Taste Test

Taste's choice: Peppermint bark that's worth a bite

By Kathy Saunders, Times correspondent
Published December 19, 2007

Peppermint bark rankings
1. Williams-Sonoma
2. Harry London, Crate & Barrel
3. Ghirardelli

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In this season of giving and receiving, Taster's Choice panelists have been doing a lot of ordering. We spent the past couple of weeks waiting for delivery trucks to bring us goodies selected from the catalogs we began finding in our mailboxes in August.

Today we'll tell you about the holiday treat that many lucky teachers will be receiving from their students this week - peppermint bark. Next week, we'll review those main courses, side dishes and desserts that look so mouth-watering in the catalog photos.

We decided to bypass the peppermint barks found in local grocery and department stores in favor of the sometimes fancier ones that come in keepsake tins with bows. Five of the six candies we sampled were ordered earlier this month and shipped to us. In addition to the flavor, we wanted to know how the barks held up through mailing.

The slabs of dark, milk and white chocolate mixed with peppermint pieces were quite different in texture and taste.

The favorite - the brand that one of my friends orders by the case each December - was from Williams-Sonoma $24.50 for a one-pound tin. Judges gave it 71 of 100 points, and all five said they would buy it.

The chocolate in the Williams-Sonoma bark was very creamy but still firm enough to snap when cracked.

"This has a mild but lasting peppermint flavor," said one panelist.

We ordered Harry London's version of peppermint bark from Crate & Barrel ($15.95 for a 10.7-ounce tin); judges gave it 66 points. Four of the five said they would order a batch next year.

The Harry London bark was thick, with dark chocolate layered under the mints chips. Judges described it as solid, rich and crunchy.

"It has a real bark-like texture," said one panelist. "There's a gentle taste of mint at first, followed by a strong aftertaste."

He added that the bark from Crate & Barrel could pass as homemade.

Peppermint bark from Ghirardelli ($7.49 for a 9.3-ounce box at a local GFS Marketplace) came in square, individually wrapped chunks, which the judges liked. They gave the candy 64 points. Three said they would buy the squares to serve at holiday parties or as after-dinner treats.

"Festive" was the word most commonly used to describe the Ghirardelli bark.

"They are posh, sweet candies that look like elegant, thin, snooty wafers," said one judge. He said he would buy them to impress and beguile his friends.

Shipping worked in favor of some brands, like the bark from Dylan's Candy Bar ($20 for 16 servings of 10 ounces apiece). The large squares of white chocolate and peppermint came individually wrapped in a tightly sealed box. They would be great stocking stuffers.

Martha Stewart's bark came in a 12-ounce Tiffany blue tin ($17.99 from Macy's) that judges fought over after the tasting.

The last bark we tried, Mrs. Prindable's, was ordered from QVC ($39.98 for a 2-pound tin). The seal on the round, silver tin was broken during shipping and the sugar-covered peppermint bark was beat up a bit. That had a negative impact on appearance, but not flavor. Judges said they would probably prefer to melt the Mrs. Prindable's bark in cups of hot chocolate than serve it on a platter for guests.

Panelists were Bob Devin Jones, artistic director of Studio@620 John Hehn, foodie and owner of All Brite Lighting & Power Design Inc.; Phil Hanna, managing partner, Pinnacle Group; aesthetician Jim Yockey of Anu You Institute and St. Petersburg Times food critic Laura Reiley. All foods were tasted blind.

Send suggestions for product tastings to Taste, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to jkeeler@sptimes.com. Please put TEST SUGGESTION in the subject line. To read past columns, go to dining.tampabay.com.

[Last modified December 17, 2007, 16:53:50]