THE NUMBER ONE CHOCOLATIER IN THE US – RICHART

December 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Richart's Jewels

The Artisan/Michel Richart:
Michel Richart grew up in an ambiance of fine chocolates. His father, who was a chocolatier himself, was delighted that his son, Michel, was enthusiastic to learn, to listen and absorb. While he was learning to master the art of creating the finest chocolates possible while using the highest quality raw materials, he also became conscious about the importance of creating recipes that are well balanced, harmonious and pleasing to the palate.   Even today, he continuous to strive to perfect his art and thanks to his “tasting group” (who are actually members of his family), that taste and comment on everything that he creates, including pastry, chocolates  and wines, he is succeeding. Michel is an admitted chocoholic, with a remarkable imagination that assist him in constantly creating new products to please his “friends” (he considers his customers to be his best friends). Basically, he is delighted that through his masterful creations he is able to bring joy to people’s life .

The Chocolates:

 

 

Stunning Chocolates of Richart

Richart’s little gems-of-chocolates are much more assertive than you would assume, based on their playful and seductive appearance. The complex and intense ganache of each chocolate is as silky as Sophia Loren’s hair, and the flavors are as unpredictable as a teenager in love; but never disappointing. It is well known that girls’ second best friend is chocolate, but not just any; only a handful of chocolatiers can claim the status of delivering the quality that meet their requirements and Richart is the leader of this group.

Richart decided to remove any extraneous ingredients from his products (even if it is a great product, like cocoa butter), because he wants his “friends” to enjoy only the purest and the most sensual elements of his creations – the chocolate. Quite brilliant, I would say. As a result, we can lose ourselves in these heavenly work of art – guilt-free.

Richart’s Petit Collection contains 49 unique masterpieces with seven distinct aromas:

  • Balsamic
  • Roasted
  • Citrus
  • Fruity
  • Spiced
  • Herbal
  • Floral

We could not obtain the entire  collection, therefore, had to make our selection based on personal appeal. We tasted the balsamics, the fruit group, the herbals and the spicy ones.

The flavors in the aromatic Balsamic group are enfolded  in their Venezuelan Criollo dark chocolate shell, but as soon as they hit our palates they managed to free themselves and we could actually feel the melting process with the lingering mouth-feel of the domineering Criollo. I cannot adequately describe this experience – you must try these yourselves.

The Fruit group is just amazing.  The chocolates are light and refreshing, yet rich and retain the depth of the dark chocolate shell.  None of the fruits upstaged the intense dark chocolate cover, yet the perfume of the fruit is a great carrier of the silky-smooth buttery cream.  While indulging in the fruit group we felt as we were transported to tropical islands to taste some passion fruit, than hopped over to California for some strawberries and concluded our trip in Turkey with wonderful apricots.

In the spiced group I enjoyed the ones with cinnamon and/or ginger. I am positive that it contains cinnamon from Ceylon, because only that one can create such a great marriage with dark chocolates. This is the time that I learned that if the cinnamon doesn’t come from Mexico or Sri Lanka (Ceylon), it’s cassia, not cinnamon. The cinnamon worked so well with the base chocolate in this one that I savored each bite as long I could, letting it melt in my mouth slowly but explosively. It wasn’t overpowering but certainly didn’t taste like the cinnamon we tend to encounter in our food. 

Both, the Herbal and the Spiced varieties are sensuous, mysterious and provocative. Most of the ganaches of Richart are mind-altering in a good way. The chocolates stimulate the release of serotonin and endorphins throughout one’s body with the end result of that pleasant, euphoric feeling. I suggest you throw away your Valium, and stock-up with some spiced and herbal petit collection. You will not regret you did. I am convinced, that if for nothing else, then only for the Herbal and Spiced group, Richart should receive the Nobel Prize for creating the most delectable chocolates with the most noble ingredients.

