Being at the end of this week is Valentine's Day...chocolate is on my mind. The best chocolates I have ever recieved are by a small company out of Bainbridge Island, Washington called Pink Peony Chocolates. This chocolatier is run by two women, two women that hand make, roll, and dip every single individual truffles. Donesn't that sound crazy and heavenly at the same time!Monday, February 8, 2010
The best chocolates ever!
Being at the end of this week is Valentine's Day...chocolate is on my mind. The best chocolates I have ever recieved are by a small company out of Bainbridge Island, Washington called Pink Peony Chocolates. This chocolatier is run by two women, two women that hand make, roll, and dip every single individual truffles. Donesn't that sound crazy and heavenly at the same time!Thursday, January 28, 2010
Nendo
How inspiring is this design studio out of Japan? I'm not really too sure what their main focus is but I find Nendo truly amazing. Just read their concept, you'll want to go out and change the world." Giving people a small " ! " moment.
There are so many small " ! " moments hidden in our everyday.
But we don’t recognize them.
and even when we do recognize them,we tend to unconsciously reset our
minds and forget what we’ve seen.
But we believe these small " ! " moments are what make our days so
interesting, so rich.
That’s why we want to reconstitute the everyday by collecting and
reshaping them into something that’s easy to understand.
We’d like the people who’ve encountered nendo’s designs to feel these
small " ! " moments intuitively.
That’s nendo’s job."
You must go browse thorugh their works, it is all so fun and genius. I am especially in love with these chocolate pencils. A pack with a variety of chocolate and a sharpener for grating on top of desserts. I want to us them!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Amazing!!!

How amazing does this tart look?!? Oh, how I cannot wait to try and make this. Spotted on Lottie + Doof (which is my new favorite cooking related blog) this Chocolate Caramel Tart looks to die for.
The recipe is as follows but for more pics and a little more background check out the original post linked above.
Chocolate Caramel Tart (adapted from Claudia Fleming > Marlow & Sons > Saveur)
For the Chocolate Tart Dough
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
For the Caramel Filling
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 1/2 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Make the tart dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until combined, about 1 minute. Add egg yolk and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Sift in flour and cocoa powder, and beat on low speed until just combined. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, and form it into a disk; wrap well. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Preheat oven to 325° F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the tart dough into a large circle 3/16 inch thick. Transfer the tart dough to a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and press into pan. If it falls apart at all just push it back together in the pan. Chill the tart shell in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Prick the shell all over with a fork. Line with parchment paper filled with pie weights or dried beans and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, and bake until the pastry looks dry and set, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. (The tart shell can be made 8 hours ahead.)
Make the filling: Place 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan. Add sugar and corn syrup, and cook mixture over medium-high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until it becomes a dark-amber caramel (I removed it when it was sort of a medium amber since I knew it would continue to cook off heat), about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and carefully (the mixture will bubble up) and slowly add the heavy cream followed by the butter and crème fraîche. Stir until smooth. (The caramel can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated in a covered container.) Pour the caramel into the cooled tart shell and allow to set, first at room temperature and then in the regrigerator.
Make the ganache glaze: Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and let stand for 2 minutes, then stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Pour the ganazhe over the tart. Refrigerate until set.
Remove the tart from the refridgerator 5-10 minutes before you are ready to serve it. Cut the tart into slices and sprinkle each with Fleur de Sel.