Paris Insights - The Blog

Dégustation des 10 Plus Grands Crus de Chocolat 75%
(c) Discover Paris!

Pralus was founded around 1948, when August Pralus opened a pastry shop in the town of Roanne. In 1955, he won the distinguished Meilleur Ouvrier de France award, a title attributed to outstanding craftsmen in their trade. And, in the same year, Mr. Pralus created a butter brioche containing praline made from Valencia almonds and Piedmont hazelnuts. The pastry quickly became Pralus’ signature dessert and remains popular to this day.

In 1988, August’s son François took over the business and decided to set up a laboratory dedicated entirely to the manufacture of chocolate. Today, Pralus claims to be one of the last three French Master chocolate makers to make its own chocolate directly from cocoa beans.

We stopped by the Pralus shop on rue Rambuteau and purchased an assortment of single-origin chocolates (75% cocoa). Unlike the single-estate chocolates that we wrote about on January 19 (which come from identifiable chocolate plantations), the single-origin chocolates that Pralus sells are identified with different countries throughout the world.

The assortment that we bought consists of a single square of chocolate from each of the following countries:

Papua New Guinea
Smooth; pure chocolate flavor.

Indonesia
Woodsy, mossy flavor; smooth texture.

Sao Tomé & Principe
Light flavor, but long aftertaste; smooth texture.

Trinidad
Slight aroma of light tobacco; assertive flavor with grassy notes.

Venezuela
Toasty and smooth.

Ecuador
Rich, toasty; slightly fruity flavor.

Colombia
Sweet, slight caramel flavor.

Madagascar
Mild aroma; soft and fruity flavor.

Ghana
Strong aroma; spicy flavor (allspice).

Tanzania
Muted aroma; smokey, woody flavor.

As well as single squares of chocolate, Pralus offers full-sized chocolate bars (100 grams) made from the chocolate of each country.

Pralus has two shops in Paris, one at 35, rue Rambuteau in the 4th arrondissement, and the other on the 6th floor of Galeries Lafayette at 40, boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement.

Bonne dégustation!

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We recently held a blind tasting of some of the best chocolate-covered cherries sold in Paris. To conduct the tasting, we assembled a panel of five specialists, one of whom is a chef, another who is an expert on French wines.

Chocolate-covered cherries are made from morello cherries (called griottes in French) that have been macerated for many weeks in eau de vie. After draining, they are dipped in a solution that consists of sugar, water, and glucose. After dipping, the sugar glaze that forms on the cherries is allowed to dry. Then the cherries are dipped in melted, tempered, dark chocolate and allowed to dry.

Most chocolate-covered cherries contain the cherry stone. The reason that it is not removed is because it is a source of flavor for the cherry. In our sample, all of the cherries had stones save the ones from Foucher.

Some manufacturers use a mechanical process to make chocolate-covered cherries. In this case, the stems are removed before the cherries go through the process. A few manufacturers, such as Jacques Bellanger, keep the stems on the cherries, in which case the product is too delicate to be processed mechanically.

The entries for our tasting (all of which were cited as being artisanal) were the following:

Weiss – Weiss is one of the few chocolate makers in France whose manufacturing process begins with the raw cocoa bean (most chocolate makers use chocolate that has already been extracted from the cocoa bean). Weiss roasts, grinds, and processes its beans to distribute the cocoa butter evenly within the chocolate (a process called conchage in French). From this basic material it creates white-, dark-, and milk-chocolate tablets in different flavors (lemon, coffee, orange…), and chocolate bars and discs. We purchased a box of chocolate-covered cherries from the Weiss boutique on rue de Seine in Paris.

Weiss
62, rue de Seine
75006 Paris

Jean-Charles Rochoux – This shop was founded by Jean-Charles Rochoux in 2004 on rue d’Assas in Paris. His chocolate-making abilities have been widely recognized since that time. In 2008, for example, he was one of the winners of the Grand Prix du Chocolat de Paris, a prize awarded by an association called Les Amants du Chocolat de la Couronne Parisienne. Mr. Rochoux creates imaginative products from chocolate, including truffles, ganaches, fresh-fruit-filled chocolate bars, and molded statues. Everything in his shop is made by hand in his on-site laboratory.

