I make this every year for Passover. It’s not that I’m all that religious (for some reason I seem to celebrate only the holidays where there’s lots of eating, drinking…and presents, of course.) But I always pick up a box or two of matzoh, which is stacked high in supermarkets this month, plus I love the sweet-crunch of this toffee-like confection. The only problem is…
The city of Torino (or Turin) is one of the great centers of chocolate. In the early part of 1500, a Italian named Emmanuel Philibert served hot chocolate to celebrate a victory over the French at Saint-Quentin. And in 1763, Al Bicerin opened it’s doors and began making a celebrated coffee-and-chocolate drink called il bavareisa. The hot drink was a soothing mixture of locally-produced chocolate,…
Some people love it, and others leave it. Yes, it’s White Chocolate, that controversial melange of cocoa butter, sugar, and milk (more on that later). Often there’s vanilla, or vanillin (a synthetic vanilla-like substance) added as well. Dark, or bittersweet chocolate, contains cacao mass (the ground beans), sugar, cocoa butter, and sometimes vanilla and lecithin. White chocolate has none of the cacao mass, hence…
I ain’t Mr. Organic. I’m one of those people where “local-trumps-organic”. And taste trumps everything. But I do generally prefer to buy from a local grower if possible, rather than from someone far away. (Unless it’s Target…then all bets are off!) That’s what I like about daily life in Paris, those things are still important. You need to know the boulanger, the butcher, the fromager,…
Jean-Charles Rochoux has perhaps the tiniest chocolate shop in Paris, located on an unassuming side street off the Rue de Rennes. It’s hard to see and easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. But what causes most passers-by to stop are the window displays, filled with intricately-sculpted statues and figures, crafted entirely of chocolate. M. Rochoux spent many years in the workshop of…
During a recent interview, the subject turned to chocolate, specifically this cocoa nib sausage, which I use to top the pizza dough recipe from The Great Book of Chocolate, which has a bit of chocolate added to it. There are many cultures that use chocolate in savory dishes, whose origins go back hundreds and in some cases, thousands of years, including Mole. In France, it’s not uncommon…
I have to admit that this is my “Little Black Dress” that many women consider their multi-purpose, never-fail-to-impress, sexy black number hanging in their closet. I’m normally wary of recipes that call themselves “The Best,” but of all the chocolate sauce recipes I’ve made and tasted over the years, this is the absolute favorite in my repertoire. I came up with it years ago when…
When the winter chill comes to Paris, one of the great pleasures is sipping a cup of rich hot chocolate, known as chocolat chaud, in a cozy café. But no matter where you live, you can easily make and enjoy the chocolatey taste of this Parisian specialty at home. Contrary to popular belief, Parisian hot chocolate is usually made with milk rather than cream, and get…
One of the most vexing tasks some bakers come across is making the perfect Parisian macaron, those ethereal little domes of almond meringue seen all over Paris, often filled with buttercream, ganache, or a fruity filling of jam. Although the original macaron didn’t have filling, but were simply fused together while warm. So I decided to create two recipes for chocolate macarons: one with an…
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