Tuesday, December 14, 2010

La Higuera Rabitos Royale (Chocolate Truffle Filled Figs)

Rabitos RoyaleFor years I’ve seen references to La Higuera Rabitos Royale. They’re a decadent creation, a whole fig is dried and then stuffed with a brandy infused chocolate ganache, then the whole thing is dipped in another layer of chocolate.

The box is big though weighs very little. It’s an elegant 7 inch square with an appealing photo of the freshly dipped figs against a black background and then a sparely designed front that describes the product.

We select the best mediterranean [sic] figs, we stuff them with our truffle cream, we cover then with a thin layer of chocolate and then ... you get the most delightful experience..

I’ve seen them in cheese shops from time to time, but I’m hesitant to buy fresh chocolate products there as I’ve had a few bad experiences in the past and these are often very expensive (about $10 for a box of 9 figs). So when I saw them at Trader Joe’s for only $7, I figured this was the time to try them.

Rabitos

Inside the sleeve of the box is a tray that holds each individually wrapped bonbon. It’s a lot of packaging, but I understand the impulse to seal each one up, as the alcohol in infused chocolates can easily evaporate on store shelves. The package also warns that the nature of the real fig means that there might be some bloom on the product but that it would still be tasty and edible.

Rabitos Royale

The little matte silver mylar protects the candies well, all were uncracked, though all had a few little moisture bloom speckles. (It looks more like sugary moisture is migrating from the filling instead of the cocoa butter moving out of the chocolate itself.) One of the things I noticed on the ingredients list is that the chocolate coating has a little fractionated vegetable oil in it, so it’s not a true chocolate shell. I didn’t notice that it affected the flavor profile or the texture. They smell sweet and woodsy with a definite brandy note to them. The pieces are firm but give way to a bite very easily. If they’re cold then the shell can crack a little, but at warmer room temperatures (in the 70s) they’re soft and the chocolate coating sticks. I like to bite mine in half.

The ganache center is strongly alcoholic - brandy liquor is the third ingredient in the filling after cream and glucose syrup. The brandy mixes well with the deep leathery and raisin flavors of the fig. The ganache is smooth and melts easily in the mouth. The chocolate shell is a thin veneer, so all it’s really doing is holding it all together, so I mostly forgive the splash of oil in there.

These are quite good and I found one or two to be more than satisfying. But it helps that the packaging is a little daunting, so I didn’t find myself eating the whole box at once like I might if they were just in fluted cups.

I don’t think you have to like figs to enjoy these, but it certainly helps. The seedy part of the figs aren’t a textural element, just the deep berry flavors of the dried fruit, which is pretty soft after being stuffed with liquor & cream. I liked that it wasn’t honey-sweet like some glace fig products can be. The chocolate is good quality and the rest of the ingredients are top notch - the chocolate flavors are well matched with good berry, woodsy and a little smoky note to them.

They’re a nice hostess gift though may present an etiquette problem as she may not want to share them with everyone. I don’t see myself picking these up often, but for an intimate cheese course or small treat after a meal with coffee they’re just the thing to replace a heavy dessert. I don’t begrudge the price, I imagine there’s a lot of labor involved in stuffing actual real figs, but they’re still expensive and hard to rationalize for more than the most special occasion or recipient.

Related Candies

  1. Eat with your Eyes: Compartes Glace Fig
  2. Doulton Liqueur Chocolates (Cointreau & Teacher’s)
  3. Bouquet of Fruits Vinyeard - Wine Filled Chocolates
  4. 3400 Phinney: Fig, Fennel & Almond and Hazelnut Crunch
  5. Trader Joe’s Figments
  6. Figamajigs


Name: Rabitos Royale
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: La Higuera
Place Purchased: Trader Joe's (Silver Lake)
Price: $6.99
Size: 5.01 ounces
Calories per ounce: 100
Categories: Candy, Trader Joe's, Chocolate, Mockolate, 8-Tasty, Spain

POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:43 pm Tracker Pixel for Entry     CandyTrader Joe'sAlcoholChocolateMockolate7-Worth ItSpain

Comments
  1. I found these in a 3 pack at whole foods yesterday.  Can’t wait to try them.

    Comment by lynn on 12/16/10 at 5:59 am #
  2. dear Lynn,
    could you, please, tell me in wich whole foods did you find it?
    Thank you!

    Comment by Mónica Arjona on 12/21/10 at 12:52 am #
  3. My husband loves figs, so I bought a box of Rabitos Royale at Trader Joes when I spotted them - for a little “stocking stuffer”.
    They are just delicious and I can’t wait to get back to the store and stock up.

    Comment by Judith Telingator on 12/26/11 at 1:48 pm #
  4. My husband bought me these little gems for Christmas.  OMG!!!!!  It is like a little piece of heaven right here on earth.  They are the most decadent thing I have ever put in my mouth.  WOW!!!!! is all I can say.  I recommend these wholeheartedly!!

    Comment by Wendi on 1/02/12 at 8:09 pm #
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