely lacking in chocolate flavor. Yes, there was a great depth to it, almost coffee-like, yet my first reaction was that I couldn’t detect the chocolate. I hoped that I would taste the chocolate or some sweeter notes later on, but none came even though I let it linger on my palate. I was sorely tempted to track down our server to ask for sugar, something I usually never add to my chocolat chaud. In this case though, it needed another dimension to make it more interesting.

Overall, I liked the setting and the pastries much more than I did Hévin’s fameux drink. The quest for chocolat chaud in Paris continues. La Maison du Chocolat is next, and rumor has it, you can get their hot chocolate in take-away cups!

Jean-Paul Hévin, Salon de Thé
231, rue Saint-Honoré
75001 Paris
01 55 35 35 96

Never one to back down from a challenge, I took it upon myself to find out who should be crowned the king of Parisian hot chocolates. List in hand, the quest began.

With Angélina out of the way, it was onto the next stop, the Ritz Paris Hotel, land of glitz, glamour, and apparently divine chocolat chaud at The Bar Vendôme.

Perfect hot chocolate at The Bar Vendôme came with a perfectly hefty price- 8,50 Euros per serving. However, each serving came in a pitcher that yielded around 2 cups. No requisite side of whipped cream, just pure hot chocolate. An added bonus was that the server also brought out a small plate of complimentary petit fours, another reminder that this was no ordinary café or bar.

This was the hot chocolate I had been dreaming of- hot and thick, dark and aromatic. It was also smooth and coated the tongue like liquid gold. Deep complex flavors, but not too cloyingly sweet. Like most cafés in Paris, the hot chocolate was served with extra sugar on the side in case your sugar quotient ran sweeter. It was definitely a drink to be savored slowly, especially in the posh opulence of the room, with its glittering patrons drinking champagne and the man at the grand piano tinkling away.

Although I highly recommend The Bar Vendôme, you’ll have to remember that this is still the Ritz- polite but insistent staff at the door will ask you why you are entering the hotel (just say you are going to The Bar Vendôme), dressing nicely helps, and the price tag will probably make you consider this place for special occasions only. But then again, any occasion is an occasion for perfect hot chocolate. The standard has been set high by the Ritz, but if something out there in Paris is better, I intend to find it. Next stop, Jean-Paul Hévin- stay tuned!

Thanks to loyal reader Daniel for submitting his Ritz chocolat chaud photo!

Ritz Paris- The Bar Vendôme
15, place Vendôme
75001 Paris
01 43 16 33 63

You probably either love or hate Valentine’s Day. Whatever your feelings are, you can’t deny the sugary sensory overload that is associated with February 14. I personally got over those little candy hearts quite a few years ago- who needs chalky pieces of sugar with cheesy messages on them? Time to grow up and enjoy the finer things in life.

So what is more grownup than champagne, strawberries, and fine chocolate? I was determined to find a way to push beyond the ubiquitous chocolate-dipped strawberries or champagne-strawberry combinations. Thus emerged the idea for a chocolate mousse with a strawberry-champagne coulis.

I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of coulis- basically boiling fruit in syrup to produce a deliciously concentrated sauce that somehow takes on its own character, full of depth and richness. And who could resist a fluffy chocolate mousse? The combination of the two seemed natural and complementary, with the bitter hints of chocolate contrasting with the tartness of the strawberries and champagne.

As always, enjoy the process:
- Get good champagne, as you will definitely have leftovers. Besides, what’s more elegant than sipping a glass of bubbly while cooking?
- Buy quality chocolate- savor any extra pieces, or at least sneak a piece or two in while chopping.
- Feeling stressed? Beat the whipped cream by hand!

(For those curious, I used Veuve Clicquot Brut and Lindt Dark 52% Chocolate.)

Chocolate Mousse with Strawberry-Champagne Coulis
Serves 4

3 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup whole milk
12 ounces fine chocolate, finely chopped (not too dark, mousse will not be sweet enough)
1 tbsp Champagne

1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream, divided

1 pint fresh strawberries
Champagne
1/8 cup sugar

Chocolate shavings (optional)

Mousse:
1. Whisk egg yolks & salt to blend.
2. Bring milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
3. Gradually whisk hot milk into yolk mixture. Return to saucepan.
4. Stir over low heat until custard thickens, about 1 minute (do not boil).
5. Remove from heat & add chocolate.
6. Whisk until chocolate melts & mousse base is smooth. Whisk in champagne.

7. Cool 30 minutes or until room temperature (not in refrigerator).
8. Beat 3/4 cup cream in bowl until peaks form, fold into mousse base.
9. Cover, chill at least 4 hours.
10. Beat remainder of the cream for serving. Keep cool.

Coulis:
1. Wash and slice strawberries. Place in small bowl.
2. Pour champagne over strawberries to cover. Add sugar & stir gently to dissolve.
3. Cover & place bowl in refrigerator at least 1 hour.
4. Remove some of the sliced strawberries from marinade & reserve for garnish.
5. Bring the remainder of the strawberries & marinade to a boil in a saucepan.
6. Lower heat to a simmer & cook until a thick syrup forms, stirring occasionally so that the sugar does not caramelize at the bottom of the pan or burn. Taste & add more sugar if necessary, according to taste.
7. Let coulis cool slightly, then blend in a blender. Refrigerate until ready for use.
8. Optional- strain the mixture to remove strawberry seeds.

