This Valentine’s Day inject colour into the cliché with colourful chocolate. Chocolate has become intrinsic to the idea of Valentine’s Day. We now live in an age where (nearly) anything is possible and, although the age of austerity is upon us; chocolate sales have not dwindled but happily and (understandably) increased.
The current age of possibilities need not be limited to science, medicine and technology. No, indeed, it also applies to the culinary world and this includes the humble chocolate. Chocolate is no longer limited to various shades of brown. In fact dear readers, the age of chocolate joined with the imagination has arrived and the discoveries communicated here are evidence of these facts.
In recent years, chocolate has been receiving the attention of the artist's palette, as chocolatiers in the UK, in the USA and across the world, are designing and creating mini pieces of art you could think are too beautiful to eat. I will take you on a journey reminiscent of ‘Willy Wonka’ but, instead of the conventional brown chocolate river this river will be all the colours of the rainbow.
The colours will undoubtedly impress so let me in addition say a few words on the flavours. You will find that the flavours often defy convention; they are expansive and can even inspire the end result. For example, a lavender truffle might be purple, if this intrigues you, see Christopher Elbow; or Violet flavoured and shaped like the flower, see Demarquette. And, of course, Valentine's Day has adopted Cupid's heart and arrow. If you enjoy the idea of your chocolate painted to portray this portion of mythology please see Recciuti for a Valentine’s Day gift box. I encourage you to stretch your imagination this Valentine’s Day and peruse over these truly delightful discoveries. This year think bright colours, think exotic flavours, put simply, be original! Read on to discover pieces of chocolate art.
- Christopher Elbow, USA. Our first chocolatier resides state-side and goes by then name of Christopher Elbow. Above are just a small selection of his truffles made available via the web-site or if you are lucky enough to live in San Francisco or Kansas City, you can buy direct. A 16 piece box of assorted truffles will set you back $32 (£20). The truffles selection above demonstrates the diversity in flavour and of course, colour. For example, there is fresh Mango (yellow) Spiced pear (green) Lavender (Purple) Hazelnut (swirl patterned) and Passion Fruit (orange and yellow). elbowchocolates.com/
- Vita Dolce Chocolates, USA. Vita Dolce, (Italian for sweet life) is a chocolate company created by two childhood friends Jessica and Dana, based in North Carolina. The recipes were inspired by Jessica’s Italian mother. All though these are not available to be purchased online outside of the United States, it is still certainly worth mentioning for the benefit of out American readers. Their artisan chocolates (above) come in a range of flavours including toasted macadamia, almond and orange. vitadolcechocolates.com/.
- Demarquette, UK. A London based British chocolatier, this is a fine shop. Established in 2005, Demarquette source their cocoa butter from Ecuador, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic, only use British beet sugar and Jersey cream. They ship within the UK, Europe and the US. A box of 12 truffles (as pictured above) would cost $28.81. Please note, they have a special chocolate selection exclusively for Valentine’s Day. demarquette.com/
- Norman Love Confections, USA. Founded in 2001, Norman Love Confections emphasise the creator’s particular penchant for ‘art, the avant garde and perfection’. The web-site is home to a truly elaborate chocolate menu. The colours are almost beyond belief. You could gift your loved one a rainbow coloured box of beauties. Norman Love offers a 50 pieces Valentines Day gift box, in which you will find pastel coloured hearts (pictured above), bold green specked mounds (above) and bright tangerine dodecahedron inspired truffle(above) presented like the artists paint palette (pictured below). This will cost you $95.00. normanloveconfections.com/
- Chocolat Moderne, USA. Based in New York, the chocolatier Joan Cukos established herself in 2000 after deciding on a more sumptuous career than banking! I included Joan Cukos’ Chocolate range because her creations are extraordinarily pretty. Click on the Valentines Day ‘Kimono collection’. This collection is Japanese inspired and includes flavours such as mint and lime, white tea, and even adzuki bean paste with raspberry. They look awesome. The chocolates pictured above range in flavours from malt whiskey to habanero pepper. store.chocolatmoderne.com/
