A small review for a small chocolate, but one that’s good enough that it’s worth mentioning anyway.
Sébastien Bouillet is a chocolatier with five shops in Lyon and two in Tokyo. We caught up with him at Salon du Chocolat in Paris, where we picked up this little box of two praline & caramel lips. For some reason, I gave one away – I really must learn to stop sharing my chocolate…
There’s no labelling on the box, so I can’t give much details, but I can tell you is the shells are dark chocolate with a hint of red colouring.
Inside, there are two layers. A lower layer of praline and nuts and a top layer of caramel. It’s sweet but light in both flavour and texture, so it’s never too much. The praline layer is wonderfully crunchy and tasty, and the dark chocolate just takes the edge of the sweetness.
In short, they’re absolutely divine. My only regret is that I only had this one, and I don’t think there’s any chance I’ll be able to get more until I get back to France.
If you’re lucky enough to come across them yourself, don’t let them pass you by. And pick us up a box or seven.
Finally, here’s the video interview we did with Sébastien for World Chocolate Guide. Check out the chocolate lipsticks. This man clearly has a thing for lip-related products…
This little bar of chocolate appears to be a fall offering. I have been trying to keep up better with Godiva, more specifically with the items like this that non-Godiva stores now carry. So here is what you’ll get out of this bar.
It is a part of the Truffle Bars line, which means that it is a small 43 gram bar that breaks into four squares (a 4G network, if you will), each with truffle filling inside. The two or three dollar price tag is a premium compared with other “on-the-shelf” offerings, but isn’t that about how much one (maybe two) Godiva truffle will cost you in a boutique? It’s up to you if the Truffle Bars are a value or not.
Breaking into one of the four G’s, you will find that the “smooth caramel apple filling” is of that nature where it is essentially liquid that doesn’t flow freely (which can work out to be a positive). It’s seasoned well with apple and cinnamon, although I think it’s debatable whether or not the caramel sense is strong enough. It’s on the subtle side, but then again, would too much caramel make this too sweet? The spiced flavorings aren’t overly strong either; in this case, however, they sit at a nice level.
What the tempered filling means is that the sweetness of this bar is basically just coming from the milk chocolate. I’ve spoken about Godiva’s milk chocolate before, so I won’t go into it too much. It makes for the mellow accompaniment to the filling, adding a level of casualty. One more thing to note in comparing a Truffle Bar to an actual truffle is that I do believe the chocolate to filling ration is larger here. Especially around the edges of the squares, there is an extra bit of chocolate that isn’t paired up as evenly with the filling.
I suppose my overall opinion is favorable, even if there isn’t much to swoon over. This is a pleasant chocolate for a fall afternoon. It’s sweet, it’s warm, it’s momentary, and the bar (including the size of the squares) is just the right size for either keeping to yourself or sharing.
Ah, the power of words. Such is Josef Zotter’s reputation that when I saw the words ‘Christmas Crackling’ on the wrapper of this bar, I had to double check to make sure that roast pork wasn’t included in the ingredients! Thankfully ‘crackling’ is only a turn of phrase and not another one of Herr Zotter’s wackier creations. Yes, there are new Zotter bars coming, and this one has Christmas written all over it (well, down in the bottom left hand corner at any rate).
As ever Zotter have used a high proportion of organic and/or fairly traded ingredients, but this one has what must be the lowest percentage I have seen, with only half of the bar being composed of fairly traded goods. (This would seem to be mainly down to the apples, nuts, cranberries,cinnamon and apple brandy). This is the first time I’ve had one of Zotter’s hand scooped bars with a wrapper in English and it was an interesting read.
“Pieces of dried apples in honey caramel whisper softly in a layer of cinnamon and yellow chocolate.” Yellow chocolate? Okay.
So what’s inside the 50% Dark Mountain chocolate? Cut into the bar and have a sniff and you get a real blast of slightly boozy apple and cinnamon with fruity undertones. There are dried apples, apple brandy, and apple juice in there, as well as hazelnuts and cranberries, and it definitely smells Christmassy, albeit a more continental Christmas.
Pop a sliver in your mouth and it comes over as being somewhere between a chocolate bar and a German Christmas treat – a little like a Stollen or a Christmas cookie, with the fruity/boozy elements right up there. The filling isn’t completely smooth – there are fragments of dried apple and cranberry to nibble on, and it’s also very definitely a grown up Christmas bar. Booziness notwithstanding, the cinnamon and apple combination is unlikely to appeal to smaller chocophiles.
This bar put me in mind of a particularly fine Christmas beer I had a couple of years ago. Fruit, a little spice, and a warming undercurrent of alcohol mingle with rich dark chocolate. Perfect with a mug of hot chocolate and a rosy cheeked woman.
So if you’re a person who ‘enjoys deliberately’ (sic) and you have a taste for continental Christmas treats, this bar could well be right for you. If you’re not a fan of spicy, fruity boozy chocolate bars, I’d give this one a miss. Personally I found myself really enjoying it, but I didn’t feel the urge to eat more than a couple of pieces at a time.
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to two book launches in one night. Valhrona launched ‘Cooking With Chocolate’ with a lavish event at Claridges, and William Curley launched this book at a much more intimate event in his Belgravia shop.
As events go, I preferred the more relaxed atmosphere (and better cakes) of William’s event, but of course the only thing that really matters is the book. And this is one of the most beautiful, stylish and exciting chocolate books I’ve seen.
Not only is the book packed with beautiful photos, but it’s a masterclass in chocolate making and patisserie
Like many chocolate books, Couture Chocolate starts with the basics, explaining the different varieties of cacao and where it grows, before moving on to techniques such as tempering and making ganaches. Everything is illustrated with beautiful photos, many of which show William going through each step so you can actually see how it should be done.
The book goes into an incredible amount of detail when talking about technique. This isn’t just a basic recipe book, it’s a step by step guide to making amazing chocolates and patisserie. But Curley doesn’t just give away techniques, there are recipes for some of his best selling couture chocolates too.
Granted, you’re probably not going to become the next William Curley just by reading this book, but for budding chocolatiers, it’s the best guide I’ve seen.
But it doesn’t stop at chocolates and truffles. The book shows you how to make the most stunning patisseries and drinks, and it’s all explained in plain English and illustrated with beautiful photos. Couture Chocolate might be the book that finally inspires me to have a go at creating my own chocolates after five years of writing about them.
I simply love this book. William Curley not only gives away some of his greatest secrets, but demystifies the process by explaining everything so clearly.
If you’re at all interested in making your own chocolates or patisserie, then I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s an essential addition to every chocolate lover’s library.
Couture Chocolate By William Curley. 224 pages, published Jacqui Small, RRP £30.
