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I know it might be too early to start thinking about Valentine's Day, but it is only a little over a month away... My husband and I have a set of traditions - we build a tent out of blankets in the living room (like we did when we were kids), order and eat pierogies from either Rosie's or Pierogies Plus and eat an entire box of chocolate. In the past, I've ordered chocolate from Jubilee Chocolates and been very happy with their fresh tasting flavors. I've also ordered from Vosges - both the Exotic Collection and the Collection Italiano and really happy with the flavors. I am looking for ideas of other chocolatiers I can order from. Who are considered the best? Do they have websites? We love trying unsual flavor combinations, but are happy with really well done classic flavors as well. We would love to try someone different every year. We would also be willing to try other pierogy dealers as well, if anyone has suggestions. I would have to be able to mail order them though. Thanks!

First this is a general inquiry about high quality good tasting dark chocolate in UK for eating. We know about Green and Black's which is made in Italy. Second, have you heard, or do you have web site for James Chocolate , Evercreech, Somerset, BA 4 6LQ. They have some wonderful tasting chocolates with rose, lavender, etc that someone gave us but they do not remember where they got it.

Anyone have a awesome recipe thanks

i just found this little gem of chocolate cookbooks called "Chocolate and Cocoa Recipes and Home Made candy Recipes" written 1924 by Miss Parloa. its been released for free on the project gutenberg site, have fun !! cheers t.

I believe this is chocolate from Columbia and I'm interested in trying it out in my baking. Has anyone seen this in the Lower Mainland?

Despite the chilly temperature last weekend, I visited 9 chocolateries in four hours. You can read more about my tour route and tasting notes here: http://wscwong.blogs.friendster.com/desser...to_chocola.html Enjoy!

After decades of relying on the B&O Expresso in Seattle for their chocolate raspberry torte for major occasions, I fear I may have to look elsewhere. Several reports on a diminishment in quality and loss of their main pastry chef have me concerned. Does anyone have a suggestion for an alternative that could satisfy a very serious and finicky chocoholic? The only one I can think of myself is Fran's. But I haven't sampled their chocolate raspberry cake (a custom order) in 12 years.

I made a batch of flourless chocolate cookies for my sweetie today. Because I was working without flour, I splurged on the cocoa and bought Droste. After I mixed up the batter, I tasted it and frowned. It tasted charred or burned to me. A sniff of my box of cocoa confirmed that the it does smell charred....almost like charcoal. I gave her a taste and she said the batter was delicious and that it tasted like cocoa is supposed to taste. (She is not originally from the USA and is used to chocolate brands other than Hershey). I grew up on Hershey's and this is my first time using anything but. Does higher quality cocoa have a burned taste to anybody else or is it just me? By the way, the baked cookies taste good, but do have just a hint of that charred flavor. It is not nearly as intense as the raw batter.

I'm becoming very fond of my Silpats (I have Exopats, actually, but everybody calls them Silpats anyway), but have found that my standard chocolate chip cookie recipe (the Nestle Toll House recipe with double the vanilla and an upgrade to better chocolate) is too "spready" when baked on Silpats. In other words the cookies spread out very wide and thin, almost comically so, when baked. Does anybody have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that specifically works well on Silpat surfaces? I'd be especially interested in the theory of how to modify my current recipe or oven temperature (again I follow Nestle Toll House here) to make it less "spready."

I am making a birthday cake for a friend of mine. I wanted to try a white chocolate espresso filling without it being too sweet. So i wanted to try this ............making a white chocolate ganache cooling that and whipping it and adding some more whipped cream to make it less sweet and light. So this is the big question will this method work??? I just wanna avoid making imbc.

Just wondering if any of you have had any amazing chocolate beers lately. In the past three months we have had three while travelling overseas. In London, Young's Double Chocolate Stout, at Redoak Brewing in Sydney Australia (Chocolate Cherry Stout) and in Barcelona (Xocoa beer). All tasty and unusual. Our favourite to date was the Redoak Chocolate Stout with it's rich and creamy texture and flavours of Black Forest Cake Cheers, Stephen Vancouver

My sister is obsessed with this chocolate souffle cake at a restaurant chain called Yard House. I tried to duplicate it using the molten Chocolate cake recipe by Vongerichten. * 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter * 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably Valrhona * 2 eggs * 2 egg yolks * 1/4 cup sugar * Pinch of salt * 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour I used 70% bittersweet Valrhona. And it came out successful, but my sister still prefers the Yard House cake. She said she tasted the "bitter" in my cake but not much of the "sweet." I'm not much of a cook and I want to fix it for a dinner party on Saturday without attempting it beforehand. So how should I sweeten it up? Do you recommend I increase the sugar or should I downgrade to 65% Valrhona Semisweet, or any other recommendations? I'm only giving myself one more attempt.

