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November 30, 2015

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Christmas in Dixie

Happy Monday y'all!

Has everyone recovered from their food comas?  This Thanksgiving was really fantastic for me, so I hope it was great for you as well :)

I really got to thinking this week about all that I'm thankful for - and I have a lot this year.  My family is all healthy and happy (if a bit too far away for my liking), and I acquired an amazing new local branch of family this year in my amazing husband's fabulous (and hilarious!) family.  Plus, Jacob and I adopted an adorable puppy this year who is the greatest little bundle of love ever. 

And then there's this business too ...  JARDÍ really is a dream come true for me, and it really wouldn't be much of a business without you amazing folks who keep showing up at events to see us, and buy goodies here on the shop, and read these blog posts!  So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.  

I'm guessing y'all may have learned also that new blog posts USUALLY mean new products --- and you're totally right this time around too!  We've just launched our Christmas in Dixie 4-pack, and I went all out.

Southern Eggnog: This flavor was a given! White chocolate ganache that tastes just like eggnog in the south should - kinda sweet, kinda spicy, kinda boozy.  A few of these'll getcha ready for family coming into town, for sure.

Peppermint Crunch: Back story: I always make toffee crunch for my immediate family for Christmas.  So this year, bits of toffee crunch found their way into a dark chocolate ganache that's flavored with peppermint. Ohhh yeaa, melty, crunchy, minty goodness.

Spiced Cider:  Growning up in NY, apples always played a huge role in holiday time - my mom makes a KILLER apple pie.  So I played a bit with reducing mulled cider and made a soft caramel that's part bitter caramel, part apple jelly, and all delicious.

Chocolate Orange: Growing up, my siblings and I always had Christmas Eve at my Grandma's house.  It was always a hilarious event.  She was the nicest lady you'd ever want to meet, but had the mouth of a sailor.  She was a great cook, a great listener, and an amazing painter.  As the two "artists" of the family, we had a lot in common.  So Christmas without her is always a bit weird, and this last one's for her.  She adored the 'whack-and-unwrap' milk chocolate oranges (oh god, please don't let that be a copyright infringement!) and this chocolate's silky smooth center tastes just like them. 

I'm pretty stoked with these flavors, so hurry hurry hurry and get a box (or 5!) for the holidays, 'cause they're only here through Christmas!

 

 

November 20, 2015

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Happy Hazelnut Friday!

Happy Friday, lovely people!

I'm gonna let y'all in on a secret ... the reason we've been a little quiet over here is 'cause we've been busy doing R&D on some new recipes, and we just put the finishing touches on our first chocolate covered item! (and stay tuned, more are coming soon!)

Y'all, I am so excited to introduce to you: Caramel-Chocolate Hazelnuts

 

 

This beauty is our amazing panning machine, and it's been working tirelessly all week getting stocked up to put our hazelnuts on the shelves.  Basically, it's a rock tumbler - hazelnuts (for now! hint hint) go in and slowly spin and tumble around as small amounts of warm chocolate are ladled in.  Each nut gets perfectly coated until it's the addictive little morsel that are now on sale!  

These hazelnuts are first drageé (french for 'dredged') in caramelized sugar, then get covered in Valrhona 62% dark chocolate, then get hit with Valrhona's Dulcey which is caramelized white chocolate.  Finally, they get a quick toss in some cocoa powder.  The result?  Bitter chocolate hits the palate first, then slowly melts into dulce-de-leche-awesomeness and a toasted nut crunch.  

No joke, I think I gained 7 pounds 'cause they are THAT addictive.  I'm no longer allowed to keep them on my desk.  But if you have more self control than I do (not hard, really, I'm literally a kid in a candy store over here...) these adorable baggies are resealable!  So you can save some for later, and share with friends.  But you may wanna just get some extra, just in case. 

October 29, 2015

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Get excited!

Hello, lovely people!

I cannot believe we've been open for nearly a whole month!  Honestly, October has gone by so fast I almost wish I could go back and do it all over again.  It's been a crazy month here at JARDÍ!

Parktoberfest was a HUGE success!  We had so much fun out in Whittier Mill Village ... We met so many fantastic people, and loved getting to share our chocolate with everyone.  We also premiered our Fall Spice truffle there, which was a big hit.  So much so that we decided to extend its run, and we're selling 4-packs here through the end of November!

