It is Christmas for chocolatiers. Here, in chocolate heaven, they have seasons, and fashions. At the moment the fashion is kind of minimalist, simple flat pralines filled with a flavoured ganache filling and sprinkled with something subtle and understated. The ganache flavours, or "parfums", are of late inspired by oriental teas, fruits or herbs.
"Frohliches Ostern von Manfred, Wolfgang, Gunther, Friedrich und Bert"
Until recently I thought Pierre Marcolini was the nec plus ultra of handmade chocolates. But I have been given THE most divine Easter egg by the KNOB.* It's by Frédéric Blondeel. We don't have designer shoes or handbags here in Belgium, we have designer chocolates. Freddie does such sublime flavour combinations as strawberry and basil, cloves and raspberry, coriander and green apple, green cardamom and blackcurrant, black cardamom, lemon grass and cayenne pepper, and - wait for this - green tea and SALT. He is the Ferran Adria of chocolate. His egg is so beautiful that I am not sure I can bring myself to eat it. Although I'm sure I will, in my hour of need.
"Frohliches Ostern von Manfred, Wolfgang, Gunther, Friedrich und Bert"Until recently I thought Pierre Marcolini was the nec plus ultra of handmade chocolates. But I have been given THE most divine Easter egg by the KNOB.* It's by Frédéric Blondeel. We don't have designer shoes or handbags here in Belgium, we have designer chocolates. Freddie does such sublime flavour combinations as strawberry and basil, cloves and raspberry, coriander and green apple, green cardamom and blackcurrant, black cardamom, lemon grass and cayenne pepper, and - wait for this - green tea and SALT. He is the Ferran Adria of chocolate. His egg is so beautiful that I am not sure I can bring myself to eat it. Although I'm sure I will, in my hour of need.
(I once happened upon an ice cream shop, in old Palma de Mallorca I think it was, which made ice creams flavoured with prawn, avocado or Roquefort. This was back when Heston Blumenthal still had to stand on a chair to help his mum stir bacon and eggs into the cake mixture.)
A praline, by the way, is NOT the tooth-wrecking lump of chocolate-encased chipboard you get in a box of Milk Tray. It means simply a chocolate mould with a soft filling. As opposed to a solid slab of chocolate. It is the bread and butter of the chocolatier. Every chocolate maker lies awake at night thinking up new and exciting flavours to excite the customer's palate. They spend their summers designing the perfect oval, the uovo di tutti uovi. The bridal dress of the chocolate world.
A praline, by the way, is NOT the tooth-wrecking lump of chocolate-encased chipboard you get in a box of Milk Tray. It means simply a chocolate mould with a soft filling. As opposed to a solid slab of chocolate. It is the bread and butter of the chocolatier. Every chocolate maker lies awake at night thinking up new and exciting flavours to excite the customer's palate. They spend their summers designing the perfect oval, the uovo di tutti uovi. The bridal dress of the chocolate world.
Picture, if you will, a show to launch a world-renowned chocolatier's new collection. It would start with the humble tablette, working up through the simple pralines in milk, dark, extra-dark, the Christmas collections, the chocolate St Nicolas, the white pralines with fresh cream filling, building up to the Grand Finale with the the Easter Egg. Godiva, as filmed by Fellini.
Look on his works, O Thornton's, and weep. Happy Easter one and all.*Kurt Nachtnebel Oompah Band
19 comments:
Is there an ideal temperature for chocolate before popping it inside the mouth, milady? I must say I prefer it slightly soft. Perhaps you should sit on that egg before eating it.
Green tea and salt?
I'll try dipping my fish fingers in my Cadbury's Creme Egg, you never know it could be all the rage next year...
Sx
Daphne,
You know how much I love reading your blog. This morning I find myself unable to read a single word.
Knowing you as I do, it is a facinating post introducing one to the (dare I say it?) exquisite world of chocolate.
You know first hand that chocolate is my kriptonite. Things happen beyond my control whenever I'm exposed it. Even the mere image is far too risky. There is no limit to what I'm capable of doing.
