Howdy readers!

Easter is hoppin’ up, just around the corner!
I have a few special treats available to guests on a pre-order basis from two favorite vendors: Chocolat Moderne and our very own Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory. In terms of aesthetics, the following offerings could not be more diverse! But each one offers full-flavored candy satisfaction, elevating the top-notch ingredients used by their chocolatiers.

Please note, the pre-order window for the Chocolat Moderne eggs is quite brief! I’ll need to hear from you  (mmillerzingermanscom)   no later than end of day, March 28th.

You have a little more time with the Zingerman’s Candy offerings; please get in touch with me  (mmillerzingermanscom)   by end of day, April 4th.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to ship any of these items; they are simply a bit too perishable!

Chocolat Moderne Easter Eggs

It seems natural that Joan Coukos-Todd of Chocolat Moderne would select the egg as her Easter canvas; she’s the daughter of a poultry farmer who went on to marry someone whose family was also in the chicken and egg business! If you ask me, sounds like the chicken came first in this chicken or egg riddle!

Each egg measures approximately 3 inches in length, weighing just under two ounces – the equivalent weight of 4 Chocolat Moderne bon bons.

Fauverge Eggs (dark chocolate shells)

Available as individual eggs or 3-Pack (one of each flavor)

• Pink Roses (creamy milk chocolate ganache)
• Purple Roses (Halon Mon sea salt caramel)
• Yellow Roses (72% Venezuelan dark chocolate ganache)

Eggs Naturel Speckled

Available as individual eggs or 3-Pack (one of each flavor)

• Grey Speckled (almond marzipan; dark chocolate shell)
• Brown Speckled (hazelnut praliné; milk chocolate shell)
• Blue Speckled (pistachio praliné; white chocolate shell)

Individual Eggs, $8.99

3-Packs, $24.99

Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory

These treats are sure to brighten and excite any Easter basket! Definitely not your traditional Easter bunny – but perhaps you’ll still employ your traditional chocolate Easter bunny eating ways… ears first?

Easter Creature
65% dark chocolate bunny, molded & decorated with fondant by hand, sitting atop a cotton candy pillow. (please note, the bunny is not solid chocolate)

$11.99

Easter Super Zzang!
13 inches of Original Zzang! glory (peanuts, honey nougat, muscovado caramel, enrobed in dark chocolate)!

$14.99

Yours in chocolate,

March 2012

First off, I’d love to thank those of you who invited us to help you make your Valentine’s Day special! We had a blast crafting boxes of confections for parents, children, friends, in-laws, secret crushes, and spouses. We also enjoyed introducing guests to some new products on our shelves, such as the Goats Milk & Buckwheat Caramels from France, as well as staff favorites like the Pralus Barre Infernale (cheekily referred to as the Diabolical Bar in house).

While I generally have a moment to breathe after Valentine’s Day, these nascent weeks of spring time (I’m ignoring you, very chilly last weekend!) are absolutely flush with chocolate news and fun.

Let’s just go ahead and hit the ground running!

March 15th marks the Deli’s 30th Birthday – and is the kickoff to lots of Deli excitement; allow me to highlight the chocolate-centric!

Beyond the Salt Caramel!

Port & Chocolate Tasting with Fran’s Chocolates

After a fairly long hiatus from hosting Chocolate Tastings, we’ve found ourselves comfortably back in the saddle. Next Tuesday, we’ll be welcoming Kathleen Eder back home to her native mitten state; she’s currently employed with Fran’s Chocolates in Seattle (yes, that Fran’s Chocolates and those salt caramels), and after learning that both Fran’s and Zingerman’s are celebrating 30th anniversaries this year, Kathleen offered to bring the party to us! It goes without saying that we’ll be tasting a port from 1982!

Tuesday, March 13th from 6:30-8:00pm

Zingerman’s Events on Fourth

415 N. Fifth Ave in Kerrytown

You’re no stranger to the salt caramels, but did you know that Zingerman’s and Fran’s Chocolates (Seattle, WA) both turn 30 this year? Fran’s is a family-owned company creating premium, award-winning artisan chocolate for over 29 years with the finest, all-natural, local and organic ingredients – and Zingerman’s guests have been enjoying their confections for almost as long!

Kathleen Eder – a former Deli employee, who now oversees training and retail operations at Fran’s – will be flying out to help us celebrate our birthday with a Port and Chocolate Tasting! Kathleen will share the story of how Fran fell in love with the taste of pure chocolate and her efforts to share this love with her customers, while treating us to a wide-variety of confections each paired with a wine from the Porto Rocha or Porto Kopke vineyards – leading port producers with a combined experience of over 520 years!

$30/person, call 734-663-3400 to reserve a seat
or visit our website!

Super Zzang! Contest

In celebration of our 30th, the Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory is hosting a Willy Wonka-esque sweepstakes! Throughout the month of March, you can find the Super Zzangs! (13 inches of Original Zzang! goodness: peanuts, nougat, caramel!), commemorating our 30th birthday at the Deli/Next Door. Everyone who takes one home is eligible to submit his/her entry into a random drawing that will take place on April 1st. The chosen winner, along with three friends, will be invited to the Candy Manufactory, where they can spend a day making candy with Charlie! 10 Runner Ups will receive an Easter Zzang! 4 Pack.

