Kerstin’s Chocolate Blog

We’ve got new dates scheduled for tastings and chocolate making workshops!

Chocolate tastings are a great way to introduce yourself to the world of chocolate, or to find a new bar to fall in love with. Find out about the history of chocolate, the mystery behind single origin bars, and what to look for when buying your chocolate. Best of all, you get to sample some of the best milk and dark chocolate we have to offer!

If you are looking for something a little more adventurous, we still have tickets available to the wine + chocolate tasting, coming up this Saturday evening.

You can find dates and buy tickets or gift certificates for all our scheduled tastings here.

Chocolate making workshops include information on tempering, making ganache and creating your own confections. And you get to take home everything you make!

Dates and tickets can be found here.

Private tastings for groups of 12 or more, and chocolate making workshops for groups of 4-6 are also available. These events are a great way to spend an evening with your friends, family or co-workers. E-mail or call (780.990.0011) for pricing and scheduling.

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the Shop’s second anniversary with us! We had a great time, and hope you left with all your chocolate cravings satisfied.

Thank you also, to all those who gave us input on the new Saffron-Rose bar. We ended up making versions in both white and dark chocolate, and asked everyone attending to vote for their favourite, as well as names for the new bar. We’re still tallying the votes, so keep an eye out for the results.

Kerstin was busy in the back of the Shop all evening whipping up Mint Chocolate Martinis and they were a hit! You all looked so chic shopping for chocolate with martinis in hand! Lots of you asked for the recipe to re-create the drink at home, so here it is:

Mint Chocolate Martinis

This recipe makes two martinis

Ingredients:

4 ounces Valrhona Dark Chocolate pistoles (we were using 64% and 72% throughout the evening)

8 ounces water, boiling

12-16 mint leaves (or a couple drops of mint oil)

3 ounces Vodka

Bit of Kalhua to taste (optional, but we added it for some sweetness)

Ice cubes

Method:

Muddle the mint in a cocktail shaker or pint glass.

Add the chocolate pistoles and boiling water. Stir until the chocolate pistoles have melted and let cool to room temperature.

Add the vodka, Kalhua and ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glasses.

Garnish with a fresh mint leaf and serve immediately.

You can double, triple or quadruple this recipe and make it in advance if you’re entertaining a large group. Simply make the chocolate-mint base in a pitcher or blender, refrigerate until ready to use, and strain it before serving.

Enjoy! And please let us know how they go over with your guests (and you) below.

In addition to the beautiful truffles in the post below, we also have The Valentine’s Chocolate Collection in the Shop. This year’s installment features an assortment of our sensuous Valentine’s truffle collection, lustrous Valrhona Pearls, and candied orange and lemon rind, hand dipped in dark chocolate.

There are lots of Bark Bouquets, filled with salted caramel, raspberry and pistachio ginger bark, and we’ve put out all our tins of Kusmi’s Sweet Love tea - an “exquisite spicy blend that stimulates the senses!”

Shop hours tomorrow (Saturday) are 10am - 4pm, so stop by and pick up these delectable goodies early!

This Saturday, Feb 6th, 2010 will be exactly 2 years from the date of our grand opening in 2008. We have enjoyed meeting many of you and learning about chocolate together. We appreciate all of your support and in your honor we will have a party on the evening of Saturday, Feb 6th from 4pm-7pm. Come meet the rest of Edmonton’s chocophiles! At the party there will be:

• An instant-Win Truffle for each attendee that will come with a valuable mystery bonus inside.
• The unveiling of our newest Chocophilia Bar flavor: Saffron Rose (Be the first to taste it!)
• Chocolate cocktails (if you had the chocolate martini at our grand opening, pictured above, you know what we can do). (Non-alcoholic drinks for kids and non-alcoholics too!)
• Live music by local musicians Trevor Rockwell and Kris Schindel.

To get tickets to this event, subscribe to our  monthly newsletter immediately!

They are all delicious!

What should you give the chocolate lover in your life for Valentine’s Day? How about a selection of our sensual line of Valentine’s Chocolates? This beautiful box contains 25 chocolates, 5 each of the following flavors:

1. Passionate Passionfruit
2. Sweet Roses
3. Popping Champagne
4. Venus de Milo
5. Sultry Chili Caramel

This box will be available from Feb 4th onwards at Kerstin’s Chocolates and online on our web shop.

