Adam and Eve's Valentine's Box: Part V

I must again apologize for the delay in posting the last reviews in my truffle series. Our new kitty came home yesterday, so we've been very busy with preparations, and getting to know her.

I've decided to post the final four truffles from the Valentine's Box all at once. These four truffles are the pinnacle of Adam and Eve's chocolate art - true titans of chocolatey deliciousness.

#4 Chocolate Cherry

I've had a lot of chocolate cherries in my day, but none quite this good. These guys come wrapped in red foil, with a gemstone-shaped dark chocolate outer coating. Inside, an explosion of REAL cherry flavor. It's like biting into a silky, syrup-coated bing cherry right out of my grandfather's orchard.

#3 White Strawberry Heart

This truffle tastes delightfully like the Strawberry Cow I used to love as a little girl. It sports a creamy, sweet white chocolate exterior marbled with red on the outside, with a strawberry flavored white ganache filling. The heart shape makes this truffle even more fun. Sadly, I think this one may be a seasonal offering.

#2 Lemonlicious

Every time I visit AE, I HAVE to have this truffle. It features a luscious, white chocolate shell, encasing a sweet yet mouthwateringly tart lemon filling. It's like living in a tiny house carved inside a Meyer lemon...

And, at last:

#1 Strawberry Marc De Champagne

Of all the truffles Adam and Eve has to offer, this one is by far the best - a true work of art. The exterior is irregular, similar to the buttery praline, but coated in delicate, shaved milk chocolate that feathers away on your tongue. Under these shale-like layers of chocolate lies a divine filling - lively strawberry balanced by crisp, bright notes of champagne. The only thing that could possibly improve this truffle would be to pair it with a glass of REAL champagne.

Adam and Eve's Valentine's Box: Part IV

The truffle countdown continues! Here are my reviews for truffles #6 and #5 from my Valentine's Box. We're starting to get down to the REALLY phenomenal ones now, folks!

#6 - Citrus zest

This is one of the more visually smashing truffles available, with curls of lemon and lime zest sprinkled on the dark chocolate exterior. The filling is potent, mouth-watering lemon-lime-infused ganache. Interestingly, this chocolate appears to be double-shelled, with dark chocolate on the exterior, and milk chocolate lining the well of ganache. This may be to add extra sweetness to balance out the deliciously sour lemon-lime filling.

#5 - Marc De Champagne

This truffle's milk chocolate exterior comes dusted with icing sugar, while the filling is champagne infused ganache. This one was a real treat. Sophisticated and fulfilling - you can almost feel the bubbles. The oak-y, boozy tones of the champagne are perfectly offset by the sweet, melty icing sugar.

On a truffle-unrelated note, a special shout-out to my lil' sis for making a delightful new banner for the blog - doesn't it look terrific? Thanks, Carmen ;)

Adam and Eve's Valentine's Box: Part III

I missed yesterday's truffle review due to a Super Mario bender with Ash and Megan, and cat adoption procedures this morning. Not to worry, though - I will simply double up today's review. Twice as many truffles...doesn't sound like a problem to me!

So - today I'm featuring my #10th, #9th, #8th, and #7th favorite chocolates from Adam And Eve Chocolatier's 14-truffle Valentine's Box.

#10 - White and Milk Chocolate Heart

This truffle is one of AE's V-day seasonal special features. It features a milk chocolate-streaked-white exterior, with smooth milk chocolate ganache inside. The filling was a bit more soft and fluid than most, but this wasn't unwelcome. A satisfying truffle, and the heart shape adds some seasonal romance.

#9 - Mango

This lovely bonbon has a milk chocolate outer shell, and mango infused ganache filling. I thought it could be a bit MORE mango-ey, but readers should be warned that I like my flavors the same way I like my classical composers - histrionic. This treat was still excellent. Softer than the others, and with a hint of the exotic.

#8 - Buttery Praline

This truffle is a little different, with a rougher, dark chocolate exterior, dusted with unsweetened cocoa. Inside, the filling is melt-in-your-mouth buttery, faintly salty, and satisfyingly good. Another excellent companion to a cappuccino or latte.

