Digital Easter Egg Hunt!

We are having another Easter Egg Hunt this year! Although last year’s event was a huge success, we have decided to make the 2010 hunt digital! Here’s how you can get some ganaches on us:

Pictures of Kerstin and Angie’s chocolate tour around Paris have recently been posted on our blog. There are four eggs hidden throughout the photos in Kerstin’s posts below on Paris (click on the photos to get a closer look). Each egg has a letter on it, and together make a four letter word… in French.

Come tell us the correct answer at the Shop between March 30th and April 3rd, and you will win a box of Michel Cluizel’s Les Criolles ganache cacao pods (retail value $12; while supplies last).

Good luck, and have fun! See you soon!

A summary of our tour of the Paris chocolate world.

(For the previous installments about Kerstin’s trip, and lots more photos, please see Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the series.)

Debauve and Galais

Debauve and Galais

Now that my stash is nearly all gone and I have had time to reflect and compare all the different chocolate from each chocolatier, it’s time to share my overall impressions(since I can’t share the chocolate). There is no way that I can chose a favorite chocolate shop because the good ones were so good in their own way.

I loved La Maison du Chocolat for it’s quality, simplicity and purity. I loved Pierre Marcolini for his ability to surprise me by layering flavors and textures in his bon bons. I loved Patric Roger for his boldness and authenticity-everything I had of his exploded with flavor in my mouth.

There were some surprise winners among the stash that I brought home. I had absentmindedly picked up a couple of bars and some marron glace (candied chestnuts) at Debauve and Galais not expecting too much since my experience in their New York shop had underwhelmed me. Their milk chocolate and sesame bar, however was probably one of the best milk chocolate bars I’ve ever tasted; so simple with just a hint of crunchy sesame. The marron glace too were a revelation- sweet, creamy, and unbelievably delicate in flavor and texture.

Posing with Jacques Genin.

Posing with Jacques Genin.

Tasting the drinking chocolate at Genin.

Tasting the drinking chocolate at Genin.

The drinking chocolate....
The drinking chocolate….

And the winner of the best drinking chocolate is….Jacques Genin.

Oh my God! It was so good!

The spoils ready for the trip back to Edmonton.

The spoils ready for the trip back to Edmonton.

Three things I learned:

1. Chocolate tastes better in Paris(I’ve been to some of these chocolatiers in their New York shops, but they weren’t as good). Which leads me to my second point:

2. Freshness is key, so always buy one piece to try before buying a whole box.

3. Just because you walk off all the calories you consume in Paris doesn’t mean you’ll do the same when you get back home. So the best way to keep off the weight when you return from a chocolate tour is to hit the gym big time, or to share your spoils-which is the best way to enjoy chocolate anyway.


Easter!

The Shop is full of all sorts of colourful Easter treats right now!

We have three types of Easter eggs – a small, house made marshmallow filled egg, a medium sized, hand painted hollow egg, and a large egg filled with crunchy Valrhona pearls. All the eggs come in white, milk, and dark, and the medium sized ones are flavoured. The essential hollow Easter bunnies are sitting neatly on a shelf too, in milk and dark, waiting for owners.

Also for Easter, are Dulce de leche filled eggs, lots of fun solid shapes, and white, milk and dark bunny lollipops!

We have also received bright blue ‘Robins’ Eggs’ from Michel Cluizel – milk chocolate and praline ganache, wrapped in a milk chocolate shell… these ones are certainly great for ‘the hunt’!

And finally, there are assorted Easter ‘baskets’ filled with Valrhona Pearls, a small solid bunny, a Theo flavoured bar, a bunny lollipop and a few of the ‘Robins’ Eggs’. This is a great, seasonal switch up for the chocolate lover in your life!

Happy Easter!

New bars, truffles and treats

In addition to all the Easter chocolate, new truffle flavours are packing the confection case – Banoffee Pie, Vanilla Caramel, Orange Blossom, Peanut Butter & Saskatoon Berry Jam and Cherry Blossom.

We’ve received new Madagascar bars from Madécasse – a 63% ‘mellow’ and a 67% ‘smooth’ – as well as a brand new batch of Pralus bars, including some new Single Origins – Djakarta, Trinidad and Caracas. The Amano shelf is packed again too, with more Guayas, Ocumare Milk and Jembrana Milk.

More of the Zotter truffle bars have already arrived, with lots of fresh flavours for spring – Almond with Raisins, ‘Chocolate Bee’ with Honey Crisps, Lemon Polenta, Coffee Plum and Bacon, Pineapple and Paprika, Butter Caramel, Maracuja (Passion), Mango, and Goji Berries with Sesame Nougat.

And finally, Liz has decorated the Shop with these fun butterflies for Spring. So even if the weather outside is not the best, it feels like spring as soon as you step through the door.

More Theo!

Many of you have been requesting more of the Theo Salted Caramels we had in the Shop over Christmas, and I am happy to report they have returned!

The Ghost Chile is back, along with two new Spring flavours: Rose and Lavender.

