Mouthing Off

Boxed candies can be supremely delicious and sexy. But to impress the truly chocolate-obsessed Valentine on Thursday—and provide shopping alternatives for stumped procrastinators—Momofuku Milk Bar’s sugar mastermind, Christina Tosi, reveals some of the more creative ways to enjoy chocolate.

1. Pair with fruits and vegetables. “Chocolate is a great way to hide the ‘healthy’ in your next tomato cake, beet, celery root or potato concoction, or zucchini bread!”

2. Serve with cheese. “Dark chocolate is great with any grassy cheese, and a great surprise on a cheese platter. You can even make a killer fudge sauce/spread with some grassy goat milk, to sit on your next cheese platter.”

3. Burn it. “Did you know that burning white chocolate slowly makes the most delicious, sweet brown butter bits?” Now you do.

4. Eat it on toast. “Or in toast! With passion fruit curd and a cup of coffee.”

5. Smoke it. “My first run in with this was working as a pastry cook for Sam Mason and chef Wylie Dufresne at WD-50 in New York. We turned smoked chocolate into a killer ice cream.”

Follow writer Jasmin Sun on Twitter @jasminsun.

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One of the best hot chocolates in the country will soon be available nationwide. New York’s City Bakery has become famous for its dedication to hot chocolate: During its annual Hot Chocolate Festival in February, it offers different flavors (fresh ginger, bourbon) every day. But owner Maury Rubin’s classic version has the biggest cult following. Count F&W’s editor in chief, Dana Cowin, among the drink’s fervent devotees. “I will take a 40-minute trip downtown for this hot chocolate because it’s available nowhere else in the universe,” she says. That's about to change.

Food & Wine's senior recipe developer, Grace Parisi, is a Test Kitchen superstar. In this series, she shares some of her favorite recipes to make right now.

The funny thing about crêpes is that I always forget just how easy they are to make until I have to test or develop a recipe for them. Then, I remind myself to make them more often (which I never do). I have started tearing out, bookmarking and flagging old recipes that I’ve either developed or tested and loved and have forgotten about. (I may have to try get a Pinterest account.)

It’s hard to remember what happened last week, let alone in 2001 (unless, of course, you’re Tina Ujlaki, whose memory is positively elephant-like), so forcing myself to look back has been supercomforting. There are dozens and dozens of recipes that I’d always wanted to make again, but then I had to move on to the next thing and poof, they disappeared. I’m going to try this chocolate and dulce de leche torte again—I know my kids will go crazy for it. SEE RECIPE »

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Food & Wine's senior recipe developer, Grace Parisi, is a Test Kitchen superstar. In this series, she shares some of her favorite recipes to make right now.

More than Christmas, more than 4th of July, more even than my birthday, I love Halloween! It wasn’t always this way. I think I had to have kids to fully embrace the total fun-ness of it all. Plus, license to consume more sweets in 24 hours than a person should have in an entire month doesn’t pass without great appreciation. In an effort to keep my kids from over-over-overindulging, I sometimes swipe bits here and there, but they’re so maniacal about cataloging their loot that they know exactly what’s there and what’s not. “Hey! Who took one of my Take 5 bars?” A friend of mine (more clever? or more piggy?) laid down the law with her daughter from the very beginning. “You pick half of what you collected and we give the other half to those less fortunate.” Hmmm... When I throw Halloween parties, I always include these chocolate mice along with loads of other sweets and savories. They’re so cute, and kind of gross if you put them all over other foods. When it’s not Halloween, they can be formed into balls for adorable cake-pop truffles. SEE RECIPE »

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The Week in Food looks at noteworthy food or food-related inventions, announcements and other "firsts" throughout history.
 
Chewy, crumbly and often crispy too, chocolate chip cookies are an obsession of first-time bakers and experts. But the perfect and seemingly obvious combination of semisweet chocolate bits and sweet, buttery dough is actually the result of a baking accident by a woman born this week, on June 17, in 1903.