The ganache with the highly aromatic and sweet tasting anise is certainly a challenging one on your palate. If this is the first time you are tasting this combination you need to let it melt very slowly in your mouth in order to appreciate the feel of the chocolate and the ambiance it creates in your mouth (yes, you read it correctly; I said ambiance, because that is what this chocolate creates). Simultaneously, you should hold another chocolate with the anise that was cut open and inhale the sweet aromas. The experience will be a lift-up to highs you never knew before and “love at first bite” for eternity. The Jasmine Tea ganache is self-explanatory – Jasmine tea is actually Oolong tea from China, infused with the the night-blooming jasmine flowers; so that said it all.  It provides a highly aromatic scent to the ganache and a mild floral aroma to our senses. The combination is delightfully refreshing.

As I said above, Richart creates special seasonal and holiday collections throughout the year. In this holiday season he created, what appears to two amazing collections: CHOCOMAC and WINTER JUBILEE TANDEM Chocolates. These chocolates come with an unusual guide [(he calls it the Wheel of Pleasure (I love the name) who does not want to experience the wheels of pleasure? )] to provide you with as much information as possible about the creation of these chocolates and what kind of experience you should have while indulging. And the naming of these chocolates? You can blush just by reading the names and the description of the specific chocolate. From Sweet Flames that contains  hazelnut, cream from Bresse, grilled red quinoa from Peru, sea salt flower from Guerande to Caressing Spices with hazelnuts, baked sweet caramel, grains of coriander, star anise, and lemon aroma all enrobed with dark chocolate from Venezuela (WOW!). The pleasure is awaiting for you in  New York City, in Barcelona, in Milan, in Paris, in Lyon, and more …….Unfortunately we cannot report about these chocolates’ taste and feel, since we did not had an opportunity to buy them and put them through our savant palate. Please keep coming back; we are positive we will have the scoop before Valentine’s Day. And what a report that will be.

In conclusion, Richart is a master of creating the most unique combination of ingredients, where they all complement the chocolate. One cannot go wrong with chocolates that contain the most amazing, innovative ganache enrobed with dark Venezuelan Criollo chocolates created by a maestro.

Valentine's Day is Not Far

Where to buy it

Well, first I have mentioned in the post the cities around the world where you’ll find Richart’s chocolate shops. I myself visited the  stores located in New York City (7 East, 55th Street) and in Boston (Copley Place)  many times. You can also order all of Richart’s gourmet chocolates online

Richart's melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolates from Venezuelan Criollo

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VALENTINE’S DAY WITHOUT CHOCOLATES? DO N’T EVEN THINK OF IT.

February 12, 2011 by 1 Comment

Rouge Passion by Richart's Chocolates

Just as we cannot see celebrating Valentine’s Day without chocolates, it would be a sin not to seek out the best possible selection for your Valentine. We have reported previously about the products of top chocolatiers in the US ( (please see previous posts); and just by thinking about the tastes of these wonderful creations, I start to feel warm all over and cannot wait to open my box of surprise (or maybe not a surprise at all, since my Valentine knows my flair for the best). This is the holiday when you should not settle for anything less than the best. However, if you recall, I also said that selecting chocolates is a highly personal decision; what maybe the best for me it may not be your choice. So, please go ahead and read about all the top 10 chocolatiers we reviewed previously, because we conducted a very thorough tasting process and these artists were selected by consensus.

In the interim, however, I had a wonderful opportunity to taste the newest inventions of Richart, so I am going  to add here a brief report about my feelings about these gems.

Richart's Chocolates

If you want to lift your mood, if you want to indulge in life’s luxuries, if you wish to be in the mood – what you do? You grab a box of chocolate, the best you can find and do not stop until the box is empty. Chocolate is the embodiment of  love, passion,  and sexual desire. It is the absolute perfect gift for those we care about deeply; so I hope you will threat one another with one of these delights and create a weekend to remember for years to come.

Richart created a special box for Valentine’s Day, named  perfectly as “Rouge Passion”. It  composed of two chocolate bonbons with variations of a ganache based on passion fruit’s aromatic bouquet, the delightful refreshing taste of berries and the seductive power of salted butter caramel coulis.  Michel Richart likes to develop new products designed with the pleasure in mind; it shows. Michel doesn’t only put a lot of passion into his work, but he transfers that excitement you feel when you are in love into his creations. When you place one of these bonbons into your mouth its an instant exhilaration combined with the pleasurable sensation of sexual arousal. Get this box for your Valentine, but enjoy it together.