We also received a couple exciting Easter bars from them – a dark, ‘Toasted Coconut‘ bar (this one is Vegan), and a milk, ‘Salted Almond‘ bar. It must be spring when the pink and purple packaging comes out!

And just as a note, all of the Theo caramels and bars listed above are gluten and soy free!

Parisian Packaging

Kerstin brought back all sorts of treats from Paris for us to test at the Shop. My favourite quickly became the mint ganache by Patrick Roger – it was infused with a heavy concentration of mint, and the impact was amazing… it seemed as though I had just eaten a bunch of fresh mint leaves!

While the ganaches I sampled tasted lovely, after travelling halfway across the world, the shells looked a little worse for wear. So instead of taking pictures of the confections themselves, here are some shots of the jewelry box-esque packaging.

While I love the colour of the Patrick Roger, my favourite has come down to a tie between the luxurious, crocodile textured box by Jean-Charles Rochoux, and the cool, sleek, brushed stainless from Jacques Genin… I think the latter is beginning to take the lead however.

While the chocolate inside may truly be what matters, as Kerstin noted in her previous post on Patrick Roger, the gorgeous packaging is often what draws us in.

More Paris Chocolatiers: La Maison du Chocolat, Patrick Roger

And now some heavy hitters:

1. Maison du Chocolat: I loved the experience of visiting this shop. The salesclerk was really sweet and each time we bought a chocolate she gave us the same one to sample on the spot. For the six we bought, we got four for free. You could tell that she was proud to work at La Maison and that she was passionate about the chocolate she sold.

The street scene at Maison du Chocolat

The street scene at Maison du Chocolat

Window display at Maison du Chocolat

Window display at Maison du Chocolat

2. Patrick Roger: I could tell that this place was special as soon as I walked in. Perhaps it was the care with which the chocolate was presented or the dedication of the salesclerk. Maybe it was the chocolate itself calling me from inside its gorgeous packaging. In any case, I bought a lot of chocolate here without sampling any first, which was a rule that Angie and I established after being disappointed several times. Somehow I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed.

The front window, with the big title!

The front window, with the big title!

A close up of the titillating window display!

A close up of the titillating window display!

Inside the Patrick Roger store.

Inside the Patrick Roger store.

On the airplane ride home, Angie and I did a taste test of the two chocolatiers. Here are our impressions:

Taste: Robert Linxe, the founder of La Maison du Chocolat says that ” A successful ganache subtly unveils the flavor of the cacao” and his chocolate did just that! We tried first the dark chocolate ganache, which the salesclerk had recommended. It was perfectly smooth, perfectly fresh and absolutely transcendent in its simplicity. It was so very, very good. What they say about La Maison du Chocolat is true: It is the holy grail of chocolate.

Patrick Roger is quite different in his approach. Whereas la Maison du Chocolat is classical, and subtle, P.R. is bold and adventurous. First we tried the lime and basil ganache. The little square literally erupted in my mouth with tangy flavor. Outrageous and outrageously good. We also tried a chocolate dipped marzipan, which had a great, chewy texture to it. The delicate flavor of orange blossom stayed in my mouth for at least 15 minutes afterwards. Patrick Roger really opened my eyes to what you can do with flavours in chocolate. He manages to concentrate flavours of fruit or nut or spices in order to heighten your taste experience. Brilliant.

I can’t really chose which one I liked better of the two. I guess I would chose La Maison for the classic ganaches and if I am looking for a real burst of flavor, I would chose Patrick Roger.

A Full Shop

It’s lovely and sunny out today, and we just received a bunch of new treats from France! We received a new order of Michel Cluizel’s bars, sardines and nougat mushrooms. Also, the beautiful criollo cacao pod ganaches pictured below, will be out in the store next week!

Also new, are Barnier caramels in a very fun lollipop form. We have lots of all five flavours: café, lemon, mint, salted butter and orange. They are all neatly waiting (along with the Cluizel ganaches) to head out into the Shop next week.

There are new tins of Violet and Anise Drops from Les Anis de Flavigny… these little flavoured mints are lovely to hide away in your purse, desk, backpack (or anywhere, really), but the tins alone are just too beautiful to pass up.

Liz and Rebecca have been working hard in the back all week getting Easter treats ready (look for a preview coming soon!). But to ease your wait, they also filled up the truffle case with crème brûlée, mocha, chili caramel, Fleur de Sel, passion fruit, and lavender truffles, as well as two new flavours – Irish Whisky (pictured below) and Lime. There are also lovely, fresh pieces of Lemon and Chili-Lime-Cashew bark right now too.

We are out of the Fleur de Sel bar in the Shop right now, but don’t forget Chocophilia bars are available at Sobey’s Urban Fresh on Jasper, at Planet Organic, and the Italian Centre (South and Downtown), just to name a few spots (check out this link for more locations selling Chocophilia).

And just as a note, Kerstin and Angie arrived back in Edmonton safe and sound last night, with treats and stories from Paris. Watch for posts coming soon!

