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who is your favorite chocolatier?


sote23

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why thank you for the tip, sote. i have to add them to my "to do" list.

always room for chocolate on the list!

if you ever get the chance, try Joel durand. the only place that sells in in the US is Paradou in new york. I've yet to try jacque torres, but will have to put him on my list.

http://www.paradounyc.com/chocolates.htm

your very welcome. Joel Durand's chocolates are what got me on this whole chocolate thing. Not many are familier with him, because he's in provence, and not in paris. by the way, you can order directly from joel durand, just fax over the order and they will ship to the US.

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ling, stock up on the dark chocolate truffles. soooo good, they astound me every time! the flavor is so deep.

i remember liking a caramel a lot too, and covered almonds and these little pailettes with raisins and nuts (like a chunky!)... but IMHO, nothing compares to their truffles, especially the dark ones. i still think they are the best to be found in NYC. and, they always brag about how they are flown in every day from Paris, so yeah go ahead and order from the NYC store, they're very fresh.

i'll be curious to hear what you think after that fab chocolate party you attended.

I might order from the NY La Maison and have them shipped to my bf's place in Seattle. Any recommendations on what I should get?

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i looked at the website- the flavors look so intriguing. how are the lavender? i always like candied violets, i wonder if it's similar.

i will have to go there soon, i love that they do free refills on the confit when you dine there.

  your very welcome. Joel Durand's chocolates are what got me on this whole chocolate thing. Not many are familier with him, because he's in provence, and not in paris. by the way, you can order directly from joel durand, just fax over the order and they will ship to the US.

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Do you know... is there a problem with bringing the chocolates into Canada or is it just that he doesn't ship to Canada?  For instance, if I were to bring some on my trip to BC in August, would I get taken away by the airport police?!

I'm sure you can bring them into Canada...people bring boxes of chocolates as gifts across the border all the time. :smile:

I might order from the NY La Maison and have them shipped to my bf's place in Seattle. Any recommendations on what I should get?

I think if you call the NY store, you can pick and choose what you want, as opposed to a pre packaged box. I recommend andalouise, valencia, guayaquil, and anaguy, but i would imagine they are all good. on this page, click on discover the assortment and if you click on each one it tells you what they are.

http://www.lamaisonduchocolat.com/commerce...roduct_sku=U-BN

he also has a new summer collection called sevillane, which i haven't tried, but looks good.

Luis

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i looked at the website- the flavors look so intriguing. how are the lavender? i always like candied violets, i wonder if it's similar.

i will have to go there soon, i love that they do free refills on the confit when you dine there.

  your very welcome. Joel Durand's chocolates are what got me on this whole chocolate thing. Not many are familier with him, because he's in provence, and not in paris. by the way, you can order directly from joel durand, just fax over the order and they will ship to the US.

the lavender is very good, his orange is the best i've had and the basil was delicious. what's cool about his shop in st remy de provance, is they give you as many samples as you want, and it worked, we walked out with 8 boxes.lol lol

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......favourite chocolatier?.....or favourite ganache maker?. Many of the quoted favourites on this thread, certainly the ones from the UK and many from France and the US produce mainly ganache based chocolates.

Sorry dear readers, for me a chocolatier does not just make variations-on-a-theme chocolates. Honold in Zurich and Confiserie Frey in Basel are excellent examples of chocolatiers with 'all the skills'. Shock/horror say all the Francophiles...but the best truffles in Europe..bar none.. are Truffes du Jour made by Confiserie Sprungli on Paradeplatz in Zurich...made and sold on the day of manufacture...nothing I have ever tried has even come close...though Melt in Notting Hill is making a valiant effort.

:cool:

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......favourite chocolatier?.....or favourite ganache maker?. Many of the quoted favourites on this thread, certainly the ones from the UK and many from France and the US produce mainly ganache based  chocolates.

Sorry dear readers, for me a chocolatier does not just make variations-on-a-theme chocolates. Honold in Zurich and Confiserie Frey in Basel are excellent examples of chocolatiers with 'all the skills'. Shock/horror say all the Francophiles...but the best truffles in Europe..bar none.. are Truffes du Jour made by Confiserie Sprungli on Paradeplatz in Zurich...made and sold on the day of manufacture...nothing I have ever tried has  even come close...though Melt in Notting Hill is making a valiant effort.

