10 April 2012

Prestat – Fine Chocolates and Truffles (@Selfridges @Prestat) [By @Cinabar]



I actually received this beautiful box of chocolates from Spectre as a treat. They are in stunning heart shaped box, and as they look so special I felt they deserved being blogged about. I also haven’t written about Prestat chocolates before so I felt it was about time. Prestsat are a rather prestigious chocolatiers established in 1902 and even have a royal warrant.
Inside the posh box are eight chocolates, all a selection from the larger collection and a mix of white, dark and milk chocolates.

The eight chocolates were:

Dark Chocolate Truffle: Top Left (marbled dark chocolate)
The truffle in this chocolate had a perfect satin silky filling with a good warmth of cocoa flavour. The flavour was rich and strong, but had no bitterness, and just a gentle hint of sugar to counter the dark tones. Rich and indulgent.

Dark Violet Cream: Top right (decorated with violet crystals)
This chocolate was coated in a rich dark chocolate, which was lovely and thick. The centre was soft and white in colour, with the delicate aromatic floral taste of violets. The dark chocolate worked well with the soft sweet filling and made a perfect match. I do not understand how chocolate violets have gone out of fashion when they can taste this good.

Milk Sea Salt Caramel Cup: Far left (patterned but flat)
This one was sweet but had a good balance of cocoa. The caramel within was runny, and oozed pleasingly while releasing a buttery, sugary salted caramel taste. Sweet but well balanced.

Dark Passion Fruit: Middle (with a letter P on top)
The thick chocolate on this was very dark in nature and had wonderful strong cocoa, this countered the amazing centre which was impressively fruity. The taste was strong and so natural that it was almost like eating the fruit itself. The chocolate and sweetness of the centre combined perfectly together and created a fabulous flavour sensation. Delicious.

Milk Hazelnut Cluster: Far right (milk choc with nuts)
Hazelnuts in chocolate just can’t go wrong, it is one of my favourite combinations. Prestat have added a bit of magic by caramelising the nuts, just to give them a slight crunch and an extra hint of sweetness. Heaven.

White Coffee Fudge: Bottom left (white square)
The centre of this chocolate is a fudge flavoured with coffee, then dipped in white chocolate. The flavours are very rich and very sweet, but the hint of coffee goes some way to bringing balance. Its super sweet, and very enjoyable as a one off, but I think it might be a bit rich to have too many of these!

Dark Cassis Babe: Bottom right (Dark square)
Essentially this is a blackcurrant jelly dipped slightly in dark chocolate. The jelly centre is zingy and strong, but delivers a natural hit of blackcurrant. The dark chocolate helps smooth out the sharpness of the taste and turns the whole chocolate into a very clever concoction. This chocolate really does have the wow factor and the chocolate and fruit pairing are perfect.

Milk Rice Crispy Nougat: Bottom (Circle design on a square base)
This was a crunchy chocolate with lots of rice crispy bits inside. It was far more brittle than the word ‘nougat’ had made me presume it would be, and had an interesting crunchy texture. The flavour was rather nutty and the milk chocolate that enrobed it gave it a good chocolate hit that was thoroughly divine.

This box from Prestat has certainly got me interested in the brand, and I can’t believe I haven’t written about them before on the blog. I will make an effort next time I’m in Selfridges to see what other goodies are on offer, and have a look at their range of bars too. It’s so exciting to discover a new brand, especially when it is one this good!
By Cinabar

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