r&d chocolates: A little chemistry, a little culinary magic

Yes, I'm still here. It's been a hot, humid summer in Connecticut, but that hasn't stopped one serious chocolate lover from selling her hand-crafted chocolates at the local farmers' market. Check out my story here.

TMI: Good chocolates, acupuncture and fudge

Would you look at that? Perhaps the most beautiful chocolates ever. The photo, of course, doesn't do them justice. That one in the top left is actually a tiny chocolate tea cup filled with espresso cream. Then there's Kaffir Lime & Ginger, Blood Orange, Olive Oil & Sea Salt ... This was a gift from my friend Marisa. She's an acupuncturist and I helped her out with some PR for her new business. If I knew I'd be getting chocolates in return, I would've done a better job.
Marisa and I know each other from our days long ago when we worked at a chocolate shop together. I took the job seriously. (I was, after all, a college student with bills to pay.) She, on the other hand, was still in high school (I think; or maybe just graduated and wasting her days working at a chocolate shop), and was able to appreciate the multitudes of fun that the job offered. Like the time she was working the night shift with the only boy who worked there. I'll keep the story brief, but it's one that lives in infamy. (Stop me if you've heard this before.)
As a joke, Chocolate Boy took a giant piece of chocolate fudge and molded it into a certain shape, then dropped it in the toilet at work. He then called Marisa into the bathroom to see his handiwork. They had a good laugh, then flushed the toilet. Fast-forward to the next morning when Your's Truly was on duty. I had no knowledge of the prior evening's festivities, so imagine my surprise when, later that morning, I used the facilities and suddenly there was an enormous flood in the back room. The manager had to call her husband to come fix the damage and of course I was standing there red-faced, looking like the obvious culprit.
The best part is, Marisa never told me any of this until last year. Nice, right? Yet she remains a shining beacon in my life. She has the most positive outlook on life and is the world's greatest acupuncturist. Check out her website: www.healingpointtherapeutics.com. If you're in the Boston-ish area, give her a call and set up an appointment. Ask for the Chocolate Fudge discount.

Gail Ambrosius Pralines: Mais Oui!

You'd think I would have learned my lesson by now. I simply cannot leave any good chocolates sitting on my desk because they mysteriously disappear overnight. I know it's not the cat, because he's too lazy to get up on the desk. It's not the Sugar Baby, because he has access to his own sweet shelf. So that leaves only one other culprit in the house who's been eating my chocolate, the most recent acquisition being Gail Ambrosius Parisian Pralines. When I first heard "pralines," my thoughts turned to the New Orleans variety-- brown sugary pecan patties that are usually overwhelmingly sweet. That's not the case here. These were influenced by French chocolates, the kind that make you go "ooh lala!"
Visually, the chocolates are stunning. Each piece is like a mini architectural masterpiece. They seem to shout Frank Lloyd Wright.
But it's the taste that matters, right? The flavors are Pecan, Pistachio Bomb, Hazelnut and Orange Almond.
I went for the orange almond first, and was actually surprised that it wasn't more citrusy. I was expecting a tang, but instead the texture was what really stood out. The filling was crisp and nutty, very unlike any other chocolates I've had recently. My favorite was the pecan, which was like a tiny, crunchy pecan pie. They were all excellent and, like I said, beautiful to look at. Unfortunately, before I had the chance to really take any notes on the subtleties of flavor, Mr. Goodbar the Chocolate Thief had eaten through the whole box. I suppose that, in itself, is the best review possible.

NewTree Chocolates: So Good, I'm Going to Share

Photo courtesy of the NewTree blog, since my camera has once again crapped out on me.

