Fall 2010

Happy fall to my chocolate friends!

This has been one long, hot, did I say long summer? I promise you that your purchase of Cocoa Nouveau chocolates did not send me on a four month trip around the world (sadly)! Between the summer weather, my husband's deployment and having three boys to entertain here at the house, chocolate has been about the last thing on my mind.

There have been a few new developments though. I have finally gotten around to starting a CocoaNouveau facebook page, because I was told that I must. I am sure that there is a better, or atleast more entertaining way to do it, but I am no longer under 25 so it is lost on me. The most important development though is that Terebinth (a brand new pastry shop in Chesapeake) will be carrying my chocolates weekly. I don't have the contact information as yet, but I will get that to you as soon as I have it. I will be delivering a small run of chocolates every Wednesday; probably only 4 or 5 flavors which will rotate or be replaced as necessary. You will be able to choose from the flavors available and make your own boxes, the same type of set up as Let's Talk Wine. This will be an experiment for me, but the co-owner Kisha Frazier is determined to have my chocolates be a part of her business, for which I am unspeakably grateful.

Having chocolates at Terebinth will not keep me from tastings at Let's Talk Wine, although my husband's deployments and previously mentioned three boys will. I will still be at the tastings, but for a shorter amount of time, from noon until 4 p.m. The next tasting at Let's Talk Wine is coming up in October.

When I have more dates or events, I will post on the CocoaNouveau facebook page, so please check back there, or do whatever it is you do to get updates there! I look forward to seeing everyone soon. Kristin

Dr. Chocolate - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Sciences

Dr. Chocolate - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Sciences

I came across this fascinating article and had to share!

Nothing new at Cocoa Nouveau to report. I am so relieved to have put off production this summer with all the record heat we have had. I would have been a wreck had I continued during this wicked summer heat that won't seem to go away! I had hoped to have tasted several new chocolates by now, but quite honestly, the only chocolate I can tolerate right now is in a Ben and Jerry's container. Which is fine, as shipping costs for chocolate during the summer are astronomical.

I have been playing around with some wonderful chocolate ice cream recipes from David Lebovitz's book "The Perfect Scoop," this is the only ice cream book you will ever need. From amazing vanilla to gianduja gelato, there are recipes for the mix in and the cones as well. A must have book, if you are an ice cream fan, of course.

I recently read another article about a chocolate line I am excited to try Hotel Chocolate an English chocolate company which has the oldest cocoa estate in St. Lucia. The Hotel Chocolate, an actual hotel will be opening this year on the estate. I wish this company much success and I can't wait to try their products!

I hope everyone is having a relaxing, cool summer!

Last of the Truffles until fall

Fruit is ruling my palate right now! The following flavors will be available on May 22nd at Let's Talk Wine, for their May wine tasting:

Adamo: Very similar to Sorrento, but with lime. It is an amazing combination

Modena: a strawberry pate de fruit layered with 65% chocolate and balsamic ganache

Beardsely: 70% chocolate and fresh raspberry combination

Duval: white chocolate and key lime juice rolled in crushed graham crackers

Ponce: 42% chocolate, coconut and rum

Roma: a chocolate cappuccino

Paris: classic truffle

Brittany: sea salted caramel dipped in chocolate

Reims: 65% chocolate and champagne

Malaga: 42% chocolate and sea salt roasted almonds

Sao Paulo: 70% chocolate and passion fruit

I will only be doing special orders over the summer, chocolate, the Tidewater heat and humidity just don't get along, well, let's just say my stress level just doesn't allow for it anyway!

I was hoping to focus on bars or barks over the summer, as the shelf life is so much better, but I am beginning to have difficulty keeping a consistent supply of the chocolate that I use from Venezuela. Unfortunately, I think I maybe spending most of the summer sampling other chocolates with different countries of origin to use. I really hate having to change, but a consistent supply is obviously important!

Hope to see you there!

Let's Talk Wine is at 236 Carmichael Way Suite 308, Chesapeake

757 204-4720

Surviving February

Started in early March!

I know, February is beginning to be but a faded memory for most people, now that it is nearly mid March! I, however, have just finished cleaning up from February. I don't have any idea how I end up with chocolate on the ceiling all the time, but I do.

My back to back February events went well. I have a bit of respite in March, only 1 event at Let's Talk Wine on saturday March 20th, and a donation to Catholic High School on St. Patty's Day. I have 2 events coming up in April as well, more news to follow on those as soon as I have all the info.

