Scenes From a Chocolate Tasting

These photos were taken at La Maison du Chocolat's two-hour chocolate tasting at their Upper East Side enclave last spring. On the menu was a combination of milk, dark, and extra dark chocolate ganaches - the same ganaches this renowned Parisian chocolatier built his entire empire on. They even made us fresh ganache from scratch. Nom nom nom.

This is what good nights are made of.

Happy weekend to you!

- Kris Alcantara

Coming up next: La Maison du Chocolat's Chocolate Mousse recipe on No-Bake Mondays! Stay tuned.

4 1/2 Fantasmic Bubble Tea Spots in NYC

 

Love me some bubble tea. Thanks TimingAndDelivery, Barnrau, and Team Sugar for the photos 

Summer in New York can be a big bitch. 

I grew up in a tropical country so this observation comes from someone with a relatively high threshold for heat. But in this city, heat is a different story. The humidity envelopes you like a sweater you can't take off. Standing on a subway platform rivals the comfort level of setting your toes on fire--only it's not just your toes, it's your whole damn body. It's the kind of heat that just pisses you off. And when that happens, divine intervention takes a big plastic form: bubble tea.

My obsession with bubble tea has moved past the craze everybody (including me) thought it was. I'm completely taken by the chewy tapioca pearls - chewing on them is one of my best definitions of joy. Allow me to share with you my favorite bubble tea spots in the city (not necessarily in order). Shhh, don't tell everybody.

1. Tea Magic 2878 Broadway Avenue

This place has won me over completely with authentic tapioca pearls (not the hard kind that crumbles in your mouth--ewww) and the Coffee Jelly Slush. Chewy coffee-flavored jelly swimming in an iced coffee drink is fantastic drink to wake up to in the summer! Read Tea Magic's review on Chowhound.

2. Aru Sushi 695 9th Avenue

This place gets major plus points for me just for having sesame bubble tea. Big fan! They also make bubble teas with orange juice and strawberry juice.

3. New York and Thai Grill Sushi 37 W 54th St.

No they don't have an inventive name and they're nowhere near my list of best sushi spots in Midtown but they make a mean hazelnut bubble tea. Pinky swear.

4. ThirsTea 280 E 10th St.  

Really cute East Village bubble tea place with a friendly staff. They do a lot with matcha green tea, which takes the bubble tea experience to whole new levels of awesome. 

4.5 Radiance Tea House and Books 158 W 55th St.

This is the kind of place that deserve s a post of its own. Possibly one of your best bets for dessert tea, albeit without the bubbles (sad face). The story of their purple yam latte, however, must be told. Psst, they get an A for ambiance too.

And that, my friends, is how I give this city heat a big fat middle finger (without actually doing it). 

Bubble up!

- Kris Alcantara

Meet the Great Chocolate Giveaway Winners!

Great Chocolate Giveaway Winners with their pretty prize

Life is sweeter for four people today. Congratulations Adrienne, Carren, Charlie, and Denise!

To celebrate Married to Chocolate's big fat anniversary last month, Ghirardelli and I gave away four big fat baskets of chocolate to whoever answered one of life's toughest questions best: Why do you deserve free chocolate? Check out the winning entries in this post!

Here's a big THANK YOU to Ghirardelli for sponsoring the Great Chocolate Giveaway and here's a bigger THANK YOU to everyone who joined! I had a blast celebrating the anniversary with you guys.

Keep coming back, you hear? It's going to be an exciting year.

Love,
 - Kris Alcantara

PS
To the international entries (Hey Manila!), due to shipping constraints, I'm really sorry I couldn't let you guys win. I will make it up to you somehow!

Lula's Sweet Apothecary

What does vegan ice cream taste like? Apparently, better than real ice cream.

Just when I thought I couldn't possibly have one more reason to love the East Village, Lula's Sweet Apothecary barges into my life, steals my heart, and runs away with it forever. See, I'm not a huge dairy person, so ice cream is usually at the very bottom of my dessert list (if, at all). Tell me I can't have ice cream ever again and I can't say I'll be devastated. That is, until I met Lula.

This tiny ice cream parlor on east 6th street is very easy to miss (I know this because I missed it every single time I went) if not for the crowd that quietly gathers at the door. The shop is kept simple, with a charming collection of vintage coca-cola signs hanging on the wall. Three seats facing the window is about all this store can offer, but there's a bench outside and the Creative Little Garden across the street where you can sit and enjoy (nay, devour) your order.

