The traditional French dessert at Christmas is the bûche de Noël, known in English-speaking countries as Yule log. Usually prepared on Christmas Eve, this light sponge cake roll is garnished with either chocolate, mocha or chestnut filling (my favourite!). It is then covered with chocolate icing, raked with a serrated knife or fork to give … Continue reading Bûche de Noël
Swiss Giant Nestlé has increased its stake in artisan chocolatier Pierre Marcolini from seven per cent to 29 per cent. Pierre Marcolini made the announcement earlier this month, according to Swiss newspaper Le Matin. Nestlé had acquired its seven per cent stake in 2007, with an option to convert part of a debenture loan into … Continue reading Nestlé takes bigger bite of Pierre Marcolini
ChocoParis missed the last two MacTweets Mac Attack Challenges, the themed monthly macaron making challenges organised by Deeba and Jamie of MacTweets. Anyone can participate, and it’s a great way to learn while having fun. The deadline for this month’s challenge is December 25th. Ironically, despite not being able to make the deadlines recently, I’ve … Continue reading More macaron adventures
La Maison du Chocolat and Aéroports de Paris will be distributing free chocolates to holiday travellers this month. Aéroports de Paris hostesses will be handing out the goodies – two varieties of dark chocolate ganache bonbons – to travellers at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle (Roissy) Terminals 2E and 2F (Schengen Zone) on the weekends of December 18/19 and … Continue reading La Maison du Chocolat chocolates for Roissy travellers
Chocolatier Pierre Cluizel has just opened his first chocolate “concept store” in the heart of Paris’s Saint-Germain-des-Prés district. Located in the historic Cour du Commerce Saint-André at the base of the ancient 13th-century city walls built by Philippe Auguste, the brand new, 800-square metre store features a chocolate shop, pâtisserie, bar, restaurant, lounge and chocolate … Continue reading Un Dimanche à Paris: Pierre Cluizel’s chocolate dream store
Chocolatier Patrick Roger never ceases to amaze with his artistry and super-sized chocolate creations. His latest masterpiece is a 10-metre tall chocolate Christmas tree, specially created for the 24th edition of France’s annual Téléthon, taking place on 3 and 4 December 2010 to raise funds for l’Association Française contre les Myopathies (AFM). The tree, which … Continue reading Take home a piece of Patrick Roger’s giant chocolate Christmas tree
The Club des Croqueurs de Chocolat has named France’s top 155 chocolatiers for 2010. At the top of this year’s list, and winners of the prestigious Award du Chocolat, are Jean-Paul Hévin, Pierre Hermé, Fabrice Gillote, Jacques Genin, Anne-Françoise Benoit, Gilles Cresno, Jean-Emile Schmitt, Pascal Le Gac, Patrick Roger, Vincent Guerlais, François Pralus and Richard … Continue reading Top French chocolatier awards for 2010
