{"id":41341,"date":"2024-10-28T08:59:36","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T15:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/?p=41341"},"modified":"2024-10-28T08:59:36","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T15:59:36","slug":"bread-cacao","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/bread-cacao\/","title":{"rendered":"Bread & cacao"},"content":{"rendered":"

As more people get into making chocolate there\u2019s also been an expansion of products incorporating a wider range of cacao ingredients beyond beans and cocoa butter. For instance this year I came across 2 locally made cacao jams which used the pulp that surrounds the seeds\/beans inside cacao pods.<\/p>\n

The pulp or baba<\/em> \u2014 the term I learned at the Craft Chocolate Experience this past April<\/a> \u2014 can be used to make all sorts of chocolate adjacent items including p\u00e2te de fruit and jam. Dandelion Chocolate<\/a><\/strong> also has a Cacao Fruit Smoothie and a Cacao Fruit Agua Fresca that use the pulp which you can find at some of their locations.<\/p>\n

The 2 jams I tried were very different from each other \u2014 one was what I would call a jelly instead of jam, the other was something entirely different.<\/p>\n

The Xocolate Bar\u2019s Cacao Fruit Jam<\/h2>\n
\"Cacao
Cacao Fruit Jam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first cacao jam I encountered was a small jar of dark amber colored jelly made by the East Bay\u2019s always creative The Xocolate Bar<\/a>. <\/strong>It seemed a little pricy to me at $15 until I realized that with only 2 ingredients as listed on the label \u2014 cacao fruit pulp and organic cane sugar \u2014 it probably takes a lot of that exotic pulp to fill a jar once it\u2019s reduced down jam-wise.<\/p>\n

The Xocolate Bar\u2019s Cacao Fruit Jam had a raisiny\/dried fruit aroma that Cacaopod compared to fig or date. It was a clear jelly with no mashed up fruit bits like a jam usually has \u2014 and definitely no seeds.<\/p>\n

The cacao jam\u2019s label included serving suggestions: on a slice of manchego cheese or a buttered scone. I couldn\u2019t find manchego cheese at the store so I substituted Monterey Jack and bought some plain scones from local Sconehenge Bakery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The jam\u2019s texture was thicker than a jelly \u2014 it reminded me of the fruit pastes that sometimes accompany a cheese platter. In fact it had the same thickness and color as a pear paste we happened to have, so I ended up comparing this jam to the paste first.<\/p>\n

\"cacao
Cacao Fruit Jam on cheese<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The pear paste on cheese was a little savory \u2014 which I think was mostly the cheese \u2014 the paste itself was tasteless until the end then it definitely tasted like pear.<\/p>\n

The cacao jam on the other hand was immediately flavorful. I was surprised though \u2014 it wasn\u2019t a tropical taste but more like a mild fig taste. It made a better pairing with the cheese than the pear paste because I could taste the flavors contrasting and complimenting each other. Cacaopod said it tasted like a seedless fig paste. We both liked that it was fruity but not too sweet.<\/p>\n

The Xocolate Bar\u2019s Cacao Fruit Jam would definitely be a good addition to a charcuterie plate \u2014 something a little exotic but not difficult to enjoy. We also liked it on scones as described below in the side by side comparison.<\/p>\n

Tiny House\u2019s Cacao Nectar<\/h2>\n

The other cacao jam we tried was from Tiny House of Chocolate Artisans<\/a><\/strong> in Santa Cruz. Tiny House makes single origin and inclusion bars plus some other cacao based treats including their Cacao Nectar. Tiny House\u2019s Cacao Nectar is not a jam exactly \u2014 it doesn\u2019t contain sugar or pectin. It has only one ingredient: reduced cacao pulp.<\/p>\n

\"Cacao
Cacao Nectar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However the label exclaims: \u201cThe New Jam in Town\u201d and when describing uses for this pulp reduction \u2014 such as a sugar free low calorie addition to smoothies and salads \u2014 it also says it\u2019s an exquisite jam. So jam is definitely one of the shapes Cacao Nectar inhabits.<\/p>\n

