The Art of Tasting Chocolate

MOTHER'S DAY? MOONSTRUCK TO THE RESCUE!

May I suggest that you use the occasion of ‘Mother’s Day’ to honor not only your own mother but every dear woman who has had a positive influence on your life? Well, that’s a lot of women, you may be saying. Well, lucky you! Let’s get shoppin’...

MOONSTRUCK

Whimsical, charming, fun and sophisticated. And tasty, too. These are the best words to describe Moonstruck Chocolates Mother’s Day collection of confections. Maybe it’s because I spent my childhood playing with Barbie dolls and spent hours creating miniature items for her home and wardrobe. I don’t know. But I just can’t get over the high cuteness factor of Moonstruck’s confections. And I mean this in a good way. This is a sophisticated cute not a ‘Precious Moments’ cute. This is a cuteness that even the most jaded amongst us will gush over.

Here are some shots of our favorites:

While all of these can be ordered on line why not treat yourself and visit their café on Chestnut Street. Café Manager, Gabriela Nassar, gave us a tour of the spring collection. When you are done shopping for Mom, take a break and enjoy one of their ice cream sundae creations, specialty hot chocolate drinks or an Earl Grey milkshake.

Moonstruck Café, 2109 Chestnut Street, SF, 94123, Monday - Thursday, 7am to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday, 7am to 11pm and Sundays, 7am - 8pm. 

LA COCINA AND CHOCOLATE

The mission of La Cocina is to help lower-income entrepreneurs to start or expand their food business. Priority is given to women of color, Latina and immigrant women. Read more about La Cocina here. Once a year they hold an open house and invite Bay Area retailers and media guests to taste the products from these local businesses and to meet the owners that make up La Cocina. The open house is more party than trade show with live music and the best food ever. Everything I tasted was delicious and deserving of praise. From wedding cakes (Inticing Creations) to all natural frozen meals made for growing kids over 12 months (Peas of Mind) it was wonderful to see what can happen when good ideas are given a chance to grow. So is anyone working with chocolate in this kitchen? Of course. Chocolate as an ingredient is alive and well in these creative chef’s hands.

MIRABAI CHOCOLATES

Andrea Doffing founded her chocolate company in 2005. She uses organic and fair-trade chocolate (Dagoba) to make her delicious confections. The pistachio sage combination was our favorite. Visit her website for information on ordering for weddings, showers and corporate events.

KIKA'S TREATS

Cristina - Kika is her nickname- moved to San Francisco from Brazil in 1999. She has always loved chocolate and knows how to combine it with flavors like cardamom (cardamom shortbread dipped in dark chocolate) or honey (traditional Brazilian honey cake dipped in chocolate). She uses organic and local ingredients such as Straus Butter and E. Guittard chocolate.

CLAIRESQUARES

While not strictly chocolate, Claire Keane does use chocolate as an ingredient in her butter rich shortbread and caramel squares. A favorite of our 11 year old friend Isabel.

POCO DOLCE, A STUDY IN SIMPLE ELEGANCE

Dark. Elegant. Luscious. The three words that come to mind when I conjure up my taste memory of the latest offerings from POCO DOLCE. You may recall seeing their name mentioned in American Vogue this month. They were among the many chocolates ordered up by writer Jeffrey Steingarten for his evaluation. He may not have had space to review all the confections in his possession but he surely missed out by not naming these bonbons among the best. We have loved Kathy Wiley’s Bittersweet Tiles with Sea Salt for a long time. Add the following to the list of favorites.

Turkish Coffee: Dark roasted coffee infused ganache formed into the shape of a stylized coffee bean and thickly enrobed with smooth extra dark chocolate. No cream in this coffee, thanks.

Pistachio: Toasted pistachio pieces in a nutty butter center. The bitter dark chocolate coating offsets the slight sweetness of the pistachio well.

Coconut Almond Praline: The crunchiest of the bon bons. Toasted coconut bits this time in a nutty butter ganache center. Touch of salt to offset the sweetness.

Five Spice Almond: We love the thick mouthfeel of these centers. With the consistency of almond butter (think peanut butter smoothness), subtle five spice infusion and again, we think, a nice sprinkling of salt.

Tangerine: Fresh tangerine flavor is infused into a creamy ganache. This would be an excellent accompaniment to an afternoon cup of Earl Grey or Assam tea.

What all of these confections share, besides remarkable flavor, is a modern form and sense of restraint. Less is so much more here. Not too sweet. Clean, smooth design. Quietly elegant. Visit the website and you will get a sense of how this sense of less is more is carried through in all aspects of presentation and taste. Well done.