Rex & Regina’s Blog

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

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!

Just one more day until Julie & Julia hits the theaters!

For Day Four of Celebrating Julia Child: A Countdown to Julie & Julia, I am taking inspiration from the August issue of Food & Wine magazine. The magazine suggests hosting a “We Heart Julia” Party with one of Julia Child’s favorite dishes: quiche.

photo via www.foodandwine.com

Adorable party favor ideas include aprons and t-shirts with Julia Child quotes. Another idea is to order a set of 4-6 custom napkins (foryourparty.com is a great source) each featuring a different Julia Child quote.

Can’t get enough of Julia Child and Julie & Julia? Check out:

• New York Times article with Julie & Julia food stylist, Susan Spungen
• Video Diary from Style.com of Norah Ephron and Vogue food critic Jeffrey Steingarten cooking and chatting in Norah’s kitchen
• Harper’s Bazaar article by Julie Powell on Julia Child’s enduring style

Dean & Deluca has a crush on Julia Child!

Why else would they host a contest in connection with the Julie & Julia movie?! Test your luck and enter to win a fabulous Dean & Deluca prize!

For more Rex & Regina chatter about Julie Child, check out Day One, Day Two, and Day Three of this series and stay tuned tomorrow for another entry!