Chocolats Rochoux
16, Rue d’Assas
75006 Paris

Jacques Bellanger – Mr. Bellanger has been awarded several titles in the chocolate-making profession, including Meilleur Ouvrier de France (best pastry chef and confectioner) in 1982. With his production facility in Le Mans, he turns out ice cream, cakes, pastries, and macarons, as well as chocolate confections, including roasted almonds dusted with chocolate, chocolate covered, candied lemon peel, and milk- and dark-chocolate tablets. We purchased his hand-made chocolate-covered cherries from Mococha, a retail shop on rue Mouffetard.

Mococha
89, rue Mouffetard
75005 Paris

Foucher – Foucher’s handsome store on rue du Bac was founded in 1819 by Nicolas Aubin Foucher. The company has been a family-run affair since that date. The illustrations that Foucher has commissioned over the years to enliven its packaged products are reused, year after year, rather than being discarded for something more modern. One of the designs, dating from 1906, is in the Art Nouveau style. Most are colorful, fanciful scenes that evoke reminiscences of fairy tales and adventure stories of childhood.

Foucher
134, rue Bac
75007 Paris

Michel Cluizel – Michel Cluizel is family-run company that was founded in 1947. Like Weiss, it is one of the few manufacturers of chocolate products that creates its confections from the raw cocoa bean. Its production facility is located in Damville in the Normandy region of France. The company prides itself in using only “noble” ingredients: pure cocoa butter and Bourbon vanilla pods. The chocolate contains no added aromas, and is made without the addition of soy-derived lecithin. We purchased Michel Cluizel’s chocolate-covered cherries from its boutique on rue Saint-Honoré.

Michel Cluizel
201 rue Saint Honoré
75001 Paris

Our full report on the chocolate-covered cherry tasting can be found in the February edition of our newsletter Paris Insights. Enter a subscription to learn which of the five entries our tasting panel preferred! Readers of this blog will receive a $5 discount off the annual subscription price. To receive the discount, enter 946010 in the Promotional Code box on the newsletter sign-up page.

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The family-owned company Michel Cluizel is one of the few chocolate makers in France that transforms raw cocoa beans into chocolate confections. They have direct collaboration with cocoa planters around the globe, which accounts for the fact that they can offer a small box containing squares of chocolate from plantations located in different parts of the world. The collection of chocolates is called “Les 1er Crus de Plantation,” which they translate as “Single Estate” chocolates on their U.S. Web site.

Box of Single-estate Chocolates
(c) Discover Paris!

I purchased a box containing sixteen dark-chocolate squares from five different plantations at the Michel Cluizel shop at 201, rue Saint-Honoré: Los Anconès in Santo Domingo, Concepcion in Venezuela, Vila Gracinda in Sâo Tomé, Mangaro in Madagascar, and Maralumi in Papau – New Guinea. Returning to our apartment, my partner and I proceeded to taste them, one by one. The chocolates contain 64% – 67% cocoa, making them slightly bitter. Each chocolate had distinctive flavors, and we appreciated all of them.

I found the Santo Domingo chocolate to be the mildest of the batch. My partner noted a burnt flavor that predominated at first, followed by a slightly fruity flavor. The Michel Cluizel brochure that came with the box affirms notes of licorice, red fruits, green olives, dried currants, and apricots.

My partner declared that the Venezuela chocolate had an initial flavor of earth followed by a nutty flavor. I found its texture to be silky smooth. Michel Cluizel proclaims hints of vanilla, gingerbread, caramel, and dried and black fruits.

I thought that the Sâo Tomé had an earthy flavor. My partner also identified earthy notes, followed by red fruits. Michel Cluizel claims toasted, spicy, herbaceous notes with flavors of ripe tropical fruits and licorice sticks.