The first two times I went, I ordered strawberry. I swear if I didn't know it was a vegan, all natural, dairy and gluten-free ice cream, I would've mistaken it for premium ice cream - you know, the kind that has a jillion calories because it's loaded with heavy cream. This was ridiculously smooth and every bit as creamy as regular ice cream, with a nice touch of soy that adds a nuttier flavor. Not cloyingly sweet, it flaunted a kind of silky consistency that goes down way easy. The Maple Waffle flavor charmed me - what with its syrupy sweetness and a generous serving of chewy waffle bits embedded in every bite.. like breakfast on a cone. Ohh-Lu-La.

I will never feel about regular ice cream, what I feel about you.

- Kris Alcantara

PS
Here are the deets!

Lula's Sweet Apothecary
516 East 6th Street
New York, NY 10009

oh and psst, they open at 3PM.

No-Bake Mondays: No-Bake Beeramisu

Not just any tiramisu recipe, this is BEERamisu. Curious?

Yep, you read that right. Not Tiramisu, BEERAMISU.

This is the kind of recipe that gets me all excited. Tiramisu is probably one of the simplest and easiest desserts ever created, yet this no-bake gem owns a very distinct (and delicate) flavor unlike any other dessert out there. The (not-so) secret ingredient? Coffee. So what happens when you replace coffee with - brace yourself - beer? These guys know. Check out this award-winning No-Bake Beeramisu recipe by the Working Class Foodies - it's pure genius. The best part? It looks ridiculously easy to make.

How's your Monday going, folks? 

- Kris Alcantara

Coming Up on Married to Chocolate

 Hi, I'm back! (with a super dorky wave for your amusement)

What does a month of zero-blogging equal to? A big fat pile of exciting dessert adventures begging to be told. Here's a preview of what's coming in the next few weeks!

1. Lula's Sweet Apothecary - Summer's here and you know what that means. ICE CREAM! I am deeply, deeply infatuated with this East Village vegan ice cream parlor and get this, I'm not even an ice cream person.

2. Five Ways to Love Chocolate and Not Get Fat -  Just cause it's bikini season doesn't mean you have to give up chocolate-eating. Let me share a few secrets about enjoying chocolate - and keeping your gut in check.

3. First Prize Pies - Back in spring, I had the great pleasure of meeting super cool baker Allison Kave of First Prize Pies (and her award-winning pecan pie, YUM). Her creations have been making headlines - let me tell you why.

4. La Maison du Chocolat - I've waxed poetic about this chocolatier before, and now I'm sharing with you their no-bake chocolate mousse recipe. WOOT!

5. The Hershey Park - The chocolate lover's version of Disneyland. En route to Maryland from New York last week, we stopped by the Hershey Park in PA. Pictures you must see!

6. Only in NYC - I moved to the big city for the summer so stay tuned for dessert deals reported live from the best place in the world to be a food-lover: Manhattan!

Are you ready for this?

I am.

- Kris Alcantara

PS
Shoutout to the winners of the Great Chocolate Giveaway contest sponsored by Ghirardelli - Adrienne Kasper, Denise Cotrell, Charlie Frazee and Carren Jao - CONGRATULATIONS! And thank you to everyone who joined!

PPS
Also, a big thank you to everyone who e-mailed and messaged me about blogging while I was away - you guys rock!

The Self-Taught Chocolatiers: NuNu Chocolates

The Self-Taught Chocolatiers: NuNu Chocolates from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

"There's so much magic you miss when you're not in the kitchen when food gets created and I wanted to be there to capture that. I wanted to share the hard work and the dreams being realized. I just couldn't think of a more fun job." - Liza de Guia

Liza de Guia, the multimedia maven behind Food. Curated., has one of the funnest jobs in the world. 

A former Hamptons-based food host and reporter, Liza has been telling delicious stories since 2003. Though that job was one of many casualties at the height of the recession last year, she seized the opportunity to launch her own website doing what she does best: storytelling. This "one-woman shooting/editing machine" was recently nominated for Best Video Webcast by the James Beard Foundation. 

My favorite video of hers (above) is about the so-called self-taught chocolatiers behind NuNu Chocolates and I think she did an amazing job telling their story. I got a chance to do a quick e-mail interview yesterday and here's how that went.

No-Bake Mondays: Nutella and Pears on Wheat Bread

Nutella and pears sprinkled with cinnamon. Tell me something smells better than this.

