For the very best chocolate in New York City, visit Jacques Torres Chocolates. His truffles and chocolate chip cookies are exquisite.
Whenever I'm feeling blue, I want chocolate.
I realize I can walk into my kitchen at any time, and just open my tempering machine and take a spoonful of warm dark or milk chocolate to curb my craving, but that doesn't stop me from occasionally indulging in truly exquisite chocolates made by extraordinary chocolatiers, like Jacques Torres.
Jacques, dubbed Mr. Chocolate, is my secret culinary crush. Well, it's not so secret, really. I think my husband was actually a little jealous of my affection for this adorable French pastry chef when he had his show on the Food Network years ago.
Watching Jacques create chocolate sculptures and decadent desserts, made me giddy, which at the time said so much. I had suffered from chronic daily migraines for several years, was in pain constantly, had to close my chocolate shop, and spent way too much time on the couch. Jacques' show inspired me to get up and get back in the kitchen.
Over the years, I've made many of Jacques' recipes but had not ever had the pleasure of tasting his chocolates, so when we finally traveled to New York City a few years ago we just had to stop in one of his shops.
I was so excited standing outside his Hudson Street store, but then I stepped inside the doors, my enthusiasm grew, exponentially.
There sitting at the very first table, was Jacques. He was on the phone. I turned to my husband, with a big cheeky grin and mouthed "Oh, my God, it's him." I felt it was meant to be that of his four stores, we just happened to go where he was working that day.
I mulled about the store for a while, trying to be cool. I'm pretty sure it wasn't working.
I was mesmerized as I peered through the glass at his chocolate factory. I stood there in awe before noticing the movement behind me. I turned to see Jacques' smiling face. I approached him, and he could not have been more gracious.
Thanking him for being the motivating force that finally got me up and out of bed, was something I had wanted to do for a long time. I was nervous as I spoke, but the warmth I felt from him, made me relax. He was even more charming in person than on television.
My mouth had been watering since we got in the cab to go to the store, so waiting in hopes of talking to him, had taken a lot of restraint. In the end, the wait was totally worth it.
I filled a basket with chocolate Cheerios, corn flakes, malted milk balls, and almonds. I grabbed a few chocolate bars, and packaged caramels before heading over the chocolate counter that spans nearly the entire length of the store.
I couldn't help myself, by the time we were finished picking out the flavors we most wanted to try, I had almost 30 pieces packaged up for us, plus a few of the giant freshly baked cookies.
We grabbed a spot on a comfy couch right in front of the candy kitchen and savored each decadent bite while watching Easter bunnies and bonnets being handcrafted.
After my first bite of a raspberry infused milk chocolate ganache coated in a thin crisp layer of creamy milk chocolate, I melted. The fruit flavor was so pronounced, it was like eating a freshly picked raspberry coated delicately in chocolate. The milk chocolate coating was creamy and smooth with hints of caramel, which I love. My husband couldn't wait to try the lemon and it did not disappoint. The dark chocolate ganache had an intense lemon flavor. The tartness was balanced by the deep rich dark chocolate exterior.
We couldn't stop at just one, and before we knew it the Fresh Coconut, Chocolate Mint Tea, Pineapple Pastis, Passion Fruit, Cinnamon Praline, European Peanut Butter, Chai Tea, Caramel Nut Noir, and one of my absolute favorites, Chocolate Peanut Brittle was gone. Each bite as enjoyable as the one before it.
Time passed too quickly, we had a plane to catch, so we replenished, buying more of our favorite flavors, and as we were about to leave we bumped into Jacques once again.
The entire experience was as wonderful as the confections were sweet.
I've been feeling a bit down this winter, as my daily headache has returned.
So, to cheer me up, my husband suggested we order some of Jacques' Chocolates for Valentine's Day. That's about as romantic as my husband gets, so I jumped at the chance and got our order in early.
We selected a 50 piece box of assorted chocolates, a bag of malted milk balls, my husband's guilty pleasure, and a heart box filled with truffles.
When our package arrived, I immediately opened the heart box to find pretty pink, white, and brown truffles and didn't wait to try one of each. I loved the dark chocolate truffle, but that word "love," can't even come close to describing what I felt after tasting the Kir Royale, a champagne infused black current cream truffle.
This tiny piece of candy truly transported me to another worldly place. The small round chocolate is dusted with a tart berry-flavored powder which just put this piece of candy over the top, for me.
I felt the same when I popped an Orange Cream truffle into my mouth. This diminutive white chocolate orb filled with an exquisite Grand Marnier ganache was a little piece of heaven.
If you love chocolate and would like to learn how to make delicious homemade chocolates you might enjoy taking one of my Chocolate Making Courses. Stop by The Sugar Academy for more information.
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Karen @ Sugartown Sweets says
I used to spend a couple of days at a time in bed wracked with the pain of an excruciating headache. My husband Lonnie also suffered with 2 and 3 day migraines. Now, he rarely even gets a headache. When he began making these nutritional drinks in November 2011, the goal was just to get more nutrients into our diets. The headache "cure" and healthier fingernails were just wonderful and surprising bonuses! Quoting my husband he says, "fill NutriBullet container with 1/3 to 50% kale or spinach, about 1/4 of a squash~red bell pepper~or red beet, he'll use a little of 3 or 4 fruits and berries which are: blueberries, strawberries, pears, mangoes, pineapple, kiwi, apples. Example of the drink I had this morning: fill the NutriBullet container with 1/3 spinach, 2 slices red beets, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple and about one tablespoon flax seed. He's quoting these recipes to me, hope these make sense. Example #2: 1/3 kale, 4 slices yellow squash, mango, strawberries, pear, pineapple and flax seed. Example #3: 1/3 spinach, 1/5 of a red bell pepper, blueberries, kiwi, golden delicious apple, pear, pineapple and flax seed. He then pours in cold spring water up to the fill line. I will tell you he always puts pineapple in mine. My favorites are the ones which includes beets as they contain natural sugar. We each drink one a day. In the beginning we had one before breakfast and one before dinner. Since you are back to daily headaches I would try two a day until they are back under control.