Fortunately you are there in Belgium, there is a gulf of ocean water between us. Still, I will not risk the savagery that lies inside the rattling cage.
Write if you must of Marianne Faithfull, dancing men and health club exercising but do not tempt the unbridled passion within me....Do this not just for yourself, but for women everywhere.
I bid you adieu,
Your servant, U
Ma Lady :)
While the Crécelleurs that during the period of Easter replace the left bells to Rome!
Of others sacrifice the poor lamb...
Personally I am for the sacrifice ...Some chocolate!!! Who. ..stupidly , throws itself in the "fine" mouth says of a Gourmet!
We have our champions of the better worker of France and world champions, but the chocolate country is beautiful and well Belgium!
Gorilla, the ganache is a soft chocolate! The only thing that it does not bear this is the cold one.
Among others at the level of the equator, I doubt myself that the chocolate not maybe that soft! It is therefore advised to consume it melted some;)
I wish you very good party of Pâque
Living, as I do, near the home of Thorntons, I should make some feeble attempt at singing its praises. However, having read this, I shall slink away and dream of previous trips to Belgium. Somercotes is just not the same as Bruges.
Chocolate porn!
Yes, that's exactly what it is, chocolate porn!
I don't like soft, smooshy-wooshy chocolate...first, I put it in the fridge, then when it's cold and hard, I bite. Crunch. Allow it to melt in the mouth while chewing on bits.
GB, chocolate experts say it should be at room temperature, but I (like GG) like it slightly chilled, for the texture, and then let the flavour seep out as it melts on my tongue. Watch those endorphins go through the roof!
Scarlet, why not write to Heston Blumenthal, he'd risk it.
U, calm down dear. Did you ever get those chocs from Marcolini's? You have to try Freddie Blondeel's now, honestly. Only $30 extra delivered from Belgium.
Crabtree, pourquoi le chocolat de dessert a été perfectionné dans les deux pays ou on dit nonante et septante?
Mme DeFarge, there is too much sugar and salt in British chocolate and not enough cocoa solids. That said, I love a Mars Bar, me.
Pat, infinitely preferable to the sort of porn which is going around on some blogs late at night, so I hear.
GG, try chocolate spread. It tastes good on toast, even better on a nice man (apparently). I'm with you on keeping my chocs in the fridge, although purists don't approve.
It sounds delicious but I know I'd ruin my patale if I ate anything like this: never again could I eat 9.4% cocoa "Tabletă cu Lapte" ("tablet with milk").
We're going to Mallorca this summer - got any good advice for us??
Gadj - loads of lovely places. I'll email you. A good choice.
Daphne,
I thought I told you I got the Marcolini shipment. I just visited Chocolateque which boasts that Freddie is their "exclusive chocolatier".
Do you have stock in these businesses or have you become my chocolate pushergirl?
Ain't i clean, bad machine
Super cool, super mean
Feelin' good, for the man
Superfly, here i stand
Secret stash, heavy bread
Taste this candy, like I said
I'm your pushergirl
I'm your pushergirl
I'm your pushergirl
U
L'existence du compte par vingt, elle est ancienne. On la trouve dans les lois de Guillaume au XIe siècle. Elle demeure aussi en français par le souvenir de l'hôpital des Quinze-Vingts (ou trois cents lits) fondé par Saint-Louis, ce qui nous ramène au XIIIe s. On n'a pas affaire à une forme qui se serait diffusée seulement à partir de Paris, mais à une forme qui est issue de l'Ouest et qui s'est implantée ensuite à Paris avant de gagner le reste de la France d'abord par les centres urbains grâce à l'influence parisienne.
Aujourd'hui, les formes septante et nonante sont encore acceptées en Suisse et en Belgique, elles passent à tort pour des helvétismes et des belgicismes. Ces formes survivent de manière marginale chez les personnes âgées dans des provinces de l'Est (Savoie, Provence, Lorraine, Franche-Comté). La forme octante (présente en Lorraine ) est une réfection sur le latin, le wallon connaissait encore au XIXe s. ûttante, le savoisien oitante. La forme huitante n'est attestée que dans le canton de Vaud. C'est bien par 80 que le mal est venu... La forme néo-latine semblait trop complexe et savante, les formes dialectales ont été éliminées parce que dialectales. Nonante quoique populaire a suivi car il était mal rattaché à son étymon. conduit à leur expulsion.
