Cooking
Sour cherry, Grand Marnier, coffee and dark chocolate. That was the bon bon that won me over. I'm not sure what the inspiration was for the combination, though I was intrigued because coffee beans come from fruit called coffee cherries. I've always wanted to try the fresh fruit of the coffee tree. It's supposed to be very sweet. But it was the bitter edge of sour cherries, coffee and dark chocolate that I found so intoxicating.
The former Executive Pastry Chef from the acclaimed Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia, who trained at the Ritz Escoffier in Paris, Antoine Amrani recently launched his own chocolate company making exquisite confections. Coffee Sour Cherry was just one of the imaginative flavor combinations in my nine piece chocolate assortment.
I'm always happy to try a sample of high quality chocolates and those from Antoine Amrani did not disappoint. Really great chocolate is so satisfying that only a piece or two is plenty. I liked all the fruit infused flavors including an Earl Grey (bergamot) chocolate, the Orange Grand Marnier with a hint of cardamom and the intense Raspberry. The chocolates are very smooth, with balanced flavors and that melting moment that feels like settling into a pile of fluffy down pillows. It doesn't hurt that they are handmade and pretty as sparkling jewels.
It's interesting that chocolate sales continue to rise during tough economic times. Like lipstick and top shelf cocktails, buying a few pieces of great chocolate is something indulgent that you don't have to feel terribly guilty about. This year I'll be participating in the Hunger Challenge again and will have to forgo such treats for a week, but for right now, I heartily recommend pampering yourself or someone one deserving with the best chocolate you can find.
- Chocolate Bar Review
You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but I'm in training. In March I'll be on the tasting panel for the Annual San Francisco International Chocolate Salon and I take this responsibility very seriously. In fact, I snagged as many bars of...
- Cabaret Brewed Chocolate
I remember first smelling the scent of coffee roasting in North Beach. I was a teenager and it was exotic and intoxicating like the City itself. Even though I didn't drink coffee, I loved that smell. Over the years whenever I've smelled fresh...
- Favorite Things: Charles Chocolates
You probably think you know what this is, right? A box of chocolates, with some missing. Oh, but it's so much more than that. First of all, this box of chocolates is a box of Charles Chocolates. If you're lucky enough to have had Charles Chocolates...
- Mondays With Maida - Key West Chocolate Treasures
Page 24 in the old book / page 41 in the new book No need to adjust your set. Yes, these cookies do look very much like last week’s cookies. In fact, if you compare the list of ingredients they are very similar. Both recipes have the same amounts...
- Shf#13: The Dark Side - Dark Chocolate Caramel
Shhh. Don't tell anyone. I'm gonna let you in on a secret. You know when I bake something with chocolate in it, I usually excuse myself with something like: "I substituted the dark chocolate for milk chocolate, because that's how Martin wants...
Cooking
Antoine Amrani Chocolates
Sour cherry, Grand Marnier, coffee and dark chocolate. That was the bon bon that won me over. I'm not sure what the inspiration was for the combination, though I was intrigued because coffee beans come from fruit called coffee cherries. I've always wanted to try the fresh fruit of the coffee tree. It's supposed to be very sweet. But it was the bitter edge of sour cherries, coffee and dark chocolate that I found so intoxicating.
The former Executive Pastry Chef from the acclaimed Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia, who trained at the Ritz Escoffier in Paris, Antoine Amrani recently launched his own chocolate company making exquisite confections. Coffee Sour Cherry was just one of the imaginative flavor combinations in my nine piece chocolate assortment.
I'm always happy to try a sample of high quality chocolates and those from Antoine Amrani did not disappoint. Really great chocolate is so satisfying that only a piece or two is plenty. I liked all the fruit infused flavors including an Earl Grey (bergamot) chocolate, the Orange Grand Marnier with a hint of cardamom and the intense Raspberry. The chocolates are very smooth, with balanced flavors and that melting moment that feels like settling into a pile of fluffy down pillows. It doesn't hurt that they are handmade and pretty as sparkling jewels.
It's interesting that chocolate sales continue to rise during tough economic times. Like lipstick and top shelf cocktails, buying a few pieces of great chocolate is something indulgent that you don't have to feel terribly guilty about. This year I'll be participating in the Hunger Challenge again and will have to forgo such treats for a week, but for right now, I heartily recommend pampering yourself or someone one deserving with the best chocolate you can find.
- Chocolate Bar Review
You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but I'm in training. In March I'll be on the tasting panel for the Annual San Francisco International Chocolate Salon and I take this responsibility very seriously. In fact, I snagged as many bars of...
- Cabaret Brewed Chocolate
I remember first smelling the scent of coffee roasting in North Beach. I was a teenager and it was exotic and intoxicating like the City itself. Even though I didn't drink coffee, I loved that smell. Over the years whenever I've smelled fresh...
- Favorite Things: Charles Chocolates
You probably think you know what this is, right? A box of chocolates, with some missing. Oh, but it's so much more than that. First of all, this box of chocolates is a box of Charles Chocolates. If you're lucky enough to have had Charles Chocolates...
- Mondays With Maida - Key West Chocolate Treasures
Page 24 in the old book / page 41 in the new book No need to adjust your set. Yes, these cookies do look very much like last week’s cookies. In fact, if you compare the list of ingredients they are very similar. Both recipes have the same amounts...
- Shf#13: The Dark Side - Dark Chocolate Caramel
Shhh. Don't tell anyone. I'm gonna let you in on a secret. You know when I bake something with chocolate in it, I usually excuse myself with something like: "I substituted the dark chocolate for milk chocolate, because that's how Martin wants...