I'll be totally honest and say I was suspicious of NewTree chocolate bars from the get-go. I was sent four sample bars: Dark 65% cacao with flax seeds and crisped rice; Superfruit 65% cacao with cranberries, goji berries, pomegranate, grape and papaya; lavender; and ginger.
Now, you know how I am with chocolate. I (usually) much prefer nuts and mainstream fillings to more "exotic" flavors, so I was hesitant about these bars. And there's a whole New Agey-goodness about the packaging that made me look at them askance.
But I'm here to tell you ... heeyyy now! Wow. I was happily--very happily-- surprised. I first tried the dark with flax seeds and crisped rice. The chocolate was excellent quality. Not too creamy, not too bitter, and the flax and rice gave it a nice crunch. It wasn't at all gritty or grainy, as I feared it might be. Mr. Goodbar also enjoyed this bar. I know, because it was gone the next day.
Last night he was circling my desk like a shark, looking for an end-of-the-evening treat. "What about the Superfruit?" he asked.
Fine, I said. Just give me a piece.
What can I say? I LOVED it. Again, that lovely, balanced dark chocolate, only this time, there were little bits of dried, chewy fruit. Here's where they did things absolutely, totally right. The fruit bits are tiny, so you don't feel like you're eating a fruitcake. Instead you get smooth dark chocolate first, then a juicy, tart fruit burst at the finish. Now I'm totally anxious to get my hands on an orange or a cinnamon bar. This is some good shizz, my friends, and I'd like to share. So I'm giving away the last two bars, ginger and lavender, to one lucky Yumster.
Here's what you need to do to be considered: tell me about a food (doesn't have to be chocolate; it could be anything) that surprised you, either good or bad. What did (or didn't) you expect? Remember to leave a way for me to contact you in case you're the lucky random recipient. Also, U.S. residents only, please. I'll pick a name on Weds., Jan. 19 at approximately 8:38 p.m. EST.

Consumer Reports Rates Chocolates

In the February 2011 issue of Consumer Reports, there is a piece called "Dandy Candy-- at a price." They tested some high-end chocolates and here were their picks for overall excellence, in order of taste quality:

1. Norman Love
2. Woodhouse
3. Christopher Elbow
4. L.A. Burdick
5. Candinas (which was also voted the CR Best Buy)
6. Jacques Torres
7. John & Kira's
8. La Maison du Chocolat
9. Fran's
10. Nonnie Waller's
11. Theo Chocolate
12. Martine's Chocolate

I've only tried five on the list (L.A. Burdick, Jacques Torres, John & Kira's, La Maison du Chocolat and Theo), so I have some work to do. Of course, I'll have to take out a second mortgage on my house to do so, but it's a small price to pay for top-notch chocolate.

Addendum: Best Chocolates with a Conscience

The Necco Door Neighbor left a comment the other day saying that she had ordered several boxes of John & Kira chocolates as Christmas presents for friends. I realized that I inadvertently left John & Kira's off of my 2010 Year in Review and they so deserve a place in the spotlight.
As you may recall, Father John gave me a box of John & Kira's chocolates at Halloween. Not only are they really delicious, but they also get props for using ingredients like honey and fruits from small farms, mint from student gardeners and coffee from farmers using sustainable practices. So John & Kira's, you get the "Best Chocolates with a Conscience" award.
If you check out their website now, you'll see that they're having a sale on some of their items. I love the raspberry and mint ladybugs. If I wasn't already stocked up on chocolates, I'd be tempted to order some for myself.

The Best Candy of 2010 (and the Worst, and the Strangest)

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Looking back at 2010, I feel like it was kind of a low-key candy year. There weren't a lot of new candy releases, and there wasn't much that totally rocked my world. But, having said that, there were some definite highlights to the year.
Worst Candy of 2010
Let's get the negative stuff out of the way first. Unfortunately, it's usually pretty easy for me to pick the year's worst candy, and 2010 was no exception.The Sugar Baby got a nasty expired Chick-o-Stick and Cow Tale in his trick-or-treat bag, although I can't really claim that was the worst, since it had everything to do with the date and nothing to do with the product. So the winner (or loser, I suppose) is Haviland Wintergreen Mint Patty. I don't feel too bad saying that, since the product has since been discontinued. Their Orange Mint Patties, however, are delicious.

Most Unusual
The most unusual candy I tried this year was a Shiitake Mushroom Truffle. What was even stranger than the truffle was the post I wrote about it.

Other candies of note that I tried this year included:

Some more deliciousness from Q.bel (which was the Best Candy of 2009).