Well, I’m not sure if anyone from the Shop will make it out, but our Chocophilia Drinking Chocolate is off to Vancouver!

From February 12-28, Alberta House in Vancouver will be serving Kerstin’s drinking chocolate, along with other food and drink from Alberta, to represent the diverse cuisine the Province has to offer. There will also be free nightly performances of music, dance and theatre, along with an exhibition of visual art from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts’ collection.

If your off to the Olympics this year, be sure check out Alberta House to see what the Province has to offer… and don’t forget to pick up a cup of Chocophilia! You can find more details here.

Our new shop hours are posted here. If you have any thoughts about the hours, please comment below!

Need some chocolate for your loved one? We’ve got just the thing…

Milk and dark Lollipops, Bark Bouquets and Chocolate Chili Lime Cashews are definite winners. And if you’re looking for something a bit more fun, how about some Pop-Rock studded truffles?

The truffle case is well stocked for creating custom mixed boxes, and we’ll even take care of the wrapping for you. Look for more Valentine’s flavours coming next week.

On the Chocophilia side of things, we’ve got lots of Hazelnut Crunch and Fleur de Sel back on the shelves. And don’t forget about Meltaways - lots of all four flavours (Mocha, Cinnamon, Praline and Mint) in the shop right now. And of course, we can always whip up a Chocolate Lover’s Gift Box with a selection of imported bars and other treats from the shop.

So stop by and pick up a treat for your special someone… and don’t forget to grab a little something for yourself!

Click me to read me….
One of our favorite chocolates, Claudio Corallo was featured in Sunset Magazine, where they called the 75% dark chocolate “pure pleasure.” We heartily agree!

Looking for a unique and interactive way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your loved one? Check out Love is Free Edmonton.

There will be wine, an interactive cooking lesson with chef Sebastian Lisz, live music and dancing. And of course, we will be there with the essential Valentine’s Day indulgence - chocolate. Once your evening of wine, food and ‘groovin’ is complete, you will be whisked away via complimentary limo service.

Tickets for either February 12th, 13th or 14th are $195 per couple, but until February 5th, you can get the early bird price of $175.

You can purchase tickets and check out specifics here. Hope to see you there!

The shiny Valrhona Pearl is deceiving – the lustrous 55% chocolate exterior hints at a smooth, flavourful (though small) confection. But after trying one, you find a hidden surprise – a crunchy cereal centre that adds a unique and delightful texture.

Of course these little treats are beautiful to snack on (in moderation, of course), but they are also a fun and unexpected addition to everything from your morning bowl of cereal, to a scoop of ice cream, or your favourite cookie.

I recently added a couple packages of Pearls to a batch of   chocolate chip cookies, and they were just the thing to add some contrast to this classic, soft cookie. You can swap the following recipe out with your own favourite cookie dough, but here is mine just in case.

Soft and Chewy “Valrhona Pearl” Cookies

*makes about 3 dozen

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon coarse salt (or Fleur de Sel, etc., if you’ve got some handy)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or vanilla paste)

2 large eggs

2 cups Valrhona Pearls (I used two of the cones pictured above, ~12 oz)

Method

1.    Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Reduce speed to low. Add salt, vanilla, and eggs; mix until well blended (about 1 minute). Stir in Valrhona Pearls.

2.    Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges turn golden but centres are still soft (about 10 – 12 minutes). Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 2 minutes, the transfer cookies to racks, and test one out! To store, let cookies cool completely, then transfer to and airtight container, with parchment between each layer. These cookies keep for up to one week at room temperature.

*This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart’s “Holiday Cookies” magazine, 2005 edition.

Congratulations to Erin D. of Edmonton for winning the 2009 Name That Origin contest. She won the $400 chocolate shopping spree! Thanks to all the competitors and to our two celebrity observers, Jennifer C-K and Scott McKeen.

It was an intense and enjoyable experience for all. A very good report on our event was written by Sharon on her blog, Only Here for the Food. Read this posting for all the details of the event!

Since there was such a positive response from all who participated in this contest, we are going have to plan another contest in 2010. Keep a lookout!

We took this video of the full final stage of the competition, so if you would like to see what it was like, please watch the video below!

Kerstin spoke to Isabelle Gallant on CBC’s RadioActive today. Here is the audio from the interview. Kerstin explained how the “Name That Origin” contest is helping people learn about fine chocolate.