Sweet Gem Birthday Confection!

We’re in the final detail stages of this special present to the Deli from Nancy Biehn of Ann Arbor’s own Sweet Gem Confections – but here’s a sneak peek!

This two layered confection is made up of a caramel infused with Deli standby – Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon – on top of which sits a creamy chocolate ganache, sweetened with Soaring Hill’s Hickory Syrup (which you can find in our dry goods department!).

We’ll have these sweet & smoky treats in the Next Door’s truffle case beginning on the 15th!

Sharing the Birthday Love!

In case you missed the initial roll out in January, allow me to share our new Birthday Deal with you. We’ve moved away from six free bagels to a more all-encompassing treat – 15% off anything you purchase at the Deli on your big day! It’s the perfect excuse to treat yourself to a favorite cheese, sandwich, oil, chocolate – you name it!

During the Deli’s birthday month of March, we’re sharing our birthday discount with you! Each day we’ll feature a different item at 15% off. In addition to these specials, I’d also like to extend some sweet-centric deals! From March 12 to March 18th, I’m offering 20% the following items at the Deli/Next Door!”

• Agrimontana Fruit Gellies
• Boxes of Enric Rovira’s Spanish Drinking Chocolate
• Bonajuto Stone-Ground Chocolate from Siciliy
• Half pound bags of Cuba Venchi Cubigusto

St. Patrick’s Day Treats!

After getting your fill of savory treats such as Irish Soda Bread, corned beef and cabbage, stop by the Next Door for your St. Patty’s Day sweets fix! We’ll have our very limited-run Guiness and Brown Bread gelatos, as well as an ample supply of Vosges’ Smoke & Stout burnt caramel bars, featuring Rogue Ales’ Chocolate Stout, and fresh Stout Truffles from Grocer’s Daughter, featuring Shadow Watcher Stout from Michigan’s own Right Brain Brewery. All of these treats are guaranteed to put a little hop in your step!

Easter Pre-Orders – COMING SOON!

Easter’s creeping up quickly (Sunday, April 8th)! As we’ve done in years past, we’ll be taking pre-orders for Chocolat Moderne’s elegant eggs; these beautiful handpainted bon-bons are available in a variety of flavors, including crunchy nut pralines, salted caramel, and coconut. In addition to the eggs, we’ll also be taking pre-orders for radical looking chocolate Easter bunnies from the Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory! Distinctly different — each Easter treat makes a full-flavored and fun addition to one’s Easter basket. Stay tuned for more details – and please, feel welcome to href="mail:mmillerzingermanscom">get in touch with me to make sure you don’t miss a beat!

Phew! I think that about brings you up to speed. But don’t get too comfortable – I’ve got several more surprises to come! If you’re a fan of Patric Chocolate, keep your ear to the ground! I hope you’ll swing by the Next Door soon to taste some chocolate and get in a few more cups of hot cocoa before we enter warmer seasons!

Yours in chocolate,

February 2012

Howdy readers!

Valentine’s Day is fast upon us. And I’m incredibly giddy at the thought of Valentine’s sweets. I’m personally pining away for a few things on our shelves, but more to the point, I’m super excited by the opportunity to help guests craft surprises for their loved ones. I can trace this compulsion back to the charming Valentine’s Days orchestrated by my Mom. In the past, I’ve felt a little bit guilty that for all her efforts at ensuring the family a red & white brunch, complete with chocolate dipped goodies, we never really offered anything in return. But, as I enter another Valentine’s season, I’m coming to understand that what was fun for her was ensuring a Very Special Day for the rest of us.

Whether you’re shopping for your spouse, an unsuspecting crush, a friend, or family, we’ve got something to make them swoon and smile.

Margot’s February Picks!

Chocolate-dipped Strawberries and Marshmallows!

An iconic treat of my childhood Valentine’s Days. These are a special Valentine from the Deli’s Catering Department. Long-stemmed strawberries, dipped in Michel Cluizel dark chocolate are decorated with either white chocolate drizzles, toasted coconut, or slivered almonds. Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory Marshmallows dipped in dark chocolate take a roll in crushed Bakehouse graham crackers.

We’ll have a small amount for sale from the truffle case on the day of and days preceding Valentine’s – but to ensure you won’t miss out, I recommend pre-ordering; email me at mmillerzingermanscom  (mmillerzingermanscom)   or phone the Next Door at 734.663.5282. These goodies will be available for pick-up, in the Next Door, February 12th, 13th, and 14th.

Fran’s Coconut Gold Bars
We’ve had the distinct honor of being the only shop other than Fran’s own retail stores to sell this confection for the last year or so, and while we never have too many on hand, we’ve stocked up a touch for Valentine’s Day. Soft shredded coconut, held together with a bit of white chocolate and spiked with a tiny touch of rum, topped with almonds, all enrobed in dark chocolate. Almond Joy fanatics find themselves weak at the knees. Hurry in quick; once word gets out, these tend to disappear fast!