The other two newer products that we tried called CHOCOMAC and WINTER JUBILEE. CHOCOMAC has 8 pieces developed Richart's Chocolatwith the idea to help you to get the most pleasure from tasting chocolates. It has the light crunchy feel of french macaroons, the smooth, silky feel of a perfect ganache and a wafer thin solid chocolate to exert a desirable strength for the connection of the multitude of experience. Richart even thought about to provide you a “pleasure guide” (he calls it the “Wheel of Pleasure) with these elegant creations, which certainly adds to the tasting experience. This “Wheel of Pleasure” is color coded to assist you in identifying and differentiating the aromas the chocolate exudes, the texture that corresponds to the feel in your mouth and the taste that actually drives your feeling of pleasure. Some of the chocolates contain multiple ingredients in high concentrations that are known aphrodisiacs (i.e. spices, coffee, etc.) so double your pleasure and indulge.

The Winter Jubilee contains seven dark chocolates with unique chocolate ganache  fillings. The dark chocolates are from Venezuela and the ganache contains chocolates from Santo Domingo and Tahitian vanilla, of course. These beauties are not only an art work to look at, but contain a variety of ingredients with significant aphrodisiacal powers, like pineapple, cinnamon, peppermint, vanilla, almonds, hazelnuts, coriander, and star anise. I left the last ingredients to be reported separately, because Richart correctly calls this chocolate a “FLAME”; it contains quinoa from Peru and sea salt from Guerande and of course the chocolate from Venezuela – one of these will not only ignite old intense loving feelings but create new ones with a flame that will never die.

Richart's Chocolates

TOP TEN CHOCOLATIERS IN THE US

Richart’s Chocolates
1-800-RICHART (1-800-742-4278); http://www.richart.com

La Maison du Chocolat
744-7117; http://www.lamaisonduchocolat.us/us/en/

Norman Love Confections
866-515-2121; http://www.normanloveconfections.com

Michel Cluizel

http://www.cluizel.com

Knipschildt Chocolatier
838-3131; http://www.knipschildt.com

Recchiuti Confections
800-500-3396; http://www.recchiuti.com

Kee’s Chocolates

http://www.keeschocolates.com

Christopher Elbow

http://www.elbowchocolates.com

Chuao Chocolates

http://www.chuaochocolatier.com

L.A. Burdick
800-229-2419; http://www.burdickchocolate.com

Please remember that you may not agree with our selections; therefore, we would like to hear from you. Actually, if enough of you would respond we could create a readers’ selection. Wouldn’t that be fun?

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CHOCOLATES YOU MUST KNOW – TOP TEN CHOCOLATIERS IN THE US

January 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment

We arrived at the Top Two Chocolatiers in the US – or What I Would Call: The Creme-De-La-Creme of  Chocolatiers. So, Here is Number Two: La Maison du Chocolates

Great Tasty Gift


The Artisan/Robert Linxe/La Maison du Chocolates:

Robert Linxe, the creator of La Maison du Chocolates,  learned his profession in Bayonne, before enhancing his knowledge and perfecting his artisic talent in Switzerland. He opened hist first chocolate boutique in 1955 in Paris and sold it in 1977 in order to establish the first Maison du Chocolat shop on the famous rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, in the basement of a former wine cellar. He selected this location specifically because it provided the ideal conditions to preserve chocolates—much like wine. He installed his laboratory and worked there for more than ten years. By 1987, Linxe’s shop became such a hit that he was able to open a second shop and three years later, he expanded to the U.S. and opened his first shop on Madison Avenue in New York City. To date, he continues to devote himself to his passion of creativity and share with others his dedication for perfection. No wonder that his colleagues and his customers consider him “The God of Chocolate.”