Since it is March, my brain, and my taste buds are gravitating towards lemons. I know the citrus industry was hit pretty hard with the abnormally cold winter, but so far I am only seeing regular old lemons (which I love), I have been on the look out for meyer lemons. I wonder if there is anyone out there twittering (sorry if that is the incorrect term) about meyer lemon availability. I tried Twitter last year, but does anyone really care how much chocolate I am melting and where last minute chocolates are available? I really don't think anyone cares to know those things, so I stopped. I am a Twitter quitter after less than a month! I have recently purchased a book about Facebook marketing, so that maybe my next project. I have a list a mile long of all the things I need to get done: website update, brochure, restock, reorganize, etc. I also need a clone of me to help out, since I have book fairs, invention conventions, pi day events, italian lessons, birthday parties and everything else that a normal wife and mom must keep up with.

Chocolates arriving near you soon!

I am just gearing up for a busy season! The following flavors will be available at locations and dates at the end:

St. Augustine: Dark chocolate/grapefruit

Malaga: milk chocolate/almond
Roma: A chocolate cappuccino!
Vienna: Dark chocolate/ginger
Reims: Dark chocolate/champagne
Paris: Classic french truffle
Rosario: Dark chocolate/cinnamon/spice
Lyon: Dark chocolate hand dipped double vanilla marshmallow
Brittany: Dark chocolate hand dipped sea salted caramel
Sofia: Dark chocolate/raspberry/rose
London: Dark chocolate/Earl Grey tea
Ankara: Dark chocolate/Jasmine tea
Portland: Dark chocolate/rosebud tea
Istanbul: Milk chocolate/chai tea

The first event will be is February 6th from 11.00 am until 5.00 pm at:

Let's Talk Wine 236 Carmichael Way Suite 308

757.204.4720

I will be there with trays to sample, as usual so you can put together your own assortment.

February 8th I will be dropping off some pre-asorted boxes to :

INTEGRATIVE Manual Therapy & Wellness

350 W 22nd Street, Suite 108 Norfolk, Virginia 23517

757.216.4151

February 13th from 12.00pm until 6.00pm I will be at:

The Coast Guard Exchange

870 Greenbrier Circle
Chesapeake, VA 23320-2681
757.420.2480

I will have plenty of samples, again, you will be able to assemble your own assortment.

February 14th from 3.30 until 5.30 I will be at:

The League of Women Voters 90th Anniversary celebration

227 West Freemason Street, Norfolk

757.627.3396

I hope to see you soon! Kristin

Happy New Year!

It is now January 12th and I can finally say that I survived the holidays! From Thanksgiving to New Year with all that fun in between, I have finally scraped the last bit of chocolate off the floor and I am ready to gear up for Valentine's Day through Mother's Day.

The last part of the year is always so busy, as a mom, add to that a business aspect and it is just pure craziness. I realize that a huge part of that is self-induced, but still. It was so crazy the last quarter of 09 that I was contemplating whether or not to continue my business. My husband says I am a crazy person when I am under a deadline, because I am a perfectionist (hello kettle, this is pot speaking). I was completely out of balance. I chose the route of a home-based business because my kids, my family is priority number one. I am still making dinner, I am still doing laundry and helping with homework. That balance is much harder to sustain than I imagined.

As I was contemplating whether or not to continue my business, I received a phone call from a reporter with my local paper, wanting to do a little blurb on me and what I do. Now, this reporter, Carolyn Shapiro had tasted my chocolates last Easter, nearly 9 months ago! I was so flattered that she held on to my card for that long, keeping me in the back of her mind like that. I don't believe that coincidences are just coincidences, I listen to them. I trust my instincts, they have gotten me this far, seeing the connections and the coincidences have lead me some amazing places.

I am really thankful for the response I have gotten in the few days since the article. I will keep on plugging away with the chocolate. I have a few events coming up, not just chocolate selling, but a few classes as well, which I am very excited about.

So now, it is time for me to start replenishing my chocolate stock, look for new products and develop new recipes, my favorite part! I am honored by everyone who supports me, who believes in me and all those ladies that say my chocolate is foreplay! Hopefully I can keep everyone interested in 2010!

Late October

Updating this has been at the top of my list for awhile, but I can't seem to utilize the 24 hours a day I was given to their full potential. I guess I could if I would just give up sleep, but quite honestly, sometimes it is the best part of my day.