Tuesday Dec 22nd will be our annual Christmas Open House at Kerstin’s Chocolates. Come down to the shop between 3pm and 7pm and enjoy a warming cup of hot drinking chocolate with or without extra “cheer”. There might also be some samples of some of our upcoming products to taste. Then at 7pm, stay on to see the final showdown in our “Name That Origin” competition. The winners of the first phase of the contest along with the randomly chosen wildcard entrants will battle to see who can outlast everyone else in a chocolate taste-off. As noted, the winner will receive a $400 gift certificate to use at the shop. No pressure at all! We will have two celebrity officials observing the competition: Edmonton Journal columnist Scott McKeen and the Edible Prairie’s Jennifer Cockrall King. Come one come all and celebrate with us!

One more thing: We want to give back to the developing world a little this year (since that is where cocoa comes from) so we will be sending 20% of sales of Chocophilia Products on Dec 22nd to one of our favorite local charities, Change for Children. Find out more about them on their website.

Here are our special hours for the end of 2009:

-Regular hours until Saturday, Dec 19th.

-Monday, Dec 21st: Specially open from 11am to 5pm

-Tues, Dec 22nd: Open 11am to 7pm (plus, Chocolate Tasting Finals at 7pm)

-Wed, Dec 23rd: Regular hours, 11am to 5pm.

-Thurs, Dec 24th: Short hours: 11am to 3pm.

-Friday, Dec 25th: Closed

-Saturday, Dec 26th: Regular Hours: 11am to 5pm.CLOSED!

-Sun, Mon: Closed.

-Tuesday, Dec 29th: Extended Hours: 11am to 7pm.

-Wed, Dec 30th- Jan 14th, 2010: Closed

Update (Dec 22nd, 2009): The finals are tonight at 7pm! If you are competing, you will have been notified by e-mail. Everyone is welcome to attend!

Update (Dec 17th, 2009): We have 12 winners of the first round so far, so make sure to enter before the 22nd!

After the big response to our city-wide Easter Egg Hunt this spring, we decided to create another fun event that you can participate in. This one will be a challenging task that will push your knowledge of chocolate to the limit. Do you know your cacao? Are you ready to prove it? Like with fine wine, each cacao growing region in the world produces beans with a distinctive flavor. With practice, almost anybody can learn to tell the difference between chocolates made from beans from different countries. We want to find the people with the greatest palates in the city. We call this contest the “Name That Origin” game. It will run from Dec 3rd to Dec 22nd. The rules are simple, and there is no fee to play! Here is how you do it:

a) Come in to Kerstin’s Chocolates (10139 112th St.), and fill out an entry form. You will then be given 4 small pieces of chocolate to taste.
b) You will have to figure out the country of origin of the cacao used in each of the chocolates (all chocolates will have a single country of origin for the cacao.) and write you answers on the entry form.
c)If you don’t name the correct countries of origin you will receive a 20% discount card and will be entered in the wildcard draw to compete in the Chocolate Tasting Challenge.
d) If you do get them all correct, you will instantly win one container of our Chocophilia drinking chocolate (Spicy or Dark, an $18.95 value). You will also be invited to a special a Chocolate Tasting Challenge event on Dec 22nd. At this event, there will an extreme chocolate identification challenge for all the winners of the first tasting and the wildcard entries. The person who prevails at this event will win a $400 gift certificate from Kerstin’s Chocolates and the title of “The Top Taster”.

Some finer points to note:

1) We will choose the 4 chocolates that you will taste from a larger pool of chocolates.

2) Each entrant will get different chocolates in a different order.

3) Each entrant will be told which of the answers were right and which was wrong.

4) Each entrant can participant once and only once in the contest!

A lot of people have been asking what our seasonal line-up will be this month. Here is what we will be offering in our store starting on Dec 1st. If you would like to put in a request for a large order, please
call us or e-mail us before Dec 5th, as we cannot guarantee availability after that date.

We will be bringing backour selection of molded chocolate Santas using the finest Valrhona milk or dark
chocolate. 

Will you be needing any truffles? Here are some of our seasonal specials that will be
available through Xmas:
   
-Tiramasu You.
    -It’s a bit Nibby out there!
    -To Rum With Love
    -A Nod To Eggnog
and more!

We also have gift baskets of many sizes and arrangements and  custom baskets are also available. You can build your own in the store.

