Chocolate Apprentice

Moonstruck Chocolate

I first became aware of Portland’s Moonstruck Chocolate, and Master Chocolatier Julian Rose, a couple of months ago, when I was doing a post on Fortunato No. 4, a rare, and newly re-discovered chocolate from Peru.

I had been given a sample of it, and wanted to find out “who had it” and what they were doing with it.

What Julian Rose and Moonstruck are doing with it is, making the most fabulous tumbled dark chocolate beans, essentially the Pure Nacional cacao beans tumbled in a coating of their own chocolate and a shining “secret” golden glaze. [Read more…]

Bubbly Chocolate and Squishy Citrus Centres

It came to me as I was supposed to be emptying my mind, and being in the moment, in yoga class.

We were doing a funky asana, which required us to put the ball of one foot and the back of our skulls at either end of a looped strap, and surrender our cores to the weight.  It actually felt really good, and of course, my mind started to wander as I hung there, because I didn’t have to concentrate.  I immediately began thinking about food, specifically, the last thing I ate before coming to class. [Read more…]

Aerated Chocolate

“You feel the bubbles?”  “I love the bubbles”.

I adore this commercial, where the two women are letting Aero bars melt on their tongues, while speaking.

Bubbly chocolate, in form of the Aero and the Wispa bar, has been around and been enjoyed since 1935, when the process was patented and sold for manufacture by the Rowntree’s company.  These bars have been perennial favourites in the UK, Canada and many other countries around the world.

Aero was always one of my favourites as a child, because it was so smooth and creamy … and bubbly.

According to Wikipedia, this is how they make ‘em in the plant: [Read more…]

Marzipan Pig

 

I always wanted a pig.  I have fond memories of pressing my small (and not terribly clean) nose against the glass cases at Notte’s Bon Ton Pastry and Confectionary, a wonderful old-fashioned cake shop, which used to be on Granville Street in Vancouver, before it moved to the Kitsilano neighbourhood where it now resides.

The Bon Ton, as it is known is Vancouver, had the most wonderful, colourful menagerie of marzipan animals including a seal balancing a ball on the end of its nose, a grey elephant, and my favourite:  a bright pink pig with chocolate nostrils.

[Read more…]

Chocolate Heaven

Ahhhhhh!

I am having one of those “little bit of heaven – olfactory senses overwhelmed – transported to a warm, sunny climate” moments.

I am not a pretty sight.

I have my nose firmly planted in a bag of Kokoleka Lani Farms 100% Hawaiian Roasted Cocoa Beans.

I may have to do things with one hand today, because the aroma of these beans is so heavenly, I don’t want to extract my nose from the bag.

[Read more…]