I took one for the team and sampled some Sorbee Sugar Free Chocolate.

There were near-riots in the house between me, Mr. Goodbar and No-Nuts over See's Easter Truffles.

I was excited to try Toblerone Fruit and Nut.
I loved the whole concept and taste of South 'n France Bon Bons (especially the coconut ones).

Wonka impressed me with their new bars, Marvels and fruit jellies.

While not my all-time favorite M&M flavor, the Pretzel ones were fun to try and a good option for dieters.

A company I'd never even heard of before-- DeMet's-- surprised me with their yummy caramel Treasures, and the fact that they're made just a few towns away from me.

Best new packaging goes to Crown Nuggets Creme & Liquor-Filled Caramels.
People
2010 was a year for personalities. The Sugar Baby introduced me to "Mr. Candy," an invisible (hopefully) character in his life. He came up in several conversations before fading away.

I made some new friends this year. Kendra from Ontario, I still owe you some chocolates! I haven't forgotten. You're the sweetest!

The Candy Professor brought some real street cred to the candy world.

I was so psyched to be able to interview April Winchell, a.k.a. Helen Killer from Regretsy, about her father's role as the Tootsie Pop Owl voice.
And someone actually wanted to interview me! I love Jen's blog, My Morning Chocolate.

A fun event for me was a conversation about candy that actually turned into a three-part news story.

And what a way to end the year. Yumster Philly sent me a photo of a cupcake that she created from my drawing of Mr. Candy Corn! How awesome is that?!

Birthdays

2010 was the year of the big 4-0 for me and lots of my friends. Candy buffets and gifts were plentiful.
There was also the Sugar Baby's 4th birthday which was a candy theme.
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. What was the best candy of 2010? I've narrowed it down to the following:

Green & Black's Organic Milk Chocolate Peanut: caramelized peanuts with sea salt in creamy milk chocolate.
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Nutty Bits: "a crunchy mix of almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, pistachios and sweet toffee. They're kettle cooked in small batches, then dipped in rich, dark chocolate and sprinkled with just a touch of Fleur de Sel, for a superbly sweet and slightly salty treat."
Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate with Strawberry Creme: Creamy, crunchy and tangy.
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Shortbread Stars: Lovely dark chocolate and crunchy cookies.
Trader Joe's Pound Plus Milk Chocolate: Seriously creamy, decadent milk chocolate.

Hmmm. Notice a trend here? Trader Joe's did a bang-up job this year in the confection department. I suppose I have to disqualify the chocolate stars, though, as they are really cookies. I loved the Ritter Sport Strawberry Creme, but I still prefer their Cornflake version, so that rules that one out. I think I have to say, based on taste, uniqueness and all-around good lovin', I'm going to choose Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Nutty Bits as the Best Candy of 2010. Would you believe I don't even have a picture? It just so happened that I tried these during a time when I was having camera woes. In any case, I would have preferred to choose a candy that is readily available throughout most of the U.S., so my apologies to you Yumsters who don't have a TJ's near you. Perhaps 2011 will be a more all-inclusive year.

Here's hoping that 2011 will be the sweetest year yet!