We will also bring back our Christmas Chocolate Trio in either milk or
dark chocolate bark.  Three delicious, Christmas inspired barks packaged beautifully in a box that won a design award!  Also returning are our Christmas Towers, a 4 tiered box filled with
truffles, melt-aways, spiced nuts and dipped fruit. Perfect for holiday parties and gift-giving. 

Coming back soon to the Store:
Domori

It’s been a long wait, but we have finally found a new supplier of Domori chocolate!  Famous for their prized “Porcelana” bar (thought to be the best bar in the world) and other gorgeous chocolate.  We also have their amazing chocolate and hazelnut spread and a white chocolate bar with licorice!
A new shipment of Zotter bars are also arriving shortly.  These truffle based bars from Austria combine great fair trade chocolate with imaginative ingredients such as “Black Beer”, “Sour Cherry and Sesame” and “Walnut and Cheese”!

Finally, we have some incredible salted caramels from France, seen here!

Kerstin was interviewed by columnist Scott McKeen of the Edmonton Journal. Read the article! It is fun and entertaining!

One slight correction: Kerstin did NOT say or imply that she sometimes eats Snickers bars. We are not sure where that come from!

Dear Fans of Chocolate,

 September is upon us and Kerstin’s Chocolates is open again
for
business!  Thank you for your patience by holding out for the
month of August while we were closed. We hope that we can share with
you many new and exciting chocolate experiences this fall. 

Name Change

Yes,  we have really changed the name of our shop from “The
Cocoa
Room by Kerstin’s Chocolates”,   to “Kerstin’s
Chocolates”. Although “The Cocoa Room” was catchy and fun, we
realized that having different names for different aspects of the
business was confusing. We are in the process of changing the signs
inside and outside of the shop to reflect the new name and make our
location easier to find. We thank you for your patience during the
transition! 
     

Due to the hot weather at the end of August and beginning of September,
the shop is not fully stocked yet, but we are excited
about the new products coming at the end of the month.  Here’s
a preview:

    Medecasse
    Single
origin bars from Madagascar.  We are really excited to have
this
chocolate available at the shop because it is one of only 2 bars in the
shop(the other is Claudio Corallo) that is made in the country of from
where the beans are grown.  The cool thing about this is that more
profits stay in Madagascar where the people need
it.   The
chocolate is organic, directly traded and absolutely delicious! To find
out more, see: www.madecasse.com

  Theo
Chocolates
A
relatively new company out of Seattle that makes fair trade and organic
chocolate.  Theo create uniquely flavored chocolates like Curry and Coconut or Bread and Chocolate.  We will also have available their single origin bars and a very nice milk chocolate
bar.  Check out www.theochocolate.com

   
Finally: a new shimpment of Pralus will be arriving shortly, including
the extremely popular 100% bars and the outrageously good chocolate
covered cocoa beans.

To keep abreast in realtime of all of these arrivals, current truffle
flavors and more, follow us on Twitter or
connect on Facebook.

      We will have
Chocolate Tasting workshops on Sept 24th (3 tix left), and Oct 6th. We will also have chocolate making classes classes
and tastings on Oct 1st and Oct 22nd. To get tickets for these and other events, click here.

      We’ve decided to open
the shop at 11am rather than 10 am on weekdays because there were few
customers.  We are also going to be closing at 5pm on Fridays instead
of 7pm. These new hours will go into effect on Thursday, September 10th. Please check back in November for our extended Christmas hours.

Have a great September,

We will be closing our shop, The Cocoa Room, from August 1st to August 31st (inclusive). During that time, please visit our retail partners to find our Chocophilia bars.

Sharon and Mack, two local food bloggers and twitter experts blogged about our Father’s Day Special, Chocolate Covered Bacon.

Please: be careful while driving with our chocolate on the dashboard. The chocolate might melt!  (Or you could have an accident… chocolate can be distracting!)

Thanks to GuitarKat for this one!

Enjoy the video! Kerstin talking to Lorraine about the Chocolate Covered Bacon.

Kerstin and our Chocolate Covered Bacon were featured on the cover of 24hrs Edmonton today. Here is the text of the article:

BREAKFAST TREAT?: Chocolatier Kerstin Roos displays chocolate-covered bacon at The Cocoa Room By Kerstin’s Chocolates store, 10139 112 St., Thursday morning.

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