Dirigé par le trio de réalisateurs Ty Evans, Spike Jonze et Cory Weincheque, voici ce trailer sur la bande son Rainbow Arabia – “Without You”. Produit par CrailTap pour les deux marques Girl & Chocolate, avec la présence de plus de 20 riders. Prévu pour une sortie en 2012.
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Sweets produced sustainably in Hawaii with some of the world’s rarest cacao
As the only U.S. state with the tropical conditions to cultivate cacao, Hawaii has been producing the sweet-yielding bean since the 1850s. In recent years the demand has raised chocolate production in the 50th State, bringing with it a new breed of chocolatiers focused on small-batch, sustainable processes. Central to the movement is Malie Kai Chocolates, which makes an assortment of limited-quantity bars on the North Shore of Oahu, handling each step of production from harvest to processing. The region’s richly fertile soil yields only a small quantity of cacao, making its single-estate chocolates some of the rarest in the world.
With a stock that’s constantly shifting to account for the seasonal availability of ingredients, Malie Kai Chocolates currently offers seven different bars, ranging from traditional dark chocolate to rich coffee-oriented bars with a bit of a kick. Our favorite so far has been the Kona espresso bar, with a rich coffee taste that blends nicely with the chocolate’s native, fruity flavor. Another standout is the limited-edition Cocoa with Nibs bar, made with fermented cacao pods dried in the Hawiian sun for a nice texture and added hint of flavor.
Although mostly only available in brick and mortar stores in Hawaii, some Malie Kai products can be found online through Hawaiian Bath and Body and in Japan at Hawaiian Host Japan.
Commune Design and Valerie Confections join forces once again
Valerie Confections has launched its second chocolate collaboration with Commune Design, taking a psychedelic departure from last year’s Byzantine tile-inspired box of sweets. Inside the new Woodstock-themed wrappers, chocolatier Valerie Gordon has packed more than a dozen ingredients inside her giant handmade Super-Choc-O-Food, transforming a sugary treat into a substantial portion of almonds, cashews, peanuts, macadamias, golden raisins, dried pears, apricots, sunflower seeds, soy salt, and caramel.
“As a starting point in the new design, we wanted to do an oversized chocolate bar that was packed with ingredients,” says Gordon. “The idea of the chocolate as a ‘Space Bar’ coalesced, inspiring the subsequent design work by Commune, which might be described as late ’60s retro-futurism. What the chocolate bar of the future might have been imagined to be.” She describes the packaging as a “design explosion,” with an image of Adam and Eve on the back that reads, “Chocolate is a divine celestial
drink, the sweat of the stars, the vital seed, divine nectar, the drink of the gods,
panacea and universal medicine.” Amen.
Super-Choc-O-Food comes in a set of three 225-gram bars, available at the Valerie Confections e-shop for $60.
Buddhas, lips and turtles abound in a California chocolatier
While walking along the shady tiled walkways to the quaint shops of La Arcada in Santa Barbara, a peek inside Chocolats du CaliBressan reveals a candy case filled with tiny turtles, ruby lips, glistening buddhas and classic truffle spheres.
After studying at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Pâtisserie, Chocolatier Jean-Michel Carré moved to California with his wife (who was originally from the Santa Barbara area) to focus his career on his love of chocolate. Now at Chocolat du Cali Bressan in Carpinteria and downtown Santa Barbara, Carré spends his days making ultra-rich handmade truffles and bon bons.
Among the store’s most popular items are the French Bisous—red lips made with dark and milk ganache chocolate with tangerine—and the Buddha Beauty, a truffle amulet filled with soft salted caramel that comes with instructions to lick his belly for good luck. Influenced by 30 years in the kitchens of restaurants in France, Switzerland and the U.K., each day the self-professed “passionate chocolatier” can be found experimenting with surprising ingredients like avocado, curry, Sichuan pepper, balsamic vinegar and lotus—a special request of the local estate and public garden Lotusland.
If we had to pick a favorite, it would be the La Arcada Turtle with cajeta, Mexican milk caramel—it was almost too cute to eat, but after biting off the tasty little legs of the shiny green treat, an intense craving for more took over. Time to plan another visit very soon. Chocolats du CaliBressan’s La Arcada location is located at 1114 State Street, #2; there’s also a store at 4193 Carpinteria Avenue, Suite 4 in Carpinteria, CA.