#7 - Matcha Green Tea

This truffle is white chocolate coated, with matcha green tea and white ganache filling. It is quite mild - sweet, but not overpoweringly so, with the white chocolate balanced nicely by the grassy, honeydewy matcha flavor. I love this truffle for it's unique character - it stands apart from the other chocolates, stately and sophisticated.

Adam and Eve's Valentine's Box: Part II

Welcome to Day Two of my truffle review feature. I'm counting down the 14 delights contained in Adam and Eve Chocolatier's small Valentine's Box. Today I'm reviewing truffles #12 and #11:

#12: White Chocolate Ganache Truffle

Soft, sweet, and satiny smooth, the white ganache has a better vanilla flavor than the actual vanilla truffle. And it's entirely white chocolate, with nothing to mar its milky complexion. For those who appreciate white chocolate (and I certainly do) this truffle is a real treat. I could eat these all day.

#11: Marble Liqueur Truffle

This creation appears to be a variation on the white chocolate ganache truffle, but taken to a new level of loveliness. The name is misleading, as it contains no hint of liquer flavoring (I presume the nomenclature refers to the marbling of chocolate liquors). A visually appealing offering, the flowing, irregular exterior is swirled milk and white chocolate. The filling is white ganache, creamy and luxurious.

Adam and Eve's Valentine's Box: Part I

I've been meaning to write an entry about Adam and Eve Chocolatier for some time. This establishment is one of my favorite finds since moving to Toronto. Tucked away just off Church street on Maitland, AE is far more than just a chocolatier. The shop also hosts a coffee bar, a gelateria, and a quiet, welcoming lounge - perfect for a weary student to camp out with her laptop for the day (they have free WiFi, too).

The interior is stately and modern, with cool but not-too-loud jazzy tunes setting the mood, and leather couches arranged around a digital "fireplace." Tables for two are nestled in quiet corners, and a secluded back patio beckons in the warmer months. A full range of espresso drinks are offered, with a number of flavor options. Several varieties of biscotti, cakes, and cookies are offered at reasonable prices. The gelato comes in chocolate, hazelnut, raspberry, mango, lemon, and rose (the latter flavor deserves its own post - which I may get around to writing sometime).

AE's chocolates are hand-crafted, and the prices are not for the faint of heart. However, they are worth every penny, and sales are offered throughout the year for the bargain-hunter. Perhaps one of the best times of year to take advantage of these deals are near Valentine's Day, when AE do some of their finest work. I picked up this box of 14 V-day truffles at a nice discount on February 17th, and decided to review it's contents.

For the next week, I will post reviews of two of these truffles a day, in ascending order of how much I love them. I will count down from the "good" through to the "sublime."

#14: Vanilla Bean Truffle:

The Vanilla Bean is a mild truffle, with a dark chocolate exterior, and creamy white vanilla ganache filling. The filling holds an excellent vanilla bean punch that doesn't take a backseat to the dark chocolate. Not too sweet - I found this one complimented my latte nicely.

#13: Possibly Coconut Rum Truffle:

I had to guess the flavor of this one, as I'd never seen it before. A nice, semi-sweet truffle with subtle flavours I couldn't quite identify - certainly familiar, vaguely alcoholic but only in a shyly taunting way. I think it may be the coconut rum truffle, but I'm not certain - I'll need to verify back at AE next time I drop by.

Valentine's Day Chocolate Strawberries

Although years of watching chocolate-covered strawberries being put to rather stomach-turning uses on soap operas has left me with some lingering negative associations, I wanted to do something special for V-day food wise. Chocolate-covered strawberries are a traditional choice.


My sister just started her own blog, and had written an entry about chocolate-covered strawberries herself, so the idea was on my mind. Then, I happened upon some very nice strawberries for sale at Pusateri Fruit Market, and picked them up with a mega-bar of semi-sweet Belgian chocolate.


I chopped up the chocolate with my cleaver, melted some butter, threw the chocolate in and melted it (stirring frequently as advised by my little sis), washed the strawberries, and dunked them in. I popped them down on wax paper, and let them set.


They were damned good, I tell you. Almost good enough to make me forget it's February...