They both loved Hallmark movies. Well, he did; she did not, but she loved watching them with him all the while eating some holiday treat together.

It was his turn this year to pick and find the treat to share. He had heard a lot about these; some friends mentioned them, as well. He had read some stories, too. How great they were, that they made memories for couples for generations.

He liked that a lot. He was a romantic. She was not so much on the surface. She kept her emotions in check for fear of being hurt, he wore his on his sleeve.

Of course, that wasn't nearly as important as the treat; that was the basis of their relationship. Well, at least recently. They had known each other for what felt like forever, soulmates in life, like the song.

Their approach to meals together was the "Choose your meal as if it were your last" approach. Sharing food was so important, and the taste of it was critical.

Of course, because of the distance, effectively half a world away, sharing food only happened once in a blue moon. So the holiday treat and movie was special.

He packed up the box, and it was ready to ship. It might arrive earlier than he wanted, but better to arrive early than late! This year he was sending two hat boxes, one with the treat of cherries enrobed in chocolate and a classic Panettone.

A date would be chosen, and then both families would gather around their respective TVs, open the box of enrobed chocolate cherries, and watch the No. 1 Christmas movie, "Die Hard."

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Tempering chocolate is a critical process in chocolate making that involves carefully melting and then cooling chocolate to specific temperature ranges. This process is essential to ensure that the finished chocolate has a glossy appearance, a smooth texture, a satisfying snap when broken, and a stable crystalline structure. The science behind tempering chocolate revolves around the cocoa butter and its various crystal forms.

Cocoa butter, the fat component of chocolate, can crystallize in several different polymorphic forms. The specific form of cocoa butter crystals formed during the tempering process determines the texture and appearance of the final chocolate product. The most desirable form for tempered chocolate is Form V (also known as the beta crystals), which has a shiny finish and a pleasing mouthfeel.

The tempering process typically involves the following steps:

Melting: Chocolate is heated to a high enough temperature to melt all existing cocoa butter crystals. This is usually done by gently heating the chocolate to around 45-50 degrees C (113-122 degrees F). This high temperature disrupts the existing crystal structure.

Cooling: The chocolate is then cooled to a lower temperature, typically around 27-28 degrees C (80-82 degrees F). This cooling process encourages the formation of stable Form V crystals, which give the chocolate its glossy appearance and desirable texture.

Seeding: A small amount of pre-tempered chocolate (chocolate that has already been tempered) is added to the melted chocolate to serve as "seed crystals." These seed crystals act as templates for the formation of more Form V crystals throughout the chocolate.

Reheating: The chocolate is gently reheated to about 31-32 degrees C (88-90 degrees F). This helps to eliminate any unwanted crystal forms and ensures that the chocolate is fully tempered.

The science behind tempering lies in controlling the temperature and agitation of the chocolate during these steps to encourage the growth of Form V crystals while preventing the formation of undesirable crystal structures. If the chocolate is not tempered correctly, it can result in a dull appearance, a soft and crumbly texture, and a susceptibility to "bloom" (the formation of white streaks or spots on the surface of the chocolate due to fat migration).

See the Chocolate Tempering Recipe here!

These chocolates are filled with grappa and a cherry. You must pop these chocolates in your mouth in their entirety or you will have an explosion of grappa all over your chin and shirt!

What a glorious mix of textures and flavors! If I could I would consume a whole box in one episode of anything...!

Shop now for Boero Grappa Chocolate Covered Cherries!

These luxurious chocolate shells are filled with grappa and grappa-soaked cherries inside.

Ingredients: dark chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla powder), pitted cherry in alchohol and grappa, cane sugar

Shop now for Boero Grappa Filled Chocolate Covered Cherries Cute Hat Box!

The Parque Natural de Ses Salines d'Eivissa is located on the island of Ibiza, which is part of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, about three and half hours east of Valencia by ferry. Ibiza is known for its beautiful beaches, vibrant nightlife, and natural landscapes.

Designated in 1999 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the salt fields, or "salinas," are a prominent feature of this natural park. These salt flats have a long history of salt production that dates back to the Phoenician times. The extraction of salt from seawater has been a traditional industry on the island, and the salt pans are still in use today.