If you’ve always wanted to be photographed wearing a chocolate moustache, come along to the party Dezeen is co-hosting with Red, the association of Spanish design companies, in Berlin on Friday.
The range of edible face-wear, designed by Spanish designer Diego Ramos is called Mr Chocolate and was made in collaboration with chocolatier Chocolat Factory. The Playdesign party at the Michelberger Hotel in Berlin will showcase the work of 10 Spanish designers. For more details on the party click here.
The party takes place during Qubique, a new design fair taking place at the former Tempelhof airport from 26 to 29 November. The fair features a Dezeen Web Station designed by Neulant van Exel where you can relax and browse the internet; and a bookshop where you can buy our new book, Dezeen Book of Ideas.
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| Old Thomas moustaches by Pavel Sidorenko | The Possibilities of Parts by Studio lvwp | The Imperfectionist by Sophie Duran |
Rich milk chocolate bars and ornate pastries capture the South of France spirit
On a recent trip to the South of France, we made a point to check out the confections of Patrick Mesiano, a well-known chocolatier and pastry chef based in the region. His delicious chocolates, fresh macaroons and delectable pastries are rich in flavor and design, often featuring an assortment of nuts and fruits from local growers. At his boutique in Beaulieu sur Mer, we tasted a handful of sweets—from standard chocolate bars to the more complex treats.
One highlight was the hazelnut-studded milk chocolate bar, basic in stature yet full in flavor. Though we tend to prefer dark chocolate, this bar brings a sweeter profile without being too sugary. The nuts, enrobed in golden sugar, are placed by hand in the thick, soft cocoa, and hidden on the back of the standard brick facade—a nice little surprise with every few squares snapped off.
Another favorite, the turtle-like little clusters pair walnuts, pistachios and hazelnuts with a dollop of milk chocolate. Like the bars, the chocolate itself is so smooth and milky it’s almost too much after just a few small bites. But the rich delicate flavors seem to draw you back for another taste.
Mesiano may be best known for his delicate macaroons, packed with intense flavors like fruits, nuts and caramel, which are arguably the best in the region. The vanilla and mint was a standout, as was the pistachio. His miniature pastries, cookies and cakes are as delicious as they are ornate. And for those seeking to go over-the-top, his larger items and platters deliver the bling of the pastry world.
Patrick Mesiano’s culinary creations are available at his three shops in the Cote d’Azur and a handful of outlets in Nice and Zurich. For more information contact Mesiano directly.
Voici le nouveau spot et la campagne des céréales Weetabix pour leur dernier produit “Chocolate Spoonsize”. Une mise en scène impressionnante de la jeune danseuse anglaise de 9 ans Arizona Snow, sur une réalisation du duo DANIELS et le titre “‘A New World” par Mord Fustang.
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Traditionally-inspired sweets and flavored macaroons with Brazilian flair
The Brazilian aesthetic might be most easily defined by touches of nature and color. This is also the case with regional food, like iFolie‘s inventive, artisanal macaroons and chocolates, which come packaged in keepsake giftboxes that add even more color.
A partnership between Carolina Carnicelli and Renata Fernandes, Folie recently opened the doors of their production facility in a renovated house on a quiet street in São Paolo’s Pinheiros neighborhood. Now they offer eight flavors of macaroons and four types of chocolate candy each week, with flavors changing depending on seasonal ingredients and the owners’ whims.
Carnicelli and Fernandes are always experimenting with new flavors. The shop’s most recent floral-based macaroon collection has eight flavors including jasmine and orange blossom. Also taking advantage of fresh Brazilian tropical fruits, the duo creates tasty treats like passion-fruit macaroons. Chocolate macaroons made with Ecuadorean and Carribbean cocoa are standouts with all their subtle floral and nut flavors. Brazilians love the renditions of favorite childhood desserts such as brigadeiro (chocolate and condensed milk) and the fresh-coconut-milk-based beijinho. For more adult tastes, there are also macaroons inspired by drinks—from gin and tonic to the Brazilian caju amigo (cashew juice with vodka).
Despite the variety of macaroons, locals favor the lascas—delicately thin sheets of chocolate loaded with caramelized balsamic vinegar, dried strawberries or caramel-covered cornflakes awash in milk chocolate.
The crocs, mounds of chocolate with a combination of crunchy and chewy ingredients like dried cranberry, pistachio and caramel, are also popular. Adding another distinctly Brazilian flair, custom boxes are designed to hold other objects after consuming the product inside.
