Rex and Regina Blog » chocolate

Sweet Revolution Love Caramels – Perfect Valentine’s Day Gift

rreditor — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:33:41 +0000

Perfect for Valentine's Day

Wouldn’t you love a batch of these for Valentine’s Day? Any salted caramel is to die for, but with a chocolate heart painted on top, these caramels from Sweet Revolution (available at Dean & Deluca) look particularly incredible!

Sweet Revolution Love Caramels available from Dean & Deluca

Adorable handmade candies

rreditor — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:20:07 +0000

My husband came home the other night with these adorable candies made by his co-worker. They were way too cute not to share with you. Each is carefully and colorfully wrapped with the name of the candy on top. Aren’t co-workers the best?!

Kickin’ up the hot cocoa

rreditor — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 03:21:38 +0000

It’s getting downright chilly outside. On cold days like this nothing is more heavenly than cozying up to a fire with some cocoa in hand. These three cocoa recipes from around the Web are a great excuse to strike a match.

Ferrero Flip by Sweet Paul; photo by Hector Sanchez via Sweet Paul

Mexican Hot Cocoa via Epicurious; photo by Sang An via Epicurious

Giada De Laurentiis' Hot Chocolate Bar via Food Network

Adorable Easter Chocolates

rreditor — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:07:04 +0000

Easter totally snuck up me this year! I have a few ideas for my Easter brunch menu, but I really need to get planning all the other details. I did find these adorable chocolates from Knipschildt, though, which I think would be lovely in small dishes at each guests’ place setting or served just as is — in their very appropriate container — passed around with coffee after brunch.

Now, back to planning the rest of the meal!

chocolate quail eggs from Knipschildt

Nostalgic Treats at Bouchon Bakery

rreditor — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:05:31 +0000

I just got back from a quick trip to New York City where I made a stop by Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery. I think I left ten pounds heavier, but it was totally worth it. Like many other top tier, artisan bakeries, Bouchon is tinkering with the past — serving nostalgic treats that take us back to our childhood.

Two of my favorite nostalgic treats offered at Bouchon Bakery were the TKO and the Ho-Ho.

Thomas Keller's version of the Oreo with chocolate sable dough and a white chocolate ganache filling

TKO from Bouchon Bakery

Bouchon's take on a Ho-Ho

If you are in Yountville, Las Vegas, or New York, be sure to check out Bouchon’s playfully tasty treats!

Warm Up Your Next Party with a Hot Cocoa Bar

rreditor — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:40:27 +0000

We are in the midst of the Snowpocalypse here in the DC area. At our house we have at least 30 inches of snow outside. We’ve already shoveled the driveway three times and will certainly be out there again before all of this is over. It’s good exercise, I guess. But let’s be honest, shoveling is not fun!

What will make this all better, I ask myself? Hot chocolate will help. Better still? A hot chocolate bar!

Hot chocolate bars — where you can make your own custom hot cocoa with a variety of “fixings” — are becoming very popular. They are great on a snowy day at home, but even more fun at a party. Guests love the interactivity and the ability to create their favorite cooca concoction. Try it at a winter engagement party, a SuperBowl bash, or a birthday party.

Set out some mugs.

These celebrity-designed mugs are not only whimsical, but they also help raise money for Whatever it Takes, a charity to raise money to combat the most pressing issues of the 21st century.

Celebrity-designed mugs available at Neiman Marcus

Pillivuyt has such classic tableware. These extra large mugs are no exception — and would leave plenty of room for making the perfect cocoa creation.

Pillivuyt Eden extra large mug, available at Geary's

Make a few batches of hot chocolate.

A batch of regular hot cocoa for the base is a great place to start. This recipe for Creamy Hot Chocolate from Epicurious would be perfect. I’d recommend offering a couple of other bases, as well, like white hot chocolate or peppermint hot chocolate.

Provide some add-ins — offer both liquid and dry.

Dry:

Crumbled peppermint sticks
Marshmallows
Chocolate-covered marshmallows (like these from Bissinger’s)
Cinnamon sugar
Orange twists or peel
Chopped up candy bar
Chocolate chips
Caramels

Liquid:

Espresso shots
coffee
Flavored syrups (like Monin’s organic syrups)
Peppermint extract
Vanilla extract

or for the adults…

Kahlua
Bailey’s
Creme de Mint
Grand Marnier
Peppermint Schnapps

To top it off:

Whipped cream
cinnamon
cocoa powder

Set out some stirrers.

candy canes or peppermint sticks
cinnamon sticks
artisan stirrers (like this tempting one from Knipschildt — white chocolate with butterscotch and whiskey)

Enjoy!!

Valentine’s Day Sweets

rreditor — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:41:15 +0000

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Going to a Valentine’s Day party? Hosting one? Need a sweet gift for a special someone? Try some of these on for size…

Chocolate and salt are such a beautifully delicious combination. Add some caramel and walnuts and you have one amazing “turtle” chocolate.

Caramel clusters from John Kelly Chocolates

Remember pop rocks? The fizzy candy you used to eat as a kid? Introducing a very grown up version from Francois Payard: pop rock truffles.

Pop rock truffles from Francois Payard

A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E. That’s all I can say about these cinnamon marshmallows from Whimsy & Spice.

heart-shaped cinnamon marshmallows

My personal favorite? Chocolate-covered strawberries – a classic that never goes out of style! Add a glass of champagne and …. YUM!

Chocolate-covered strawberries from Dean & Deluca

Stir up some hot chocolate this holiday season

rreditor — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:26:37 +0000

Are you a chocoholic? Do you have friends that are chocoholics? Then you should not read further at the risk of completely falling off the wagon.

I mean, what could be more sinful and delicious than hot chocolate — on a stick!! Simply stir the chocolate into a cup of hot milk and enjoy. I love it! What a great gift these would make for the chocolate lover on your list this holiday season.

hot chocolate on a stick

A {caramel} apple a day…

rreditor — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:30:29 +0000

One of the most popular Halloween treats out there is candied apples. Granted, they are not the easiest to eat, but the messiness is worth it. All that gooey caramel and rich chocolate covering the crunch of a tart apple = pure deliciousness!

These whimsical fall treats are great not only for Halloween but would be perfect for wedding favors, at a children’s party, or served at a fall engagement party… you name it!

A bride I worked with a couple of years ago gave a candied apple to each of her guests as a favor. It made for a beautiful presentation on the place setting.

Candied apples accent a beautiful place setting, photo courtesy of Kate Triano

Making candied apples is fairly easy and there are many recipes out there to help guide you through the process. To make apples with a little more interest than the standard caramel apples, consider these two recipes.

The first, from Gourmet magazine (don’t get me started… I WILL start crying.) is a true grown-up version of candied apples. Don’t these red wine caramel apples look amazing?

red wine caramel apple recipe, Gourmet, October 2009

I also love these mini candied apples from Martha Stewart — even easier to eat than the larger versions.

Mini candied apples, Martha Stewart Living

Or, if you don’t feel like making candied apples from scratch, check out this fabulous option from Dean & Deluca:

chocolate covered caramel apples, available from Dean & Deluca

Enjoy!