John & Kira's Chocolates: A Heavenly Gift

An attractive half-empty box because I couldn't control myself

I love that Father John and I have this Halloween tradition. The Sugar Baby grabs a full-sized Snickers out of the basket (which has mysteriously disappeared; I don't know where it could have gone) and I give Fr. John some of the latest candy that I've found. Then he hands me something super-fantastic, something that blows me out of the water and puts my puny candy to shame. I'll comfort myself by thinking he has divine intervention on his side.
In any case, this is what he gave me this year:
John & Kira's chocolates.
The box contained an assortment of beautifully glossy, thin squares. An accompanying taste guide tells you which piece is which flavor by the design on top. Of course, I didn't realize that until after I had my first piece.
For my second piece, I chose the Drew Elementary Garden Mint. The description: "fresh cream infused with just-picked garden mint from Urban School Garden programs."
Very cool. It turns out these chocolates are made with ingredients from small farms, fair-trade cooperatives and, like the mint, school gardens.
I expected to bite into this and get a big bang of mint, like every other mint chocolate out there. When you have a mint chocolate, you know it.
But this was different. My first thought was, "Oh, I took the wrong chocolate." But then I double-checked and yes, the # on top of the chocolate denoted the mint. So I took another nibble and aha! The mint was there, it was just--get this--subtle! It wasn't "MINT!!!!!" It was *mint*. The main flavor was dark chocolate, but lingering beneath the surface was the taste of real mint, like peppermint tea. Then I tried the raspberry, expecting it to be a big sour burst of fruit. Instead it was just a light, fresh berry taste. These chocolates are a great example of artificial vs. natural flavor. We're so used to artificial "BIG" flavor that it's surprising when we actually experience the real thing.
I used these chocolates as incentive to write my daily 1,667 words for NaNoWriMo. Of course, Mr. Goodbar sniffed them out and had to try them, too. I hate sharing my chocolate, but in the spirit of all this good will, I figured I should just bite my tongue and let him have a taste.

Chocolate Fail.

(From left, Basil-Smoked Sea Salt Olive Oil; Ginger Baby; missing from photo: tequila and wine chocolates.)

My P.I.C. came over last week with a surprise for me: a box of truffles from Christopher Norman Chocolates. Her hubby works near there and gets his coffee there everyday, so when she recently when into the city for a visit, she brought me back some goodies. Yay!
There were four chocolates in the box: some sort of red wine/dark chocolate; ginger; tequila; and Basil-Smoked Sea Salt-Olive Oil. Ready? Okay, here we go. First off, she bought the tequila just to torment me. It's the one alcohol I cannot have. I can't smell it, definitely can't drink it, all due to one bad night in college. She insisted, however, that I would be able to handle this. Sadly, I must report that I couldn't. I had Mr. Goodbar take a nibble and then I smelled it. I couldn't do it. He said it was very good, so if you're a tequila aficionado, go for it! If, however, tequila causes you to hallucinate and give you the shakes, I'd say you might want to try something else. Like the wine chocolate. Now that was tasty. Very smooth dark ganache with a nice red wine kick. That was definitely more my speed.
The ginger was very tasty and very pretty.
And now, the last piece. Visually, it was lovely. And I dig basil and olive oil. But with chocolate? I had my doubts, but also tried to keep an open mind.
I bit off half and gave the other half to Mr. Goodbar. Usually I will love something and he'll hate it, and vice versa. This was one of the very few times we actually agreed on something. It was a serious fail.
I hate to say bad stuff about any chocolate, and especially artisan chocolate, because it's the result of someone's passion. But holy cannoli-- basil, olive oil and chocolate do not marry well. To be completely honest, I actually spit it out. Yes, I spit out a piece of chocolate. Why, why, why do confectioners feel the need to push the envelope all the time? This is a serious question. Bacon, chili powder, lavender ... do we really need to add these things to chocolate? Do they really enhance the already perfect taste of chocolate? Why must everything be over the top? I'm ready for the backlash against all this fancy-pants alchemy. Bring back the simple stuff. Pure chocolate. Basic flavorings like vanilla and caramel. Plain nuts, not curry-dusted or Dead Sea-salted. Am I being too naive? Am I showing myself to be a chocolate hillbilly? Perhaps, but I don't care. Save the basil for pesto with pasta. I want my chocolate straight up.

