Hi! My name is Stephanie Zonis, and welcome to the November, 2002 edition of For Chocolate Lovers Only. Each month, you’ll find recipes, tips, and recommendations on great chocolate specialties. Push and pull of the holiday season got you down? I don’t know about you, but cooking and baking are wonderful therapy for me. Working with food has a wonderful ability to help me put life’s worries into a proper perspective; you can even eat most of your mistakes (try that with a tax form or those scooters you didn’t want to buy the kids in the first place!). Make soup for a friend, bake some brownies from scratch for that bakesale, or just perfect your scrambled eggs with chives. You’ll learn something, and you might even have fun in the process! Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers.

Chocolate Recommendation of the Month: As weather changes with the seasons, so do moods and desires for different tastes. What appeals in the heats of summer may seem too insubstantial for blustery winter days. Andrew Shotts, a fixture on the New York City pastry scene for some years, has been clever enough to recognize this. Garrison Confections, this month’s Chocolate Recommendation, is his baby, and he offers a completely new line of chocolates every season. Last winter’s collection included centers like Coffee Caramel and Cognac Pear, while the spring line introduced selections such as Mint Tea and Grapefruit. Among others, the Summer, 2002 roster showcased a Strawberry (the pureed berries added to a bittersweet ganache, covered in dark chocolate), a Trio (layers of hazelnut, pistachio, and macadamia praline with a half-covering of milk chocolate), a Two Brothers (bittersweet ganache topped with twin roasted hazelnuts and covered in dark chocolate), and a Lime (freshly-squeezed lime juice with milk and dark chocolate ganache—his signature piece).

Mr. Shotts has a commendable sense for blending tastes; if anyone had tried to tell me lime went with milk and dark chocolate before I tasted his creation, I might have laughed. But the combination succeeds beautifully. Garrison Confections are on the small side, with subtle decorations; the packaging, too, is understated but well-suited for gift-giving. These are chocolates with some real thought behind them. And I know the chocolate used is first-rate, as Mr. Shotts is also the executive pastry chef for Guittard Chocolate of Burlingame, CA (more years ago than I care to admit, I was an R&D intern for Guittard one summer, and they produce now—as they did then—excellent chocolate). To find out more about Garrison Confections and discover what’s new for this season, head to www.thechocolateloft.com and click on “Garrison Confections” on the sidebar. You can also place an order by calling (212) 929-2545. Look for Garrison Confections at The Chocolate Show (more information on the Show is elsewhere in this edition)!

Upcoming Chocolate Event: Are you ready? Do you have your ticket? Some of the most clever and creative minds in the world of chocolate will be in New York City this very month, as The Chocolate Show stages a magnificent return November 15th through 17th ! The Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues), is the place to be for this extravaganza. You’ll find a Children’s Corner, a chocolate fashion show (the chocolate dresses are amazing!), a Barnes & Noble cookbook store with author signings, chocolates to purchase or order for the holidays, lots of chocolate tastings, and me! Who’s exhibiting this year? Bruno Bakery, eChocolates.com, Matterhorn, Valrhona, Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Liqueur, Garrison Confections, Sandeman Port & Sherry, and a good number of others I haven’t room to list. And wait till you see the incredible demonstration roster! Lincoln Carson (Olives NY), Karen DeMasco (Craft and CraftBar), Colette Peters (Colette’s Cakes), Dorie Greenspan (I have one of her books and it’s great), Francois Payard, Jacques Torres, Florian Bellanger & Sylvain Leroy (Fauchon & Valrhona), and so many more wonderful pastry chefs and chocolatiers will be on hand to make beautiful goodies right in front of you. And if you’ve ever wanted to meet me, here’s your big chance; I’ll be at the Knipschildt Chocolatier booth for much of the show, and I’d love to say hello to my readers. Come on out, try some new chocolate, and bask in the glory of being surrounded by so much of our favorite food! Admission prices are $15 per adult, with discounts for seniors, students with ID, and kids 6 to 14 (children under 6 are admitted free). To purchase advance tickets, look for the link on this site or head over to www.chocolateshow.com; if you’re bringing a group of more than 10 people, you can receive a discount with advance ticket purchase only. For more information, call (212) 865-6100 and leave a message (you may also be able to find brochures in some Barnes & Noble stores in Manhattan). See ya there!

Upcoming Local Food Event: Got any plans on Sunday, November 10th between 3 and 6 pm? If you live in eastern PA, cancel them! You have something important to attend; it’s the First Annual Bucks County Culinary Competition at Hollyhedge Estate in Solebury, PA. Leading restaurants in Bucks County are sending their chefs to go head-to-head in preparing, plating, and serving their signature dishes; the categories are appetizers, entrées, and desserts (a restaurant may enter more than one category). Of course, you’ll be able to taste everything. The cost? $40.00 per person if you want to taste just the food; if you’d like unlimited wine tastings with all that food, the cost is $55.00 per person. Part of the proceeds will go to the Salvation Army’s “Soup’s On”, a culinary training program for men and women living in shelters. Four food-celebrity judges will be on hand to decide who’s awarded what; will your assessments agree with theirs? There’s only one way to find out! For more information and tickets, please call (215) 598-3301.

Do you have a comment, question, or suggestion? You can reach me at: sdziadwm@nac.net. Because I receive too much junk e-mail, please specify that you’re writing about something chocolate. Thank you!