Paris Adventure Continued: Angelina, Christian Constant

Our adventure in Paris continues! Here were today’s stops:

Angelinas; On Sunday Angie and I decided to visit Angelina’s on Rue Rivoli. The guidebooks say they have the best hot chocolate in Paris. The locals and tourists seemed to agree because we waited 45 min. to get in. Angelinas is located in an incredibly gorgeous buildings with beautifully painted walls and guilded mirrors, columns and plush furniture, in turn of the century style. The smell of hot chocolate enveloped us as we took our first sip. Sweet, unctious and delicious, the hot chocolate was worth waiting every minute for. So yummy, but is it the best? Can’t know yet.

The front counter at Angelina's

The front counter at Angelina's

A very delicious snack at Angelina's

A very delicious snack at Angelina's

Angie enjoys a macron at Angelina's.

Angie enjoys a macron at Angelina's.

Christian Constant: There are a few pastry shops that are open on Sundays and Christian Constant is one of them. We arrived to a nearly full house and decided to check next door because that is where the cafe is located and we heard that the hot chocolate is incredible. Sadly it wasn’t open so we headed back to sample some of the yummy things in the shop. Christian Constant is famous for his great chocolate and pastry so we ordered a small box of bon bons or ganaches as they call them here, some of his chocolate bars and a chocolate tart. We waited until after brunch to try the ganaches and discovered that some of them were dry and the shell fell off the centers when you bit into them. We also felt that the flavors weren’t as pronounced as we had hoped. The tea ganaches were so subtle that we couldn’t taste the differences at all. This may be an individual style since many chocolate shops here are quite classic in their interpretation which may not suit the N. America penchant for more powerful flavors. In any case, I returned the box and explained that we thought the chocolate wasn’t fresh. The very kind shopkeeper didn’t agree but gave us another box that he filled up with new stock. Later that night after a couple of glasses of wine, I tried the chocolate tart and fell in love with C.C.

A Chocolate Bear at Christian Constant.

A Chocolate Bear at Christian Constant.

Guilty pleasures back at the hotel.

Guilty pleasures back at the hotel.

The Tower at night!

The Tower at night!

Bacon + Chocolate = Yum

The Edmonton Journal released an article last week on the City’s infatuation with all things bacon… Both the Zotter bars and the chocolate covered bacon, available at Kerstin’s, were referenced in the article, so we thought we’d better clarify the status of our bacon and chocolate treats.

We did get some Zotter Bacon Bits bars in a couple weeks ago, but alas, they are already sold out! We’ll be sure to order some as soon as possible and will let you know when they are in.

Secondly, the chocolate covered bacon, featured last year for Fathers’ Day will be back from June 1st to June 21st. You only have two more months to wait!

In the mean time, I will leave you with this interview from Global TV last year to get your taste buds going:

Paris Adventure: The First Three Chocolate Shops

We arrived in Paris, and went to three of top chocolate shop choices right away.

First stop: Jean Charles Rochoux. A nice shopkeeper let us sample the Paves, which are cubes of chocolate ganache. Yummy and soft and they reminded me of chocolate in Japan. I think that they were meant for Japanese tourists because a whole group came in to the shop while we were there. Haven’t tried the bon bons yet so I can’t comment on the taste.

Our first stop!

Our first stop!

Next: Patrice Chapon. This shop has a nice vintage vibe going. The entire back wall is lined with antique chocolate molds and the packaging is very retro also. The sales clerk served us speaking perfect English and offered her recommendations. I bought a box of bon bons, an eiffel tower made of chocolate for my daughter, a fleur de sel bar and their specialty truffles filled with gianduja. I liked that some chocolate were displayed open air, so the shop keeper came out from behind the counter to package items for you. You’re basically surrounded by chocolate. Sorry we forgot our camera attachement so pictures are to follow. Here are some pictures.

Shop window at Chapon

Shop window at Chapon

The product display at Chapon.

The product display at Chapon.

Last stop: Michel Chaudun. Another old fashioned chocolate shop. I expected a lot of the shops to be super modern and sleek but they are quite classic both in design and in presentation. This one had lots of artifacts on display. Inside there was a statue of an aztec warrior, cocoa pods, maps of cocoa growing regions and on display in one of the windows; notes and textbooks of the chocolatier’s school days! The chocolate shop was tiny. There were 2 shopkeepers(who also spoke English) and the chocolatier himself popped in briefly. His specialty are the same ganache cubes or paves, which I bought. I also purchsed a dark chocolate bar with roasted almonds and a small bag of bon bons. I was tempted to buy the chocolate sausage but it was 30 euros.

The window at Michel Chaudun

The window at Michel Chaudun

Tasting Impressions. Overall, I liked Chaudun’s ganaches. I thought they tasted very fresh with good, flavorful centers. Angie and I both agreed that Chapon’s ganaches were ultra smooth and the ratio of shell to fillilng was perfect, there was a slight aftertaste not totally pleasant. Not as fresh, perhaps. Later we tried his gianduja and praline truffles that the shop clerk recommended and they were amazing! One of the best things I’ve tried thus far.