:cool:

Heretic :raz:

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......favourite chocolatier?.....or favourite ganache maker?. Many of the quoted favourites on this thread, certainly the ones from the UK and many from France and the US produce mainly ganache based  chocolates.

Sorry dear readers, for me a chocolatier does not just make variations-on-a-theme chocolates. Honold in Zurich and Confiserie Frey in Basel are excellent examples of chocolatiers with 'all the skills'. Shock/horror say all the Francophiles...but the best truffles in Europe..bar none.. are Truffes du Jour made by Confiserie Sprungli on Paradeplatz in Zurich...made and sold on the day of manufacture...nothing I have ever tried has  even come close...though Melt in Notting Hill is making a valiant effort.

:cool:

i've never even heard of them, let alone tried them. so i can't comment.

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I love Ewald Notter. His chocolates are to die for, and he is a really nice man.

right, he is the one with the school in florida right?

.....who trained at Sprungli......Robert Linxe trained in Basel....

i had another thread where i was looking for where robert linxe trained. so your saying he trained at sprungli in basil?

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......favourite chocolatier?.....or favourite ganache maker?. Many of the quoted favourites on this thread, certainly the ones from the UK and many from France and the US produce mainly ganache based  chocolates.

Sorry dear readers, for me a chocolatier does not just make variations-on-a-theme chocolates.

Thank you for putting into words the thought that's been brewing in the back of my mind. There is more to chocolates than ganache.

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I was recently in nyc and stopped in almost every chocolate shop available. I choose to not itemize, however, because effort should always be accompanied by applause. The absolute best truffle was somewhere in SoHo. In this dark slice of space somewhere near the home stores, this woman never got off the phone while she packaged my purchase and refused my tip. The ganache was sublime. god love her, wherever she is.

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I was recently in nyc and stopped in almost every chocolate shop available.  I choose to not itemize, however, because effort should always be accompanied by applause.  The absolute best truffle was somewhere in SoHo.  In this dark slice of space somewhere near the home stores, this woman never got off the phone while she packaged my purchase and refused my tip.  The ganache was sublime.  god love her, wherever she is.

Sounds like Kee's.

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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Hi Tammylc!

This little place was the size of a large closet, lights off, manual fan on, and offered a choice of 4 or 5 chocolates in a table top case. Could it be Kee's?

Just google image searched Kee's and it was definately not her. My woman was in flip flops. Sounds unkosher, but let me tell you......

Edited by ruthie jewell (log)
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Hi Tammylc! 

  This little place was the size of a large closet, lights off, manual fan on, and offered a choice of 4 or 5 chocolates in a table top case.  Could it be Kee's?

Just google image searched Kee's and it was definately not her.  My woman was in flip flops.  Sounds unkosher, but let me tell you......

The description of the shop sounds spot on, though. Maybe it was an assistant or employee? The time I was there she was busy working in the back corner of the shop with an assistant, and another woman was selling chocolates from the case.

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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I love Kee's Chocolates; she's probably at the top of my list right now. I recently tried her turtles, which I usually dislike in their mass-produced, thick form, and they're amazing. The praline was wonderful, too. Other favorites are the key lime and yuzu. Out of all the artisinal chocolates I've tried, Kee's chocolates seem particularly fresh. The only problem is that she never seems to have all of the chocolates available at one time; she does take orders, though.

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I have to agree. I live in Florida and get the opportunity to visit Norman Love's shop quite often and they are very nice

I, too, live in Florida, about 15 minutes away from Norman Love's Salon du Chocolate. The artistic and culinary quality of his chocolates are outstanding. However, there is another local favorite worth nominating: Ingo Wullaert of Wullaert Belgian Chocolates in Naples, Florida. His artistry is exquisite and the taste matches.

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Expanding the thread of non-ganache chocolatiers ... Purity Candy chocolates are all handmade and delicious. I am particularly fond of their chocolate-covered nuts. You'll find Purity well off the beaten path in Allenwood, PA, on US 15 between Williamsport (home of Little League) and Lewisburg (home of Bucknell U.). If you're wondering why the names Allenwood and Lewisburg sound familiar, it may be because they're home to some (in)famous federal penitentiaries.

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