For my taste, the Madagascar had notes of pomegranate. My partner tasted caramel, honey, raisins, and banana. Michel Cluizel declares exotic fruit with aromas of gingerbread and citrus fruit.

My partner detected raisins and green apple in the chocolate from Papua New Guinea, while I could not identify a dominant taste or aroma. Michel Cluizel asserts green banana and red currants.

Single-estate chocolates, like fine wines, are to be savored and enjoyed. If you are fortunate enough to have access to some, buy several varieties and conduct your own tasting!

Special announcement!

We organized a taste test on chocolate-covered cherries this month, the results of which we will publish in our Paris Insights newsletter on February 1st.

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We recently stopped by Marie-Hélène Gantois’ chocolate shop—Mococha—on rue Mouffetard to see what chocolate confections she is offering for the Christmas season.

Marie told us that this Christmas she has several new products for chocolate lovers.

From chocolate maker Jacques Bellanger (named Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 1982—best pastry chef and confectioner), there are three types of crunchy bars:

Buggatise – crackly, crunchy praline layered with tender caramel accentuated by fleur de sel (sea salt), coated in dark chocolate

Sybille – the same praline, accompanied by almond paste elaborated with Sicilian pistachios, coated with dark chocolate and decorated with pistachios, almonds, cranberries, walnuts, and hazelnuts

Charlotte – praline with raspberry paste coated with dark chocolate and decorated with pistachios, dried figs, cranberries, and cubes of fruit paste.

Les Barres from Jacques Bellinger
(c) Discover Paris!

The bars are 25 cm (roughly 10 inches) long and are beautifully presented in a transparent wrap bound by ribbons on each end.

Marie has also assembled three chocolate delights in a package that she calls the Mococha “Coffret Craquant.” It is comprised of chocolate-covered, grilled almonds and chocolate-covered, grilled hazelnuts from Maison Weiss, and chocolate dragées wrapped in gold paper from Maison Médicis. There are also boxes of florentines and mendiants by Maison Weiss, chocolate-covered lemon peel and ginger by Weiss, chocolate-covered orange peels by Maison Corsiglia, and marrons glacés by Maison Corsiglia.

As connoisseurs of hot chocolate, we recommend that you stop by Mococha to sample Marie’s delectable brew! Made from Venezuelan dark chocolate (72%), whole milk, crème fleurette, and sugar, it is thick, rich, and slightly fruity in flavor. A cup of this beverage and a macaron by Jacques Bellanger warm both body and spirit!

Place Setting for Hot Chocolate and a Macaron

Mococha
89, rue Mouffetard
75005 Paris
Tel : 01.47.07.13.66
Metro: Censier Daubenton
Hours : Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Monique Y. Wells is cofounder of Discover Paris!—Personalized Itineraries for Independent Travelers and a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of two books, numerous articles about Paris, the Entrée to Black Paris™ blog, and the Les Amis de Beauford Delaney blog.

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Puerto Cacao
(c) Discover Paris!

On a recent excursion into the 17th arrondissement, we stepped into Puerto Cacao, a chocolate shop that processes cocoa beans to make its own confections. (Most of the chocolate vendors that we have heretofore reviewed either create their own confections from refined chocolate or resell chocolates that have been made by somebody else.) The store is spacious and well stocked with sweets in just about every conceivable form, from dark chocolate, to milk chocolate, to white chocolate. Having been inspired by the hot chocolate of Le Cuillère Suisse (which I reported on in my blog of Wednesday, November 17), we were looking for an alternative way to make the beverage.

We were greeted by salesperson Monica Ardelean, who explained to us that she had two products that would serve for making hot chocolate. One was a powdered cocoa sold in a bag; the other was a solid block of Venezuelan chocolate. She expressed greater enthusiasm for the second product, saying that it produced a better brew. Indeed, she sold hot chocolate in her shop and invited us to taste it! We found it hearty and somewhat bitter, but not unpleasantly so.

Monica Andelean
(c) Discover Paris!