 

We also secured our first retail placement!  This is really wonderful, especially for all of y'all that live in the Atlanta area.  Canoe's Cellar Door has 4 different boxes in stock, and I'm so excited I can't stop smiling.  So stop by, pick some up, and while you're there (obviously) let their wine director Matt help you find a fantastic bottle of wine (or two!) to go with them.  

And the last bit of exciting news (man, there is not a dull moment in this post!) is we've introduced a new box.  The JARDÍ sampler box is officially for sale!  It contains all 12 of our year-round flavors in one box for just $28.

AND

'cause we love and appreciate you wonderful chocolate-lovers so much, the sampler boxes ship FREE up until Thanksgiving (November 26th)!  So now's the perfect time to pick up a few and share your love of JARDÍ with all your friends and family.  Plus, they make a great host or hostess gift!

Stay wonderful, y'all! 

October 14, 2015

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Fall Spice Truffle

Hello, lovely people!

 

(courtesy of Margarita Passione, margaritapassione.com)

It took a minute, but it looks like Autumn has officially come to Atlanta!  Ahhh, finally :)  

I love almost everything about this season ... but I have a small confession to make (we're all friends here, right?)  I can't stand Pumpkin Spice anything.  Lattes, candles, air fresheners, it all annoys me.  And before you break out the pitchforks, let me explain why:

Pumpkin tastes awful.  What makes pumpkin pie so delicious is all the other stuff in it - the crust, the sugar, and most of all, the spices.  Nutmeg, Clove, Cinnamon, oh my!  That's the stuff that dreams are made of.  For me, the ideal pumpkin pie would be more like a chess pie, no pumpkin, just gooey custard flavored with those wonderful warming spices that bring back all the happy memories of my mother and grandmother baking for the holidays.  

So with that in mind, I want to introduce to you our Limited Edition Fall Spice Truffle!  We're using Valrhona's Jivara milk chocolate (which is easily my favorite chocolate ever - we even named a pet after it ...), and blending it with all the flavors you expect in a pumpkin pie- nutmeg, clove, allspice and cinnamon- but raising the bar a bit and adding a little really fantastic Tahitian Vanilla and some fresh Ginger.  

           

The end result is silky, smooth and just a little bit spicy ... It's so great, I bet you won't even miss that Pumpkin!

They'll be for sale this weekend at Parktoberfest, and then for a limited time here in the store in a 4-pack!  

October 14, 2015

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First Sale and Parktoberfest, y'all!

Hello lovely people!

This week has been completely crazy, in the best way!  We had our first sale from our online store, YAY!  A lovely, beautiful couple here in Atlanta bought some of our Something For Everyone boxes to give as gifts at their wedding, and it just made my day.  Best wishes for y'all's wedding on Saturday, Gen and Justin!

We've also been super busy preparing for Whittier Mill Village's Parktoberfest, which is this Saturday, 10/17 from 3pm to 10 pm.  (If you've never been to Whittier Mill Village, holy cow you should go.  We're super lucky that one of our very good friends, Rob, lives there and we've spent quite a few evenings in the park.  So gorgeous!)  

So what will we be doing there?  I'm glad you asked!  We're pairing up with Banfi Wines (who are based on Long Island, so obviously I'm a fan ...) and we're pouring their Brachetto d'Acqui which is a semi-sweet, lightly sparkling red wine from Piedmont.  It also happens to go amazingly with all things chocolate!  So we're offering a taste of the wine and a choice of two chocolates for $3.  Or, for $5, you can compare and contrast the flavors of both chocolates with the wine!  

We had a lot of fun picking out the two flavors that would go best with the wine, and settled on our Valrhona Caraibe dark chocolate ganache, and Not Your Mama's PB&J.  The Caraibe is everything you'd want from a dark chocolate ganache - smooth, lightly sweet, a touch of acidity and some really great fruity notes.  The Not Your Mama's PB&J is a play on the classic sandwich, but features a Tahini (toasted, ground sesame seeds) ganache and is topped with Raspberry, all in a Valrhona dark chocolate shell.  Both are fantastic by themselves, but superb with the wine!

Buy your tickets here: http://www.whittiermillvillage.com/parktoberfest-2015.html

We hope to see you there!

July 26, 2015

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Hello, lovely people!

Starting this company has been a crazy, thrilling, wonderful experience for me, and I’m so excited to share my love for chocolate with you!

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