A Few Seats Still Available for this Friday's Chocolate and Bubbly Tasting at Éclat

As a reminder, this Friday, May 28, 2010, I'll be teaming up with Master Chocolatier Christopher Curtin of Éclat Chocolate to espouse the possibilities and pleasures of pairing fine chocolates with wines that sparkle.

Honestly, I've long been a firm believer that chocolate and wine are not a match made in heaven. But Sir Curtin's chocolates are uncommonly savory. And I'm always up for a challenge, especially when it comes to difficult food and wine pairings.

Here's a sneak peak at what I'll most likely be pouring:

• Prosecco Montello e Colli Asolani, Bele Casel NV (always a great way to start)


• "Cravantine," Domaine Fabrice Gasnier NV (a rosé sparkler produced from Cabernet Franc in the Loire Valley town of Chinon)

• Champagne Brut Réserve, Béreche et Fils NV (yes, only one actual Champagne, but it's wicked good)


• Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro "Rive dei Ciliegi," Francesco Vezzelli 2009 (dry, fizzy red from Emilia-Romagna)


• Moscato d'Asti, GD Vajra 2009 (I've just returned from Piemonte and a visit with the Vajra family, so I'm all set to regale you with tales of the trip)

Our chocolate and bubbly mash-up will be set in Chris' shop, Éclat Chocolate, in West Chester, PA, where the storefront by day becomes a tasting room by night. Cost for the event is $50 per/person, all inclusive. The first seating has already sold out but there are still a few spots left for session two, from 8:30 to 10:00 PM.

Please call Éclat at 610-692-5206 for reservations or further information. Come on out, dang it! Deliciousness promises.

Intro only...

Champers and Choco at Éclat

Yes indeed, we're at it again. On Friday, May 28, 2010, I'll be teaming up with Master Chocolatier Christopher Curtin of Éclat Chocolate to espouse the possibilities and pleasures of pairing fine chocolates with wines that sparkle.

Honestly, I've long been a firm believer that chocolate and wine are not a match made in heaven. But Sir Curtin's chocolates are uncommonly savory. And I'm always up for a challenge, especially when it comes to difficult food and wine pairings.

Here's a sneak peak at what I'll most likely be pouring:

• Prosecco Montello e Colli Asolani, Bele Casel NV (always a great way to start)


• "Cravantine," Domaine Fabrice Gasnier NV (a rosé sparkler produced from Cabernet Franc in the Loire Valley town of Chinon)

• Champagne Brut Réserve, Béreche et Fils NV (yes, only one actual Champagne, but it's wicked good)


• Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro "Rive dei Ciliegi," Francesco Vezzelli 2009 (dry, fizzy red from Emilia-Romagna)


• Moscato d'Asti, GD Vajra 2009 (I'll have just returned from Piemonte, all set to regale you with tales of the trip)

Our chocolate and bubbly mash-up will be set in Chris' shop, Éclat Chocolate, in West Chester, PA, where the storefront by day becomes a tasting room by night. Cost for the event is $50 per/person, all inclusive, and there will be two seatings: from 6:30 to 8:00 PM and from 8:30 to 10:00 PM.

Please call Éclat at 610-692-5206 for reservations or further information. Cheers!

Intro only...

Cognac, Calvados, Chocolate...

Just read that title.... What more could you ask for on a Thursday night? A wee dram of Scotch and a sip of Bourbon? Okay, you've got it.

All that's left to do is call the good folks at Eclat Chocolate, located in the heart of West Chester, PA, and you're in.

Both seatings for tomorrow night's event, where I'll be pairing small-batch spirits with artisan chocolates created and presented by Master Chocolatier Christopher Curtin, were sold out... until a last minute bout of cancellations hit.

Sound too good to be true? I hope so, but true it is. And there are a couple of spots open at each seating.

The full details:

When: Thursday, April 29, 2010
Two seatings: 6:30 to 8:00 PM, and 8:30 to 10:00 PM.
Cost: $55/person, all inclusive.
Location: Eclat Chocolate, 24 South High Street, West Chester, PA 19382
Phone: 610-692-5206

Come on out, dang it! It'll be a blast.

Intro only...

Chocolate and Spirits Pairing at Éclat

Freaked out by the early-April sprint toward the 90 degree mark here in the Philly area and dreaming of something that recalls cooler days? Or perhaps just hungry and thirsty for something delicious but out of the ordinary, maybe even a little challenging to established expectations?

