My paycheck is small so trips to Whole Foods is an occasional treat. I know I will peruse the aisles discovering products I never knew existed, but settle on a modest peasant’s dinner. With baguette in hand, a sampling of olives from the bar, and a cheese that piqued my interest, I am just about to walk out the door having spent no more than ten bucks. Take that, luxurious grocery chain! But lucky for Whole Foods and unfortunately for me, I cannot possibly get to checkout without going through a gauntlet of fresh-baked desserts and stacks of chocolate.
Enter Ludomar: Turrón trufado con melocotón y rosas. Yes, seven dollars of “chocolate concept” direct from Spain… One hundred grams of contemporary confection in a delightfully over-designed box of brown and pink that made me weak in the knees. I was done for - when it comes to artisan chocolate, no price is too high.

I was disappointed to find that the bar is much smaller than the box it came in, but the flavors made up for it. The label boasts “a smooth chocolate truffle bar with a fruity flavor highlighted with a touch of rose” but this does not do the bar justice. The bar is no less than 60% cacao, a silky length of truffle enrobed in a thick shell of dark chocolate that snaps brightly when broken…like cracking open a treasure box. Despite the name, the bar is not overwhelmingly fruity. The flavors of apricot and rose are delicately balanced atop the chocolate and the result is whole and complete. This is the secret satin pink negligee of chocolate… neatly folded in the lingerie drawer and ready to go with the right bottle of Moet Chandon - sweet, sensuous, floral and feminine.

I bought my candy thermometer for $14 four years ago when I first decided to make my own caramels. What I love about candymaking is that you don’t often need too many ingredients. There is nothing complicated about it - you just need a candy thermometer and a watchful eye to make sure the sugar reaches the right “consistency.” When reaching certain temperatures, the structure of the sugar changes. After cooling, the sugar becomes anything from whippably soft (like divinity), gooey, chewy, or hard and brittle. The only thing you must be careful of is not to burn yourself, as the candy can reach very high temperatures. You also have to be careful not to stir the melted sugar syrup, as this will re-introduce sugar crystals and lead to crystallization and texture issues later on.