The Chocolates/La Maison du Chocolates:

Robert Linxe, the creator of La Maison du Chocolates,   specializes in creating chocolates with the creamiest ganache, the most harmonious and balanced use of ingredients, and enrobed in the thinest couverture; there isn’t any comparable chocolate in the world (as of now).  When you walk into the store on Madison Avenue, in New York City, you feel as if you must take a deep breath (inhale the air) and hold it, and hold it and never exhale; that is how wonderful the aroma that radiates from the chocolates that are displayed on the glass shelves so elegantly.  Most of the time I try to get a seat at one of the limited number of tables and order their aromatic espresso (and if I really want to indulge, a gorgeous piece of chocolate cake next to it) to sip very slowly, so that I can extend the joy of the “chocolate high”  you get while you are in the store.  It is really hard to describe the ambiance where chocolate lovers must pinch themselves to feel if they alive or just arrived to chocolate heaven (which they do not mind at all).
Linxe’s passionate involvement in the creation of his pralines and bonbons are evident in every single piece.  This is the only chocolate company (aside from Richart’s) that no matter how hard you try, you will never succeed to find a chocolate that you do not care for, or that the combination of ingredients do no work well with the chocolate.
As I said repeatedly, I always prefer dark chocolates with very deep and complex flavors but Linxe’s milk chocolate creations are not far behind with respect to feel, flavor, and texture; therefore, Linxe’s and Richart’s milk chocolates are the only ones that I enjoy almost as much as the dark chocolates.
Linxe categorizes his chocolates into groups, so as much as I could, I was attempting to select samples from each group. In general, all of Linxe’s bonbons and pralines appear to be elegantly simple (he does not need any extravagant designs, colors and other hoopla); the statements of Linxe’s creations are created in your mouth. His chocolates are also among the very few, that when you cut the piece into half, the ganache appears be perfectly smooth, no air bubbles, or “holes” between the ganache and the cover; just perfect. La Maison ships the hand-made chocolates from France several times a week to assure their freshness.
The Timeless Ganache
Caracas - as its name states made with Venezuelan beans and the feel of the chocolate certainly reflects that. This is the perfect example of a dark chocolate with deep complex flavors and a touch of light fruity aroma that lingers in your mouth for eternity following melting (and we are delighted that it takes that long for the chocolate to melt )
Quito -I have no idea what this name means but the ganache created with a combination of Venezuelan, Trinidadian, Ecuadorian and and Madagascarian beans, feels real special; once again, you get that deep, complex flavor, mainly from the Venezuelan bean, but here the vanilla is more prominent, I believe due to the beans from Madagascar.
Sylvia - This chocolate is one of the examples of a milk chocolate creation that, although a bit too sweet for my taste, its silky-smooth ganache melts sensuously in one’s mouth and the subtle, light touch of caramel notes are just icing on the cake.
The Timeless Pralines
In this group you can see that Linxe likes to name his chocolate creations after operas, arias  and/or lead characters.
Traviatta - This chocolate is as playful and “ready to party” as the early scenes of the opera with the combination of  crackling roasted, finely ground almonds and a tease of caramel notes; it could be the perfect accompaniment to a great glass of buttery, pink Champagne. I am glad that Linxe did not complete the creation with a tragic ending.
Figaro - Figaro here/Figaro there – hazelnuts here/almonds there and here comes the caramel; both nuts are roasted to perfection then added to the caramel and crushed together. The taste is perfect because the caramel was prepared to perfection (as Linxe describes it on the website: if the caramel overcooked, it becomes bitter and if it is undercooked it is too sweet – it is neither in this piece.
Pistachio- I love pistachio, so of course I had to taste this one. The way Linxe added the crushed pistachio to he ganache is quite unique – it does not effect the creaminess of the ganache yet it allows the full enjoyment of the light crunchiness the pistachio provides – and those perfect bright-green-colored morsels are unbelievably beautiful,  WOW!
Fruited Chocolates
Malaga - Now this milk chocolate I could consume everyday (and you should too); the aroma of the powerful, well-harmonized taste of bergamot with the hint of the bitter orange taste that will linger on your palate indefinitely, is just heavenly – add to it a very light crunch that the hazelnut brings to the velvety sensuous ganache and you can feel the ultimate joy of a flawless chocolate creation.
Jolika - What can be better than the combination of almond paste mixed with bright green pistachio slivers throughout the ganache – nothing. It is beautiful, it is delightful to your palate and it is a memorable experience to allow it to melt slowly on your palate.
Intoxicating Ganache (I love this name)
Faust - Once again, it is the perfect name for this chocolate (if you know the story of Faust); under the very thin milky coverture lies a beautiful, silky milk chocolate ganache flavored with flambéed aged rum that enhances the flavor; however, it dissipates quite rapidly once the chocolate melted on your palate and leaves only the feel of the somewhat sophisticated smooth milk chocolate ganache.
Bacchus - created with a Valrhona’s  venezuelan mix. The ganache is flavored with Smirna raisins from Turkey (the best in the world) that is steeped in hot water before flambéed with Caribbean rum. WOW! When the flame burns from red to blue, as the last alcohol drop is vanishes, a lid is clamped on and the raisins are left to macerate for 15 days. I never had a rum-raisin like this one. Talking about a memorable experience; I must try to recreate this one; this chocolate is not only out of this world, it is the world.
The Champagne Truffle is something you must experience personally.  I cannot find the words in the English language that would do justice to describe the mouth-feel of this truffle. In addition, you can feel how the top quality cognac used in the creation is trying to exert itself during the melting process but the dark chocolate allows it only to partner with it for an end product that takes the best qualities of both and present it to your taste bud for one of the most remarkable experience.

