Kosher Critic: Chocolates for Chanukah
No one told me that when I entered into adulthood I would end up attending a large number of Chanukah/Holiday parties in which I was asked to bring a reasonably priced gift. This year I have decided to give the gift that everyone loves, chocolate. Now it is my humble opinion that if you are buying someone a present of chocolate, then you need to make sure that the chocolate you give is of a quality and stature that makes it worthy of being called a gift; and I believe that no brand of gourmet chocolate that represents that ideal more then boutique chocolatier Michel Cluizel.
I have written about Michel Cluizel before in my latest Kosherfest review for their truly decadent chocolate truffles. So not long after the kosher food show, I found myself in Michel Cluizel’s shop, located at Fifth avenue at 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan, so that I could further sample their wares. The store is small but elegant, with a distinctly French feel. The granite counter is lined with chocolate delicacies, each of which are freshly made on site. I sampled a wide range of the company’s chocolates, each of which were so unique and singularly delicious, that it deserves a separate article of its own.
My favorite individual chocolate was the Earl Gray truffle, which is a fantastic amalgamation of dark chocolate and traditional English tea. The rich dark chocolate serves as a velvety base for the truffle, and the wonderfully earthy tea flavor mellows the bitterness that is present in all dark chocolates. I loved this truffle not just for it’s originality, but because of how well balanced the flavors were. It wasn’t overly sweet, and it hit a perfect note of sweet, earthy, bitter and rich.
A close second is the passion fruit-filled chocolates. While normally fruit-filled chocolates tend to be overly floral, Michel Cluizel’s dedication to using only the freshest ingredients has given them the ability to create a fruit cream that is fabulously decadent, and possess a bright vibrant fruity flavor. The cream’s flavor was as fresh as if I was eating an actual passion fruit surrounded by marvelous dark chocolate.
