My quest for marzipan continues on. Some day, I'm sure that I can make a movie about my epic adventures in purchasing various packages of marzipan, photographing them, opening them up, breaking them into pieces, taking photographs of those pieces, and then tasting them. The tension in the movie can come from the point at which I frown in concentration and scan through my digital photos and fail to find my photos. The resolution to the drama comes when I hunt down a standard PR picture and use that instead of expiring at the grief of having misplaced my photos again. I'm sure it'll be a box office smash.
I realize that the Ritter Sport line is pretty common and many people probably have more experience with it than I do. In fact, it seems to be marketed worldwide since I even saw it in Japanese convenience stores in Tokyo. Oddly, despite my love of European chocolates (this is made in Germany), I remember only buying one of these once in my 23 years in Tokyo and I have no idea what flavor it was. The only thing I can say was that it was not marzipan. When I ran across this bar for a mere $1.49 at "Discount Grocery Outlet" (a quality establishment), I knew that the time had come to continue my slow and tasty journey into the world of consumer-level marzipan chocolate.
I had better expectations of this bar than previous ones because I figured the dark chocolate would compliment the sweet marzipan filling. I figured that it would add a balance without detracting from the almond flavored filling. And, I was right. The marzipan was just sweet enough without being overbearing and the coating complimented it well. The chocolate kept the marzipan nice and moist.
The only thing I didn't like about this was that I'd have preferred a higher ratio of almond paste to chocolate. I'm not even sure if that is possible, but I think my hope springs eternal. Perhaps someone needs to cater to people like me by wrapping the marzipan in oblaat. Okay, that sounds a bit gross even to me even though it shouldn't.
I wouldn't say this is better than my other adventures in consumer-level shelf-stable marzipan, but I would say it's just as good. It's also cheaper and more accessible than other versions. I'd certainly buy it again, and I think it's very good quality for the price point and target market.
If you need a higher ratio of marzipan to chocolate, I'd recommend keeping an eye open for "Marzipanbrot" in the upcoming holiday season if there's an establishment around that imports German holiday articles :). It's a bread-shaped marzipan log (Brot=bread) with a dark chocolate shell, so it's got a high marzipan ratio and might fit the bill.
ReplyDeleteI have to say Ritter Sport Marzipan is my favourite marzipan chocolate ^^! Generally, Ritter Sport is my favourite when it comes to consumer level chocolate, but the marzipan is especially good (and I get to eat my flatmate's when she buys the mini mix :p).
Yes I agree, Ritter Sport is nice chocolate, I like it. And yeah, darker chocolate is better with marzipan. And if you want marzipan with something like oblaat, maybe you should search for "marzipan kartoffeln" (marzipan potatoes), they're common in germany (especially around christmas), and are balls of marzipan, coated with a very thin layer of cocoa powder.
ReplyDeleteAldi brings in German sweets around Christmas; if there's one near you, try checking there for Marzipanbrot (and many other exotic goodies, for that matter!).
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone for the advice. You're all going to help make me fatter. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely want to look for both marzipanbrot and marzipan kartoffeln. I'll probably have to check Cost Plus World Imports since we don't have Aldi in my area.