On peut le constater dans l'usage parisien au XVIIe s. une concurrence des deux comptes. Chez Molière, Frosine dans l'Avaredit à Harpagon en le flattant sur sa longévité : " Par ma foi, je disais cent ans, mais vous passerez les six-vingts. ". Et le même Molière écrit dans le Bourgeois gentilhomme ," Quatre mille trois cent septante-neuf livres douze sous huit deniers à votre marchand. "
Voltaire emploient encore septante et nonante:
" [M. de Villars] vient quelquefois dîner à Ferney ; mais, tant que j'aurai mes neiges, je n'irai point chez
lui.... observez qu'il n'a que soixante ans, et que j'en ai bientôt septante, quoi qu'on die..."
On peut attribuer à Vaugelas la mort de septante, octante, nonante !!! Sur notre territoire !
"Septante", n'est François, qu'en un certain lieu où il est consacré, qui est quand on dit la "traduction des Septante" ou les "Septante Interprètes", ou simplement "les Septante", qui n'est qu'une mesme chose. Hors delà il faut toujours dire soixante-dix, tout de mesme que l'on dit "quatre-vingts", et non pas "octante", et "quatre-vingts-dix" et non pas "nonante". Vaugelas (Claude Favre de), Remarques sur la langue Françoise.
Recette du Délice Expressssss !!!
Ouvrir la porte du placard (pas le frigo, malheureux : jamais au froid, le Nutella !)
Tendre le bras
Saisir le pot de Nutella
Ouvrir le couvercle en effectuant une rotation ferme du poignet
Saisir la cuillère
Plonger dans le pot... !
Ai-je bien répondu !??
Bonus !
Le chocolat n’aime pas les écarts de température il se consomme à une température de 16 à 18°C ,et là Je m'interroge !??
Le premier pays consommateur est la Suisse avec 12,3 kg par an et par habitant , suivi de l’Autriche, de l’Irlande, du Royaume-Uni, de la Norvège, du Danemark, de l’Allemagne, de la Suède, de la Belgique et de la Finlande.
La France arrive en 11 position avec 4,8 kg/an/habitant ???
I was given a large box of Montezuma's last year. Who would have thought chilli, raspberry and peppermint would work so well together with chocolate? Also, my entire family hated it, so win-win.
Happy Easter! x
I'm a fan of the spicy chocolate meself - up to now I'd only known about Rococco - now I just want Freddie's
Happy Easter
I'm instructed every year to bring home nothing but Lindt chocolate!
I can only assume that it holds its texture in the deep fat fryer.
Chocolate can be fun in the boudoir, but it can make one's nipples sore.
Why are you looking at me like that for?
*sigh* i am just going to have to copy and paste this entry and the pictures on my desktop, darling...to carry me over during these dark days of pre summer dieting...xoxox
(you darling woman!!!)
My Belgian gene pool demands that I eat chocolate every day or I will die.
What's all that claptrap about chocolate evoking the exact electro-chemical response as having toe-curling, chandelier-swingin' monkey sex?
is that true?
U, it's only a matter of time before someone starts doing drug-flavoured chocs. What a way to go.
Crabtree, Letartan dit qu'il n'aime pas les sucreries, c'est pas cool quoi, mais c'est bizarre comme le Nutella s'évapore chez moi.
Farty and Lulu, thanks for Montezuma's and Rococo, something to investigate next time I am in the Smoke and having a chocolate moment.
Jum, one should never eat chocolate in the bedroom. The stains on the sheets are so easily misconstrued.
Savannah, better to go cold turkey, the photos will only tantalize you and ultimately drive you mad with desire.
Donn, same chemical response as scratching an itch. But chocolate is so much more versatile.
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