This has by far been the best $100 investment we've ever made. If you decide to try it., I really hope they will help you too!
beth says
I'll have to give it a try. It has been so many years since I've had headaches like this, and I'm not happy they are back. I've never tried a green smoothie before, but am willing to try! I need to get a blender or bullet. It's funny, but it's about the only kitchen tool I don't have:) Thanks for the "recipes." I appreciate it.
Karen @ Sugartown Sweets says
What a wonderful story! I love it..and how awesome that you had your photo taken with "Mr. Chocolate" himself!! I would have loved to visit your chocolate shop, we know it must have been amazing.
When my husband Lonnie and I made our first trip (2004) to NYC, we had dinner at Le Cirque. And while Jacques Torres was no longer the executive pastry chef then, we so enjoyed his signature "Chocolate Stove" dessert!
Your box of chocolates and other goodies look heavenly..way to think ahead. Thanks again for posting such a great story!
Here's my two cents from a fellow headache sufferer. While my migraines were not an everyday occurrence, I usually did awake with some degree of a headache daily. A couple of years ago, my hubby bought a NutriBullet. I drink one of his concoctions (most) every morning. My headaches are now very few and far between. He uses spinach, red bell peppers, squash, pineapple, apple, flax seed, pears and beets. All these are fresh and organic. It could be worth a shot if you continue with your headaches.
beth says
How nice that you were able to enjoy one of Le Cirque's, chocolate stoves. The recipe is in Jacques cookbook and they are so amazing.
The drink sounds interesting. How did you find out that it would help you? My headache has been awful for the past few days. I just want to curl up in bed. I am open to trying most things. I tried the medication route years ago, 25 different meds in all, and nothing worked. I don't want to go down that road again and would be happy to find a more natural cure.
Natalie Hoffman says
Beth, just as Jacques is your inspiration, you are mine. My dream is to open a bakery and candy shop and I just found out that you owned a chocolate shop! Amazing! I love your work and I get so much inspiration from you. I may not be the best baker around but I'm getting there! Any advice or words from you would be amazing! <3
beth says
That is so nice to hear Natalie. Yes, I opened my first candy store when I was 23 years old and absolutely loved it. At times I miss it, but at other time I realize how much more freedom I have, especially when it comes to traveling. I am so happy that I did it when I was young. I worked hard and really enjoyed my experience. Blogging and doing recipe development for companies has been an amazing experience too. One which I feel blessed to able to do now.
I hope you are able to realize your dream. I suggest getting a degree in business before opening a shop. I did, and feel it was the most important thing I could have done. If nothing else, learn as much as you can about accounting, marketing, and pricing before opening your doors. I know it's the boring stuff, it's much more fun to just bake and make candy, but I saw too many businesses fail because the owner didn't have any idea how to run a business.
I'd love to go back and do it all over again, opening my store, with the knowledge I have now. That would be amazing.
Good luck! If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask. I'd be happy to help.
Anonymous says
Oh, I loved his show on Food Network. They never had anything quite like it again. I've had his chocolates, and they are to die for! Love your story.
Tina
beth says
No, they haven't. I am happy to have recorded all of his shows. Of course, they are on VHS, but we still have a player, so I've been able to watch them again. I need to get them transferred to DVD sometime!
Brenda @ SweetSimpleStuff says
What a nice story 😉 You sure had good timing in New York, but more importantly married a very smart man!
beth says
You are right. My husband may be practical, not romantic, but he is indeed very sweet to me. He came home yesterday after the action for the Make A Wish charity, and he purchased 4 tickets to the Newport Aquarium so he can take me back to spend a day with the animals, which I love. He knew that bidding on anything would make me happy because he was helping to make a little girl's dream of swimming with the dolphins come true, but was happy to win the aquarium tickets. I was happy too!
The Partiologist says
I really loved reading this post, imagining what it must have been like to be in that store at that moment and meet Jacques. A memory for a lifetime and more! Happy Valentine's Day!
beth says
It's funny, because I think I was more excited to meet him than I would have been to meet someone like Tom Hanks, who I adore. We were on our way to England and Wales when we stopped in NYC, and my husband said it didn't matter what happened for the rest of our vacation, he knew that meeting Jacques would be the highlight of the trip!
Michelle says
Lovely story and it was so fun to see all of the photos! I'm glad the chocolate helped you get rid of your headache, for me, chocolate is the source of mine! And sugar, of course 🙂 I have to just enjoy my family enjoying them, or enjoy gorgeous photos like yours.
beth says
Thanks, Michelle. I can't say the chocolate got rid of my headache, but it sure did brighten my spirits. Fortunately my headaches aren't triggered by chocolate. If they were I'd have a headache every single day! It's been 8 years since I've had daily headaches, and am hoping that this one goes away very quickly. I'm sorry to hear you can have chocolate. That would make me very sad.