Hey, that could be a Superhero name!
My friend, Beck, returned today from a month's holiday in Europe - Vienna, Florence & the cinque terre and Paris. Nice! And here's my chocolate booty....because you can't go away to Europe and not come back with European chocolate for your friends, can you?? :-)
She picked up all these things in Paris, on her final few days so they wouldn't melt. Some unusual Lindt flavours we don't get here in Australia; White with vanilla and caramel meringue with whole hazelnuts. How exciting! Plus a block of 67% dark chocolate from specialist maker Debauve & Gallais (founded 1800) made with cocoa beans from St Domingo. I'm looking forward to this one.
I also got a few small choc squares from Angelina's, where she said the hot chocolate almost rivalled that you can get at Brunetti's in Carlton. Lol! And she says she had the best tasting cake in her life there. That's quite some claim.
Underneath, a Kinder Happy Hippo, which seems appropriate if you've ever seen me dance... And apparently they have different Mars Bars over there; this one seems to have wafers in it.
But down here it gets most exciting. Look at those things in the bowl. Don't they look just like olives? Yep, that's why thee makers at Les Berlandises call them chocolate olives! Almonds covered in dark chocolate and glazed so the resemblance is uncanny! Very easy to eat lots of these at once.....none left now...
On the right are some gorgeous boiled lollies with really realistic taste also from Les Berlandises. Apple, Peach, Raspberry, Lemon & Strawberry. I've only tried the apple, but the flavour transcends what you usually get in a sugar lolly.
And underneath are some handmade chocolate from Debauve & Gallais. Something with pistachio. Something with silver leaf. Something made with cocoa beans from Venezuela and, interestingly, something that looks like an Oreo! Beck couldn't remember the fillings, so they'll be a nice surprise.
But with a wedding in about an month, where I'm a bridesmaid, I think I'll be hiding all this chocolate in the freezer for a while!
ah this all looks gorgeous! although i must say that i still favour belgian chocolate over french... going to paris in a month's time, though, and will check all the artisan chocolatiers around (well, a fair amount of them anyway)... sadly i can't send you any, but i'll be thinking of you while i enjoy them!
ReplyDeleteOh, what a lucky girl! I miss European and English chocolate- wth a few exceptions, most American chocolate is just not the same at all.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful gift of goodies! I love edible souvenirs! =)
ReplyDeleteOh I am so envious! Beck seems to have given you a treasure trove. The chocolate olives look like small dinosaur eggs to me, hehehe! Just made the association when you said Kinder Happy Hippo... tee hee!
ReplyDeleteLucky you - much better than the usual souvenirs! You may put that chocolate in the freezer but you'll be able to hear it from there ... !!
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly empathise on the wedding front - I am currently flicking through the "dietesque" section of Nigella's How to Eat and am thinking of blogging a week's worth and seeing how I go. Hmmmn. There is chocolate cake in my fridge, and I can hear it from here!
That's one of the supposedly lo-cal Mars Bars which I refuse to buy on the grounds that diet chocolate is a silly concept. Mostly European Mars Bars are the same teethachingly sweet beige nougat/caramel combo as everywhere else, I think, although the ones you get in mainland Europe are smaller. This may well be a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI always used to buy people sweeties when I went abroad, but I haven't been anywhere with exciting ones in quite a long time...
Nice booty Nic. Lucky you. I have received several food gifts from Japan this month - kinder on the hips fortunately!
ReplyDeleteLovely booty indeed! As a true chocoholic, I can just imagine how happy you were:)
ReplyDeleteWell, I've tasted real chocolate Olives. Actual olives coated in good quality chocolate. There is a business where i am that produce these delicious little things... love the innovation.
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