Cookbook: La Maison du Chocolat: Transcendent Desserts by the Legendary Chocolatier

Robert Linxe’s Cookbook is the best chocolate book I own and the only chocolate book I read from cover to cover. If you ever had the desire to learn anything and everything about chocolate, to understand how to work with this temperamental product, how to create your own masterpieces, and what ingredients work the best with which type of chocolate, then look no further.  Robert Linxe shares his phenomenal chocolate-making knowledge in this beautifully photographed volume. He shares his use of the purest ingredients, his secrets for creating incredible truffles and pralines, as well as cakes, cookies and other desserts where chocolate is the star. It is the best gift that you can give to a gourmand, a bride and/or a chocophile.

Where to buy:
La Maison du Chocolat has locations in Hong Kong, London, Tokyo and Cannes, in addition to seven retail stores in Paris and four in New York. The chocolates are also available at Bergdorf Goodman department stores. Its products can also be ordered online and are deliverable to 31 countries. The cookbook is available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobles and Borders bookshops.

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CHOCOLATES YOU MUST KNOW – TOP TEN CHOCOLATIERS IN THE US

December 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment

HAPPY HOLIDAYS – HAPPY NEW YEAR

TIME TO CELEBRATE

AND HERE IS NUMBER FIVE: KNIPSCHILDT CHOCOLATES

This summer, I attended the Global Fancy Food Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. This was a wonderful opportunity in getting oriented to new products and taste a significant number of sweets and other “foods of interest” that were presented at the show.  Knipschildt Chocolates were one of the booths that I made an unplanned stop.  They were not listed under my “must visit” category, because I do not care for golf-ball-size truffles. In this case, larger is not better.  However, they were offering to taste one of their fruit-based syrups (I had  the raspberry with peppercorn) reconstituted with champagne and served in a flute. I could not resist and I did not regret it. This was one of the best champagne cocktail I have ever poured down my throat. In fact, I would compare the experience to drinking one of those “super-thick, super-rich” (as described by Nibbles) full-bodied, real chocolate-based hot chocolate in Cambridge, Mass at L A Burdick. Yum.

Since I was standing at the front of their booth and their truffles were staring right at me, I decided to sacrifice myself and taste one of the dark chocolates. I must admit that right after the first bite, I was ready to be converted and ordered two boxes to be shipped to my office. It is not a total shock, however, since they are using Valrhona chocolate for the ganache, and the cream that is added to the chocolate to create the ganache is infused with vanilla pods for 24 hours prior to use.