I bring you No-Bake Mondays, the breakfast edition.

Granted this is the least time of day when you want to spend time making food, I encourage you to think twice and make breakfasts your best meal of the day. And by best, I mean the one you enjoy the most. I've picked up the habit of jazzing up my morning meals with chocolate—whether it's having a small piece of chocolate with coffee (the French do it all the time!) or sprinkling oatmeal with chocolate chips. Whoever says "it's too early for chocolate" should not be listened to.

Nutella and pears on wheat bread spell G-O-O-D  M-O-R-N-I-N-G! It reminds me of quiet summer mornings with sunlight streaming from the kitchen window. Blissful. Enjoy with milk or coffee.

No-Bake Mondays: Nutella and Pears on Wheat Bread
Makes 1
In minutes 5

What You Need
wheat toast
Nutella
sliced peaches (canned)
cinnamon

How to Make It
1. Spread nutella on toast.
2. Garnish with peaches and sprinkle with cinnamon.
3. Enjoy at room temperature or warm it up in the microwave (15 seconds or less) or toaster (about one minute). 
4. Enjoy!

Happy Monday, you!

- Kris Alcantara

5 Reasons Why Moms Are Like Chocolate

This pretty lady here is the coolest mom in the world. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Five Reasons Why Moms Are Like Chocolate

1. They bring comfort.

2. They're sweet.

3. They can be a little nutty. Especially 'round the 50s.
(Joking mom, JOKING!)

4. They're always there for you.

5. Having one tends to be one of the best things in life.

Mom, this is for you. Happy YOU Day.

Love,

- Kris Alcantara

5 1/2 No-Bake Recipes You Shouldn't Miss (and 6 food bloggers you should know)

I took a break from no-baking today to bring you a round-up of my best-of-the-best food bloggers list (who all have no-bake recipes). Let me tell you about my heroes.

They are bloggers who take awesome pictures. But more than visual prowess, I am incredibly turned on (no, not that way!) by bloggers who engage me with words and finely crafted stories. I like knowing what goes behind a recipe, and I like bloggers who show me things I've never seen before. Granted kitchen experiments may not fly all the time, that's what no-baking is about--trying something different and having fun (to me at least). Here are five and a half fantasmic no-bake recipes I recommend, and six food bloggers you should be looking out for (if you weren't already).

1.  Petit Smores by the Internet Cooking Princess

I'm a sucker for super simple, slap-it-on kinds of recipes and anything that takes five minutes to make--that's why I adore this blog. She's all about shortcuts too (which I agree with completely), and this bubbly princess from Texas writes with sass. I love that. Royally awesome, indeed. Check out the ICP's blog here.

2. Truffles Squared

Truffles with truffles? Is there anything more mind-blowing than this? Hannah, you're a rockstar. This vegan baker is the genius behind My Sweet Vegan and this cookbook is proof of her superhero powers, which by the way, she produced before entering college. That's crazy! Check her out at Bitter Sweet Blog.

3. Coconut Orange Juice Cookies by the Cooking Photographer

I have mad love for food photographers because that shiz is hardcore yo! Unlike people, you can't tell a cup of soup to strike a pose or a big fat steak to smile. Laura Flowers is both a cook and a professional photographer and she does amazing work on The Cooking Photographer.

4. Chocolate Muesli Balls by Amrita of fat.free.brainwaves

She's a chocoholic too but that's not why she made it on my list. Amrita is a goddess at no-bake desserts (and a lot more) but what I love most about fat.free.brainwaves is the personality oozing out of it. Watch out--it's addicting.

5. Chocolate Ice Box Cake by Not So Humble Pie

She calls herself Ms.Humble from Seattle and I think that's insanely cute.  A biological anthropologist runs Not So Humble Pie, and she takes some pretty amazing pictures. That, and her cakes and pies tend to be the cutest things in the world. There's a reason why she has 2000 followers.

5.5 Almost No-Bake Tofu Cheesecake by Kitchen M

I had to include Kitchen M's tofu cheesecake because, well, how do you not fall in love with this? Run by a food photographer from the Bay Area named Em, her photos are uber pretty. Her Almost No-Bake Tofu Cheesecake has a sponge cake base, which is why she had to use an oven to make it, hence the "half," but anybody who makes tofu cheesecake gets major props from me.

That's it for today folks! Have you joined the Great Chocolate Give Away yet?

A hundred squares of Ghirardelli chocolate awaits you.

- Kris Alcantara