Dear All, As some of you may know from a recent thread I started, I am interested in making my own chocolate, from bean to bar. As some of you also might know, this isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. However, it isn't impossible. In fact there is a new (only a week old) online forum devoted to making chocolate at home: "Chocolate Alchemy," and I, being a member, have written an introduction for that forum. I would like to post it below for two reasons. 1) It may remind you of yourself in some way, and if this is so, then that might attract you to come and visit the forum here: The Chocolate Alchemy Forum, and/or the related siteThe Chocolate Alchemy Site and it might open up conversation in this eGullet thread about home chocolate making. 2) There are some useful resources scattered about in my introduction that may also be of interest to those who want to know more about chocolate production from the planting of the Theobroma Cacao tree to the aging of the chocolate bar. If you have any questions about chocolate making after reading the below intro., and/or looking at the various resources mentioned below, then please feel free to ask in this eGullet thread. I am by no means an expert, but maybe I can give you a general idea about something. My introduction: As I mentioned, if you have any questions about chocolate making, I can try to answer some things, but I am by no means an expert yet. Be ready for a lot of "I am not quite sure"s. Sincerely, Alan

Anyone seen results of Consumer Reports ratings of chocolates? Doesn't it seem odd to rate chocolate as such by bon-bons? Fillings and flavorings, however delightful, mask the pure qualities of the chocolate. It would seem that the way to rate chocolate is to taste in bar and bark forms - unfilled and with no flavors other than, perhaps, vanilla. Or should they have said they were rating bon-bons, which is another matter? And no Debauve & Gallais or Lindt 70 percent cocoa? What kind of test is that?

I am having some people over for dinner this weekend and was thinking of doing a chocolate mint souffle for dessert. Before I go off and start working on something from scratch, let me know if you've ever made something like it. I'd take any pointers! Extract or fresh mint? How much mint/extract to how much batter? Thanks1

I will be visiting the Bay area this week. I am planning on going on the Schraffen Berger Chocolate factory tour on Sunday. First of all, is the tour worth it? Secondly, can anyone suggest any places nearby for Sunday Brunch or Lunch? Thanks!

Can I colour white chocolate with paste (like Wilton) and pipe out decorations without having to temper it? Is there specific white chocolate that is sold for this kind of use? What should I be looking for?

I'm gearing up to make some chocolate covered brandied cherries again this holiday season, and would like to try using molds instead of just dipping them. How do I go about getting the thinnest coating on these? Thanks!

I put a polycarbonate triange mold for sale on ebay. the item is 220046505672. This mold is lightly used and has 42 molds per tray. I believe it is made by Cacao Berry. 100% of this sale will be donated to Egullet, so happy bidding. ebay listing

I would love to do something different this year other than the same ol gingerbread house for Christmas and I thought chocolate would be a great idea. Years ago I remember seeing a chocolate house on a Jacque Torres TV special, but after searching and searching I haven't came up with a mold of any kind. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I'm looking for a manufactuer/ distributor fro high end chocolate boxes like at Garrison Confections and Jaques Torres? I've spent 2 hours searching here with no luck.

I have been looking around for other chocolates company to get a better idea of the products out there, prices , packaging , services etc. Chocolates like Vosges ( sp ?) say their chocolates are made fresh bla bla and they last only 10 days , so to keep them refrigerated till you need to use them etc. Now I am trying to check out most of the fine chocolates maker around , expecially small company that have a production more similar to the one I am working on. What are your experiences on teh refrigeration and artisanal chocolates.? I personally dont like to put my chocolates in the fridge because I think chocolate stored in the fridge have a different taste etc. Do you usually suggest refrigeration for your products , since the most people I have seen here use fresh ingredients and no preservative. Just a thought for a new conversation . Thank you

All throughout Croatia, we feasted on the amazing hot chocolate. It was so luscious and thick that you could stand a spoon up in it. It came in colorful little packets, and, I think, had a photo on each one. The chocolate came in a variety of flavors. Inside many of the cafes were posters advertising this drinking chocolate. I want to buy my hubby a box of these packets for his b-day, but can't remember the brand name. I know this particular brand is popular throughout the former Yugoslavia, and Venice, where we savored it as well. I've been searchng the web, without any success. Can anyone help me????

Hi Everyone, I was wondering what the best way to store cocoa butter was? Should it be kept in the fridge once opened?

Does anyone have any suggestions on what would be the best chocolate to use in a fountain? I have never used one, but I have a family member that is going to use one they bought for their christmas party. I would imagine for the best results use a very fluid chocolate. Does anyone have any experience with fountains? Do you have to use oil to thin it out or can you use something else, water maybe? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks in advance.