The Ses Salines d'Eivissa Natural Park encompasses not only the salt flats but also other diverse habitats, including wetlands, sand dunes, and coastal areas. It's a protected area that aims to preserve the unique ecosystems and biodiversity of the region.

The Sal de IBIZA Fleur De Sel has many minerals and micronutrients including magnesium, fluoride, selenium, and iodine, often higher in percentage than other similar salts.

Considered a Salt Flower it is formed under optimal weather conditions in the corners of the salt fields with the highest air circulation.

This salt is only harvested for a few days in any given year. This would represent barely 0.1% of the total harvest. This truly is a special sea salt.

Shop now for Sal de IBIZA Fleur De Sel in Porcelain Pot!

Pour a little salt and the petals into the palm of your hand. Inhale with gusto, and you will get a nose full of a field of fresh spring wildflowers.

It's a floral salt with a dreamy breath of a fresh breeze.

The salt itself is light with a big crunch in a small crystal. The floral notes of roses seem to finish at the tip of the tongue and on the lips, or is it the marigold with the orange blossom leaves?

It is colorful and flavorful!

It's like a country jamboree, fun with family and neighbors all singing to your taste buds!

When you top your deviled eggs, it is like you are adding a touch of spring wildflowers along with a gentle sea breeze! Perhaps that is a bit of an over-exaggeration, but for sure, it is a good-looking salt!

For both savory and sweet, this "sal de mar" is pleasingly pleasant and picturesque.

Shop now for Sal de IBIZA with Edible Flowers!

These chocolates are some of my all-time favorite delights. There are many reasons why we love the foods we love, and it's not just about the taste. Smell is integral with a bite, and the visual is key, too! Memories can also play a role in how you feel about the food.

For me, these chocolates have all of these elements. The memories of going to Chocolat Moderne in Manhattan and meeting Joan, and the best part is giving small boxes of Joan's chocolate as an unexpected surprise.

What joy they give!

Even serious Francophiles, fans of famous chocolatiers, are still super happy when they get a box of Chocolat Moderne's Bonbons.

Each chocolate is like a secret adventure. Even if you have deciphered the chocolate and think you know what the flavor is, you still don't know until you take the bite! And the flavors are always more expressive than you expect! What fun!

Shop now for Chocolat Moderne!

The ultimate collection of all the Bonbons that Chocolat Moderne has!

Preorder by Thanksgiving weekend. These are made-to-order chocolates and will take up to two weeks to finish. We plan to have them to you before the 24th of December.

This selection of 48 includes all of the smaller box of 12 and the 12 additional flavors from the box of 24. We then added an additional selection of 24 more bonbons. This is a lot of chocolate for someone who is really special! Or, the perfect size for a party!

*Packaging may vary. Chocolate selection collection may vary slightly based on natural ingredients availability and harvest.

Bergamot: Blended dark and milk ganache with Bergamot

Baklava: Walnut almond praline, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and salted caramel