The delicious accident. >>>

Just in time for Mother's Day, Godiva has teamed up wiht Lauren Bush to offer groovy Feed 10 bags. Read more>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When a new batch of chocolates arrives at Food & Wine's office for taste-testing, the staff goes into a frenzy. For Valentine's Day, our editors had the difficult task of sampling traditional heart-shape-boxed chocolates that you can find right in your neighborhood drugstore. It wasn't all pretty, but here are some of the top picks. While boxed chocolates are a no-brainer for the holiday, the judges also revealed some of their favorite unique bars that can be tied with a ribbon for a more personalized gift--from gorgeously-wrapped single-origin chocolate to potato-chip-filled bars, which are perfect for Valentines who love candy that's salty and sweet.

DRUGSTORE/SUPERMARKET
Dove Silky Smooth Select Chocolates Heart Box
Description: Milk chocolate and peanut butter truffle hearts, dark chocolate hearts, caramel hearts
Staff comments: "I think these are really good. The peanut butter truffle hearts are yummy. The shell-to-filling ratio and textures are perfect. Good balance between chocolate and peanut buttery goodness. Crowd-pleasing. Nice and creamy chocolate with a good mouth feel." $15 for 8.13 oz. heart-shaped tin, dovechocolate.com

Hershey's Pot of Gold Premium Collection Red Pillow Pattern Heart Box
Description: Assorted truffles, nut clusters and caramels
Staff comments: "Caramel texture is nice and smooth. The almond crème is sweet, creamy and pleasant. Pecan caramel cluster is good too-caramel is very soft but nice if you like very sweet chocolate." $10 for 8.9 oz heart-shaped box; hersheys.com.

Green & Black's Organic Ginger Bar
Description: Dark chocolate bar with organic crystallized ginger
Staff comments: "The thick slices of crystallized ginger add zing." $3.50 for 3.5 oz; greenandblacks.com.

MID-PRICED
Godiva Nut and Caramel Gift Box
Description: Assorted chocolate-covered caramel and nut pieces
Staff comments: "I especially like the gooey caramels. The praline fillings are delicious, creamy and nutty. Chocolate is creamy and has nice depth of flavor." $32 for 10.6 oz; godiva.com.

Chuao Chocolatier's Potato Chips in Chocolate Bar
Description: Milk chocolate bar with kettle cooked potato chips
Staff comments: "This is a brilliant idea. Two of my favorite things: the salty, crunchy chips contrasted with creamy milk chocolate." $6 for 2.82 oz; chuaochocolatier.com.

Scharffen Berger 62% Cacao Dark Chocolate Nibby
Description: Dark chocolate bar with roasted cacao beans
Staff comments: "The cacao nibs add an awesome crunch." $5 for 3 oz; scharffenberger.com.

ARTISAN
Veruca Chocolates Box
Description: Handmade filled-chocolate truffles in assorted flavors like hazelnut-cinnamon, lavender-vanilla, burnt caramel ganache and dulce de leche
Staff comments: "Wow these are terrific. The flavors are strong and straightforward. Lavender-vanilla is floral but subtle enough." $40 for 18 piece box; verucachocolates.com.

Mast Brothers Chocolates, Assorted Bars
Description: Gift-paper wrapped single-origin dark chocolate bars named after the sources of the cacao beans like Papua New Guinea, Moho River, Sambirano Valley, and La Red de Guaconejo
Staff comments: "These are for the intrepid chocolate taster who really, really likes dark chocolate. They're interesting and certainly showcase the tangy, tropical, jungle-y, terroir-driven flavors of chocolate. They are all so distinct! La Red is really tobacco-y, but good, and the Papua New Guinea is so smoky-like whiskey!" $8 for 2.5 oz; mastbrothers.com.

Suzanne's Chocolaterie's Chocolate Bars
Description: Elegant slim dark chocolate bars filled with caramel crunch, hazelnut praline and coconut crème
Staff comments: "The caramel crunch bar is amazing and so smart with the super light, airy honeycomb--love it. The delicate chocolate shell is smooth, has a deep, rich flavor, a nice snap and a great bitter finish." $5.50 for 1.5 oz; suzanneschocolaterie.com.

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