Here’s an idea from Éclat Chocolate, an artisan chocolatier in West Chester, Pennsylvania (shipping nationwide, of course).

They topped a cup of hot chocolate (photo #1) with one of their “mendiants” or “mondiants,” plain or filled chocolate disks.

The disks melt, of course, making an even more chocolatey cup of hot chocolate (photo #2).

As the chocolate melts into the drink, you can eat the melty chocolate with a spoon, or stir it into the beverage.

It’s much richer than stirring in a garnish of whipped cream.
 
 
MENDIANTS, MONDIANTS & FRENCH MONDIANTS

French mendiants (photo #4) are different from what Éclat calls mendiants (photo #2—see footnote for an explanation of the classic French mendiants).

Éclat’s Mendiants

Éclat’s mendiants are plain chocolate disks, available in five varieties.

 
Éclat’s Mondiants

“Mondiants” are a name created by Éclat to describe filled disks of chocolate. They’re available in:

 
Both Éclat’s mendiants and mondiants have beautifully designed and textured surfaces.

In addition to enjoying one as a nice piece of chocolate, either mendiant or mondiant can be:

 
 
CHARMING GIFTS

From Eclat’s mendiants and mondiants to the others shown in the photos, all are welcome holiday gifts for those who appreciate fine chocolate.
 
 
> CHOCOLATE GLOSSARY: TERMINOLOGY & TYPES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF HOT CHOCOLATE
 
 
> HOT CHOCOLATE & COCOA: THE DIFFERENCE
 
 
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*Mendiants (French for mendicants, i.e. beggars) are traditional French chocolates: disks or bars of chocolate that are studded with nuts and dried fruits. Mendiants can also be made in large slabs and then broken into smaller pieces, like bark.

The colors of the nuts and fruits traditionally referenced the color of the monastic robes of the orders of the Augustinians (hazelnuts), Carmelites (almonds), Dominicans (raisins) and Franciscans (dried fig—photo #4). Today, a wider variety of fruits, peels and seeds are used: candied orange peel, dried cranberries and coconut, for example.

Unlike chocolate bars that enrobe the nuts and fruits, mendiants are created with the fruits and nuts studded on top, to offer visual appeal.

[1] A cup of hot chocolate, waiting for its mendiant or mondiant (photos #1, #2 and #3 © Éclat Chocolate).

[2] Hot Chocolate with a mendiant garnish. The chocolate disk will melt into the beverage, making it more chocolatey.

[3] Caramel mondiants, one of three flavors in a “keeper” gift box.

[4] French mendiants from Michel Cluizel (photo © Michel Cluizel).

[5] These Americanized French-style mendiants from Woodhouse Chocolate use bright fruits in addition to nuts (photo © Woodhouse Chocolate).

[1] You can buy a Cluizel chocolate bar (next photo), or make your own with this kit (photo © Michel Cluizel)

[2] If you can’t find Michel Cluizel chocolate locally, head to a specialty chocolate site like Worldwide Chocolate (photo © Worldwide Chocolate).

Here’s a terrific gift for a lover of fine chocolate.

Michel Cluizel, one of the world’s great chocolatiers (more about him below), has created a bar-making kit that lets us chocolate lovers experience the pleasure of making our own bars.

The Michel Cluizel Indulgence Bar Kit is a reusable insulated bag with all the ingredients to make four gourmet chocolate bars—with your favorite toppings—in your own kitchen. The kit includes:

 
It’s fun and delicious!

Here’s a video that shows how easy bar-making is. The video is also accessible via a QR code in the package.
 
 
> GET YOUR CHOCOLATE BAR KIT HERE
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
 
 
> CHOCOLATE TERMINOLOGY & THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHOCOLATE
 

ABOUT MICHEL CLUIZEL CHOCOLATE

Michel Cluizel is a family business that started in 1947 in Normandy, France when pastry chefs Marc and Marcelle Cluizel decided to venture into the world of fine chocolate.

Cluizel takes immense pride in quality ingredients, using strictly cane sugar and Bourbon vanilla pods.

To enable the purest chocolate flavors he avoids lecithin—an emulsifier commonly used for added smoothness and mouthfeel—so that every nuance of the cacao shines through.

In the 1980s, the company produced the first chocolate with 72% cacao. Cluizel also debuted “Noir Infini,” the first 99% cacao chocolat.

In 2000, the brand obtained the “Noble Ingredients” label, that guarantees consumers that all of Cluizel chocolate is made with pure cocoa butter, free of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), without artificial colors or flavors.

In 2012 Cluizel was recognized as a “Living Heritage Company,” a distinction awarded to French firms with exceptional craftsmanship skills, and industries that know how to reconcile tradition and innovation [source].

In 2005, his sons Marc, Catherine, and Sylvie took over the business, and their children, the fourth generation, have recently joined.

Read more about Michel Cluizel and the world’s other great chocolatiers here.

Michel Cluizel passed away on May 26, 2020 at the age of 87. As long as people desire fine chocolate, his name and legacy will be lauded.

Here’s a tip for everyone who cooks:

Do you use a peppermill?

If not, why not? Pre-ground pepper from the store has half the flavor of freshly-ground.
 
 
A BETTER WAY TO GRIND PEPPER, SALT & SPICES

When you cook a lot and grind a lot of pepper, the idea of not having to turn the mill 10 times is very appealing!

Small conveniences in the kitchen can make a big difference in daily cooking. That’s why we recommend the Kyocera Electric Mill for grinding pepper, salt—or spices.

It can easily grind coarse salts, wet salts, peppercorns or spices: celery seeds, cumin seeds, flax seeds, mustard seeds, sesame seeds and more.

The Kyocera Electric Mill is a one-hand operation with the flexibility to choose your grind, from fine to coarse.