Kalamata Olive: Caramel with kalamata olive, sea salt, and olive oil

Green Tea: White ganache with matcha, green tea and a splash of pear

Yuzu Honey: Dark milk ganache with yuzu and honey

Mango: Mango caramel with vanilla bean

Hazelnut Hysteria: Hazelnut praline with milk chocolate

Parlez Pistache: Pistachio white chocolate praline with rice crisps

Raspberry Rendez-vous Dark: Raspberry pate de Fruit on 64% Madagascan Ganache

Champagne Chic: Milk/Dark ganache with chardonnay brandy

Maple Mantra (Milk): Salted caramel with pure maple syrup and spices

The Lover - Orange: Passion fruit cardamom caramel

Halva: Sesame tahini praline with white chocolate

Fig and Port: Fig and port wine dark/milk ganache

Pomengranate Rose: Dark chocolate ganache with pomegranate and rose water

Adzuki Bean: Whtie ganache with adzuki and a splash of raspberry

Sesame Shichimi: Sesame tahini milk chocolate, chili and genger spice blend

Shiso Lime: Dark ganache with shiso and lime

Madame X'tasy Dark: Espresso, sea salt and dark chocolate caramel

Smoked Sea Salt (Dark): Salted caramel with coarse smoked sea salt crystals

Havana Heat: 64% madagascan ganache wtih habanero pepper

Peanut Pizzazz: Salted peanut and milk chocolate praline

Smoked Sea Salt (Milk): Salted caramel with coarse smoked sea salt crystals

Coconut Coast: White ganache with coconut milk

Caramel Caresse: Poire Williams pear and eaude vie caramel

La Dolce Grapefruit: Caramel with fresh grapefruit juice

Mon Petit Kumquat: Kumquat pate de fruit on 66% caribbean ganache

Rhapsody in Green: Caramel with green apples and calvados

The Payer: 72% Venezuelan ganache with peaty single malt scotch

Les Nymphs: Lychee pate de fruit on dark lychee ganache

Don Juan: 72% Venezuelan ganache

Banana Flambee (Dark): Caramel with bananas and cognac

Bazar (Dark): Fleshly made almond marzipan

Baby (Milk): Milk ganache with Hudson whiskey NY bourbon

Banana Flambee (Milk): Caramel with bananas and cognac

Bazar (Milk): Freshly made almond marzipan

Kashmir Spice: Milk ganache with cardamom, cinnamon and cloves

Never too Late: Pure milk chocolate ganache

Smoked Sea Salt (White): Salted caramel with coarse smoked sea salt crystals all devotion

Maple Magic (White): Salted caramel with pure maple syrup

Cherry Vanilla Milk (Milk): Amarena cherry in vanilla-infused syrup

Raspberry Rendez-vous Heart: 64% Madagascan ganache with raspberries

Don Juan Heart (Milk): 72% Venezuelan ganache

The Player Heart: 72% Venzuelan ganache with Peaty Single Malt Scotch

Oyasumi Orange Heart: 64% Dominican ganache with orange zest and ginger

Hazelnut Hysteria Heart (Milk): Hazelnut praline with milk chocolate

Wild Strawberry Heart: Wild strawberries in strawberry balsamic syrup

These made to order chocolates must be preordered in order to get a box.

Pre-order now for the Chocolat Moderne Bonbon Selects 48!

These are made-to-order chocolates and will take up to two weeks to finish. We plan to have them to you before the 24th of December.

When you try one bonbon all you can do is think about the flavors in your mouth!

We were trying to describe the flavors. Even though the chocolate is chocolate it is the combination and the blend that takes you to a wonderful place, a wonderful spot, even if it is only for a moment, it is a place only you are in.

All from a piece of chocolate!

Bergamot: Blended dark and milk ganache with Bergamot

Baklava: Walnut almond praline, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and salted caramel

Kalamata Olive: Caramel with kalamata olive, sea salt, and olive oil

Green Tea: White ganache with matcha, green tea and a splash of pear

Yuzu Honey: Dark milk ganache with yuzu and honey

Mango: Mango caramel with vanilla bean

Hazelnut Hysteria: Hazelnut praline with milk chocolate

Parlez Pistache: Pistachio white chocolate preline with rice crisps

Raspberry Rendez-vous Dark: Raspberry pate de Fruit on 64% Madagascan Ganache

Champagne Chic: Milk/Dark ganache with chardonnay brandy

Maple Mantra (Milk): Salted caramel with pure maple syrup and spices

The Lover - Orange: Passion fruit cardamom caramel

Halva: Sesame tahini praline with white chocolate

Fig and Port: Fig and port wine dark/milk ganache

Pomengranate Rose: Dark chocolate ganache with pomegranate and rose water

Adzuki Bean: Whtie ganache with adzuki and a splash of raspberry

Sesame Shichimi: Sesame tahini milk chocolate, chili and genger spice blend

Shiso Lime: Dark ganache with shiso and lime

Madame X'tasy Dark: Espresso, sea salt and dark chocolate caramel

Smoked Sea Salt (Dark): Salted caramel with coarse smoked sea salt crystals

Havana Heat: 64% Madagascan ganache wtih habanero pepper

Peanut: Salted peanut and milk chocolate praline

Smoked Sea Salt (Milk): Salted caramel with coarse smoked sea salt crystals

Coconut Coast: White ganache with coconut milk

Preorder now for your Made-to-Order Chocolat Moderne Bonbon Selects 24!

Inside this very classic pry-top can are housed minty fresh mints, all wrapped individually. So you can steal a couple for your pocket or purse, seal it back up, and give them away. And no one will know.

Or, skip the giving away and throw the can in the car for that long trip to the country when holiday traffic is so bad.