- Pixie Dust, USA. A lesser known chocolatier based in the US, Pixie Dust began with one lady’s curiosity regarding chocolate painting . As the pictures above testify, they look like they have been splashed by an artist’s brush. There are numerous ways you can buy these chocolates, but if you check there web-site you might find you live close to a local supplier. pixiedustchocolates.com
- Rococo Chocoloate, UK. Rococo Chocolates are a well established Chocolatiers based in London. Never the less; I am still going to give them a mention. Above are examples of hand painted chocolate hearts that contain little ganache truffles. The box itself is edible! For the cat lover, perhaps you could by a hand-painted chocolate cat. There web-site is overwhelmingly imaginative. You can click on ‘Chocolate Art’ to discover hand painted crocodiles and fish. There is also a Valentine’s Day section. rococochocolates.com/
- Christopher Norman, USA. Christopher Norman Chocolates was established in 1994 by John Down, a painter. The web-site proclaims innovation in flavour and in addition the chocolates look fantastic. While there is a section on the web-site for Valentines Day itself, if you click on ‘Hand-painted’ you will be amazed. Don’t dismiss the Valentine’s section however, as pictured (above right) is an example of your options. They are based in San Francisco and invite you to take a tour of their chocolate factory when you are next in town! christophernormanchocolates.com/
- Pure Imagination Chocolatier, USA. Based in Ohio, Pure Imagination Chocolatier’s proclaim to have an ‘unlimited imagination’ when in comes to creating imaginative chocolates. They possess the ‘Signature Line Collection’ of Truffles that includes the flavours, Aztec caramel, honey and theobroma. christophernormanchocolates.com/
- Chocolate on chocolate, UK. Chocolate on Chocolate might not use the bold colours documented earlier, but they are still a good choice for Valentine’s Day. The company was set up six years ago and all there chocolates are painted by hand. The examples (above) include a box of nine roses, three lips and farm animals. They also create novelty chocolate including a chocolate noughts and crosses game as well as a first aid box that includes chocolate plasters. chocolateonchocolate.co.uk
- Marie Belle, New York, USA. Mariebelle Sweets of New York was established in 2000. Their web-site compares their chocolates to ‘semi-precious jewels’. The flavours are intriguing and include Earl Grey Tea, Saffron and Cardamom. Perhaps best of all are the colours and the designs. A 25 piece Blue Box (above) will cost you $60. It is also available in 100 pieces! They only ship to United States and Canada. mariebelle.com/
- Recciuti USA. It is proclaimed by Recciuit that 'the universal language of Love is Chocolate and here you will find bold and pretty options. Based in San Francisco Recciuti was established in 1997. There is a video on their web-site that shows you how they make their chocolate. Their best sellers include key lime pears and candied orange peel. However, for the purpose of this article, it is colour we are looking for. Above, is their Valentine’s Day special the hearts and arrows. It is simple yet bold. recchiuti.com
- Gwynedd Confectioners, UK. Based in Gwynedd, North Wales (UK) is the Gwynedd Confectioners. They have been established for more than twenty years. Their products are quaint and include colourful chocolate novelty pizza's, pink pigs, green frogs, orange fish and yellow chicks! Prices are not included on the web-site but you can order a brochure. Have a look at web-site. gwyneddconfectioners.co.uk/
- Arisan Du Chocolate UK. To end on a note of sophistication I wanted to introduce the Artisan du Chocolat. It is a London based chocolatier who make these wonderful South Sea Pearls, pictured above. They also come in Silver, Tahitian and a mixed variety. Their artisan collection is really impressive, but it is the ‘Signature Collection’ containing the pearls that would make a delectable Valentine’s Day gift. Do have a look at their site.artisanduchocolat.com/
For more chocolate ideas, check out potofchocolate.wordpress.com.
I wish you all a very Happy Valentine’s Day 2011!
Lowri Constantine - Hello World! My name is Lowri and I live, work and write in London. I couldn't begin to tell you my interests as they are ever ...
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