It’s ultra-quiet, too: no jarring grinding noise.
 
 
FEATURES & BENEFITS

 
Plus, it reducing fatigue from repetitive motion for people with arthritis, carpal tunnel and general overuse of hands.

We’d been using a high-end manual mill, but the Kyocera Electric Mill has become a must-have tool we never knew we needed.

In addition to easily changing the size of the grind, we love the one-handed operation. Just press the button!

In fact, you may want more than one: Black for pepper, White for salt.

See the mill in action here.
 
 
GET YOUR ELECTRIC MILL HERE!

In Black or White, $49.95.

[1] The handsome electric spice mills are available in black or white (all photos © Kyocera).

[2] One-handed operation. The stand (at right) catches residual grinds.

[3] It’s attractive on the dinner table.

*Ceramic is a pure material that is 50% harder than steel and close to diamonds in hardness on the Mohs Hardness Scale. The ceramic burr in Kyocera’s electric mills will last much longer than other materials and won’t flake or chip into the spices like an acrylic might.

[1] We The People Glasses gift set at Knackshops (photo © Knackshops).

[2] If you want a single glass or glasses, head to the New York Historical Society (photo © New York Historical Society).

[3] Bundle the glasses with a bottle of spirits. This is a top expression of Glenfiddich in a Baccarat bottle, but a standard bottle of anything will do (photo © Scotch Whisky).

Toast to freedom with a Constitution Rocks Glass (photos #1 and #2).

It showcases an authentic reproduction of the Preamble to the Constitution Of The United States: We the people.

It’s a novel gift for whiskey lovers, lawyers, law students, U.S. history buffs, patriots and proud Americans everywhere.

The deluxe boxed gift set (photo #1) includes:

 
Get the gift set from Knackshops.

To purchase a single glass or multiple single glasses, gift boxed, head to The New York Historical Society Shop.

Here are variations of the glass with the Declaration of Independence, including a We The People beer glass.

Option: Add a bottle.

For an even more welcome gift, add a bottle of the recipient’s favorite spirit (it doesn’t have to be as high-tone as photo #3)!
 
 
WHAT IS A ROCKS GLASS?

A rocks glass, also known as an old fashioned glass and a lowball glass, is a short tumbler used for serving spirits, neat or with ice cubes (on the rocks).

Lovers of spicy chai tea have an alternative to black tea.

This chai from Fave Tea is made with a base of rooibos (red tea), an herbal tea that’s naturally caffeine-free (photo #1).

Now, chai fans who don’t want caffeine free can enjoy it day or night.

While most herbal teas don’t mix well with milk or cream, rooibos chai takes either, very well.

If you like sweetened tea, add your sweetener of choice. It will enhance the cardamom and peppercorn notes of the chai.

What is chai?

Chai tea is an erroneous American term for what should be called masala chai. In Hindi, chai is the generic* word for tea; masala means spiced.

In other words, it’s spiced tea.

What is rooibos?

Pronounced ROY-boss, rooibos is a bush that grows in South Africa. The name means red bush in the Afrikaans† language; the leaves steep into a red-colored brew (photo #2).

Honeybush is a cousin to rooibos, also cultivated in South Africa. It is similar in flavor (slightly sweeter with a fuller body) but its flowers have the aroma of honey; hence the name.

Rooibos is very healthy: no caffeine, high levels of antioxidants and low levels of tannin. Children—even infants—can drink it.

Ready to drink some?
 
 
> GET YOUR ROOIBOS CHAI HERE.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA & TEA TERMS

> THE HISTORY OF CHAI TEA / MASALA CHAI

> RECIPE TO MAKE YOUR OWN CHAI CONCENTRATE

[1] Fave Tea’s chai tea is a beautiful blend (photo © Fave Tea).

[2] All rooibos teas brew into a red liquor. That’s what the brew is called in tea terms (photo © Republic Of Tea).

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*Traditional chai is a strong black Indian tea infused with milk, sugar, and spices—commonly cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorn, clove and nutmeg (chocolate or licorice also can be used). In India the beverage is known as masala chai, or spiced tea: Masala is the Hindi word for spice, and chai is the Hindi word for tea. While chai is traditionally made from black tea, green tea chai and rooibos chai have become popular.

†CHAI VS. TEA: All related forms of the word chai—Turkish çay, Russian/Persian/Hindi/Urdu chay, etc.—derive from the original Mandarin, cha. Cha became the Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese word for tea. Other Chinese dialects have different words; e.g. the Wu dialect spoken around Shanghai uses the word zu and the Hokkien dialect spoken around the port of Xiamen in the Fujian province uses the word tay. The word “cha” traveled to the Middle East and Eastern countries, while “tay” traveled to Europe and became our word for tea.

Xiamen was the port of trade first used by Europeans (mainly the Portuguese) in 1541. Near the end of the Ming Dynasty, in 1644, British merchants set up trading posts there; in the 19th century, it was China’s main port for exporting tea. As a result, the Hokkien dialect spoken there, not Mandarin which traveled west via overland trade routes, influenced what Europeans called the beverage. What the Xiamenese people call tay, the British spell tea, the French spell thé, the Spanish té, the Italians tè and the Germans, tee. The pronunciation varies from “tay” to “tee.”

Other words from the Hokkien language that entered English: ketchup (kiô-chap), Pekoe (pekh-hô), kowtow (khàu-thâu) and Japan (Jit-pún).

‡Afrikaans is a West Germanic language spoken in South Africa and Namibia and, to a lesser extent, in Botswana and Zimbabwe. It began to develop independently in the 18th century, an offshoot of several Dutch dialects spoken by the mainly Dutch settlers of what is now South Africa.