It’s February, and you know what that means: time for sweethearts, red roses, and chocolate! Yes, February is Chocolate Month at Chelsea Market Baskets, and we are excited to showcase delicious classics and introduce new favorites. We’re always looking for local vendors as well as the best products from all over the world, and our chocolate selection is no exception. Whether your looking for milk or dark chocolate, unusually filled truffles or solid bars, we have got the perfect sweet for you (and your sweetie)!
Brand new to the store are the nostalgic creations from H.S. Chocolate Co, each confection is hand-crafted in small batches in Brooklyn, and the flavors are reminiscent of childhood’s favorite sweets, but dressed up a bit for grown-up tastebuds. Take the Fluffernutter: whipped marshmallow cream, peanut butter and roasted peanuts enrobed in chocolate- there is no kidding around with those sweet flavors! Or the Bourbon Brown Sugar Pecan dipped in milk chocolate that evokes a decadent, intoxicating pecan pie! In a surprising savory foray, CMB would encourage you to try a candy bar close to our cheese-loving hearts: the Figgy Blue is comprised of layers of fig ganache, soft nougat with toasted walnuts, and Bayley Hazen Blue cheese from Jasper Hill Farms (where we source our best-selling aged cheddar). The candy bars (Figgy Blue, Raspberry Ragtime, and Troop 652) are each $5.95, and the filled chocolates (Fluffernutter, Peanut Butter Pretzel, and Bourbon Brown Sugar Pecan) are each $3.25. Look forward to an H.S. Chocolate Co Demo- and meet the chocophile behind the brand, MaryAnne Hoekstra-Shekar- at CMB on February 11 from 12-4pm.
If you read David’s recent blog post, you saw that he’s headed to Paris, the home of our recent Chocolate Show discovery: Comptoir du Cacao and the palate pleasing flaky praline. It’s the heart of the brand and you haven’t tried anything like it! Toasted flakes add crunch to a soft chocolate base with a hint of classic raspberry, hazelnut, hazelnut-salted butter caramel, or hazelnut-pistachio pieces, then a single layer of chocolate seals in the flakes and is cut into bite-sized squares. At the recent Paris Chocolate show, the hazelnut and butter-salted caramel flavors won 1st and 2ndplace respectively. A box of each flavor at Chelsea Market Baskets is $21.95, but if you really want to make a grand gesture this Valentine’s Day, you can get the large assortment of flavors for $42.95. We also are carrying the Comptoir du Cacao truffle assortment ($34.95) and solid flavored chocolate bars ($8.95). There is a rusticity in the wooden packaging that belies the sophisticated flavors, but the sealed top that allows you to see the chocolates inside takes any guess work out of gift giving!It’s a great time to be a chocoholic- you could pick-up a piece of chocolate every day and still not have tasted your way through our whole selection! CMB is pleased that our customers have come to depend on us as a destination for great chocolate no matter what their mood or tastes are dictating. Whether it’s Leonidas, Akesson’s, Mast Brothers, Fran’s, Askinosie, or Tumbador, we’ve got what you’re looking for so stop in and celebrate chocolate month with CMB! Also, keep checking in with us on Facebook and now on Twitter (@cmbstore) for updates regarding chocolate tastings and demos throughout the month.
