Sugar Savvy

A while back I had some cocoa financiers that just didn’t go anywhere. I got the idea of using them as breadcrumbs on something, and remembered a cake that was the rage around here about 10 years ago. It went by different names: Diplomat, Choco-flan, Impossible Cake and even Better than Sex Cake. Call it as […]

If you’ve ever been near the German town of Lübeck, you definitely know about Niederegger stores and cafés. If you haven’t been there, or have not heard or tasted their products, grab some the next time you run into them.
Niederegger is the most important marzipan producer in Lübeck, and according to some locals, it’s the […]

Before ever being in Europe I have only vague recollection of Milka Bars. Upon spending some time there, I came to realize how popular the familiar purple wrapper chocolates are. According to a TV news study, a significant percentage of kids in France thought the purple cow was actually a real variety.
On my last trip to Europe, […]

A couple weeks ago I had a run in with yet another limited edition Hershey’s Kiss. My wife received a couple of them decorated with red hearts on the silver foil. The plume read: Dark Raspberry. I wish I had a chance to snap a pic of these little candies, however I’m sans-camera for the […]

I love Ferrero’s chocolate products, mainly Rocher and Kinder. I have also been quite fond of Nutella, although I’m not sure that one’s exactly a chocolate product. Rafaello candies, just haven’t won me over.
It wasn’t until I spent some time in Europe that I got to know Mon Chéri. Visually at least, in three years […]

I love Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream, out of the widespread, commercial ice cream brands, it’s probably my favorite. It’s not just about the creative flavors and their naming. I admire the fact that the company is commited to things like support for farms, fair trade and preserving the nature of products. But in the […]

Before 1990, all there was to Hershey’s kisses was the classic milk chocolate drops wrapped in silvery foil. Then came a few changes in the line-up, such as Almond, Mini and Hugs. However, in the last four or five years, Hershey’s has been giving us new, limited editions of one of the quintessential chocolate candies of America. Some of them have been so […]

Just before going on a Holiday Break, I catered a Graduation Dinner. I had to stick to something relatively easy because the place the dinner was being served didn’t even had a way to keep food cold, let alone frozen. I came up with the idea of Panna Cotta, but I needed to make it […]

I just had a “big” dinner for a small party. It was a celebration and they let me go nuts with the menu. I just love it when I get these opportunities, because they’re a chance to really try out interesting concepts. I had read a while back about a dessert served in Mexico’s Pujol, […]

We all love dessert, obviously. Proof of that is the opening of dessert-centered restaurants or dessert bars, or Pastry chefs opening their restaurants where they play with our tastebuds. Pichet Ong, Sam Mason, Elizabeth Falkner, Will Goldfarb, Chika Tillman and even Alain Ducasse are just some people that one can name as examples of this […]