I Love Chocolate: Kron Chocolatier

by Stephanie Zonis

Valentine's Chocolate

Happy Groundhog Day and Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers. If you're fortunate enough to have a sweetheart, mind that you show them they're special to you once in a while, not just on February 14. I've heard a rumor that chocolate can be most effective for that sort of thing—you must've heard the same rumor, or you wouldn't be reading this column. Let's get into the kitchen!

Chocolate Find of the Month:

I Love Chocolate February's Chocolate Find is Kron Chocolatier. As is the case with many chocolatiers these days, this company makes a variety of assorted chocolates (including raspberry creams, turtles, sugar-free chocolates, and a heart-shaped chocolate box). However, they also make chocolate cards (like a greeting card, but made from chocolate), and a couple of types of chocolate sculptures. I have tried the assorted chocolates, and they are good examples of the American style of these candies. But Kron Chocolatier has an ace up their proverbial sleeve in the form of their truffles.

These are small, irregularly-shaped squares or rectangles, made from heavy cream, good chocolate, cocoa, and little else. They are stored in the freezer; you can eat them frozen or, if you have the willpower, allow them to come to room temperature before eating. At room temperature, they are seductively smooth, not overly-sweet, and gone too quickly. These truffles have a delicacy found too seldom in this era of mass-production, and they are an ideal reward for anything or anyone, whether you give them to your sweetheart for putting up with you, or to yourself as a reward for your little victories in the everyday battles of modern living. Kron Chocolatier will ship anywhere in the US, and they are located at 5300 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. You can call them at (202) 966-4946, or look them up on the web at www.krondc.com.

Chocolate Book of the Month:

Once upon a time, there was a chef who became a therapist. Out of curiosity, as he treated his patients, he gradually began to make inquiries into their chocolate consumption habits. What he found surprised him. The outcome is Chocolate Therapy: Dare to Discover Your Inner Center! by Murray Langham. Mr. Langham, the therapist, claims he can tell you about your personality according to your tastes in chocolates; this includes what you do with the leftover candy wrapper in addition to preferences in shape and flavor of center.

I don't believe I've ever seen anything quite like Chocolate Therapy: Dare to Discover Your Inner Center! You need to decide for yourself how much heed you'll pay to the author's words, but certainly a number of different personality theories are postulated and reading through the book can be quite entertaining. I'd recommend this book as a fun Valentine's Day gift (in addition to a box of chocolates, of course!), or you might want to grab a group of your friends and use this book (and a box of chocolates) as the basis for a get-together. Chocolate Therapy: Dare to Discover Your Inner Center! was published by Ten Speed Press in 1999, and it's available at www.tenspeed.com, www.amazon.com, and many bookstores and gift shops. Psychological analysis has never been so sweet!

Not-Necessarily-Chocolate Choice of the Month:

OK, so it's not completely about chocolate. But if your sweetheart is a cookbook collector, or if you're one yourself, take a look at Books-for-Cooks.com. They bill themselves as "Your Neighborhood Cookbook Store on the Web," but with over 8,000 titles in more than 160 categories, I'd like to see the neighborhood cookbook store that can equal them. Out of print searches, worldwide delivery options, staff picks, and a section for reader questions may distract you temporarily from the book bargains featured on the home page. The "search" categories range from American Northwest to Ice Carving to Vietnamese; there's an advanced search, too. The listings tell you which books have won awards; some of the books even have a free recipe on-site. and yes, of course they have a category for chocolate cookbooks! Naturally, Books-for-Cooks.com has secure on line ordering. No matter what your cooking interests, whether you're an absolute beginner or the next Jacques Pepin, you'll find something to enrich your culinary library. Check 'em out at Books-for-Cooks.com!

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