Treat yourself to the sensory and gustatory delight of fine French chocolates to celebrate Bastille Day this summer. If you’re unfamiliar, Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris on July 14, 1789, which was a pivotal event in the French Revolution; it symbolizes the end of the monarchy and the beginning of the French Republic, representing liberty, equality, and fraternity. That is worth celebrating, oui?
French Wink, nestled near Penn Station on 29th Street and Seventh Avenue, sources its chocolate from craftspeople near Angers in France. Their delicious dark chocolate truffles are 100% organic and made from pure cocoa butter. They contain no palm oil or preservatives, and contain only rigorously selected raw materials. You’ll savor the power of cocoa and the melting heart of the natural truffle coated with a fine cocoa powder.
Valrhona is one of the few chocolatiers who have established their own plantations for growing cocoa beans, so even the most discerning chocolate-loving palates will appreciate the creativity and integrity infused in each piece of Valrhona chocolate. Find it at World Wide Chocolate and in Brooklyn at the L’Ecole Valrhona Brooklyn pastry school, which offers cooking classes. Bonus: you can also find them in Whole Foods stores.
Naturally renowned French chocolatier La Maison du Chocolat springs to mind when pondering the best French chocolates in The Big Apple. With aromatic chocolate boutiques at Rockefeller Center, the shops at Columbus Circle, and in other NYC locations, this French chocolate brand is spreading delectable joy. Their dark chocolate with botanical gin notes is truly an inspiration. All of their chocolates are handmade in an Atelier in Nanterre, near Paris. Each texture is poured and smoothed out on marble tables, cut with millimetric precision, delicately enrobed with luscious chocolate, then decorated individually with a cornet or fork. Visit them here.
L.A. Burdick‘s chocolate is made in the French style and meticulously sourced from Switzerland, France, and Venezuela, using the finest cocoa beans from South and Central America and the Caribbean. This brand uses no extracts or artificial flavorings, so you can taste the purity in its chocolates. Their tiny, flavorful chocolate mice are a memorable gift, and perhaps a perfect way to recall the Bastille prison and to celebrate revolution. With multiple locations throughout the U.S., including a NYC boutique on Prince Street in Soho, you can visit L.A. Burdick here.
Vive La France, and Liberté, égalité, fraternité!
