l'artisan du chocolat tasting

l'artisan du chocolat tasting
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

fresh rich, chocolates with lots of love and flavor and no preservatives made by the hands of whajung park are what you'll find here. christian alexandre, her husband, runs the business and will make you rethink what you may or may not like with chocolate. my bf & i came here for a tasting and couldn't leave without a box of 12 to savor at home.

here is what we sampled so far:
red bean: sweet nutty

bacon: smoky bbq initial flavor, teensy bits add texture to the smooth ganache

korean garlic: though the garlic flavor is subtle, the garlic enhances the richness of the cocoa flavors, almost making it taste like coffee. small pieces add a crunchy texture.

ginger vanilla: the zippy ginger is great with the deep chocolate

anise honey: a very sweet, licorice-fennel-like infusion

traditional truffle: deep, dark, thick

lavendar: milk chocolate & lavendar

pomegranate: sweet, fruity, tangy

jasmine tea: fragrant & floral, and just like drinking a fresh brewed cup of jasmine pearl tea

their flavor infusions sound wild, but are quite subtle and act more as an accent for the high cocoa content chocolate. by the end, i was wired from all the cocoa, as if i had drank a cup of black coffee.

i have to say, christian is a jovial and funny guy. he told us a story of when a woman asked if he had chocolate for vegans, and he gave her a nicely wrapped box, and when she opened it, it was empty much to the chagrin of the woman. her friends thought it was amusing.

caramels, marshmallows & funnel cake

caramels
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

i took an awesome candy-making class taught by clemence gosset of gourmandise desserts this past weekend. initially, i wasn't planning on taking it since i had already signed up to take a tamale making class the same weekend, but there was a last minute cancellation in the dessert class, and with there being no refunds, i was offered a free class. i find it hard to say no to free. besides, i had thought about taking the class as it sounded fun, and i'm glad i was lucky enough to have the opportunity in the end!

clemence is fabulous. i think i have a mush on her now and want to take all her classes and become a baker! ha! my db rolled his eyes when i made that pronouncement. as an instructor, clemence is very knowledgeable, personable and passionate about her craft, and so open with all of her baking info, even unrelated to the things we were making.

we made three different kinds of marshmallows-vanilla, chocolate & passionfruit. i'm not a huge marshmallow person--never was, but these were tasty. i really liked the passionfruit ones. i'm also not that into caramel, but this was so buttery and delicious. the funnel cake was good, but i don't think i'll be making any at home until i have a larger kitchen, and it involves a party. it's easy, but uses a lot of oil which splashes. seems more conducive to a group effort. except for the funnel cake which we ate there, we brought home a small box of our creations. yum!