Chocolate, me and chilli - Grimreapers Chilli Chocolate !

I am not really one for candy or sweets, in the sense like eating a bag in a day or a chocolate bar in a day. Sure I do eat a candy once in a blue moon, or a piece of chocolate if my wife puts in on the table. But really, I seldom see myself raiding the fridge for something sweet. One exception is drop; that is what is Dutch for Salty Liquorice (in North America called black Licorice), a candy made with salmiak and Liquorice root. Dear readers, you can say anything about that stuff, but it is wonderful. It has a nice balance between sweet and salt, and got an odd rich taste. I can eat a box a day easy, but I try not to. While writing this I just could not help myself, or did help myself with a good handful. Really if I would be send off to Alcatraz, I would take Sambal, a pen and some paper and a box full of Liquorice with me! Ok, where was I, sorry for rambling. . .

So, I am not one for candy, chocolate and so on. What made it worse I think is having kids. At times I get a so-called lovely sweet from the kids when they are sharing. Some of it is so sour it feels like my teeth are eaten, awful. And the stuff with chocolate, boy, everything seems to have chocolate in it. Crispy whatever chocolate things for breakfast, cookies with chocolate, even cruesli bars with chocolate.

Believe me, after weeks not being able to eat a cookie without chocolate, or breakfast without chocolate you get sick off the stuff . . . 

Worst of it all, it is a cheap excuse for a chocolate containing very little chocolate if at all. So I get this big box in from Grimreaper food UK, Russell Williams and guess what is in it? Chocolate. . . .

 But as this is work related, I will have to eat the stuff, thanks Russel.

I tasted the bar of Hellraiser, the milk chocolate version. But first, this is not simply chocolate in wrapper; no this is really nicely looking packet with a ribbon in it. A ribbon that my daughter fancies rightaway, and I do have to admit, this looks stunning! The kids wanted to dig in, and told them not to. They were a bit surprised and started protesting; “You don’t even like chocolate !!!” So I took a little myself to see if it wasn’t too hot first, and was stunned with the taste. This is one chocolate with a capital C! The taste is superb and extremely well balanced, I can even taste the liquorice tones that you have in the dried Naga Jolokia chilli which is used to spike this chocolate. I hoped that I did not spoil the surprise that it was one good chocolate, with the kids looking at me to try and see if I liked it. So I offered them a piece and told them to take care not to take a big bite at once. They both took a good bite, and even my wife wanted some. We all agreed it is superb, and the kids wanted more. . .

We compared it with another very good chocolate, and that really surprised us all, the Grimreaper chocolate is by far better in its chocolate contend and taste!

This chocolate has the classic combination of cinnamon and orange, with a twist of garlic that is hardly noticeable but complementary and the full taste of Naga chillies. Surprisingly you can taste the herbs and fruit tones that you can find in the real Naga Jolokia, unbelievable! I don’t think it is too hot really, no, it is well spiked with the full array of tastes the Naga has without going over the top.

Now my daughter wanted to make a video review for Grimreaper foods, and that was not done in one take. So after about 10 tries thus eating 10 pieces, it was on video. Half an hour later or less I got the buzz of eating Naga chillies, almost a high I would say, that I also got from eating a wild chilli from the Galapagos Islands. The video was received with great comments, and the chocolate was received by us with great joy!

This chocolate I think is one to recommend, not only for hotheads for sure. No, this is one I can recommend for anyone that wants to try something different, something new and great !

Yours sincerely,

Bart J. Meijer

Lidl alert, and good sauces !!! Dilita Peri-Peri Hot sauce !

I must admit I am a Lidl fan, silence, don’t rat me out, but I am.

Sometimes these chaps have great stuff for ridiculous prices, sometimes it is cr##.

Don’t try the Grillmeister stuff, my opinion that is, because this really is not even worth tasting.

This time however, they have lovely hot sauce made by Dilita in Birmingham, for only 1,25 Euro a bottle, and in the UK for only 99 pence.
Normally it is 3 to 3,5 Euro mind!
 

I got it 2 days ago, and today was BBQ day!

I couldn’t wait and tried a teaspoon full.

Not the best of ideas, I was burning up instantly, still tasting good flavour though.

The main flavour was lemon, and a lot of it, just about not overruling the rest of tastes of herbs and onion.

So after the heat was gone a bit, I tried it with some meat, some bread and some Peanutsauce (satay sauce)

The main taste is chilli and lemon, not hiding the onion and a touch of garlic.

If I compare it to regular Tabasco, I think I like this one better.

Compared to other sauces, I prefer this as due to using lemon, not a lot of vinegar is used making it somewhat smoother. Less harsh if you eat it like this.

I think it might be superb for chicken, maybe even better for marinating fish in it.

Not too long as the lemon and vinegar will “cook” your fish a bit.

As it is called Peri-Peri sauce, I would have expected the taste of fresh Peri-Peri or Piri Piri which I grow myself.

Now that is what I am missing out off.

It has a slight bitter, but that is rather logical after reading the ingredients on the label, it says that is has green pepper paste.

Now being unripe, the green chilli is much more bitter then the red or ripe one.
A ripe chilli most of the times has no bitter in it at all, anyways. . .

I doubt there would be more Peri-Peri in it then 1% an to me that is a bit of a bummer.

Then again, who would recognize that, as not a lot of people grow Peri-Peri.

Still, saying this, I love it.

All in all it has a nice bite to it, good amount of heat, and is not too much vinegar based.

I’d say, rush to the Lidl and see if they have got any left!

I am going again to see if they have the Dilita Peri-Peri with wild herbs !!

Yours truly,

Bart J. Meijer

P.S. sorry for the scruffy layout, but it is after all a Lidl Alert !!