Dr. Oetker Fun Foods Choco Fudge Spread

Suddenly, everyone seems to be following Nutella's lead and making chocolate spreads. Once the monopoly of the Italian brand, now the market is surging with spreads from brands like Pillsbury, Hintz and now Dr. Oetker Fun Foods. Dr. Oetker is over a century-old family-run business, based in Germany. Today, the company is massive in its product range, turnover and global presence. Dr. Oetker entered India in 2007 and in 2008, it took over Fun Foods, a major purveyor of Western cuisine in India.

Hintz copied Nutella's concept by making a hazelnut-chocolate spread, while Pillsbury stuck to plain chocolate. Dr. Oetker Fun Foods tries a different idea by making a Chocolate Fudge Spread.

For those who aren't sure what exactly a fudge is, Wikipedia defines it as "...a type of Western confectionery, which is usually soft, sweet and rich. It is made by mixing sugar, butter, and milk, heating it to the soft-ball stage at 240 °F (116 °C) and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency."

And this spread does taste and feel a lot like fudge.

Compared to Nutella, the spread has a thicker consistency and no oil floating on the top. While the lack of visible oil is a good thing, I wonder how long the product will retain its consistency. It's the palm oil in the other spreads that keep it soft for a long time. Newly opened, the product spreads well and tastes nice, although it won't give you foodgasms like the number one chocolate spread in the world.

A 350g jar costs INR 129, which makes it quite reasonable. It's a good product to try, and goes well with all manner of bread.

RATING: 3/5

Hokey Pokey Double Chocolate Therapy

Hokey Pokey Double Chocolate Therapy

So it was lust at first sight when a known food blogger Instagrammed a picture of the Double Chocolate Therapy, a signature dessert by an ice cream brand called Hokey Pokey. So when I spotted an outlet at Hiranandani, I had to give it a try because I was intrigued not just by the dessert, but also the company.

 Hokey Pokey is an Indian ice cream brand by DRUMS Food International Pvt. Ltd., established in Mumbai but the brand has quickly grown and they now have 14 company-owned outlets across cities like Pune, New Delhi, and Nasik. It is heartening to see at least one home-grown brand being serious about ice creams. The Amuls, Dinshaws and Kwalitys have only tabled the standard set of flavours over the years. In short, the Indian ice cream scene has been very vanilla. One would head to a Naturals (which, I love) or  Baskin Robbins occasionally when the palate craved some texture and different flavour.

But thanks to Hokey Pokey, ice cream eating seems to be taking a turn for the better.

The frozen stone slab is used to mix ingredients for the Signature Creations

Hokey Pokey serves a set of single flavours yes, but their specialty are the shakes and signature creations. Their Signature Creations are a blend of 2-3 ingredients, which are hand mixed on a frozen stone slab and served in a waffle cup. The Double Chocolate Therapy is one of their signature creations and boy is it sexy!

The Double Chocolate Therapy is a dessert created using Dark Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Fudge and Nutella!! The presentation is even better with chocolate sauce drizzled on it and a chocolate accent stuck on the top. The result is a fabulously tasty and variously textured dessert. The best part is that it is not overly sweet and one-dimensional like regular ice cream. A single serve (in a waffle cup within a paper cup) costs INR 85, but it is totally worth the money. I cannot wait to go back and try their other Signature Creations. Highly recommended.

RATING: 4/5

Chokovita by Kavitha Andrade

There's no other way to start this review than with the declaration that this post is about the best fudge in the world! I could write a poem about this one, I really could. Pune-based baker and chocolatier Kavitha Andrade's Choco-Mocha fudge has blown the Chocosopher's mind. The Choco-Walnut Brownies were lovely too, but this is a song in praise of the fudge, remember?

Kavitha Andrade

Now let's start from the beginning. Kavitha Andrade heard about Chocosophy on social media a while ago and asked me to review her chocolate-based products. I was more than happy to oblige, because it happened to be Chocosophy's first out-of-Mumbai review request. I also love to know and write about people for whom chocolate is not just business but a personal passion. Kavitha is one such person. I shot her a few questions, which Kavitha readily answered. Here goes:

1. When and how did you get into the chocolate making business?
I grew up eating Toblerone, Quality Street, Kit-Kat, etc and my love for chocolates still continues. Six years ago, I attended a two-hour workshop on basic chocolate making and decided to try making them at home. Whoever tasted it, enjoyed it. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur; so in 2010, I decided to start on my own with loads of help from my husband (Hector); he is always there guiding, encouraging,motivating and supporting me.