Knipschildt’s best chocolate is the Green Tea Truffle. Each bittersweet chocolate ganache truffle is rolled in matcha, the fine green tea powder used for the Japanese tea ceremony; true green tea is the first flavor that tickles your palate and the flavor lingers ever so pleasantly for quite awhile. With this product Fritz Knipschildt created the true interpretation of a green tea truffle. Moreover, their presentation in a beautiful pastel-green box sealed with a bamboo pick is a genius design. Other flavors at Knipschildt include pumpkin, caramel sea salt (this one is excellent), passion fruit, pear, rose water, black currant, apricot basil and other exotic flavors, as well as some classic favorites like softly roasted hazelnut and Manuka honey from New Zealand.
Knipschildt’s “La Madeline au Truffe” was recognized by Forbes Magazine as the most expensive chocolate in the world. It is based on 70% Valrhona chocolate for the ganache with authentic truffle oil and ends with the same for dipping. The ganache is shaped around a French Perigord Truffle, aka French Black Truffle (this truffle alone costs up to $1,000 per pound) and completed by dusting it with Valrhona’s cocoa powder. Can you imagine to have a bite of this gem? It is only a mere $2,100/pound. But you can get one truffle, weighing nearly 2 ounce for $250.00. A real bargain. It is delivered to the lucky recipient placed  on a bed of sugar pearls in a silver box tied with a beautiful ribbon. Sheer extravaganza!

I guess that is what the republicans meant when they were demanding a tax cut for those making $250,000 or over – they will support the economy while indulging in life’s super-delicacies, unattainable by others.

By the way, Knipschildt Chocolates won the coveted Sofie Award at the Fancy Food Show with their Hanna Mini Signature Chocolate Box (Burnt Caramel with Hawaiian Sea Salt). The Sofi Awards are the highest honor in the specialty food industry.

Hello my friends! – I still did not hear from anyone about your favorites. I would love to create another reference list developed by the readers of this post.

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CHOCOLATES YOU MUST KNOW – TOP TEN CHOCOLATIERS

December 18, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Recchiuti Chocolate Samples

INTRODUCING THE SEVENTH CHOCOLATIER:

RECCHIUTI, SAN FRANCISCO

The Artisan:

The Bay Area is the epicenter of great artisanal chocolate products. Michael Recchiuti is one of the top masters of the trade and his chocolates are a true works of art.  He has a production facility in the southeastern section of San Francisco, and a successful, high profile shop in the Ferry Building.

The Chocolates:

The truffles and bonbons contain a perfectly smooth and silky-textured ganache with intense flavors and elegant presentation. We highly recommend that you do not miss out on this one if and when you are visiting the San Francisco area; however, if you can’t get there personally, you can make your order online and enjoy the entire box upon its arrival to your home. I can’t imagine a more elegant and extravagant gift than these delicate and perfectly balanced chocolate creations.

Michael Recchiuti produces a sublime Champagne Truffle with 2001 Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine and a delicate touch of powdered sugar, which is a must – and you will never buy truffles from anyone else. His crunchy sesame nougat is another stunner with its earthy depth, and addictive texture that lingers in one’s mouth for eternity. The Tarragon Grapefruit is a leap of faith into the unknown, but every bite is a reaffirmation of Recchiuti’s extraordinary talent. The Fleur de Sel (salted with French sea salt) contains a pleasantly chewy burnt caramel coated with dark chocolate; the flavors are nicely balanced and the burnt caramel is one of the best we have ever tasted (and we tasted plenty). In fact, we can honestly declare that Michael Recchiuti should be imitated by anyone that wants to create the perfect burnt caramel (not to mention, he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame as the World’s Best Burnt Caramel Producer)

Lemon Verbena is an extra-bitter, dark chocolate ganache with a bright and clear taste of Lemon Verbena, coated in dark chocolate with a beautiful white leaf pattern adorning the top surface. The chocolate is rich and refreshing at the same time. The Force Noir is made with extra-bitter chocolate ganache infused with whole vanilla bean. It is absolutely out-of-this-world; the extra-bitter chocolate gives a pure, clean, intense chocolate experience and the vanilla bean adds that sweetness you need to balance the bitterness. I cannot complete this review without mentioning the Piedmont Hazelnut chocolate. It is a beautiful piece with silky, buttery texture of the gianduja ganache complemented with the light crunchiness of the Piedmont hazelnut (the best in the world). We also ordered their Dragee Sampler which comes with Burnt Caramel Almonds, Hazelnuts, Peanut Butter Pearls, and Cherries Two Ways – WOW! Talking about indulging.

