Father’s Day is approaching.

chocolate bacon bars

Two two types of chocolate bacon bars!

Father’s Day is on June 19th this year. To commemorate this special day, we are bringing back our Bacon Bars for a limited time. Come in from June 9th to June 19th to pick up our:

  • Milk Chocolate Chipotle Chili and Bacon Bar or our
  • Dark Milk Chocolate Salt, Pepper and Bacon Bar.

All of our bacon is locally produced by Al and the team at Irving’s Farm Fresh in Round Hill, AB. We are using certfied organic milk and dark chocolate for these bars.

If bacon chocolate is not your thing, then we’ll also have a wonderful selection of truffles based on dad’s favorite beverages such as:

  • The Orange Martini- Madagascar Dark Chocolate with vodka, cointreau and fresh orange juice
  • The Mojito- Venezuelan Dark Chocolate with spiced rum, mint and fresh lime juice
  • The Virgin Pina Colada- Venezuelan Milk Chocolate, caramelized pineapple and coconut milk
  • The Canadian Whiskey – Dark Milk Chocolate and Gibson’s Whiskey

Truffles + other treats in the case this week

Here’s a look at what we’re featuring in the showcase this week. A peek at the Father’s Day flavours is coming soon!

Morir Soñando - Dominican chocolate with orange and rum, rolled in cacao nibs

Island Dreaming - Organic dark chocolate with a pineapple ganache

Theobroma - Organic dark chocolate with cacao fruit purée

Sweet dates with goat's cheese and chocolate ganache, topped with a walnut

Oaxaca with Ilona

Ilona and I went to Mayordomo today and tried their hot chocolate. First we watched them grind the beans and cinnamon into a paste. Pretty simple process really. They just dumped the whole lot into the grinder and mixed it with sugar once it was turned into paste. The smell was most delicious! The hot chocolate was good too. Sweet but very very fresh tasting.
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A chocolate bouquet for Mom.

Yes, Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and our Mother’s Day chocolate bouquets are now ready at the shop. The flavors for this year are:

-Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil (in our Dark-Milk Chocolate)
-Milk Chocolate Praline Bark
-Cherry Cocoa Nib (in our Dark Chocolate)

If you haven’t tried our bouquets before, this is the year to get one for Mom!

Mother’s Day Treats

Mother’s Day is coming up quickly and our chocolatier Rebecca has debuted three new truffles to please your chocolate-loving mom, wife, sister or daughter! As you may have heard, Kerstin’s now uses organic and local ingredients in our confections, and the taste really shines through in these gleaming little beauties. A box full of these truffles is sure to make your Mother’s Day even more special. You’ll want to make sure to save some for yourself too…

Raspberry Rose (organic milk chocolate with rose ganache and raspberry compote)

Lemon Mint (organic dark chocolate with lemon-mint ganache)

Sparkling Ginger (organic dark chocolate with a milk chocolate-ginger ganache and a crystallized ginger accent)

We will also have plenty of bark – a dark chocolate ginger, a dark-milk sour cherry and a milk chocolate-hazelnut praline. We hope to see you soon!

You have one week to try and win a year’s supply of chocolate.

This Easter we are going to give one lucky person a free 1-year membership to our new Chocophilia Choc-o-the-Month Club (worth $600!). Everyone who comes down to Kerstin’s Chocolates and makes a purchase at the register will get an entry form to fill out. Each form entered give you one chance at winning! The contest ends on April 23rd, and we will draw and announce the winner on April 25th. [There is no limit to the number of times you can enter, but only one entry per visit please!]

Each web order will also give you one entry, so please order chocolate this week from our web shopping site, Chocophilia.ca, if you can’t come down to our shop.

‘For Easter Bunnies’

Well, it’s that time of year again. I know there’s snow on the ground, but I suggest we all go on like it’s spring. A little chocolate doesn’t hurt the cause…

First of all, we’ve had a shipment of Zotter recently. These Easter bars are quite something, and I can’t resist the art work and title that inspired the name of this post:

Raspberry and Coconut

Advocaat and Chili

And not really Easter-y, but check out this ‘Peanuts and Ketchup’ bar. Perfect to pair with their ‘Bacon Bits’ bar.

As per usual, the shop is full of chocolate eggs in all shapes, sizes and flavours. New this year are Peanut Butter and Jelly eggs and Caramel filled eggs in either milk or dark versions. Rebecca has also hand decorated hollow eggs and filled them with a ‘surprise’ for the lucky recipient. And finally, large eggs made from our Fleur de Sel and Lemon Dream Chocophilia bars are also on the shelf and there are bunnies and other animals hanging around the shop as well.

Fleur de Sel

Rebecca has created some beautiful spring truffle flavours this year, including Grand Marnier with candied violets, Honey-Rosemary and Saskatoon Berry with toasted walnut. We’ll have some beautifully wrapped for your ‘Easter Bunnies’ next weekend.

