Christmas in France. Family traditions. At my mother-in-law’s home in the French countryside. A fire going at all times.  Papillotes (wrapped chocolates from Lyon) in bowls around the house, eaten from morning to night, before, after and in between meals.  My brother-in-law on the piano and mother-in-law in the kitchen (with me as Sous Chef, but of course). Slippers in front of the fireplace. Clementines left for Le Père Noël (Santa Claus). Our nephews and niece running around – excited for Santa to come, and then excited about all that he left behind.

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When December rolls around and the holidays approach, what gets you the most excited? For some, it’s the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree and taking it home to decorate, not to mention placing wrapped gifts underneath.  For others, it’s thinking of their city filled with festive lights – always an elegant display here in Zürich.  Still others anticipate the winter markets, roasting chestnuts by the fire or cooking and baking family recipes.  For me… it’s Weihnachtsguetzli, Christmas cookies, of course! (recipes below)

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I just learned an important lesson.  When going away for a couple of weeks, especially to an exotic island, a destination not exactly known for its chocolate,… don’t leave home without sticking a few bars in your bag (which I didn’t do).  But luckily when I got home, not only do I live in Switzerland, where there will never be a lack of excellent chocolate, I had an overflowing chocolate stash (as usual), including a few notable goodies from my last trip to Paris.

I was recently given a very sweet assignment, and shared “my perfect day in Paris” on The Paris Kitchen, where Wendy Lyn revealed my ultimate favorite sweet addresses.  Here is one of them… A L’Etoile d’Or.

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The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, and so, holidays fall on different dates each year in the Julian (solar) calendar.  Chanukah, the “Festival of Lights,” tends to coincide with Christmas, but this year, it is even closer to Thanksgiving.  So it was in early November that we dusted off the menorah and took out our wooden dreidels and decorative lights.  I ran over to Books & Bagels in Zürich, my source for all things Jewish during the holidays, especially cards and candles.  Chanukah plates, decorations, stickers, games – you name it, they have it (but I don’t actually recommend the bagels, sorry.).  Gold sachets of chocolate coins (gelt) and presents arrived in a care package from New York.  All was ready for the first night (of eight) at sundown on December 1st.

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Macarons in New York.  Frozen yogurt in Paris. And now… Cupcakes in Zürich.

Melanie Studer, originally from Basel, just opened the very first cupcake shop in the German part of Switzerland. (You can get your fix in the French part here or here.)  Despite having to spell out the word c-u-p-c-a-k-e and explain what it is each time someone calls her, she can’t seem to bake enough.  800 cupcakes left her small, pink shop in Zürich’s old town on opening day.  Having spent several years in the UK with her British boyfriend, tasting the treats at Primrose Bakery and a small, glittery bakery in Covent Gardens, she fell in love with these little cakes and especially their bright colors and fun decorations.

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A highlight of my visit to the Salon du Chocolat, and of my trip to Paris a couple of weeks ago, was tasting Franck Kestener’s chocolates in Paris.  I have been buying his bars at A L’Etoile d’Or in the 9th arrondissement for years, which used to be the only place you could get them in Paris.  Otherwise, the family business (since 1936) is in Sarreguemines in the Lorraine region of France.  Getting to his shop there may be as difficult as non-French speakers trying to pronounce the name of the town.  But neither are necessary, as he has just opened his first shop in Paris.  And like my news for us Zürchers that Ladurée opened in Zürich, this is some seriously sweet news for Parisians and any of us visiting the capital.

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Twas that time of year, when I found myself back on the TGV (high speed train) from Zürich to Paris with sweets on my mind.  You might think that after a few days of nonstop visits to pâtisseries, boulangeries and chocolate and sweet shops, I might be all sugared out. Not at all; I was just getting warmed up for the Salon du Chocolat, now in its 16th year, and with shows all around the world, even Cairo and Moscow.

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It was back in July of 2009, with the excitement of a child, that I announced the sweet news that Zürich would have its very own Ladurée boutique. I nearly jumped out of my seat when I found out, being a loyal fan for over a decade. So you can just imagine how high I jumped at the opportunity to actually translate the new Ladurée cookbook! But first, back to the story we go…

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They say “everything is better with Coke.” For me, everything is better with chocolate.  And dates.  That’s how I ended up baking not just tahini shortbread, but tahini chocolate shortbread… and tahini date shortbread.  Both irresistible, especially the latter.
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Time for another chocolate roundup!  It’s been a few months since the last in the series, but by no means have those months been chocolate-free.  There were my chocolate finds in London, a true chocolate gem in Switzerland, a New York City inspired chocolate creation of my own and endless tastes along the way.  And now, time to share a few of the latter.

A previous theme (more than once) and still current favorite of mine is dark chocolate and salt.  It’s not a trend that will fade with time; it is simply a natural pairing and classic combination.  Bakers may add extra salt to their recipes to bring out the flavor of sweet ingredients, as in chocolate chip cookies or cakes – the overall effect being flavorful, not salty.  Whenever I see salt as a featured ingredient of a chocolate bar, my eyes open wide, and I usually end up grabbing it. Here are just a few of the many I have tasted lately.  Anyone else a big fan of chocolate with salt ?  Or have another fetish ingredient ?

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