Ideas for Serving:
1. Layer the sliced strawberries, mousse, whipped cream, & coulis in champagne glasses. Top with chocolate shavings.
2. Spoon mousse onto dessert plates, top with whipped cream, & drizzle coulis around the plate.

Open almost any guidebook for Paris and you inevitably find a listing for this venerable salon du thé on Rue de Rivoli, facing the Tuileries. However, it’s not tea that draws hoards of people to this food landmark in Paris. Rather, it’s the 6 euro serving of their specialty hot chocolate, le chocolat Africain.

I expected greatness. I expected a cup of hot chocolate that would have such a depth of flavor, such a smooth texture, that all future cups of hot chocolate would sadly never even make it onto the scale for comparison. I expected impeccable, gracious service and another shining example of French culinary artistry.

Instead, my friend and I found ourselves waiting in a long line, shown a table with a nonchalant flick of the wrist, denied our desired pastries because they were sold out, and served by a waitress who looked ready to throw the silverware at us.

But sometimes the food redeems itself when service and atmosphere disappoint. In this case, le chocolat Africain tried its best but couldn’t completely succeed. It arrived in a little pitcher with a side of whipped cream, tempting us with its aroma and thick texture.

The first sip was almost nutty in flavor, with hints of coffee at the end. It was silky smooth and not too sweet, pleasantly coating the mouth. You couldn’t deny the high quality of the chocolate. However, my second reaction was that it wasn’t hot enough - while a lukewarm temperature helps you taste all the flavors, it isn’t called hot chocolate for nothing. Factor in the side of cool whipped cream, and it would have lowered the temperature even more.

While I would agree with those who laud Angélina for le chocolat Africain, the service issues and the lukewarm temperature of the hot chocolate make me hesitate returning for a second visit. However, the long lines queuing outside this landmark location seem to show that other people may not be as picky as I am. Go only if you care about the hot chocolate and nothing else.

Angélina
225 Rue de Rivoli
75008 Paris
01 42 60 82 00

So it’s no surprise that I visited not one, but two chocolate museums in my travels recently. The real surprise was discovering that, like snowflakes, no chocolate museum is exactly like another.

Museu de la Xocolata is located in Barcelona, Spain. Tucked away in the La Ribera neighborhood, it’s tiny and nondescript. The main counter inside works as ticket booth, café, and chocolate store. The rest of the museum traces the history of chocolate, with a few exhibits and kiosks detailing production and ingestion of cocoa.

But the majority of the museum housed chocolate sculptures - from a rendition of a cathedral to cheesy Disney characters. I was disappointed by the lack of samples and tastings, and was able to navigate the place in less than half an hour. I had a cup of hot chocolate at the café before leaving; it was delicious, thick, and comforting, yet I felt that I hadn’t learned many new things or been very impressed by the museum. It had a sleepy, slightly dusty atmosphere that contrasted both with the vibrant culture of Barcelona and with the excitement that chocolate usually causes.

After this first chocolate museum experience, I didn’t expect things to be very different when I visited Schokoladenmuseum in Cologne. But Germany always has a way of surprising you when you least expect it.

Schokoladenmuseum lives right on the Rhine River in Cologne, in a historic building with a glass addition that makes the whole place look like a ship. As I crossed the footbridge and entered the huge building, I could already tell that things here would be different.

When I paid for admission at the ticket booth, I was handed my change and a piece of chocolate. My nose picked up scents reminiscent of a kitchen where brownies are baking in the oven. A small greenhouse gave a sense of what it was like in the rainforests where the cocoa plant is grown. Room after room detailed the history, production, and problems associated with chocolate. I appreciated the fact that fair trade and child labor were mentioned - coffee often overshadows chocolate on these issues, but it’s something we should be mindful of as consumers.

Then the real fun began: the small rooms opened up to a giant glass-walled room that was a working chocolate factory! You could climb up steps to peer down into shiny stainless steel machines that melted and tempered chocolate, watch conveyer belts transport the stamped bars, and learn about truffle and hollow chocolate production. Smiling workers in hair nets wrapped and bagged the tempting finished products to be sold in the museum store.

And the pièce de résistance - an enormous gold chocolate fountain! A nice worker carefully dipped wafer cookies into the river of chocolate and handed them out to all museum-goers. We were even offered seconds. What a lucky woman - having a job that makes everyone smile.

The upper floors of the museum finished off with chocolate in films, chocolate in history, and replicas of chocolate shops. I couldn’t believe how many different themes they could associate with chocolate.

I spent about two hours wandering the museum and finished up with a relaxing hour in the café, where various types of hot chocolate were offered and served in giant glasses. It was surreal to sit there and watch the snow falling gently onto the banks of the river outside while I was snugly ensconced in a cocoon of chocolate aromas.

And what did I leave with? Seven different kinds of chocolate from the store, a little more knowledge on how chocolate is made, and a sweet taste in my mouth from all the free samples. If only every museum I went to made me feel this way!