GROCER’S DAUGHTERS CHOCOLATE Saying something is the best way to open the door immediately to criticism and scrutiny, so we will put it to you this way. If you find a better chocolate truffle then those made by Mimi Wheeler of Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in Empire let us know. Wheeler opened her doors (see feature article) a little over a year ago with a simple mission to make chocolate delights using Rainforest Alliance Certified (guarantees that agricultural products are responsibly grown and harvested) cocoa. Wheeler also wanted to combine the best eco-friendly cocoa from Ecuador with the best that the Leelanau region has to offer. She started in her own backyard with her herb garden by using rosemary, mint, lavender and thyme in her truffles. One bite of any one of these fresh herb truffles and one is immediately transported to a warm sunny summer afternoon in an aromatic backyard garden. Wheeler also uses organically grown cherries from local cherry farmers and Organic Blueberry Butter from Food For Thought in Honor in her fruit infused truffles. Her blueberry truffles are most impressive as she also infuses fresh sage from her garden and some lemon zest creating the perfect balance of each that results in an epicurean festival on one’s palate. Grocer’s Daughter Chocolates are perfect in moments of crises or when deep thought or focus is needed. They may be paired with several types of beverages and even used in sauces. Wheeler recommends adding an ounce of chocolate in the final moments of preparing rich meat sauces. Try herb-crusted lamb chops with raspberry chocolate chipotle sauce (add four Grocer’s Daughter Rosemary Truffles to your chipolte recipe). Pair with big, bold red wines or champagnes. Try the 2000 Leorie Cabernet Franc/Merlot from Black Star Farms or one of the sparkling wines from Shady Lane Cellars. These make great gifts during Valentine’s either to your loved one or simply to yourself. Yeah, life is good; Grocer’s Daighter Chocolate just makes it better. www.grocersdaughter.com VEUVE CLICQUOT-PONSARDIN (Yellow Label) This year marks the 300th anniversary of champagne, the sparkling, bubbly beverage that was invented by Dom Pérignon. Bubbly has been the celebratory beverage of choice for many over the years, but deep within its bubbles romance is often found. Now when Pérignon, a Benedictine monk, accidentally discovered champagne in the wine cellars of his monastery he wasn’t looking for love, just a good bottle of wine. The bottle he pulled from the racks just happened to be carbonated. He loved the effervescent feeling and sought to perfect it. In 1706 he developed what we know and love to be champagne. But the romantic sensations one gets while enjoying a glass of bubbly were actually created years later when Nicole Barbe Ponsardin, the daughter of the mayor of Reims, France, married Francis Clicquot. The young lovers spent hours perfecting champagne until Francis passed away six years later leaving behind the family vineyard and a young daughter. Conventional wisdom would suggest that Madame Ponsardin, only 27, would sell the operation to a neighboring champagne house such as Moet or Roederer. But instead she took the reigns and over the next 63 years built one of the best and most famous champagne houses the world has known. Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin has set many industry standards for excellence. One thing Ponsardin didn’t like was the cloudy, unattractive sediment that forms in the bottle during fermentation. By 1806 she developed the “riddling table” that brought the cloudy sediments to the neck of the bottle that would eventually be “blown out,” a process that in known as disgorging, giving champagne a clear crisp look. Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin Yellow Label is expansive, creamy and well balanced with hints of citrus and apple and is a blend of pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay. It pairs perfectly with many creamy types of pasta and soft cheeses, but more importantly this time of the year (for that matter everyday) with chocolate. When Madame Clicquot-Ponsardin was asked of the different levels of quality in her champagnes she responded, “only one quality, the finest.” Chocolate may be the key to your lover’s heart this Valentines Day but a bottle of Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin…okay we will leave that one to your imagination.
Send a Press Release
