GOOD TASTES.LUXURIOUS ARTISAN CHOCOLATES: San Francisco chocolatier and cookbook author Michael Recchiuti of Recchiuti Confections offers three special, luxurious Valentine's Day chocolate assortments. They are decadent and divine -- and made with the finest ingredients. A 6-ounce box of Champagne Truffles (24 pieces; $18) -- dark chocolate truffles flavored with Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs Blanc de noirs is a French term (literally "white of blacks") for a white wine produced entirely from black grapes. It is often encountered in Champagne, where a number of houses have followed the lead of Bollinger's prestige cuvée from Napa Valley and dusted with confectioner's sugar -- are rich and creamy and almost addictive. Bet you can't eat just one! A Valentine's Day large box (32 pieces; 14 ounces; $75) contains a varied assortment of fabulous chocolates, among them fleur de sel Fleur de sel ("Flower of salt" in French) is a hand-harvested sea salt collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large salt pans. caramel, cassis cas·sis n. 1. A Eurasian currant (Ribes nigrum) bearing black berries. 2. A cordial made from the berries of this plant. strata, Ecuador varietal, Colombian varietal, burnt caramel, lavender vanilla, Kona coffee, sesame nougat nou·gat n. A confection made from a sugar or honey paste into which nuts are mixed. [French, from Provençal, from nougo, nut, from Old Provençal noga, from Vulgar Latin , chocolate-covered candied orange peel, jasmine tea and Piedmont hazelnut. Some of the same flavors are also included in a medium Valentine's Day box (16 pieces; 8 ounces; $40). Some count Recchiuti among the best artisan chocolate-makers in the country. Unlike some flavored chocolates we've sampled, these flavored creations are subtle and smooth -- and the flavors don't overpower the wonderful, rich chocolate. We were partial to the caramel, varietals, hazelnut, coffee and orange peel. The Kona coffee chocolate was among the best tasted anywhere in a long time -- it was refined and very subtle. Granted, the chocolates are pricey -- but so worth it for a special gift (any chocophile would welcome them) or indulgence. Available online at www.recchiuti.com or at the Recchiuti Confections store in the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace. -- Natalie Haughton A VALENTINE FROM L.A.'S BOULE boule Deliberative council in the city-states of ancient Greece. It existed in almost all constitutional city-states, especially from the late 6th century BC. In Athens the boule was created as an aristocratic body by Solon in 594 BC; later, under Cleisthenes, 500 members : For something a bit different in the chocolate realm for Valentine's Day, Boule in Los Angeles is offering a strip of thick Dark Chocolate Bark (Celeste Celeste is a woman's first name. Celeste may also refer to: in Music
The shop is also offering a six-piece box of Heart Shaped Chocolates featuring scotch bonnet pepper, fleur de sel caramel, rose caramel, espresso-cocoa nib, Earl Grey raspberry, and passion-fruit flavors for $15. You can order the chocolates by phone (310) 289-9977, or from the Web site www.boulela.com, or pick them up at the store. -- N.H. POPCORN GAME PACK: With Americans consuming 4 million pounds of popcorn on Super Bowl Sunday, Dale and Thomas Popcorn Dale and Thomas Popcorn is a gourmet popcorn company based in Englewood, New Jersey. The company was founded by Warren Struhl and Richard Demb. They have "the first ever popcorn chef" named Chef Ed, who is the spokesperson and mascot for Dale and Thomas Popcorn. has created a football party box for the occasion with a faux pigskin-wrapped (that can be removed for washing) serving bowl and eight bags of popcorn creations -- among them two bags each of Chocolate Chunk 'N' Caramel, Sweet and Spicy BBQ BBQ barbecue , Sweet Georgia Pecan and Southwest Cheddar Chipotle. Most tasters favored the Chocolate Chunk flavor, but the Sweet and Spicy BBQ scored with savory fans (some disliked the fake flavor). The Georgia Pecan popcorn had lots of pecans once you reached the bottom of the bag -- and was delicious. The box is $30 plus shipping and handling. To order the box or other popcorn items and flavors, go to www.daleandthomas.com, or call (800) 767-2676. - N.H. BAKED PITA CHIPS: Kettle Foods has introduced Baked Pita Chips in salt and pepper
n. A smooth thick mixture of mashed chickpeas, tahini, oil, lemon juice, and garlic, used especially as a dip for pita. or cheese spreads. Each 6-ounce bag (6 servings per bag) has a suggested retail of $3.29. Look for them at supermarkets and natural food stores. Give them a try at upcoming Super Bowl parties and beyond. -- N.H. CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- color) no caption (Champagne Truffles) (2 -- color) no caption (Boule's Dark Chocolate Bark) (3 -- color) no caption (Dale and Thomas Popcorn) (4 -- color) no caption (Baked Pita Chips) |
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