Bonbons and truffles from Bespoke Chocolates. Bespoke is a British term for custom-made, applicable to all of the lovely chocolates in this article.
When we were a New York City teen with a palate for good chocolate, we enjoyed Teuscher and Corné de la Toison d’Or, two classic Belgian brands that served a discriminating population. Then came the Godiva revolution—the real Godiva, imported from Belgium, made for Europeans. It was a very different experience before it came to be manufactured here and was Americanized. In its luxurious gold ballotin, for many years, to many Americans, Godiva meant “fine chocolate.”
Then, along with the rest of the food revolution that began in the 1970s, young American chefs and other culinary artists developed a new American cuisine. Along with it came artisan baking, cheesemaking and confectionary. In 1973, amid the Belgian chocolate shops on Madison Avenue, Tom Krön opened Krön Chocolatier with a new American vision of fine chocolate. Other young chocolatiers followed, melding European technique with American flair. Today, America is much like Europe, with numerous cities and towns boasting a notable artisan confectioner.
The chocolatiers in this article are a joy for chocolate lovers. Thanks to the internet, you can visit stores across the country and sample their wares. In Part IV of her sampling excursion, THE NIBBLE’s chocolate sleuth, Stephanie Zonis, presents her latest favorites for your consideration—and in enough time to order them for Mother’s Day gifts. Read the full review, and enjoy her chocolate discoveries.
Instead of bringing butter to the table in a rectangular brick, serve it in ramekins, like some fine restaurants do. In addition to plain butter, you can easily make and serve different flavored butters with style. Use a knife to score decorative cross-hatches on the top; and if you’re of an artistic nature, add a few fresh herb leaves or capers to the center or edges. Or, sprinkle the top of sweet butter with sea salt.
To any suspicious foodies out there who think of tofu as a little more than the poor man’s protein: Executive Chef Craig Koketsu of Park Avenue Spring and Quality Meats has recently proven you wrong. As it happens, April is “Soy Foods Month,” and in honor of the sometimes-stigmatized soy product Koketsu created and executed a tofu-centric gourmet menu, featuring the ingredient in an appetizer, entree and dessert. Click here to read more about Koketsu and his ingenious experiment with tofu’s taste and texture.
Turns out there is no such thing as Grill Season. Serious grillers and so-called barbecue-tionists use their grills all year round, according to a recent survey by The Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association. Still, when the rains pass and the weather gets warm, we find ourselves drawn out of doors…into the streets…and, inevitably, toward the wafting smell of charcoal. Click here for a round-up of 15 grill recipes that recently won a place in Crisco’s Cooking Spray Hall of Fame. Recipes include Pineapple Ribs, a Grilled Sweet Potato Salad, and Cardamom-Scented Tropical Fruit Skewers. Grill away– but don’t be too surprised to find a NIBBLE editor wandering up your driveway.
We don’t need too much encouragement to indulge in cheesecake. But The Cheesecake Factory is offering perks to entice customers to visit and visit again. (That is, perks on top of the permanent perk of the restaurant’s consistently good you-know-what.) Stop into your local Cheesecake Factory before Mother’s Day–that’s May 10, for the deliquent children out there–and you’ll receive two gift cards: the first for a complimentary small plate or snack with the purchase of any two entrees of $9.95 or more; the second, for a complimentary slice of cheesecake with every $30 purchase. Think about it, friends: eat a lot of food, and you will be rewarded with a lot of free cheesecake.
The Cheesecake Factory is also holding the Share Your Celebration Sweepstakes. Submit a photo that captures a celebratory moment and you’ll be registered to win a four-day trip for four to Celebration, Florida.
Click here to learn more about special offers at the Cheesecake Factory and the Share Your Celebration Sweepstakes!