A Friend in Need ... Apparently is Me

First of all, several of you have asked me for the recipe for the giant Whoopie Pie. (I noticed no one asked me for the recipe for the Sugar Baby's cake.) It actually came from Wicked Whoopies; the Baroness brought it down from Maine as a Mother's Day present for Memaw. Do I even dare mention that she also brought a regular sized lemon one and an Orange Creamsicle one? There was no dearth of sweetness last weekend.
And speaking of Mother's Day ...
Do I have the most awesome friends or what? After the Sugar Baby's birthday party on Saturday, I hauled my tired butt upstairs and found this:
Signs created by my Partner-in-Crime (and encouraged, apparently, by my mom) that said: "Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Hear Ye... Today I am not a mother, wife or daughter. I am just me. Do not knock on the door. Do not ask what's for breakfast/lunch/dinner. The pediatrician's # is 555-5555. In case of emergency, call 911." There was also a sign on the Sugar Baby's door that said, "Go ask your father." But not only that. On my nightstand was this:
The chocolates were from Christopher Norman Chocolates and they are fabulous. One was mint, another was I'm guessing passion fruit, and I have two left. My PIC kept telling me about this chocolatier located off Wall Street where her husband works, but they had never gone there. (I just don't understand how people can pass by a chocolate shop and not even go in.) I checked out the website and I think I'll be making a trip there soon. I have to try their blue cheese truffles and their dark chocolate blood orange bar. So she bought me these chocolates and wine to savor for Mother's Day. I truly have the most fabulous friends in the world. Whoopie!!
Now I just need to get over the fact that people were in my bedroom which, quite frankly, at this point, needs a front loader to be cleaned.

Pass Me Another Bon Bon, Darling

Yes, I can truly say now that I'm sitting on my couch, eating bon bons. This tin of South 'n France Bon Bons arrived on my doorstep last week. Lots of candies pretend to be "bon bons" (and of course, there's the ice cream variety, too), but these are truly worthy of the name.
Exactly what is a bon bon? According to the website, the direct translation is "goody goody," but in this case, to be more specific, they're balls of doughy confection-y stuff dipped in chocolate. It's not easy to describe actually. You'd think they'd be like truffles, but the center isn't soft ganache. It's more cakey than creamy.So here's the deal: each bon bon is a decent size. Two bites, maybe even three. They come in the following flavors: Cafe au Lait, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Coconut, Cookies 'n Creme, Peanut Buttah (love that!) and Pistachio.
The first one I tried was coconut and, lawd have mercy! It was one fine piece of candy. The chocolate shell was snappy and the coconut was creamy and chewy. All of the flavors are true to their names, although the Peanut Buttah did stop me in my tracks. It wasn't just peanut butter in the center; it also included cherries, dates and sugar. I'm not so sure how I feel about that. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was good, but I'm a purist. It kind of freaked me out to have other stuff mixed in with the peanut butter.
(Here's an item of note: four of their flavors are gluten-free.)
The factory is located in Wilmington, N.C. and I wish I could go there for one of their Bon Bon Parties. This looks like the coolest thing ever: you get a bunch of friends together, bring some wine or champagne, and you learn the secret art of bon bon making. And-- get this-- it's only $25 per person. How cool would this be for a bachelorette party or, hmmm, maybe a 40th birthday party?
So now that February is here and we're on our way towards Valentine's Day, I highly recommend these as a gift. (Especially the coconut!)
www.southnfrance.com

Wrapping Up Vermont

Here's that gorgeous stick of nougat I got at L.A. Burdick's. Isn't it beautiful? Loaded with almonds, pistachios and cranberries. It's a thing of sheer beauty and it tastes just as good! I just love staring at it. This was my little sampler box I bought. It's about half gone right now. I'm saving the mouse for last.

Although we didn't eat at the bistro, I did buy some raspberry and chocolate macarons because I've never had them before and I've heard such great things.

Memaw said when she went to Paris this past summer they were going for some outrageous price-- like $4 each-- due to the economy and just 'cause, you know, they're French. These were .75 cents each. Much more affordable. The raspberry did nothing for me, but the chocolate were pretty darn tasty (as evidenced by the fact that there weren't any left to photograph).

Chocolate Road Trip: Burdick Chocolates

One of the women in my Super Secret Writers' Group is such a font of information when it comes to where to find things, particularly if you're looking for something strange (tentacle porn--don't even ask); unique (egg poaching pods); or just really cool. So when I told her that Mr. Goodbar and I were going to Vermont this past weekend, she said we had to drive over the border into Walpole, New Hampshire to go to L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates. She didn't have to tell me twice.

Saturday morning, we stuffed ourselves into the car after a delightful breakfast and made our way south. (I'll skip the part where Mr. Goodbar decided to drive OVER the mountain in mud season, instead of around.)

