Chocolate you could eat right off of the page! These elegant delights are from Chocolaterie Wanders of Manassas, Virginia.
|
STEPHANIE ZONIS is a Contributing Editor.
|
February 2007
Updated March 2009
|
|
Gourmet Chocolate Candy From America’s Artisan Chocolatiers:
Part I
Page 5: DePaula Confections & DeVries Chocolate
This is Page 5 of a 6-page review of gourmet chocolate candy. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
DePaula Confections
I don’t mind admitting it was DePaula’s packaging that first  attracted my attention. How many times do you see chocolates in a luxurious, embossed, handmade box, after all? But John DePaula understands that charming packaging is not enough for chocolate lovers; one’s products must deliver good flavors, eye appeal and freshness, and his fit the bill nicely. What to try first? The Pomegranate, with its dark chocolate ganache-honey-pomegranate molasses center in a white chocolate exterior, is as unique as it is beautiful. I’m partial to the Raspberry Fleur-de-Lis, too, another dark chocolate ganache piece (flavored with raspberry eau-de-vie) enrobed in more dark chocolate. And by all means try the Caramel Fleur de Sel…but I could go on and on. Note that most assortments, but not all, feature the handmade paper box. DePaulaConfections.com
 DeVries Chocolate
Steve DeVries doesn’t make chocolates. Rather, he makes chocolate—bean-to-bar, on antique equipment, no less. He has done years of research and experimenting to get to the point where he is today, offering just a few types of bars from what he feels are the very best cacao beans available. DeVries bars are small and unadorned; they contain only cacao beans and sugar (no vanilla or lecithin; Mr. DeVries feels these ingredients detract from the true nature of the beans). This chocolate is not for everyone; it is definitely bittersweet, with a powerful “red fruit” astringent note. But if you are a fan of “big” red wines, head over to the website and choose from among Costa Rican (in two varieties) or Dominican bean-based bars—and by the way, all of the beans used here are organic. If you think there’s nothing new in the chocolate universe, try these bars. DeVriesChocolate.com
Read more about DeVries chocolate, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week, in our article on Microbatch Chocolate.
Continue To Page 6: Fiori Chocolatiers, Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company & Pete’s
Gourmet Confections
Go To The Article Index Above
Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. Images are the copyright of their respective owners.
|
