Dude Sweet Chocolate

Is like no other candy store… OK, you really can’t compare this to a candy shop; how about no other chocolate shop, OK!!! You can’t even compare it to another so called gourmet chocolate shop as it is in a league of its own.

When you visit Dude Sweet, you get the whole experience. I have never been in the shop when chocolates are not being made. When you open the door, the aroma that hits you is like no other. I am going to warn you if you are not prepared you just might melt (that may be why they have chairs right next to the door). The aroma is not just chocolate; it is decadent chocolate, filled with spice and lusciousness. It is chocolate combined with ingredients you’d never think to combine with chocolate made in ways most can not even fantasize about.

They may be gourmet chocolates, but they are fun and playful. Chef Katherine’s mind runs amuck with no limits on what you can put with chocolate. And when you are in Dude Sweet she inspires you, with her creative combinations. I was waiting in line to pay and she was talking about some of the ingredients she uses and suddenly a combo pops into my mind, Columbian and Peruvian chocolates with pineapple& jalapeno. Damn, she just sucked me into her world. But you see, if it were me I would use to much pineapple and jalapeno and I would taste..not so good.

These chocolates are sooo special. If you have someone in your life that is boring, give them some Dude Sweet, because after they eat a Dude Sweet chocolate, they will never be the same again, and if by chance they are the same, just bury them now, cause they either have no taste buds or they are dead!

Oh, and for you people who are not lucky enough to live in Dallas, don’t worry you can order online. Don’t expect the same selection as you get in the store, because Chef Katherine is always cooking something up. BUT also be aware that Chef Katherine is happy to take special orders! My suggestion is to tell her to make it special, really special.

Today I purchased:
M’Tini Using Breckenridge Distillery vodka, this is a sweetened condensed milk truffle with various herb notes. With the addition of dried lime it comes in as sweet herbs like violet, hits you with vodka and a very dark chocolate finish from both Columbian and Peruvian chocolates. Very clean and crisp. Suggested pairings: vodka, coffee, and cabernet

This chocolate is rich, you get just a soft and gentle hint of lime, with a lingering flavor of dark chocolate remaining in your mouth long after the chocolate is gone.

TaterHead: This year’s holiday fudge is similar in theory to a chocolate sweet potato pie using dried sweet potato powder and apple butter. Using 85% dark chocolate this comes in dark but the apple butter lets it finish sweet and softer. The addition of buerre noisette gives a nutty note without the use of nuts. Suggested pairings: stout beers, pinot noir, kris pin cider

Tater Head has deep rich chocolate flavor with a pleasant earthy tone from the sweet potato.

Albatross Fudge: Named after a Monty Python skit is a sweetened condensed milk fudge using Valrohna Abinaio 85% dark chocolate from Africa. Using dehydrated blue cheese for the added salt and acid, this is a creamy and dense fudge. Very much a foodie’s chocolate. Suggested pairings: great as a griddled sandwich and cappuccino as a dessert, pinot noir, chardonnay.

This has to by my personal, all-time favorite. Creamy smooth chocolate with a burst of blue cheese and salt. This is my comfort chocolate!

Break Up Potion…Using Breckenridge bourbon, an artisanal bourbon using water from the Rocky Mountains which has a high calcium content and is the highest altitude distillery in the world. Using agave, mixed origin South American chocolate, Valrohna cocao powder this sauce is shelf stable and dairy free. Never meant to be refrigerated and happiest as a chocolate martini with three parts vodka to one part sauce as well as great with sorbets (chocolate or coffee), ice creams and fruits or a spoon a day will make you very happy. Great for dairy free diets. Not Gluten free Available in 16 oz. and mini 4 oz. bottles

Dude, a 4 oz. bottle just won’t do, get two 16 oz’ers (I know, I finished mine already and I am still typing this review, wait, that might be why I am still typing, i might need to run spell check a couple of times)! Suggested pairings: fantastic as a martini with 3-1 alcohol to potion. Great in coffee drinks with whipped cream, apple pie or pecan pie and ice cream of all kinds. (I like it over Chocolate Kahlua, Chocolate Chip Ice cream)

Break up Potion makes the best Chocolate Martini I have ever had and if you are in a warm mood, add some to your coffee. Shhh don’t tell my husband he hasn’t even tasted it yet!

I was joking about the “devour by date” on the box, it is more than two months away. Like it could ever last that long in my house. Then my husband called me a hoarder. A chocolate hoarder! I AM NOT! Maybe a savor freak, but not a hoarder. With fine chocolate it takes very little to satisfy your taste and make you happy. So I eat one per day, and I am very happy.

A good chocolate will melt off your tongue and not leave a coating on it. But the flavor lingers which makes it oh so satisfying.