It probably begins about three weeks before my arrival to New York City. The emails start coming in at a more rapid pace, and a recurring theme is unmistakable. What do I want for dinner ?

My parents count down the days to my arrival, as do I.  And they want to know…  Any special places I want to go to ? Any reservations to be made in advance ?  But to their disappointment, each time, I don’t really have a list of the hottest restaurants of the moment that I want to go to, that they would need to call as soon as they wake up one month prior to the day for dinner reservations.

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Whether you’re reading this in Zürich, Brugge, New York or Dubrovnik, I think we can all agree… the weather has been anything but predictable lately.  We may have thought spring was on its way over here in Switzerland, but that quickly turned to cold temperatures, wind and rain once again.  Where to go for a burst of color when it’s nothing but grey outside ?  To the market, of course !

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I’m still smiling from all the excitement of Switzerland’s first Salon du Chocolat (could also be the sugar).  Well over 15,000 people visited this chocolate extravaganza in Zürich during the last weekend in March.  They gazed with open mouths and cameras in hand at dresses made of real chocolate; they tasted exotic flavored ganaches and strawberries dipped in a chocolate fountain; they watched pastry chefs plate sophisticated desserts before their eyes – that ended up in their stomachs thereafter; they listened to experts explain the subtleties of pairing chocolate with wine, whisky or even just water; and they discovered chocolate companies from around the country that they may not have heard of before.  For three days, it was a treat for all the senses.

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I announced the exciting sweet news back in November of last year, when I began working with the Salon du Chocolat team in Paris to bring the world’s largest event dedicated to chocolate to Switzerland for the first time.  And now, the big moment is nearly upon us !  Chocolatiers, pastry chefs and industry professionals are all fine tuning the details of their chocolate assortments, boxes, bunnies, recipes, conferences and more.  And as promised, a little preview of who and what you’ll see at the show this coming weekend, from March 30th to April 1st.

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Dreams do come true…  The Salon du Chocolat is taking place in Zürich in a few weeks.  My Sweet Zürich tours celebrated their one year anniversary last month.   And a nougat shop just opened in Zürich.  Nougat !

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It was several years ago when I stumbled on a short film online that was getting quite a buzz amongst Paris lovers and pastry lovers alike.  It was a masterful montage, gorgeous images of colorful pastries in Paris, as well as famous monuments and everyday objects there they appeared to mimic.  I watched with a huge grin from start to finish.  Then I watched it again.  And again.  (Some of you may recall hearing about it on my Paris pastry quiz.)  I can not tell you how many times I ended up watching that inspiring, delicious, feel-good film, but I can say it was the beginning of a wonderful friendship with its creator, graphic designer Susan Hochbaum.  And the discovery of what is now one of my favorite desserts in Paris.

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Switzerland’s first Salon du Chocolat is in just two months, in Zürich on March 30th, 2012.  You may think I can’t possibly have chocolate on my mind any more than I already do, but… everything is possible.  Helping to organize this delicious event, meeting with chocolatiers and pastry chefs, and talking about chocolate around the clock brings on even more cravings than usual.  Luckily my chocolate stash is always overflowing with new bars to taste.  While most of these tastings are of Swiss chocolate, I thought I would highlight a few non-Swiss wrappers that are now part of my collection.

There is no better place to start than with a current favorite of mine.  I have always been a fan of Henri Le Roux’s silky salted butter caramels (he’s the inventor of the famous CBS – caramel au beurre salé) and individual chocolates with buckwheat, but I have only more recently discovered his bars, thanks to the Salon du Chocolat in Paris.  One word, people: Goviro.  Fleur de sel, crêpes dentelle (super thin, crispy golden butter biscuits) and caramelized almonds in smooth dark chocolate – that is the recipe for a stellar bar – and an addiction.

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The visual of handsome dark horses, racing at impressive speeds on an all-white backdrop is simply stunning.  More over, the white isn’t just the snow-covered Engadine mountains in the distance, yet the frozen lake of St. Moritz that they are racing on.  White Turf, a unique and truly extraordinary sporting event in Switzerland, is a series of horse races on snow.  Need I say more ?!

I’ll let the photos do (most of) the talking… (more…)

I love vintage food packaging (especially sweet, of course), kitchenware, tins, signs, molds…   One of my many collections is, surprise surprise, old kugelhopf molds.  I find myself still thinking about one in particular that I saw in Paris last year.  While many people may walk in to the new Meert shop and head straight for the gaufres (more on those below), I found myself ogling the inedible displays just as much as those signature waffles – and tempting chocolates and pâtes de fruit.  There’s Denis Wozny below, holding a gorgeous copper kugelhopf mold from the 17th century, with fabulous antique Meert labels behind glass on the wall.  (Of course I asked, but no, it’s not for sale.)

This beautiful, sweet boutique in Paris’ Marais neighborhood is simply a jewel of a shop, and worth spending time in to appreciate the finer historical details of la Maison Mère Meert.  Be sure to say bonjour to Denis – and merci for filling his car with gaufres every morning in Lille before driving to work in Paris.

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