I really admire those women that do everything; be a great mom, work, write books, maintain friendships, start businesses, cook dinner every night, have wonderful marriages and all the while looking absolutely gorgeous. I don't know how they do it. Being a mom of 3 boys (one of which has an ASD), and a husband who has been gone quite a bit has always been enough to keep me busy. Once they went off to school I thought, "here comes my time!!" It is sad to say that I have realized I was delusional! No one person can do all that, without help. Being a military wife, always away from family has made me very self reliant, to a fault. I pride myself on being able to do everything by myself. Now I am beginning to ask, "why?"

I love fall, I love it better in a place where fall has that storybook look, the hills, gorgeous leaves, fog and cool temps, but.... I love fall. I love the warm, comforting flavors of fall, cinnamon, pumpkin, apples, ginger, all the things that make you feel like snuggling up in a pile of blankets for a nap. I tend to forget all the allergies and the colds, the tissues and vicks vapo-rub and the spilled bottles of cough medicine, until it is staring me in the face. So, on October 16th, I started working on my chocolates for an event at Let's Talk Wine on October 24th. I had been working on a new truffle, had all my ingredients ready; I was fully prepared for everything, I thought. On the 18th, I woke up with a bit of a tickle in my throat and I thought my eyeballs were going to pop out of my head from sinus pressure, but it was Sunday, everyone was home, I had things to do. I had a small chocolate job to finish and I needed to start infusing some cream for the next batch. Did I mention that my husband rescued a 9 month old puppy? A 9 month old Bernese Mountain Dog(Romeo) who weighs in at 75 pounds? Yes, he is adorable and looks so much like our 6 year old Berner, Lucy that he is tough to resist, but... it has been raining and he likes the mud! I am sick, he can rest his head on the counter and apparently never met a food he didn't love. Needless to say, if there was a week in my life that I shouldn't be making chocolate this was it. I had to stop the chocolate to buy my 8 year old a new pair of shoes,(teething puppy) I had fencing lessons with my 12 year old, (a 35 minute drive and I can't see while I am sneezing) I had to go find another batch of star anise (which isn't very common in my part of the world) because Romeo ate the first pack. More chocolate, I get sicker and am positive I am dying of the H1N1 or something far worse. But I need to assemble boxes and print labels and take photos and make more ganache, and breakfast and fill lunch boxes, then make dinner then ....... go buy a new cell phone because Romeo ATE MY cellphone, which is my work phone.........and as much as I would like to call in sick, I can't; my work is my life, I don't mean that in a type A workaholic way, I mean all of this stuff is my life, my everyday life in my "yay it is the me time part of my life!!"

I did survive, on nyquil and cuppa soup. The chocolates did work out well, except for one recipe. They should really put on the nyquil bottle that it impairs the ability to do math of any kind. I spent the 24th, a little congested, but no worse for the week, except now my 12 year old is sick. Thankfully, no chocolate this week and I can take care of him.

There may soon be an additional place to pick up my chocolates, Krysia Witkowski Branum the owner of INTEGRATIVE Manual Therapy & Wellness, has been kind enough to take some samples to see if her clients might be interested in them. I was delighted to hear the excitement when I dropped them off yesterday! I have been asked about sugar free chocolates so I am going to start some research into that. It is honestly not something that I have ever considered, but I do have a few diabetic customers and I would love to get something tasty and not dangerous to them!

cream infusing with spices for Istanbul

All the chocolates for the Let's Talk Wine event

The only new one of this run was the Balyan:

Named for the most well known architect of Art Nouveau style in Turkey. I had been making bars with fresh ground pink peppercorn and star anise for awhile. I love the combination, and thankfully did quite a few people. I started playing around with a truffle with these flavors. As usual, I initially made things far too complicated. The flavors are balanced so well with a great 65% chocolate. I personally think that you can add anything to the Felchlin 65% and it will taste amazing (which may be giving away a huge secret!)

I brought back the marshmallows, by request. I do love the Bewitched style transfer. I loved all the halloween transfers available and hope that bit of whimsy doesn't turn anyone off the chocolates. I realize that a couple of them would have looked much better with white chocolate, but honestly, with the week I was having, I was lucky to get any of them done!

I am just going to sit here in the chocolate room, watching the leaves in the breeze while I am sipping my chai tea. I am pretending that it is about 55 degrees and crisp. I am ignoring the 70 degrees and 98% humidity and the big muddy puppy rolling in the mud.

No new chocolates for you to track down and eat yet, hopefully next week. Although, my 8 year old is sniffling now!