Like Writing For Chocolate

Captain's Log, Stardate 05.12.2009

I admit, I eat copious amounts of chocolate when I’m writing. It helps me to write better.

And lately (to Captain Caffeine’s dismay) I’ve become a bit snobbish about my chocolate. My favorite is Vosges Haut Chocolate, which is massively expensive but really really good. I like them because their chocolate is not only high quality, it’s not too sweet and the flavors are very exotic.

For the last book, I ordered truffles from Vosges: Les Fleurs du Chocolat Truffle Collection and a Green Tea Truffle Collection (no longer on the website).

Here’s the Les Fleurs collection:





From the insert:
Out of the bloom
Les Fleurs du chocolate
Botanics in a chocolate hue
Enveloped in the scent of roses, orchids, marigolds and nasturtiums, these blooms are even sweeter than they look. Flowers have long been praised for their medicinal properties—so we decided to pair them with spices, herbs and liqueurs to explore the body-beautiful attributes of Mother Nature’s colorful gifts. Reap the health benefits of the garden.

Camy here: Not so sure about “health benefits of the garden,” but they were darn good!



Siam Citron: jasmine tea + lemongrass + fresh coconut + white chocolate + organic marigold petal
LOVED this truffle! It was really refreshing to bite into it.

Mirabelle Orange: Mirabelle plums + orange flower water + 65% dark chocolate + organic nasturtium petal
Very delicate orange flavor. I’m not astute enough to be able to tell it was a Mirabelle plum, though.

Rose Vert: tarragon + rose water + 65% dark chocolate + organic red rose petal
Very exotic, original flavor. Pleasant, glad I tried it, but I wouldn’t order a whole box of this.

Platanos y Orchidus: orchid vanilla + caramelized bananas + Jamaican rum + 41% deep milk chocolate + organic purple orchid flower
This is my second favorite in the box. The bananas, rum, and vanilla combine for a fantastic flavor on the tongue.

Here’s the Green Collection:




These are all Asian inspired truffles.



Kayoko: Japanese macha tea + white chocolate + cherry blossom
This was good although a bit sweet for my taste. I loved the combination of tea and white chocolate.

Kaffir: Thai kaffir lime + fresh coconut + dark chocolate
Very unusual lime flavor—not typical lime—a really nice citrus sparkle in dark chocolate.

Ellateria: Indian green cardamom + dark chocolate + white poppy seeds
Gingery tasting—apparently cardamom seed is part of the ginger family—which goes well with dark chocolate.

Buddha’s Leaf: Malaysian pandan leaves + dark chocolate + cocoa powder
Easily my favorite in the box, and also the most exotic. I’d never tasted pandan leaves before, and the flavor is unique, a little nutty, a bit vanilla-y. Really pleasing, original flavor to this truffle.

Price: Okay, don’t have a heart attack. These truffles are VERY EXPENSIVE. You can see the prices on the website.

Were they worth it? I think so. The flavors are fantastic and they’re the kind of truffles where you just spend a few minutes only tasting and eating—not watching anything, not reading anything, just experiencing the chocolate.

I think it inspired me in my writing. You can read my dog book (May 2010 from Zondervan) and tell me if it did. :)