I Love Chocolate: Chocolate Pizza and Other Halloween Treats

by Stephanie Zonis

Chocolate "Pizza"
and Other Halloween Treats

Chocolate Pizza
Halloween is a time for creativity and fun—like making a "pizza" out of chocolate. Kids and parties inspired this and the other creations this month, all designed to be treats with no tricks. Happy Halloween!

Chocolate Find of the Month:

What contains lots of chocolate, comes in clear packaging to show it off, and is hand-decorated with fruits, nuts, herbs, and cystallized flowers? The answer is handmade chocolate bars from this month's find, Byrne & Carlson. This is a small and rather new company in New England; I just discovered them this past summer at the Fancy Food Show. This husband-and-wife partnership cleverly uses different chocolates in different bars—the Almond Bar, my favorite, is of Belgian chocolate base, while the Mendiant Bar, adorned with nuts, dried fruits, and candied violets, is made from Valrhona. You must see the Pansy Bar, too, with a genuine and completely edible crystallized flower looking pretty against a chocolate background; a crystallized mint leaf and white chocolate function as the foliage.

Byrne & Carlson produces their bars to order only. They also make fudge, nut clusters, Turkish delight, and fruit jellies, in addition to Palets D'Or (think of a center of heavy cream combined with bittersweet chocolate—what could be bad?). There is no website, but you can call them toll free at (888) 559-9778; the fax number is (603) 559-9778. Better still, visit the Byrne & Carlson store at 121 State Street in Portsmouth, NH. Both the Almond Bar and the Solid Chocolate Bar are available in milk or dark. Any of the bars would make wonderful gifts this holiday season...if they can get past you, once you get a look at them!

Upcoming Chocolate Event:

The Third Annual Chocolate Show returns to New York City, from Friday, November 17 through Sunday, November 19, 2000. The Metropolitan Pavilion (123 West 18th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues) will again host the Show, which features over FIFTY brands of chocolate! There will be demonstrations by top pastry chefs and chocolatiers, high-fashion dresses made of chocolate, activities for both kids and adults, and chocolate tastings. You can purchase chocolates for holiday gifts and hear live music from cocoa-producing countries, and there'll even be a cookbook store with author signings.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for students with ID's, and $8 for seniors and children under 12.
Call (212) 865-6100 to receive a brochure, or check out the website at www.chocolateshow.com. Be there!

I Love Chocolate wants YOU!!! Do you have a comment, question, or suggestion? How about a recent chocolate "find" you'd like to share? You can contact me at: sdziadwm@[email-address-removed]; I'd like your input on this column. Thanks!

'Til next month,
Yours in chocolate,
Stephanie

Recipes:

Current I Love Desserts
I Love Chocolate Archive

Stephanie Zonis provides the above information to anyone, but retains copyright on all text. This means that you may not: distribute the text to others without the express written permission of Stephanie Zonis; "mirror" or include this information on your own server or documents without my permission; modify or re-use the text on this system. You may: print copies of the information for your own personal use; store the files on your computer for your own personal use only; and reference hypertext documents on this server from your own documents.

This page created October 2000

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