Grand Marnier and Violet

Honey-Rosemary

Happy Easter!

David Lebovitz visits Patrick Roger

Many of you likely read David Lebovitz’s blog. He does a lot with chocolate – specifically sharing information on all the wonderful chocolate shops in Paris, along with tips for eating and baking with chocolate at home.

This past fall David paid a visit to the workshop and Paris retail shop of Patrick Roger. You might recognize the name from Kerstin’s tour of Paris’ chocolate shops last spring. He recorded the following video whilst exploring the shops and garden of Roger’s operation:

A Visit to Patrick Roger Chocolate in Paris from David Lebovitz on Vimeo.

The longed-after chocolate martini recipe!

Many of you who came to our 3rd anniversary party (which was a roaring success – thank you to those who came and continue to support us!) tasted the chocolate martinis we were pouring that night. Rich and extremely chocolate-y, they are unlike any chocolate-flavoured cocktail you’ve tried. Kerstin first made a chocolate liqueur, and then topped that up with a bit more vodka for good measure. A few Valrhona Pearls to float on top, and voila! The perfect drink for your next party.

Chocolate Liqueur

adapted from Scharffenberger

makes 3 cups

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (we used Valrhona)

1 cup boiling water

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 cup vodka

Combine the boiling water with the cocoa powder in a bowl, stirring to dissolve the cocoa, and set aside.

In a saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Stir the sugar syrup into the cocoa mixture and add the vodka. Strain the mixture into a container with a lid.

Refrigerate overnight (it will keep for several weeks).

Chocolate Martini

For each drink, pour 2 parts liqueur to 1 part vodka into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, and serve. If desired, float a handful of Valrhona Chocolate Pearls on top.

Enjoy!

Third Year Anniversary Party on Saturday, March 5th.

This Saturday, March 5th, we will be having our 3rd year anniversary party.  Come in between the hours of 5 and 9 to sample some new chocolate creations and help us celebrate with a Chocolate Martini!  Everything in the shop will be 20% off (except for our sale items).

To RSVP for this event, send an e-mail to:

rsvp@kerstinschocolates.com

(If you don’t RSVP, you won’t be on the guest list, so make sure to RSVP. Also, if you are bringing friends with you, let us know how many!)

The Valentine’s 2011 Line-up

This year’s Valentine’s collection is a combination of Kerstin’s favorite bars and items from around the Shop, some amazing packaging and Rebecca Grant’s always inventive truffle flavors. And of course, there will be tastings for those of you who like a little wine with your chocolate.

Gift Boxes

Maybe a little variety is the way to your Valentine’s heart? We’ve created several options to fit the bill.

If the person in mind strikes you as Dark and Mysterious or Hot and Spicy we think one of our aptly named boxes may be the way to go. The Dark and Mysterious combines a tin of our Chocophilia Dark Drinking Chocolate with a Grand Noir 85% bar from Michel Cluizel, a bag of chocolate enrobed cacao beans and a silky red heart filled with two truffles from Rebecca’s Valentine’s selection. Feel free to indulge and thank us later.

The Hot and Spicy brings together chili treats from around the Shop to excite the palette (and warm all you frozen Edmontonians up!). This one includes a tin of our Chocophilia Spiced Drinking Chocolate, a Chocophilia ‘Hot Chocolate’ Bar, a bag of Chili Lime Cashews and two of Rebecca’s chili caramel truffles.

For those looking to go all out, we’ve put together a few other boxes that include Kusmi teas, Melt-a-ways, dark chocolate hearts, sumptuous chocolate reads and soft, smooth Zotter bars. Also be sure to check out our ‘Around the World’ Chocolate Tasting box below. Chocolate Lover’s boxes are still in the Shop as well and we’re always willing to help you customize if you you’re looking for something a little more particular for your Valentine.

Truffles, Bark and Chocophilia

Rebecca has spent the past few weeks coming up with truffle flavors that will win anyone over. Here’s what’s on the shelf: Huckleberry, Raspberry, Chili Caramel, Lavender and Passion Fruit. We also tracked down some incredible heart shaped boxes that hold about 17 confections – just enough to share in front of a warm fireplace.

Back by popular demand are milk and dark chocolate Bark Bouquets in some sweet and savory new flavors: Olive Oil, Sea Salt and Roasted Almond on 49% chocolate, Cinnamon milk chocolate with a dark chocolate mocha swirl and finally, Dark chocolate with raspberries and a raspberry white chocolate drizzle. It goes without saying that these flavors are a treat to eat, but the contrast of colors this year is making for some truly beautiful bouquets.

Roses are Red… that’s really as far as you need to go on Valentine’s Day, isn’t it? We’re re-releasing this white Chocophilia bar flavored with raspberries and saffron for a couple weeks, so be sure to get your fix. And be sure to keep an eye out for a new Chocophilia bar coming soon… Kerstin’s been busy in the kitchen testing out new flavors for another addition to the lineup that’s sure to win Edmonton over.