We purchased a 310-gram block of the chocolate for 5€ and took it home to try the recipe that Monica gave us. We cut 100 grams (3.5 oz) off the block and melted it in a double boiler on the stove. At the same time we heated one liter (about one quart) of milk in a saucepan. When the chocolate was melted and the milk was hot, we stirred about one-half cup of hot milk into the chocolate, along with 15 grams (about one tablespoon) of sugar and about one-quarter teaspoon of vanilla. We then blended this mixture in a blender. Monica’s recipe called for transferring the blended mixture into the saucepan of milk and stirring. However, the chocolate paste in the blender was too thick to pour, so we reversed the process, adding the milk from the saucepan into the blender. We turned on the blender and – voilà! – we had a frothy, hot chocolate beverage. (For those who try this, the milk should not be hotter than 80°C (176°F) to avoid damage to the blender.)

We found our hot chocolate to be as bitter as the beverage that we had tasted in the store. We realize that chocolate in its purest form is a bitter product, so we added another tablespoon of sugar and another quarter teaspoon of vanilla. This time, the sugar helped temper the aggressiveness of the chocolate. The beverage was hearty and filling.

Making hot chocolate in this way will try the patience of many, especially those who are accustomed to making chocolate milk from instant cocoa powder. There is the wait while the solid chocolate melts and the milk heats; then there is the task of blending the two liquids together. Finally, there are utensils and countertop to clean up afterwards. But the reward for those with forbearance will be a satisfying cup of hot chocolate made from cocoa beans from Venezuela. It is about as authentic a beverage as you can get!

310-gram Block of Venezuelan Chocolate

Melted Venezuelan Chocolate

Hot Venezuelan Chocolate
(c) Discover Paris!

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Thomas Brannstrom
International Excellence Award
Salon du Chocolat 2009
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We met Thomas Brannstrom at his stand Mälarchocolaterie at the Salon du Chocolat. He and his wife, Elaine Chan, produce handmade chocolates at their facility in Vasteras, Sweden. A photo of them together appears on their Web site.

Brannstrom expressed great enthusiasm not only about his line of chocolates, but also about every aspect of the business, from the packaging of his product to the designing and construction of the Mälar exhibition stand at the salon. He proudly pointed out that the beautiful boxes in which the chocolates are sold are created from the fiber of a renewable wood that grows in the forests of Sweden. He was so keen about explaining the minimal environmental impact of his operation that we were hard pressed to turn his attention back to what we were most interested in—chocolate!

We purchased the smallest box and selected an assortment of nine chocolates to place in it. Each variety is exquisitely designed, and many have unusual flavors. I did not realize until later that Mälar produces a number of exotic flavors, including horseradish. I would like to have tried that!

Here is a list of the chocolates that we did taste:

Wolfberry (goji berry) – The wolfberry is cultivated in China. It is a tiny red fruit, and one can see it on top of two of the chocolates in the photograph (below). I was unable to taste the berry in the chocolate, but my partner could. She said that it was reminiscent of cranberry, but not as intense. We both found the chocolate ganache quite flavorful.

Citron Tequila Salt – Lemon-flavored chocolate ganache with a salted top. We could not taste the tequila, but found the chocolate sublime. A cute idea to match lemon, tequila, and salt with chocolate!

Single Malt Whisky – A mild taste of whisky in rich, dark chocolate with an aftertaste of peat.

Port Melon – We were not sure that we tasted melon in this, but we found the chocolate ganache to be as good as they get!

Apple Calvados (apple brandy) – Intensely smooth, unctuous, refined chocolate. My partner tasted a hint of Calvados in the ganache, but I could not.

In retrospect, we realize that we tasted the chocolates in the wrong order, and that the essence of the more subtly flavored varieties was probably masked by the more assertive flavors of others.

Although we could not always identify the flavors for which these chocolates are named, we agree with Mälarchocolaterie’s claim that its chocolates are a “Swedish chocolate luxury.”

Elaine Chan at the Mälarchocolaterie Stand
(c) Discover Paris!

Mälar Chocolates
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La Cuillère Suisse
Chocolate on a Stick
(c) Discover Paris!

