Don’t laugh at me, but I love fruitcake like the one pictured here that’s made with good ingredients. So how could I resist the pretty and organic (at least mostly so) fruitcakes on display in the Whole Earth Center bakery? These are made with whole wheat pastry flour, and organic dried fruits instead of the the heavily sugared and … Continue reading
Filed under Sweets …
Golden Egg Nog Truffles @ Donna & Company
I’m always going on about the fine artisan chocolates that come from Donna & Company in Cranford. Owner Diane Pinder also operates the Donna Toscana Chocolate Lounge in Cranford, and I have my fingers perpetually crossed in hopes of being able to buy her exquisite chocolates in the Princeton area some day. Meanwhile, you can order online … Continue reading
Kallari Chocolate at Whole Foods Dec. 5, 11:00am
Look for this leaf on a chocolate bar near you. I’ve sampled Kallari‘s chocolates at Whole Foods once or twice before, and really liked them. Their cacao beans are organically grown (Rainforest certified) and harvested by a cooperative of family farmers in the Amazon. The beans travel less than 7 hours to Quito for chocolate production. 100 percent … Continue reading
Panna Cotta
Panna Cotta means “cooked cream.” If you check out the link to the Wikipedia page on this traditional Italian dessert, you’ll see a photo showing panna cotta with blackberry sauce. My friend Vesna, who made the version pictured here on the left, went that chef one better I think. She had full-of-flavor Concord grapes to use … Continue reading
The Things I Do For You
I threw myself in front of the money bus for this one, dear reader. $11.99 at Whole Foods! But I couldn’t resist this Bacon Caramel Toffee from high-end Vosges chocolatier. And the bacon is Neuske’s. It’s made with 42% milk chocolate, not dark, but that might be the right thing here, with the extra creaminess offsetting the … Continue reading
Mousse-alicious!
I’m in love. This is reduced fat chocolate mousse from Whole Foods. It’s made from tofu, chocolate, and brown rice syrup (a low glycemic sweetener). Until I added that dairy whipped cream, it was vegan, too. It is rich and smooth, with a little bit of crunchy chocolate here and there. It is just delicious, and … Continue reading
Tea Party
Pretty, isn’t it? I recently received an invitation to a gourmet tea and chocolate tasting hosted by Taking Tea In Style, a local company that creates elegant Tea Parties for organizations and individuals. They also teach tea etiquette and table manners for children (up to 18 yrs), and offer private lessons. They also sell specialty teas and pretty accessories. … Continue reading
Sweet Allentown
Allentown (NJ) is a sweet little town, made sweeter still by a chocolate shop and a bakery near the intersection of Church (Rte. 526) and Main Streets. I drive right by on my way to and from LBI, and recently noticed a couple of places worth checking out. I returned on a weekday morning, and … Continue reading
Italian Prune Plums
I always eagerly await the arrival of those small, oval, Italian prune plums in the markets. The cashiers often ask what they are, or how they differ from the bigger round plums. To me, those are sweeter and for eating out of hand, while Italian plums need to be cooked to bring out their sweetness. They … Continue reading
For the Willy Wonka in you…
Here’s a dream of an opportunity – a big chocolate factory in Canada (formerly a Hershey’s factory) is being auctioned off on August 27 by the M. Davis Group, “The Leader in Food & Dairy Auctions.” The brochure is entertaining, full of photos of Rube Goldberg-esque processing equipment for candy, chocolate, nuts, and confectionery products. Got a sweet tooth and some … Continue reading
NJ SPICE 