Black Salt Caramel Bar Giveaway!

My original black salt caramel creation was born in the form of the Marchesa Casati Truffle Collection. The dark, black salt caramel-filled truffles were originally inspired by the Marchesa Luisa Casati. She was the tempest of the ball, a woman in pearls, a woman who walked her exotic cheetahs in jeweled collars naked in the moonlight, a true femme fatale. If Edgar Allen Poe had begotten the moon child of his darkest reveries with the help of Coco Chanel, the result would have been the Marchesa Luisa Casati. She was, without a doubt, the most scandalous figure in the international art and society scenes of the early twentieth century.

Portraits and likenesses of Luisa Casati show her with India ink painted eyes and multiple strands of pearls draped around her neck, often grazing the top of the floor. Her fascination with the occult and her noble status led my intrigue deeper, as I love contradictory opposites. Dark, decadent & black oppose the opulence of white pearls and the feminine. The truffle collection I originally created in her name combined black sea salt caramel in 85% cacao dark chocolate. To top the truffles, I could think of no other option than crushed, fresh water pearls. We take small, fresh water pearls and grind them in a mortar and pestle followed by a vitamix to create a fine dust. By hand, to ensure we do not waste any of the precious powder, we sprinkle each edible morsel with the iridescent white dust.

Each year, we make a small batch of our limited edition Marchesa truffles at the holidays and we sell out quickly as our loyal followers clamor for their annual fix and newcomers snatch them up to send as gifts to those who appreciate luxury in all forms. Because of the positive response to these truffles and a desire for black salt caramel year round, I created a chocolate bar to satisfy cravings – the Black Salt Caramel Exotic Chocolate Bar.  For this more everyday indulgence, the pearl dust had to be forgone. Still, caramel and salt lovers are satisfied when inside the 70% cacao squares, soft caramel oozes from within carrying the perfect balance of salt and sweet.

Last year, the Black Salt Caramel Bar rose to the top of the pack immediately as a leader amongst its Exotic Candy Bar clan. We were honored with the Sofi Award from the NASFT and thanks to the accolade, popularity continued to spread.

Interested in falling under the bewitching spell of black salt caramel? Leave a comment on this post before next week Monday and three of you will win a taste of our Black Salt Caramel Bar.

Tags: black salt, caramel, chocolate, marchesa casati

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 at 10:18 am and is filed under bacon + chocolate, chocolate, recipes-savory. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.