Chocolat Moderne BonBons!
Congratulations are in order for our beloved Joan Coukos-Todd – the firecracker behind Chocolat Moderne in New York City. Joan’s Mysteries of Love Collection was the chocolate-y centerfold of Oprah’s February O List! Oprah’s catching on to something we’ve known for a long time: Joan’s confections are not only fetching in appearance, but also feature exacting technique and bold, yet balanced flavors. We have individual bonbons from Joan, as well as some eye-catching packaged collections, sure to impress.

Goat’s Milk & Buckwheat Caramels
These all-natural, gluten-free French caramels are the handiwork of the Conraux family, who has been crafting caramels using regional butters since the 1960s. In 2008, seeking new textures and flavors, they developed this pleasant goat’s milk caramel. Mellow, buttery, and not too sweet with a little bit of crunch from gently roasted buckwheat kernels. We have them available by the piece or nine caramels packaged in a sweet, wooden cheese box stamped with the profile of a handsome goat!

Truffles and Bonbons and Caramels – oh my!

I spent Friday stuffing the truffle case to its gills – and guess what, there are even more on the way! Valentine’s is the truffle case’s golden moment – and I went all out this year, strategizing so that we’ve got the widest variety of options from our confectioners. Chocolate Balsamic… Madame X’Tasy (espresso & sea salt caramel)… Black Forest (morello cherry pate de fruit paired with dark chocolate ganache)… Lemon-Basil… Costa Rican Peppercorn… Amarena Mon Amour (tart Amarena cherries tipsy on vodka liqueur)… Mayan Honey Caramels (spicy & sweet!)… Ginger Pear Caramels (vegan!)… and more! Let us customize a box for you!

Barbero Pistachio Torrone
This is a treat I’m personally pining for. The translucent box enclosing this toothsome, slightly sweet torrone doesn’t leave too much to the imagination – but I’m all right with that. The quantity of bright green Bronte pistachios studding the egg and honey Italian nougat is a wonder to behold.

Chocolate Connoisseur Bundle!
If you missed this deal during the December holiday rush, no fear! It is ongoing – and the perfect way to further dress up a gift for your honey. Buy any two chocolate bars and receive a copy of Chloe Doutre-Roussel’s The Chocolate Connoisseur for $1. Part memoir, part guide – this easy read is sure to delight your favorite chocoholic. Some of my recommended bar pairings?

• Roguish Rivalry! Rogue Chocolatier’s Rio Caribe and Hispaniola share little in common other than Colin Gasko (the guy responsible for their crafting) and a designation of 70% cacao, which makes them chocolate par excellence for putting your recipient’s newfound tasting expertise to good use.
• Smoke, Two Ways! Pair an old Vosges favorite – the Bacon Bar, featuring smoked bacon and salt – with a new one, the Smoke & Stout bar, featuring a smoky chocolate stout. (Think your recipient wouldn’t care for the book? No one said you couldn’t keep it for yourself. I won’t tell.)
• Missourian Matchmaking! The state of Missouri is home to two of our favorite chocolate makers – Askinosie & Patric. Show your love for the Show Me State! My current favorites? Askinosie’s 70% Cortes (raspberries & a squeeze of sweet lime!) and Patric’s In-NIB-itable bar (jammy Malagasy chocolate complimented by roasty nibs)

Cocoa Nibs from Askinosie Chocolate

At the end of January, we welcomed Shawn Askinosie to the Deli for his fourth tasting – but shook things up a bit with some prepared food offerings featuring his chocolates. A unanimous favorite amongst guests was a Butternut Squash with Cocoa Nib Vinaigrette dish which hit all the right notes – caramelized, roasted squash; tart Balsamic vinegar; earthy, crunchy cocoa nibs; and smokey bacon. Perhaps you’re planning to cook dinner for your sweetheart? This would make a fantastic addition to the table. Find the recipe here!

I hope that something on this list has caught your attention, but in the event you’ve not quite landed upon that perfect surprise, stop by and see us! We’ve got a corner full of sweets to wow you.

And now, for a few additional public service announcements…

February’s Drink of the Month proves to be a hard hitter; the Next Door is featuring not one, but two warm chocolate beverages in a Battle of Italian Drinking Chocolates!

From the North…. Gianduja Cocoa! A generous spoonful of Guido Gobino chocolate hazelnut spread steamed with whole milk – one sip and you’ll be dreaming of the Piedmont.

From the South…. Bonajuto Drinking Chocolate!
Hand-chopped Sicilian chocolate spiced with cinnamon and steamed with a touch of milk; this thick drinking chocolate is an offer you can’t refuse!

Lastly, this year February isn’t all hearts and cupids; on February 21st, we get to celebrate Fat Tuesday – and what I learned when I moved to Michigan is that this means Paczki Pandemonium! In addition to the four flavors offered last year, the Bakehouse is introducing a chocolate pudding paczki dusted in cocoa powder! For more info about our paczkis and how to pre-order (highly, highly, highly recommended – we’ve got a limited amount to sell), click here or phone the Next Door at 734.663.5282!

Yours in chocolate,