I own a copy of Michael’s book: “Chocolate Obsession” and I am glad I do. At first, I hesitated to purchase it because, being a chocolate snob, I decided that I had enough training; I do not need another book to tell me how to temper chocolate. I was surprised, however, that despite my resistance, I still learned  a few things or two from his book; not to mention the experimentation of creating some his recipes was truly events to remember.  Although I do not reproduce his creations in my repertoire (I do not think it would be fair), some of his techniques assisted me in developing my own master pieces.

The book primarily discusses the simple forms of chocolates (i.e. truffles, dipped and moulded chocolates), for the home maker, but I was delighted that he included his signature creation: the s’mores. In general, what I liked most about Michael’s book is the tone of his writing. When you reading the recipes, or the stories attached to it, you feel as if an old friend wants to share his knowledge with you in the most  intimate manner possible. Anyone interested to learn and experiment in working with chocolates should own a copy. Moreover, it is a great conversation opener when placed on your coffee table in the family room.

How to Order:

One can always order online: http://www.recchiuti.com. Recchiuti’s elegant signature is also evident on his website.  Every box is appealing and  every chocolate is described in the most tempting manner. They are listing their gift boxes, as well as their individual bonbons, from which you an create your own personalized candy box. They also sell sauces (see above the writeup about their burnt caramel); and chocolate bars  (We will review the bars in another upcoming post).

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CHOCOLATES YOU MUST KNOW – TOP 10 CHOCOLATIERS

December 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment

CELEBRATE THE SEASON WITH CHOCOLATES

THE EIGHT CHOCOLATIER: CHRISTOPHER ELBOW CHOCOLATES

The Artisan:

Christopher Elbow began perfecting his chocolate-making skills while working as a Pastry Chef in Kansas City and that is where he started his own chocolate company. His passion for working with chocolate allowed him to be highly creative. His hand-painted sparkling jewels are not only one of the best work of art (excluding Norman Love’s work, of course), but most carry well-balanced flavors, ingredients in perfect harmony and aroma that can fill a dance hall. He worked with such famous TV chefs, as Emeril Lagasse and he is featured in many print publications, including Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, InStyle and Oprah.

The Chocolates:

Chef Elbow’s use of Vietnamese cinnamon, rosemary with a hint of caramel, or sparkling bubbly flecked with shimmering gold are just phenomenal. We could not stop eating them until we realized that the box is empty.

I must add, however, that not every piece is “perfect”; we did find some misses, but from such a large selection of uniquely flavored bonbons, he is allowed to have a few that may not be to our liking. For instance, in the Rum Raisin chocolate, the rum overpowered the entire product and we did not think that Mango was the right fruit to be used with caramel; he high acidity of this fruit altered the taste of the caramel, and not in a good way. On the other hand the crunchy caramelized hazelnut filling with the smooth, creamy milk chocolate shell was just delightful and the Raspberry, with a layer of the pate and the dark ganache are divine.  The Venezuelan Spice where dark chocolate center spiced with chile and enrobed in a thick dark chocolate shell and the Orange Pekoe Tea with aromas that infiltrated our entire surroundings are both complemented the overall presentation. At first, the Venezuelan spice tastes like the regular dark chocolate ganache; rich and velvety, however as it slowly melts away on the front of your tongue, you can feel the spice catching up to you as it leaves a fiery kick on your palate. You must try the Champagne bonbon if you want celebrate the season by washing down the combination of milk and dark chocolates with the bubbly. The Cappuccino tastes as if you are sipping a nice cup of coffee accompanied with a piece of smooth milk chocolate.

We believe, however, that seven caramel-based creations of the total of 25, creates  an imbalance in their otherwise unique and tasty inventory.  I love a well-made caramel but if it is nearly one-third of the choices it reduces the selection options. I addition, some of the caramels are either too sweet or the caramel a bit overdone which accentuates the bitterness of the bittersweet. I don’t want to give the impression that Chef’s Elbow creations are anything other than top of the line but requires a careful selection.