Uncle Joe's mints "keep you all aglow"! This is made with premium English Mint.

Who would think just three ingredients could make the most delicious mint candy?

Uncle Joe's masterfully blends golden brown cane sugar, cream of tartar, and oil of peppermint to create a treat that keeps you on the happy side. The recipe has remained a closely guarded secret, but these refreshing minty treats are still manufactured in the traditional way, over open gas fires.

Perhaps the very best on the planet, it's not just a "mint," not just a "candy"; we consider Uncle Joe's Mint Balls a food.

Established in 1898, the award-winning Wm. Santus & Co. LTD. is run by a fourth-generation confectioner who still guards the secret recipe that makes this sweet the sweetest!

You can't have enough in your pantry (or your glovebox). You just never know when you will need a refreshing pick-me-up! Uncle Joe's Mint Balls make you feel so good!

Shop now for Uncle Joe's Mint Balls!

These wonderful treats are slim rounds of creamy peppermint centers enrobed in dark chocolate. And not just any peppermint. So powerful is the mint you can smell it through the wrapping.

This mint's particular flavor is soft and lingering with a cool intensity. The chocolate pairs perfectly with the mint cream, just the right amount of both!

Never too sweet, these are exactly what you wish your peppermint creams to be!

These are my favorite mints of all time.

Now my favorite chocolate mints!
"I try all brands of chocolate covered mints and this is the first time I have tried these. They are now my favorite. They are very fresh and delicious."
-- Jacqueline

Shop now for Summerdown Mint Chocolate Peppermint Creams!

Chocolate and mint have been a classic marriage since 1674 when a fashionable London cafe invented the combination. These wonderful confections are twin pieces, shaped like dominoes, with dark chocolate exteriors and creamy peppermint centers. And not just any peppermint!

These mints are made with traditional Black Mitcham peppermint - for centuries, the true flavor of England's famed mint, but a variety that died out due to changes in 20th Century farming.

After generations, Summerdown, the producer, reintroduced this variety, thus bringing back the mint's particular flavor.

These, like their buffer cousin, the Peppermint Creams, are exactly what you want your mint and chocolate to be. The combination is deliciously perfect without being too sweet. Sweet for sure, but my teeth don't hurt when I am done eating one. Just one box, that is.

These are truly my favorite Summerdown Peppermints - with the hard shell and crunch - what a combination of perfection!

Shop now for Summerdown Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cream Dominoes!

These wonderful chocolate peppermint wafers are thin and dark with crunchy bits of minted sugar. And not just any mint.

Summerdown chocolate mint crisps are made with traditional Black Mitcham peppermint - for centuries, the true flavor of England's famed mint, but a variety that died out due to changes in 20th Century farming. After generations, Summerdown, the producer, has reintroduced this variety, thus bringing back the mint's particular flavor - soft and lingering, with a cool, intense flavor.

These chocolate peppermint wafers are the perfect size, with the right crunch, the right bite, the right mint! Another great product from Summerdown Mint!!

This is for sure my favorite Summerdown Peppermint Chocolate - and without the cream! If you want the crisp without the cream, this is the one for you.

My #1 sweet treat!
"5 stars but don't buy these. They are too good and you will eat them all in a quarter of the time you plan to. The mint crystals are perfection in combination with the dark chocolate. If the devil is real, this will certainly be in his bag of tricks!"
-- Nina

Shop now for Summerdown Mint Chocolate Peppermint Crisps!

One whiff of this tea, and you'll swoon with pleasant, minty memories and that's before you even open the box!

This very minty peppermint tea is made with old-fashioned Black Mitcham peppermint - for centuries, the true flavor of England's famed mint, but a variety that finally died out due to changes in 20th Century farming.

After generations, Summerdown, the producer of the tea, has reintroduced this variety, thus bringing back the mint's particular flavor - soft and lingering, with a cool, intense flavor. Just what peppermint tea ought to be.

Best Tea, Ever!

"Love this tea! The only thing I dislike is how difficult it is to find. Wish more people in my area sold this!"
-- Melissa

Shop now for Summerdown Peppermint Tea!

Pistachio cream panettone, iced with plain chocolate, decorated with pistachio grains and cocoa nibs. If you like pistachios and chocolate, you'll love this panettone. Moist and luscious.

Shop now for Borsari Pistachio Cream Panettone!