Highlights from NYC & The Chocolate Show (in no particular order)---
*Firecracker Truffle & Demo by Michael Antonorsi from Chuao: Casual, informative, great demo - Chef Michael was personable & fun to watch. Firecrack Truffle contains Popping Candy and Chile Powder - wake up Tastebuds!
*New Tcho Chocolate: SF Company - not flavored, but described by words such as “fruity” - well composed
*Lunch @ david burke & donatella : Super fancy & delicious - especially the Pretzel Crusted Crab Cake - great service
*Dulce de Leche Cake Doughnut @ Doughnut Plant: Buttery, rich & flavorful - amazing behemouth cranberry yeast doughnut too - great industrial-ish space - blasting Madonna's 1st album in kitchen
*Candy Demo @ Papabubble: Attractive, minimalist space - kitchen right there for you to see people working - pulling red & white sugar into spiraled, star-shaped lollipops
*Lunch on a rainy day @ Peanut Butter & Co.:Adult version of 4th grade lunch - PB & Banana on whole wheat with chips & carrots - cozy & comforting - we love the PB Monkey!
*Front Row seats @ Boeing Boeing: Fun, kitchy play - bachelor has 3 air hostesses all thinking they are engaged to him - flights get delayed, hilarity ensues - leave your cynicism @ home.
*Annie getting a pair of Fluevog Shoes: Spreading the Fluevog gospel - love the Operettas! Annie got the Malibran, cousin to my Bartolis. Staff @ NYC & LA stores are fabulous.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Back to Work...
Well, Annie & her sister & I ate our way through every bakery & candy shop that we could dash to in our few days in NYC. New York is such a food centered culture. Everywhere you turn there are wacky, super-focused businesses like a rice-pudding only place called "Rice to Riches", a pulled sugar shop called "Papabubble" & even a super fun peanut butter store called "Peanut Butter & Co".
Trying to extrapolate influences & information gleaned there and apply it to the OC scene is the challenging part. And trying to figure out where we fit in to all that is even more daunting.
It seems like the most successful places - MarieBelle, Vosges Chocolate, Doughnut Plant, Dylan's Candy Bar, Amy's Bread, Little Pie Co, etc. - all seem to focus on just one thing or at least a limited assortment. My problem is that I get bored and want to do a little of this & a little of that. I wonder in a way if the Farmers Markets are like a crutch, encouraging us to be diverse, while maybe holding us back from having the time to develop our singular item. Who knows?
New products and packaging are certainly in the works, but in the meantime, it's all about getting back up to speed and getting orders out. In the next few days, I'll post all of our great food pictures & comments. And start to sift through all the samples I brought back! Is there ever too much chocolate???
Trying to extrapolate influences & information gleaned there and apply it to the OC scene is the challenging part. And trying to figure out where we fit in to all that is even more daunting.
It seems like the most successful places - MarieBelle, Vosges Chocolate, Doughnut Plant, Dylan's Candy Bar, Amy's Bread, Little Pie Co, etc. - all seem to focus on just one thing or at least a limited assortment. My problem is that I get bored and want to do a little of this & a little of that. I wonder in a way if the Farmers Markets are like a crutch, encouraging us to be diverse, while maybe holding us back from having the time to develop our singular item. Who knows?
New products and packaging are certainly in the works, but in the meantime, it's all about getting back up to speed and getting orders out. In the next few days, I'll post all of our great food pictures & comments. And start to sift through all the samples I brought back! Is there ever too much chocolate???
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Something Old, Somethings New
Now that October has slunk away, with its unpredictable weather and bad bad news, let’s look ahead to the holidays. All we can do at this point is try to get through 2008 with our sanity intact. To hopefully smooth the way a bit, I’m including a fabulous old recipe for an easy, dare I say effortless, holiday favorite. This toffee recipe originally came from school, but we’ve tweaked it a little bit to make it more Blackmarket. We will also be making this recipe (& others) in our upcoming Holiday Gift Class. Try it and spread the buttery wealth!
Pistachio Butter Toffee
Chopped dark chocolate 8 oz
Water ¼ C
Corn Syrup 1 t
Butter 8 oz
Sugar 1 C
Sea Salt ½ t
Pistachios (chopped, toasted) ½ C
Need: Saucepan, candy thermometer, pastry brush, 9” x 11” pan, heatproof spatula
Directions:
1. Place chocolate in a bowl & set aside (do not melt).
2. Combine water, corn syrup, butter, sugar & salt in a heavy-duty saucepan with a candy thermometer. Brush down the sides of the pan to make sure no sugar crystals are clinging. Do not stir at the beginning.
3. Once the mixture is dissolved and starts to get color, start to stir with a heatproof spatula. Heat the mixture over high until the temperature reads 300 F. Watch out because the toffee is very hot & sticky at this stage!
4. Pour the toffee into a greased, parchment-lined 9” x 11” pan. Do not scrape the extra candy out of the pan as this portion may have gotten too hot. Let cool for 2 minutes. Sprinkle on the chocolate chunks. As they melt, use an offset spatula to spread out the melted chocolate.
5. Now sprinkle on the chopped nuts. You may want to sprinkle on a little extra coarse sea salt before the chocolate cools. Let the toffee cool. Refrigerate if you can’t wait so long. Break the toffee apart (it is too hard to cut).
For the new, Annie & I are heading to NYC tomorrow to attend the Chocolate Show. Having been in OC pretty much non-stop for the past 4 years, I am slightly stunned to be traveling anywhere… and feeling very guilty that my trip revolves around eating delicious morsels – chocolate, baked goods, bread, chocolate, candy – for 3 days solid. We will be documenting our purchases & samplings here in the future. What’s that saying about Nero fiddling while Rome burned? What bad economic news? Pass me another Green Tea truffle….
Pistachio Butter Toffee
Chopped dark chocolate 8 oz
Water ¼ C
Corn Syrup 1 t
Butter 8 oz
Sugar 1 C
Sea Salt ½ t
Pistachios (chopped, toasted) ½ C
Need: Saucepan, candy thermometer, pastry brush, 9” x 11” pan, heatproof spatula
Directions:
1. Place chocolate in a bowl & set aside (do not melt).
2. Combine water, corn syrup, butter, sugar & salt in a heavy-duty saucepan with a candy thermometer. Brush down the sides of the pan to make sure no sugar crystals are clinging. Do not stir at the beginning.
3. Once the mixture is dissolved and starts to get color, start to stir with a heatproof spatula. Heat the mixture over high until the temperature reads 300 F. Watch out because the toffee is very hot & sticky at this stage!
4. Pour the toffee into a greased, parchment-lined 9” x 11” pan. Do not scrape the extra candy out of the pan as this portion may have gotten too hot. Let cool for 2 minutes. Sprinkle on the chocolate chunks. As they melt, use an offset spatula to spread out the melted chocolate.
5. Now sprinkle on the chopped nuts. You may want to sprinkle on a little extra coarse sea salt before the chocolate cools. Let the toffee cool. Refrigerate if you can’t wait so long. Break the toffee apart (it is too hard to cut).
For the new, Annie & I are heading to NYC tomorrow to attend the Chocolate Show. Having been in OC pretty much non-stop for the past 4 years, I am slightly stunned to be traveling anywhere… and feeling very guilty that my trip revolves around eating delicious morsels – chocolate, baked goods, bread, chocolate, candy – for 3 days solid. We will be documenting our purchases & samplings here in the future. What’s that saying about Nero fiddling while Rome burned? What bad economic news? Pass me another Green Tea truffle….
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