One of the stands that we visited at the recent Salon du Chocolat was La Cuillère Suisse. Founded by two women, Barbara Delsaux and Valériane Tinguely, the company specializes in one form of chocolate, and one form only. It is a hardened sphere of chocolate, roughly 1 1/2″ in diameter, mounted on a stick like a lollipop. The idea is to dip the chocolate ball into a cup of hot milk and stir. Then — voilà — you have a cup of hot chocolate!

The chocolate for the Cuillère Suisse is produced by Durig Chocolatier of Lausanne, Switzerland.

We took two cuillères home with us to test them out. We each poured 7 oz of hot milk into a cup, dipped the chocolate into the milk, and stirred. Sure enough, the chocolate began to dissolve into the milk. At one point, as the chocolate melted, we tasted it straight from the lollipop. It was wonderfully sweet, dark, and rich. However, when we finished stirring and tasted the beverage, we found the flavor disappointingly weak. We think that a maximum of 4 oz of milk is required for a rich, thick serving of hot chocolate.

Priced at four Swiss francs a pop (pun intended!), the Cuillère Suisse is an expensive treat. I believe that one would do better to buy a jar of chocolate shavings from any shop that sells chocolate in this form. A couple of heaping tablespoons in a cup of hot milk will make an entirely satisfactory rich, hot chocolate without the gimmickry of a wooden swizzle stick stuck into a chocolate ball.

Perhaps the Cuillère Suisse founders realized that in order to sell what is, in my mind, an expensive, impractical product, they needed to launch a campaign to sex up its image…literally! At their stand they distributed postcard-sized photographs of a stark-naked black woman in various erotic and sexually suggestive poses. One image displays what appears to be a rivulet of melted chocolate trickling down her spine. At the same time, she is gripping her buttocks and holding a Cuillère Suisse.

Sexing Up the Hot Chocolate
(c) Discover Paris!

More than Mere Nudity
Photograph courtesy of La Cuillère Suisse

I think that most of the images on these postcards are inappropriate for promoting what is, after all, just a beverage. Also, the fact that yet another chocolate company is using a naked, black woman to advertise its product is irksome. (Suchard, for example, often uses naked, black women to lend an “exotic” aura to its chocolate.) Moreover, the use of this model in these immodest poses suggests to me that La Cuillière Suisse has advanced beyond the portrayal of erotic nudity into pornographic nudity to promote its product.

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Miguel Laureau
Making a Chocolate Sculpture
(c) Discover Paris!

The 16th annual Salon du Chocolat was held last weekend at the Porte de Versailles in Paris. We attended one of the early salons, some 15 years ago or so, and remember that samples of chocolate were distributed in abundance. Though few exhibitors were giving away samples this year, enough free product was handed out to satisfy all but the most demanding of chocolate lovers.

The salon attracts exhibitors from all over the world. It features not only chocolate makers from countries such as France, Switzerland, and Belgium, but also cocoa-bean-growing countries such as Mexico, Bolivia, Madagascar, and Saõ Tomé and Principé.

Chocolate was exhibited in all its forms, and it was amazing to see what creative minds can do with it! There were standard chocolate products, such as chocolate bars, chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrups, and standard chocolate shapes, such as domes, squares, rectangles, and disks. But there were also chocolate sculptures and chocolate dresses! The latter were displayed on mannequins and were worn by live models during a fashion show that took place at 5 p.m. each day. Chocolate is more than a delightful sweet, it is a way of life!

The following pictures give an idea of the vastness of the salon and the variety of chocolate-based products that were exhibited.

Mademoiselle Cocoa by Victoire Finaz and Olivia Louvet
(c) Discover Paris!

Three Chocolate Fountains
by Baron Cocoa
(c) Discover Paris!

Chocolate Hats by Choc' Chaud
(c) Discover Paris!

Pouring a Bailey's Frostie
(c) Discover Paris!

Chefs Confering at the Meilleur Ouvrier de France Contest
(c) Discover Paris!

Chocolat Cinagra at the Planetequitable Stand
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See you at the salon next year!

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