The Only Valentine's Day Chocolate Guide You'll Ever Need
Chocolate malt balls from Jacques Torres
Valentine's Day is fast approaching and you've got to deliver the goods. You cannot go wrong ordering from any chocolatier I mention below—each one on my list represents fair value when it comes to chocolate. Good chocolate is made with high-quality expensive ingredients by people with know-how and experience. When it comes to chocolate, you don't always get what you pay for, but with these particular makers that is indeed the case.
This isn't the first time I have tried to come to your aid chocolatewise. Holiday time in 2006 I tried to get people to give chocolate every day of the 12 days of Christmas by renaming the holiday Chocomas—alas, nobody embraced this idea.
The picks from my 2006 chocolate gift guide are still good to go. So are the inside-out peanut butter cups, ultimate nougat bars, nut clusters, and butter crunch from 2007's Serious Eats Sweets Gift Guide. And if your significant other is a brownie lover, let me remind you about Mari's. But after the jump I'll turn you on to my latest and greatest chocolate discoveries.
Jacques Torres has done the damn near impossible: He raised the bar on Whopper malted milk balls, which are pretty darned tasty in their own right. Torres has coated some homemade malted milk balls with his own milk and dark chocolate. The dark chocolate variety in particular gives me great pleasure.
Photograph of Smokey Blue Truffles from Lilliebelle Farms
Lilliebelle Farms Smokey Blue Truffles: When I tasted one of these at the Chocolate Show, I was prepared to hate it: a chocolate truffle blended with smoked blue cheese studded with roasted almonds. Sounds weird and yucky, doesn't it? In fact, it's totally awesome, a veritable taste sensation. Each bite is simultaneously smooth, creamy, smoky, and tangy. They're just sweet enough to let you know you're biting into a delicious piece of chocolate. It helps that the smoked blue cheese is made by the first-rate Rogue Creamery.
Photograph from Winand Chocolates
William Winand worked at legendary chocolatier Robert Linx's Maison du Chocolat in Paris before opening his jewel (or perhaps I should say candy) box of a store in Woodstock, Vermont. He apparently absorbed a great deal in France because his chocolates are in the same league as his mentor's and cost quite a bit less. You can buy your Winand chocolates secure in the knowledge that each and every piece of chocolate Winand sells is made by him personally. That's the definition of artisanal. I could not stop eating Winand's Cafe Noir, coffee-infused dark chocolate ganache with espresso. And though I prefer dark to milk chocolate, his Carre Lait, whipped milk chocolate ganache, has me rethinking my entire position on the dark–milk chocolate divide.
Holy crap! I can't believe how much chocolate I have tasted in the past couple of years. No wonder I'm on a diet.
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9 Comments:
Alright. That's it. I'm gonna have to try these Smokey Blue Truffles because this is about the third time this week someone's mentioned them. I'm starting to think I need to explore the whole chocolate/cheese thing. I was appalled watching Paula Deen on some talk show making chocolate fudge with Velveta cheese. Now this. I'm beginning to think that chocolate and cheese can be very good friends. But I'm getting off point.
elizabethw at 7:59AM on 02/06/08
One of the goat-cheese vendors at the greenmarket in Union Square (NYC) has chocolate/goat-cheese truffles that are to die for. They're creamy, rich, and very dark chocolatey, with an unmistakeable tang from the goat cheese - so delicious! I was skeptical at first too, but now I'm a convert.
producestories at 9:22AM on 02/06/08
I went to Lilliebelle Farm's store in Oregon last fall and met Jeff, the man behind the chocolate, and of course had to take home some of the Smokey Blue Truffles. You can't go wrong with any of his chocolates. The fruit filled bonbons (swoon), the ganache filled chocolates, the strawberry balsamic pate de fruit (oh my gosh); all of it = YUM.
Kimberly at 10:47AM on 02/06/08
Artisanal cheesy chocolates! Brilliant! You should do a whole post on that.
missginsu at 3:44PM on 02/06/08
Thanks for the tip about the "whopppers." I have to get some! PS-Robert Linxe has an "E" at the end.
thesu at 10:59PM on 02/06/08
Although See's and the other chocolates you've mentioned are good, I can't believe you didn't include the best chocolate ever - Vosges. And locally, in Jacksonville, FL, The Three Sisters Chocolate Shop can't be beat. They have a website and make all kinds of yummy things.
Kitty at 6:37PM on 02/09/08
YUMMY!
CandyAddictSera at 12:48AM on 02/10/08
You totally forgot to mention one of the most outstanding chocolate shops in the US and certainly in Texas, Chocolat du Monde in Houston, TX. It is located in the Rice Village area at 5302 Morningside & the link is http://www.chocolat-du-monde.com/
They have been providing the world's finest chocolate to the Houston market for many years. They ship worldwide (dry ice works wonders). I found them while living in Houston, but also found that many of their gourmet chocolates were unavailable in others parts of the country I was living in at the time. The owner, David, is fabulous, knowledgeable about his product and very helpful! Until you have tried really great European chocolates, you have not tasted chocolate and once you do, you will never want the mediocre stuff again!
jtrentham at 12:18PM on 02/11/08
Please add Charles Chocolates to your yummy list. He uses only Valrhona chocolate and has fabulous filling. He can be reached at
www.charleschocolates.com
lmstanley at 1:29PM on 02/11/08