In any case, let's get right to it. You can get all the FAQs at the website; here's what you need to know from me. This is a tiny jewelbox of a store with incredible hand-made, European-style chocolates. Their signature chocolates are these:Chocolate mice! They also make penguins and, for Easter, bunnies. How can you resist?According to the brochure, each bonbon is hand-piped or hand-cut, using no molds. In addition, the pieces are "miniature in the European fashion, providing the ideal portion to enjoy a complex, intense chocolate flavor."

I love that the pieces are so small. (Contrast this with the Kohler chocolates, where each one was big enough to feed Octomom's family for a week. Not that I'm complaining about the size of those; I like big chocolates just as much as little ones.)

The selections range from exotic to ... more exotic. Some examples: Pistache (White chocolate ganache with pistachios, lavender and herbes de Provence); Honey Caramel Truffle (Caramelized honey with herbs and vanilla, dusted in cocoa powder); Lemon Spice (A whipped rum & lemon ganache, enrobed in milk chocolate and topped with grated Trinidadian spices). You get the idea. Traditionally I'm not much for these "fancified" chocolates; I prefer to stick with nuts, caramel and creams, but these looked so good, I had to get some. I was starting to get a touch of ADD in the store, what with all the bonbons, mice, Easter bunnies and drink mixes. I wasn't sure what to choose.

No-Nuts, on the other hand, was just looking for something that wasn't nutrageous. She decided upon a Jaffa (Dark chocolate ganache, whipped with freshly squeezed orange juice). In the end, I decided upon an 18-piece sampler with one mouse, and a beautiful stick of nougat (picture forthcoming). I must say, though, this shizz is expensive-- over $50 a pound. But since Mr. Goodbar treated himself to a book ("Country Wisdom Know-How"), I figured I could splurge on some chocolates and add a little European class to his hill-billy ways.

The chocolates I've had so far have been delicious. I'm saving the mouse for last.

P.S. There is a bistro attached to the shop with delicious looking cheeses and desserts, but we were still too full from breakfast to partake. Next time.

Real-Life "24"

A couple of weekends ago, I did the most amazing thing: I left my home for 24+ hours without husband or child. Yes, this was my first time away from the Sugar Baby overnight. Yes, I panicked-- for about one second. Then the thought of sleeping late and eating junk food overtook me and it was smooth sailing from that moment on. Here's how it all happened: my friend's husband called me and said, "I'd love to give Susan a break, but I know she doesn't want to go away with me. Could you get away for a night?"
Hell yeah, I could.
And so, overnight bags in hand, we checked into our fantastic room at the inn on the water and we dove right into our blissful, peaceful vacation which consisted mainly of lunch, dessert, champagne, taking turns in the jacuzzi tub reading Us Weekly, bad TV (something about Hugh Hefner and the playmates ... I don't know, I don't have cable), happy hour, Facebook, watching Weeds and more food. So here's where the chocolate comes in. After lunch, we decided to have gelato, only to find that the place with the huge "Gelato" sign only has it in summer. So we went in search of something sweet and came upon a funky place with not only gelato, but lovely cheeses, decadent cakes and an entire aisle of unusual chocolates.
It was a tough decision, but I finally decided upon a bar of bittersweet chocolate with crushed amaretti bits and an Anette's Chocolates "Winter Cabernet" chocolate truffle bar. I was so, so excited for the amaretti one. I really thought it was going to be awesome. Until I opened it a few days later and saw that it had bloomed. The chocolate had turned an icky grey. I tried a nibble, but nope, it was a goner. So very, very sad.
Then the cabernet bar. The funky trapezoid package says, "Our Winter Cabernet bar is a blend of fine Cabernet Sauvignon wine and a rich, dark, Belgian chocolate." Sounds fantastic, right? Well, it was fine. As in, I had a bite and thought, "Well, okay, nothing wrong with that." But at a whopping $3.29 for a 2.1 ounce bar, I expect to be wowed. I definitely wasn't wowed.
Of course, in the end, it didn't really matter, because the important thing was that I got to sleep until 9 a.m. and I took a bath AND a shower, just because I could.
(P.S. The Sugar Baby fared just fine. His pants were on backwards, but hey ... who am I to complain?)

