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The Haute Couture of Chocolate
Richart
Chocolates
By
Kevin Schoeler
The
Richart chocolate tradition began in Lyon, France, in 1925.
Today they operate more than a dozen boutiques across Europe,
in the U.S. and Tokyo. Richart's range is vast. The first
time you indulge in a ballotin of Richart chocolates, you
probably won't know where to start. If it's one of Richart's
special occasion assortments, you'll find the petits (chocolates)
hidden beneath an inscribed chocolate plaque. In the case
of the Envol ballotin, you'll be faced with some 49 luscious
cubes decorated with hand-applied cocoa butter designs.
Each is a tiny work of art, pleasing to both eye and palate.
The
precocious petits are sometimes esoteric, frequently exotic
and always exquisite. They are made with the fine (and expensive)
Venezuelan criollo cocoa—difficult to grow but worth
the price for its rich, mild flavor. Fortunately, the ballotin
is escorted by a compact manual entitled le petit livre
blanc du chocolat: passion, pleasure, tasting and sharing.
It contains all of the explanation, instruction and background
necessary to navigate this French chocolate adventure.
The
Envol chocolate assortment contains seven varietals. The
Balsamics are noteworthy for their cocoa-based ganache fillings
including Haiti Cocoa Ganache, Venezuelan Cocoa Ganache
and, to shake things up a little, Licorice Ganache. The
Citrus family includes sparkling flavors like Kumquat Coulis,
and Grapefruit Ganache. Florals such as Ylang Ylang, and
Lavender are heady and romantic, while the basic Fruity
petits are straightforward but exciting (Passion fruit,
chestnut, apricot, prune...). Both Herbal and Spiced varieties
are sensuous, mysterious and a bit provocative: Anise and
Fennel Ganache, Curry Praline, Jasmine Tea Ganache. Aromatic
and buttery Roasted petits are filled with pralines of Hazelnut,
or Almond, rounded out by a Coffee Ganache.
 There's
also a New Children's Design Collection featuring children's
artwork on the petits, using more restrained fillings. They
sell sublime Marrons Glacés and Pâte de fruits
in smart combinations like Morello Cherry/Verbena and Apricot
lime. And, for a mere $675 you can acquire a Burl Wood Chocolate
Vault stacked with an extravagant Richart collection.
For
Valentine's Day, Richart offers A Week of Passion (seven
boxes, each containing four filled chocolate hearts) or
the more expansive Caresse, and Tendresse assortments. Likewise,
there are special seasonal and holiday collections throughout
the year. You'll pay dearly for anything Richart, but this
is the haute couture of chocolate.
Richart's San Francisco boutique is located at 393 Sutter
St. (near Stockton), San Francisco, CA 94108, 888-RICHART.
Richart's chocolates are also available at select Neiman
Marcus locations. Visit their website at www.richart-chocolates.com.
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