2. Where do you make your chocolates? Do you have any help? 
I make my chocolates at home. My husband helps me but I have no other help as such. My daughter wouldn't like it if I didn't mention that she helps me too... she enjoys baking with me.

3. What's your vision for your business?
I am satisfied with the pace my business is going at. I have a loyal list of customers who come back to me and they are spreading the word around. Presently, I am working towards getting corporate clients. Though my dream is to have my own chocolate cafe one day. A cafe that would sell brownies, fudge, cheesecakes, chocolates and all things chocolate. I am planning to conduct baking classes for beginners soon.

4. Is your brand eponymous? Or is there a name for your business/brand?
My business goes by the name of  Chokovita (coined by Hector).

5. What are your specialties? Which are your most popular chocolates?
My specialties in bakery products are Brownies, Blondies, Muffins, Cookies etc. The No Bake products are - Choco-Walnut Fudge, Mocha Fudge and Cheesecakes (with various toppings). In Chocolates, there are Rockies (with assorted nuts), fruit & nut, Mocha, Rum n' Raisin, Date Crunch, Roasted Almonds. I also make liqueur chocolates and truffles with assorted flavours. I am in the process of making a menu card, but the general price list of the products that are sold on a regular basis is as follows:
1. Brownies: Rs.40 per piece
2. Eggless Brownies: Rs. 35 per piece
3. Muffins: Rs. 20 per piece (Oat n' Raisin, Carrot, Apple n' Cinnamon, Banana n' Walnut)
4. Fudge: Rs.450/kg
4. Chocolates: Rs. 1000/kg
5. Truffles: Rs. 1200/kg

I could see why the brownies and fudge are among Chokovita's hot-sellers. The brownies were deliciously soft with a layer of finely crushed walnuts on it. I particularly like the fact that the nuts were finely chopped because large bits of walnuts tend to leave behind a bitter taste. But I've eaten brownies of this quality before.

What I hadn't ever come across was a fudge of such mind-blowing standards. My greatest association with fudges are the hard things one gets in Lonavla, and therefore it had never figured in my favourites' list. Kavitha's Choco-Mocha Fudge has changed that perception forever.

The fudge was melt-in-your-mouth soft. It had the richness of dark chocolate and the full-bodied taste of coffee, coming together to create an intensely flavourful experience. This is the kind of chocolate that satisfies you with just a piece or two. It's a different point that you don't want to stop eating it. And not just I, but the five people I shared it with agreed upon the perfection of the fudge. In short,you will be hard pressed to find a better fudge than this. Go get some!

RATING: 4.5/5

Kavitha can be contacted on 9923400379 or chokovita@gmail.com

Chocosophy news: Chocolate teas, portraits and breakfasts

Chocolate pixels make this Obama portrait

 
Sixteen freshmen from Israel's Holon Institute of Technology made this portrait of the POTUS or the President of the United States, Barack Obama recently. Made using 1172 'pixels' of white, milk and dark chocolate, this  portrait is a recreation of Obama's 2008 presidential campaign poster. The students presented Obama with this work of art along with a letter saying their lives too were "full of dreams and hopes" in the context of Israel's (perpetual) unrest. Well, now that's a sweet way of driving home a point! (Source)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An all-chocolate breakfast worth 8724 calories!!!

Epic Meal Time, the new instructional cooking show whipped up this crazy all-chocolate breakfast that clocks in 380 gm of fat and 8724 calories! Basically, don't eat for the next two days if you go for this one. The creator chefs mixed in and coated bacon, eggs and potatoes with Nesquik powder, hollowed out sausages to fill them with Hershey's chocolate syrup, pancakes with double fudge chocolate in the batter and the French Toast stuffed with Nutella! The breakfast, of course, has to be washed down with a chocolate milkshake. If this isn't evil, I don't know what is.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UK twins create chocolate-flavoured tea

This one should be happy news for tea (and of course chocolate) lovers. Newcastle-based twins Jodi and Stella Kean started experimenting with different kinds of teas after their tea bar business failed to take off. Stella told Express, “When the lease on the shop fell through we came up with the idea for choclateas. I don’t think people realise how many calories and how much sugar is in a cup of hot chocolate. We wanted to create something that felt like a treat but was healthy .”

“The main taste you get is tea, followed by the undertone of the flavour, such as pure dark chocolate and cocoa powder in the traditional-style choclatea,” Stella continued. Each cup has less than 20 calories, and other flavours in this range include chilli chocolate, peppermint chocolate, vanilla chocolate and wild berry chocolate. The range will be launched in the UK next month.