Now That's What I'm Talking About!

Take a look at these beauties. These are Kohler Chocolates' Garden Ganache.

They were just featured in the February issue of "O, The Oprah Magazine," which means I could tell you these taste like sawdust and skunk tails and it wouldn't matter one fig, because if Oprah says it's good, well then, by golly, it's good. (Just take a look at our new president.) But for some reason, the kind folks at Kohler sent me some to try. Apparently Oprah's opinion was well-received, but, you know-- they needed the real story from me.

Let me just say, oh yeah. This is some good shizz.

Now, as you know, I'm not usually impressed by truffles. They seem to me to be the candy version of Madonna: all glitz and glimmer, overly-done, and just too much. So I wasn't sure what to expect out of these (although technically they're ganache, which is equal parts chocolate and cream, whereas a truffle has double the chocolate). But let me assure you, dear Yumsters, that these are divine. The shell has a beautiful snap to it. The inside is smooth and creamy and the flavors are subtle and balanced. So far I've tried the raspberry, chai tea, and creme fraiche. All delicious. (I've been gracious enough to split them with Mr. Goodbar who, each night has said, "That's good chocolate.")

The other flavors I still have to try are: coconut, Asian spice, macadamia, passion fruit, Earl Grey, pear and hazelnut coffee.
Their catalog is full of gorgeous photos of their products-- toffee bark, bars, terrapins (their version of turtles), pretzel rods. What can I say? You should check out their website for your valentine. Or better yet, yourself.

Wild Times With French Chocolate

Part of the fun at Thanksgiving was getting to try all the fancy schmancy chocolates that Memaw brought back from Paris. Of course, it would've been a more memorable experience had I not been sauced the whole time. In any case, I do remember that these were my favorites of all the candies. Check it out: lumpy, bumpy fruits and nuts. The orange peel in these babies was soooo good. Fruity, tangy, sweet and sour. So good.

Then we tried these: the Valrhona tasting pack. Fortunately I took notes. The first one, Manjari, was tangy at the back of the tongue. Tainori, yummmm. Caraibe: the Baron said dark, earthy, like very black coffee. Leisl von Schokolat said it was like dirt or plastic. Mr. Goodbar said it was milky with an explosion of rich cocoa.

Guanaja: tannic

Alpaco: Mr. Goodbar said it was slightly metallic; No-Nuts said it was really good

Abinao: was very dry and sucked all the moisture out of my tongue.

My one complaint is that these squares were no where big enough for tasting, and as a professionally-trained taste tester, I should know.

So we ate the chocolate, then drank some more. No-Nuts taught us how to play beer soda pong, and then things got wacky. Hi-jinx ensued. And then this happened. Warning: you might want to shield your eyes. It's frightening, it's nauseating, and it might not be here for long once Mr. Goodbar gets wind of it. It's what happens when men mix beer and chocolate:

The Inside Story

Update on the fancy chocolates that Memaw brought back from Paris: the grape cluster was filled with ... (wait for it!)...

gianduja (chocolate hazelnut paste).

Somewhat of a disappointment, really. I was hoping for something more snazzy, like maybe a cabernet jelly or even just a raspberry liquid. Oh well. I'll hold out hope for the disc and the thing that looks like a meringue pie.

Oooh la la!

Some people like to complain about their in-laws, but not me. I've got nothing to gripe about, as evidenced by this: This is a package that Memaw brought me back from her trip to France. Not only did she hook me up with lots of French chocolates, but she carried this one very special box back on her lap, for crying out loud!
"Wait until you see these chocolates!" Memaw said. Yeah, yeah, I thought, pretty French bon bons, right? Whoa, was I blown away! First of all, I expected little petite confections, not chocolates as big as my fist. Second, they were the most sumptuous, decadent looking creations I've ever seen.

The picture does not do them justice. The first one we sampled was the one on the right that looks like a green eyeball. It was filled with gianduja. Then we tried the white one on the left. You can't see it, but it's all spiky crispy, again with gianduja. Last night I bit into the stick on the bottom and it was green inside. I believe it's marzipan, but it's very subtle tasting. Of course, I can't wait to dig into the bunch of grapes. I wonder what's inside? It's almost too pretty to eat. Hey, I said almost.