Chocolate Tastings

As usual we’ll be hosting wine and chocolate tasting evenings this Valentine’s weekend, and although Saturday the 12th is sold out, there are still spots left for Friday the 11th. You can find tickets here.

If you can’t make it to the Shop for a tasting, we’ve put together an ‘Around the World’ Chocolate Tasting box to help you create your own session at home. Flavor profiles from Venezuela, Ecuador, Madagascar and other spots are included in both milk and dark versions, and Kerstin’s tips for tasting chocolate are tucked in along side for an adventurous, flavorful evening at home.

Can’t make it into the Shop? Have no fear. Just head to our online Shop and check out our Valentine’s collection here.

Olive Oil Bon Bon

Olives
Image via Wikipedia

O.K. I’m scaring myself now. I must have licked 1/2 a cup’s worth of olive oil ganache out of the bowl. I’ve been meaning to try this recipe for ages and I’m happy I finally did. It’s SO good! Basically you replace the cream for olive oil to make the ganache so it’s super rich but firmer than a normal ganache. I used my friend’s olive oil that his family makes in California and cut it with regular olive oil. Because it uses so much of his super high end olive oil, it would be an expensive little bon bon. I may put it in the display for special occasions only.

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California Dreaming

I always look for a chocolate shop or two whenever I travel to a new city.  On our family trip to L.A. over the holidays, I had no luck getting inspired by the local chocolate scene.  The shops I did try to visit were either closed for the holidays or had moved to a new location.  You can’t always trust the internet to have accurate information.  I decided to switch my focus and try something that I knew I could only find in the southern part of the U.S. or in Mexico-Moles!

I tried 2 different ones in 2 different restaurants.  The first one I tried was at  Red O in L.A. which is a high end Mexican restaurant that’s somehow connected to Rick Bayless,  the famous chef at Topolobampo in Chicago.  I had the chicken with Mole sauce.  It was good, but I had nothing to compare it to so I really had no idea what I should be looking for.  The second one I tried was at a restaurant in San Diego called “El Agave”.  This was also a pretty nice restaurant with some pretty nice prices too.  They served excellent margaritas though,  which made the prices easier to swallow.

The waiter brought me a small dish of the Mole Poblano to have alongside the fish that I had ordered.  Mole Poblano is the most typical of Mexican moles and uses chocolate as an ingredient.  I tried it with some of my husband’s pork and I instantly fell in love.  The beauty of a mole I think(though I’m hardly an expert having only tried it twice in my life) is the complexity of the dish.  It contains over 20 ingredients including lots of different spices and chilies.   I loved it so much that I started spooning it into my mouth on its own.  Then an amazing thing happened.  The heat of the chilies started releasing and a slow warming sensation began building inside my mouth.  It was the perfect amount of fire and it spread through my entire mouth-not just in my throat or on my tongue.   It was a perfectly balanced heat.  I had never experienced such a sensation before and I instantly understood that Moles are at the heart of mexican cooking and they are Mexico’s soul food.

The Baker

Many of you have been raving about our newest addition to the Shop – dense, chocolatey baked goods… especially those walnut and cacao nib brownies. If you had a chance to stop by our Customer Appreciation event on Saturday afternoon, you’ll also know that a few cookies – Chocolate Covered Mint Cookies, Spicy Chocolate Shortbread and Chai Infused Chocolate Ginger Cookies – have been added to the line up for the holiday season.

The person behind all these delectable treats is Rachel – baker extraordinaire. She’s been baking up a storm the last couple months, and the Shop is likely to smell permanently of ginger (in addition to chocolate) as we get closer to Christmas. You all gobbled up those cookies on Saturday, and although we didn’t have time to package any for this weekend, we hope you’ll stop by in a week or so to pick up a few to test out at home.

I suggest some Dark Drinking Chocolate with your favourite ‘special something’ added to enjoy them with, and, as an ultimate luxury, a fireplace, cozy blanket and a good book (unfortunately, we cannot provide either the fireplace or cozy blanket, however, we did receive a shipment of some excellent books on chocolate last week, and reading about chocolate while eating it is always a good thing). Enjoy!

Big news: We are going to give back in a big way.

Press Release from Nov 30th, 2010.

Check out our press release about our new profit sharing plan with Change For Children!

Get tickets here for the event on Dec 16th.

Media Release

November 30th, 2010

Kerstin’s Chocolates announces a sharing of its profits with Edmonton-based Change for Children.

Buy local, act global.

Kerstin Roos, Edmonton-based artisan chocolatier and owner of Kerstin’s Chocolates, announced today that, beginning immediately, her company will be donating 10% of its net profits to the Change for Children Association (CFCA).
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