Since I taste (and create) many chocolates, my critical palate has a couple of cons but please keep in mind that everyone has their own preferences and tastes  and to enjoy these chocolates requires a fairly sophisticated palate.  I also like to make my doctors unhappy, because I believe in all those reports about the beneficial effects of dark chocolates, they don’t.

Chocolatiers at Chef Elbow’s level work with top ingredients (for those who keep track, he uses El Rey couverture). We just don’t know what technique creates this kind of palate magic.

How to order:

It is a good idea to visit their website: http://www.elbowchocolates.com/shop_online and review your options (even if you live nearby). Every chocolate piece is a work of art and they presenting them in their gift box. They also sell chocolate bars, (actually 17 different variations), drinking chocolate in a tin and chocolate coffee.

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CHOCOLATES YOU MUST KNOW CONTINUES – TOP 10 CHOCOLATIERS IN THE US

December 13, 2010 by 1 Comment

Great Gift

THE NINTH CHOCOLATIER: CHUAO CHOCOLATES

Chuao is the first Venezuelan chocolatier in the United States with a manufacturing facility in Carlsbad, California, but you can purchase the products nationwide, as well as online.

The Artisan:

Chef Michael Antonorsi of Chuao Chocolatier, named after the cacao-producing region of Chuao in Venezuela, makes Venezuelan chocolates in “French Style” (watch for the post that will discuss this in more details) that reflect the specific and very delicate nuances of the region where the bean is grown, because no beans from any other region are blended in to homogenize the flavor.

The Chocolates:

Most of Chuao’s creations are well-made and powerfully addictive; but not all. Perhaps they should be classified as Schedule II controlled chocolates? The bonbons that we tasted, some produced a rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture and deep flavor, while others left no lingering mouth feel, at all. In fact, we thought that the following two bonbons were a mismatch with respect to flavor, balance and a general taste:  GRANADA a milk chocolate bonbon with pomegranate caramel and caramelized walnut, enrobed  in dark chocolate and PARCHITA, another milk chocolate bonbon, that contains passion fruit blended into a soft caramel.  Nevertheless, most reviewers felt that Chuao chocolatiers excel in their dark chocolate bonbon creations; therefore, they deserve to be in the top 10 list.

The most surprise I had following our tasting event is that the Firecracker, that contains caramel fudge with chipotle and chile and enrobed with a layer of popping candy, the Chevere, with goat cheese, pear williams liqueur and crushed black pepper buttercream and the unique Pan Con Chocolate (pahn kon cho-ko-la-teh) that is created with roasted panko bread crumbs and olive oil ganache with a touch of sea salt, were absolutely fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of these eccentric pieces.  My absolute favorite, however, is the simple, but delightful almond marzipan topped with a roasted macadamia nut.

I know I said earlier that we are only reviewing and reporting here about bonbons, pralines and truffles but I cannot avoid mentioning (or rather admiring) their hot chocolate drinks. There are three different variations:

  • Spicy Maya
  • Winter
  • Abuela

The Spicy Maya, that contains pasilla chili, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon – WOW! this is real heat with a great kick. It is perfectly balanced between the “bittersweet” of the dark chocolate and the spiciness of the chili and cinnamon; it is the best “pick-me-up/warm-me-up”  drink on a cold, wintery day in front of your fireplace. The Winter, which has ginger, cloves, cinnamon and a touch of black pepper and tastes like as if Christmas is here; enjoy it. The traditional Abuela, which is just a great straightforward hot chocolate drink and is my favorite for its simplicity, while it brings together that wonderful elements of the Venezuelan-based chocolates.

How to order:

One can always order online: http://www.chuachocolatiers.com. They are listing their gift boxes, as well as their individual bonbons, from which you an create your own personalized candy box. Their chocolate bars are one of the best on the market and available in many supermarkets nationwide, as well as in selective independent chocolate retailers (We will review the bars in another upcoming post).

PS Chuao chocolatiers also sell sugar-free chocolates

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