Initial inspection raised some doubts: Instead of a solid jelly or viscous jam, it was a thick brown liquid. It smelled slightly sour like a fruity vinegar. So Cacaopod and I have been using it like we would a balsamic vinegar reduction \u2014 drizzled on a veggie pizza, used in a salad dressing, spread on bread. It has a tangy fruit taste \u2014 not chocolate \u2014 because it doesn\u2019t include anything from cacao beans. Cacaopod said it was like a sweet version of Marmite.<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s a good but different cacao treat. It\u2019s pricy \u2014 $30 for a small jar \u2014 but you don\u2019t use a lot at a time so it lasts. I do like that it has a lot of potential uses culinary wise. I\u2019m not a cook but if Cacaopod does anything especially creative and delicious with it I will update this post.<\/p>\n

Side by side comparison<\/h2>\n
\"side
Gonna need more cacao!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since we had both cacao jams in the house at the same time, we did a side by side comparison of them on Sconehenge plain scones.<\/p>\n

Besides the differences in color and thickness I\u2019ve already described, the biggest difference to me was that Xocolate Bar\u2019s Cacao Fruit Jam was sweeter and fruitier tasting than Tiny House\u2019s Cacao Nectar.<\/p>\n

The Cacao Fruit Jam tastes good on buttered scones. The tasting notes on the label said chardonnay, apple, and honeydew melon. Cacaopod said apple jam. I agree with all of these descriptors \u2014 it\u2019s a mild flavor that worked well with the butter-forward scone.<\/p>\n

The Cacao Nectar wasn\u2019t as successful as a scone topping \u2014 the buttery scone overpowered it. The nectar had a tangy fermented taste \u2014 and on the scone it did have a hint of chocolate in it so that was kind of cool. We hadn\u2019t tasted that when we used it as a vinegar reduction on more complicated foods.<\/p>\n

One suggestion if you want to have either on scones \u2014 slather it on! The photo shows how much I initially applied of each and I was too conservative \u2014 both needed to be supplemented with a second layer of jam to get a real taste of them on the scones.<\/p>\n

Classic combo?<\/h2>\n

As a longtime PB&J stan, I had to try cacao jam with my favorite peanut butter (Santa Cruz Crunchy Dark Roasted) and bread (Alvarado St. Bakery Sprouted Multigrain). I tried the Cacao Fruit Jam first and found it too mild to hold its own against the peanut butter. Don\u2019t waste this jam on a PB&J is my advice.<\/p>\n

The Cacao Nectar and peanut butter sammie was TOO TANGY! OMG this was not a good idea. Unlike the buttery sweet scone my preferred peanut butter and bread had no moderating sweetness for the tangy cacao nectar. My advice is the same as for the Cacao Fruit Jam \u2014 don\u2019t waste this jam on a PB&J \u2014 although it is for the opposite reason.<\/p>\n

Want to try them yourself?<\/h2>\n

In summary I\u2019d recommend both jams as interesting foods in themselves. The Xocolate Bar\u2019s Cacao Fruit Jam would make a nice addition to a cheese plate and it\u2019s good on scones \u2014 pretty much their exact recommendations. Because of its light flavor, simple combos are best so you can taste it.<\/p>\n

Tiny House\u2019s Cacao Nectar with its tanginess and syrup-like thickness is best used like a balsamic reduction \u2014 don\u2019t even think of it as jam. Make a salad dressing with it. Use it in a marinade\/glaze on chicken. And drizzle it on artisan pizzas and breads. A little goes a long way so you can try it on all sorts of things \u2014 just not peanut butter toast. Trust me.<\/p>\n

While I have only seen Xocolate Bar\u2019s Cacao Fruit Jam at their Rockridge store, you can buy other Xocolate Bar\u2019s chocolates at their shops, online<\/a>, other retail locations (check their website), and special events.<\/p>\n

We got Tiny House\u2019s Cacao Nectar at the Craft Chocolate Experience<\/a> but it is also available on their website<\/a>. Their line of chocolate bars is carried by some SFBA markets and retailers like Bi-Rite<\/a>, Chocolate Covered<\/a>,<\/strong> and The Xocolate Bar<\/a>,<\/strong> and at other stores around California and the US. Check their website for locations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thinking outside the bean \u2014 but staying inside the pod<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":44436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,15,169,131],"tags":[1635,1634,1313,1556],"class_list":["post-41341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-east-bay-chocolate","category-local-chocolate","category-reviews","category-south-bay-chocolate","tag-baba","tag-cacao-nectar","tag-the-xocolate-bar","tag-tiny-house-chocolate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41341"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44433,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41341\/revisions\/44433"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}