Maintaining a strict emphasis on quality, the duo use the best, freshest and local (when possible) ingredients. Their macaroons require three days to make, and they skip preservatives so their confections are best eaten swiftly (which fortunately isn’t often a problem).
Visitors to the atelier are personally attended to by either Carnicelli or Fernandes, making the experience wholly personal and intimate, just like their sweets. Contact Folie for mail orders, delivery and additional information.
Portland’s micro-chocolatiers with a knack for DIY innovation
A few years ago in the DIY paradise of Portland, Oregon, Jessica and Charley Wheelock began cultivating an idea. If home brewers and coffee roasters were dotting the national food scene with successful independent businesses, why were there so few independent artisanal chocolate makers? The two cobbled together repurposed coffee and grain equipment together with information culled from the Internet, starting Woodblock Chocolate a little over a year ago.
“Even Theo and Scharffen Berger are massive compared to what we’re doing,” said Charley on a recent sunny afternoon in his kitchen in south Portland. In the background, their melangeur—originally a grain grinder from India—whirs gently as it conches a fresh batch. A coffee roaster ticking on a sideboard releases the warm smell of home-roasted cacao beans. “There are maybe 20 artisanal chocolate shops in the country at our level,” added Jessica.
Woodblock Chocolate currently operates out of the Wheelocks’ home. Although they work around the clock to produce chocolate at a rate of two kilos every 72 hours, demand has proven so strong that they’re currently in negotiations to expand their operations only a year after opening. “Our children beg us not to talk about chocolate,” laughed Jessica. “But they’re pretty psyched about our work.”
The couple’s success relies on three things: Charley’s handiness with machinery (he’s currently working on a homemade winnower prototype in the garage, designed to quickly husk the roasted beans), their shared background in design and, of course, their chocolate. The bars are denoted by percentage of cocoa and where the beans were grown. The salted 70% La Red D.R., from the Dominican Republic is smokier and tangier than the Mantuano, but both are just barely sweet, with a hint of fleur de sel.
Charley brought in a tray of just-roasted beans and broke one open. The dark nibs taste so richly and strongly of chocolate that it’s hard to imagine they can need any further embellishment. “Sugar and these nibs, that’s all that’s in there,” Jessica said. If direct-sourcing coffee beans hasn’t yet changed the world, perhaps it’s chocolate’s turn to give it a try.
Woodblock Chocolate can be found in-store at Olympic Provisions, Cacao, and online at The Meadow.
Also on Cool Hunting: The Mast Brothers
From crave-worthy cookies to carrot-based brownies, four new ways to skip the gluten without sacrificing taste
Finding gluten-free products is easier than ever, but finding tasty treats with good texture remains a constant challenge. Here are five new treats that we think hit the mark.
A forever favorite, Tate’s chocolate chip cookies are now available without the gluten. These thin crunchy cookies achieve a rare level of tastiness and texture not often found in gluten-free products, and taste nearly identical to their wheat cousins. They’re made with rice flour and the same all-natural ingredients as their usual gourmet-baked goods—and taste just as good. Head to Tate’s webstore to order a batch, $38 will get you six bags of 12 cookies each. And for your gluten-eating friends, try the new Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies, which add an earthiness that takes the original to a whole new level.
This mother-and-daughter team takes an unusual approach to traditional ready-to-use mixes by using carrot hulls as well as grains, lending moisture and fluffiness. Plus, there’s plenty of room or improvisation during preparation of the natural mixes, allowing for last-minute confectionary additions. “Stella’s chocolate indulgence” brownie mix sells for $9 a box. Also check out Tokies‘ gluten-free pancake and chocolate cake mix.
Few sweet treats complement a temperate afternoon quite like a homemade lemon bar. Look no further than Marion’s lemon bar mix for an easy route to satisfying that summer sweet-tooth while skipping the gluten. Certified Kosher, made with less salt and over one-third less sugar than the leading lemon bar mix, Marion’s brings a refreshingly delicate balance of tart and sweetness. Available for $7 a box from their online shop. While you’re there we recommend giving the cookie and muffin mix a try too.
Devoted to bringing the finest gluten-free products to the lovely folks of Massachusetts and beyond, Glutenus Minimus bakery (not pictured) offers a wonderful selection of products baked daily—from take-and-bake mixes to 15 muffin flavors and wedding cakes. With 14 Massachusets locations and an online market, you’ll never be too far from a delectable gluten-free guilty-pleasure.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