If your answer is yes on at least one if not both counts, then please come and join me for a special event at Éclat Chocolate in West Chester, PA, on the evening of Thursday, April 29, 2010, when Éclat owner and chocolatier Chris Curtin and I will lead a guided chocolate and spirits tasting.

Chris will present a selection of his signature chocolates and truffles, and maybe even dream up something unique for the evening. And I'll be pouring and discussing an international variety of spirits, paired to each of Chris' creations, including:

• Calvados from Christian Drouin's estate, Coeur de Lion
• Cognac from the Juillac-le-Coq-based estate of Jean Fillioux
• Single Malt Scotch from the Orkney Islands
• Small batch Kentucky Bourbon

The cost for the event is $55 per/person, all inclusive. Reservations can be made by calling the good people at Éclat at 610-692-5206.

I hope to see you there.

Intro only...

Teaser Alert: Wine and Chocolate with Éclat

This Friday night, gods of weather and authorities of the road permitting, I'll be teaming up with chocolatier Christopher Curtin to deliver a pre-Valentine's Day double-header wine and chocolate "social" at Curtin's shop, Éclat Chocolate, in West Chester, PA.

Chris and I have been threatening to team up for a little chocolate and wine pairing fun ever since our path's first crossed at a wine tasting event I conducted last year, and I'm jazzed to see our plans finally put into fruition.

Friday's event — two ninety-minute sessions, each for 16 guests, held in the intimate retail space at Éclat — is already sold-out, so today's post is a bit of a tease. Assuming all goes well, though, we'll be repeating and building upon our efforts at additional sessions in the months to come. To be notified of our future events, please drop Chris a line at info at eclatchocolate dot com and ask to be added to the Éclat e-mail list.

I don't want to give away too much of what we have in store for our guests but I can tell you that one of Curtin's newest creations will almost certainly figure into Friday's tastings. In the video below, you'll see Chris demonstrating the production techniques of that new chocolate, a rose-infused white chocolate heart, and catch him improvising his way through power-less and scissor-less moments, all aired live last week on Philadelphia's NBC-10.



Hope to see some of you on Friday.

Éclat Chocolate
24 South High Street
West Chester, PA 19382
610-692-5206

Intro only...

Éclat Chocolate

It can be tough to get motivated, much less find the time, to do holiday shopping when you work in the retail industry. This year was particularly tough as I also needed to squeeze time for blogging into an already packed schedule. The only outing I managed, aside from some on-line shopping, was to Éclat Chocolates. I’d had the itch to visit Éclat ever since reading Rick Nichols’ feature on the shop in the October 21, 2007, edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer (the article seems to have been removed from the Inky’s archives). Seeing their single origin mendiants for sale at Talula’s Table further piqued my interest. But it was a strong nudge from my wife which finally put me behind the wheel for the trip out to West Chester.

There’s really not much to the shop, a smallish, rather sterile storefront operation in West Chester’s village center. The service counter, a single display case, a couple of shelving units for the plastic tubes full of mendiants and a bit of artwork are about the only things to see. I guess I’d hoped for something a little more interactive, perhaps along the lines of the exceptional chocolatier Joël Durand in Saint-Rémy de Provence, or at least for an open kitchen scenario. However, the engagement of one’s aromatic senses at Éclat is undeniable. The air is thickly laden with the intensely rich scent of chocolate, which one can only imagine being melted, seasoned, tempered, molded and sculpted in the back room.


However compelling the expression of chocolate terroir in Éclat’s mendiants, more deeply satisfying experiences are to be found in Master Chocolatier Christopher Curtin’s caramels and truffles. Size, texture, sweetness level and execution are all spot-on and handled with aesthetic care. Infusions of bergamot, lavender and star anise along with caramel that’s, well, caramelized to the perfect tone of smoky darkness, make for memorable executions of the chocolatier’s art. It’s more than worth a trip out to West Chester.

If you’re curious about the marriage of chocolate and the fruit of the vine, Mr. Curtin will be teaming up with Chadds Ford Winery staff member Mark Cochard on Thursday, January 31, 2008, to present a seminar on chocolate and wine pairing. Featuring the chocolates of Éclat and PA wines from Chadds Ford, the event will run from 7:30 to 9:00 PM at Chadds Ford Winery. Cost is $50 per person; reservations can be secured by calling 610-388-6221.

Éclat Chocolate
24 South High Street
West Chester, PA 19382
610-692-5206

Intro only...