I guess Valentine’s Day is as good an excuse as any to woof down some lovely chocolate bonbons. Here are some of the intriguing chocolates I found at the recent Fancy Food Show (a semi-annual trade show sponsored by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade).
- Poco Dolce is a small San Francisco operation turning out exquisite bittersweet chocolate “tiles” brimming with bits of crystallized ginger, burnt caramel toffee, almonds, hazelnut or sesame toffee. Each delicious square is topped with flakes of gray sea salt. A box of 16 assorted tiles is $34. They’re at some Whole Foods stores and at www.pocodolce.com.
- Brownie Pops are little brownies, the size of a fat Tootsie Roll, dipped in chocolate, decorated with lots of “flair” and perched on the end of a little stick. They’re adorable and delicious and not the same-old, same-old candies that every other Valentine in your social circle will get this year (which automatically gets you extra, er, brownie points). They come in Peanut Butter, Peppermint, Chocolate Malted and Caramel flavors, among others, and have special red squiggles and swirls for this occasion. A six-pack costs $18 at www.browniepops.com.
- Charles Chocolates taste as good as they look. This year there’s a cool edible chocolate box. The white chocolate lid is swirled with red hearts. It holds a pound of the company’s signature bittersweet hearts filled with raspberry, passion fruit and mojito creams. It’s $60 at www.charleschocolates.com.
- OK. So you’re on a budget. Don’t despair. One of the most scrumptious treats out there costs less than five bucks: A tub of Mini Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups at Trader Joe’s. Even better than the real thing.
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