Belgique Chocolate: Worth Its Weight in Gold?

A few weeks ago Mr. Goodbar and I were feeling particularly sassy and decided that it was high time to hit the road and go explorin' like we used to do, way, way back when before the Sugar Baby. The New York Times had a piece about a street festival in Kent, Connecticut and it sounded so charming and small-town New Englandy that we decided to go. Okay, here's where I 'fess up: I mostly wanted to go so I could go to Belgique and buy some chocolates. I wrote about this tiny little chocolate shop a few years ago and told y'all that it was quite simply the BEST chocolate ever. Ever.

Mr. Goodbar had splurged and bought me an entire pound of it while I was pregnant, but alas, my stomach would have none of it, so he got to eat the whole darn thing himself. So I figured I was owed.

What can I say? This stuff ain't cheap. At $65 a pound, it costs more than, oh I don't know, lobster, filet mignon, overpriced seaside vacation fudge, Summer of '08 gasoline ... you get my drift. So being recession-minded, we got just a few pieces.

For me: a vanilla buttercream in dark chocolate and a sea-salt caramel. For Mr. Goodbar: a cognac chocolate and a raspberry heart. For No-Nuts: a raspberry heart and a regular caramel.

The woman handed us the bag (at these prices, even a single piece should be put in a box) and warned us that their chocolates are made with fresh cream so they MUST BE KEPT COOL. Yeah, okay, not a challenge on a sweltering summer day. So we drove for two hours holding the king's ransom in front of the air conditioner.

I can hear you already: "So ... how were they?!"

Well, here's the deal. I'd had the vanilla buttercream before and it's truly decadent. She wasn't kidding when she says fresh cream. It's like a chocolate shell filled with vanilla whipped cream. Lovely, light, flavorful-- a true treasure.

The rest? They were good. Very good. But $3 a piece good? Eh, not so much. Mr. Goodbar loved his selections and still contends that they're the best chocolates ever. No-Nuts was completely unimpressed. She said the raspberry was too thick. I will stick with my original declaration and say these are damn good chocolates. The problem arises when you compare them to say, a $2 bar of Ritter Cornflakes. Then you have some deciding to do: little piece of really, really good chocolate or big bar of really, really good chocolate?

(By the way, the street festival sucked.)

Getting Exotic With the Baron

What do you get the guy who has everything (including the world's best sister-in-law)? Why, fancy-schmancy chocolate, of course! Since the Baron already belongs to the wino-of-the-month club, I thought he'd enjoy trying some unusual candy bars from Vosges. So I ordered him the "library of mini exotic candy bars," even though I knew I'd have to explain to him what a library is. I figured at the very least he'd feel the love from the Red Fire Bar: Mexican ancho & chipotle chilies, Ceylon cinnamon and dark chocolate.

The Baroness, being the ever-thoughtful Aries that she is, told him to wait until I came to visit before he shoved them all into his gaping maw so I could at least try a little nibble. So last night, we put on our tasting hats and went to town.

Now, as I've said before, I'm not much for combining chocolate with savory flavors. I wasn't thrilled with the Red Fire Bar and the Oaxaca Bar (guajillo & pastilla chillies with Tanzanian bittersweet chocolate) made my mouth burn and my stomach hurt. But I did quite like the Woolloomooloo Bar (roasted and salted macadamia nuts, Indonesian coconut, hemp seeds and deep milk chocolate) and I really, really liked the Barcelona Bar (hickory smoked almonds, grey sea salt and deep milk chocolate).

But the funny thing is, after we compared notes on all the various bars, the Baroness pulled out the remains of a Lindt Excellence Intense Mint Dark bar that she bought at Target ($3 for a 3.5 oz bar)-- and I liked it more than any of the mini exotic bars ($2.50 per .5 oz bar). I'm not sure if that means that I simply have plebian tastes, but who cares. Next year, I'm going to take the Baron to Target and let him go hog wild in the candy aisle.