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Monthly Archives: August 2010
Fall Hours at the Shop
As we head into Fall, we’ll be making some changes to our hours of operation:
Beginning September 2nd, the Shop will be open Thursday through Saturday for all your chocolate needs. As we head into December, we will once again extend Shop hours to allow ample time to find the perfect gift for all those chocolate lovers in your life.
The new change in hours will give Kerstin a chance to focus on new creations in the back, so expect lots of new, exciting chocolate in the Shop come Fall. We are also heading into our greatest Holiday collection ever, so keep an eye out for details.
Hope to see you in the Fall for some great chocolate!
Understanding white chocolate
Generally speaking, when we encourage patrons to try new things in the shop, they’re pretty receptive – and really, why not? Hand anyone a little chunk of chocolate to nibble on and they’re almost certain to like it, or at least appreciate the attempt.
The only glaring exception is white chocolate. This is not to say that we don’t get a lot of customers who adore the stuff – we do. Nor is it to say that we haven’t converted a fair chunk of former white chocolate-haters – we have; most are floored when they taste the different kinds we have in the shop, from our own Chocophilia ‘Lemon Dream’ and ‘Roses Are Red’ bars to the absolutely fantastic Amedei ‘Pistacchi’ bar. But it is perhaps the most polarizing chocolate we carry, and there are many who just can’t get behind it.
Still, if any of you reading out there are thinking of giving it another chance, be sure to consider the following:
Closing down for 1 week this month (Aug 24-28th)
We will be closing down Kerstin’s Chocolates for a week this month, from August 24th to the 28th. Thanks for understanding!
Be Cool With Kusmi
It’s no secret that heat and chocolate don’t mix. Here at Kerstin’s, the warm, late-summer weather can definitely pose problems in the kitchen. Of course, we have air conditioning, not only to ensure that the quality of our chocolate is top-notch, but also to provide a respite from the swelter for all of our customers.
But what to do when it’s time to go home for the day, when you have to step first into the sun, and then into a house that’s been baking in it for hours? The answer, friends, is tea.
Cookies and Ice Cream and Nibs, Oh My!
If the shop smells even more delicious to you today, it’s because we’ve been doing some baking! Our rich, chewy cocoa cookies are fresh out of the oven.
They are best enjoyed, in our opinion, with a scoop (or two) of 80% Valrhona gelato and a smattering of cocoa nibs. What says summer better than an ice cream sandwich?
Here’s how we do it at the shop:
Chewy Cocoa Cookies
adapted from Alice Medrich
140g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
57g (4 tbsp.) unsalted butter
133g (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
73g (1/3 cup) light brown sugar
48g (7 tbsp.) good quality unsweetened cocoa powder (we use Valrhona)
90g (1/3 cup) full-fat plain yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt and stir to mix.
Melt the butter, either in a bowl in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop. Add the sugars to the butter, stir to mix, then add the cocoa and stir to mix. The mixture will be somewhat thick and pasty. Add the yogurt and vanilla and stir to mix thoroughly. Lastly, add the flour mixture and stir just to combine.
Drop the dough by tablespoons onto a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until the tops of the cookies have cracked slightly and look set.
Makes about 15 medium-sized cookies