Tag: EASTER

Credit: Biscuiterie de Provence

An amazing, limited-edition offering from the South of France

It’s still three weeks until Easter, but given the limited nature of these exceptionally cool and super tasty confections from Provence in the South of France, you may want to hurry over to the Candy Store and get some of them before they’re all gone.

What are they? It sounds kind of wild, I know, but they are real eggshells, tops cut neatly off, cleaned and sanitized, then filled with chocolate hazelnut praline. They look gorgeous, and they taste totally great! Yes, you really crack the shell and peel it off before you eat! No, they are not laid by some kind of chocolate-eating French chicken. Inside is a blend that’s over half hazelnut praline and the other, 45% milk chocolate.

The eggs are all handcrafted by the crew at Le Petit Duc, one of France’s leading producers of artisan calisson (the classic dried fruit and almond confection of Provence). Le Petit Duc was founded in 1991 in the small Provencal town of Saint Remy. To set the scene, it’s the place where Vincent Van Gogh did many of his most famous paintings. In the winter of 1888, having recently arrived in the region, Van Gogh wrote to his brother, Théo, “The sun dazzles me and goes to my head, a sun, a light that I can only call yellow, sulphur yellow, lemon yellow, golden yellow. How lovely yellow is!”

Le Petit Duc’s small workshop is located near the house of Nostradamus, the famous historical French forecaster. They use a minimal amount of sugar—which I like—so the chocolate and nuts are the main flavor components. The Le Petit Duc team is all about going back to traditional ways, staying true to old techniques, and steering clear of post-modern shortcuts.

The instructions on the package suggest either sticking the egg in the fridge for around 15 minutes before peeling, or, alternatively, melting the chocolate (while still in its shell) in the microwave for a super quick 15 seconds before dipping toast pieces, as you might for a soft-boiled egg, for a version of the classic European bread and chocolate. Longtime Candy Store manager Allison Schraf says, “I can also see dipping shortbread, pretzel sticks, apple or strawberry slices, etc. Imagine serving this ‘breakfast for dessert but not really’ at Easter brunch!” They’re available as a single egg in chicken-on-a-nest packaging or as a 4-pack in an egg carton.

A gift of these eggs will both surprise and delight whoever you give them to! Or, if you’re having one of those days, maybe grab one for yourself and savor it with some of the Guatemala El Regalito Coffee that we have on as Roaster’s Pick this month.

An egg-citing treat

If you’re reading this, you’re probably interested in full-flavored, complex food, so there’s something we need to talk about with regard to confections. Let’s face it, not all the seasonal (including Easter) candy many of us enjoyed as kids generates the same enjoyment in us now that we’re adults. Maybe, we think, there is no truly delicious, yet fun Easter candy that will delight our inner kid AND our current taste preference for less sweet, more complex confections?

I’m so happy to tell you that we’ve been making and selling our delicious Marshmallow Bunny Tails here at Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory for a good seven years, and our luscious PB&J Fudge Eggs and Chocolate Almond Fudge Eggs for almost as long. There’s so much about them that’s special, and I might even say, remarkable!

Bunny Tails are made of marshmallow, which you may know we make year round in vanilla and chocolate versions. Marshmallows start with lots of whipped egg whites—4 dozen egg whites per batch, in fact! Along with sugar, the classic marshmallow is made with kosher beef gelatin from Great Lakes Gelatin. The two flavors in every bag of Bunny Tails are Raspberry, made with seedless red raspberry preserves from Clearbrook Farm in Oregon, and Toasted Coconut, made with Italian coconut jam. Whipped up into the glossiest peaks imaginable, there is just a few minutes to scoop all of this fluffy ‘mallow into a pastry piping bag with a star tip and form the Bunny Tails before it cools and the gelatin sets up.

Yes, that’s right! Each and every Bunny Tail we make is piped by hand! (We joke that we wish we could hire Popeye™ with his super strong forearms to help us in production.) A second candy maker covers the Bunny Tails in either sugar or toasted coconut as they are piped out onto a tray. Then they are set aside to dry for a day to develop a nice chewy texture.

To make the Eggs, wonderful, rich peanut butter chocolate fudge is scooped out into an egg shape, topped with a dollop of seedless red raspberry preserves and then coated in dark chocolate. Lots of almond paste from California and dark chocolate go into the fudge for the Almond fudge egg before it, too, is dunked in dark chocolate. We take a lot of care to work and knead our fudge thoroughly to ensure large grains of sugar don’t form, allowing for a silky texture.

Old fashioned handmade candy-making techniques and attention to detail, along with using great ingredients, really does let you taste the difference. Your inner kid AND your grown up palate will be happy!

Ever wonder what the Zingerman’s Bakehouse staff absolutely must have for their Easter celebration?

Here’s a quick list of faves from the people who know!

  • Hot Cross Buns. We only get to enjoy these precious treats four days a year and it’s hard to eat just one. Available 4/17-4/20.
  • Summer Fling Coffeecake.  Our lime and toasted coconut bundt cake. Brad from Zingerman’s Mail Order says “It makes me think of white shoes, chiffon dresses and mint juleps”. See Mail Order Easter specials
  • Somodi Kálacs. Hungarian cinnamon swirl bread for Easter. Find out more. Shawna says “Enjoy! We’ll make more.”
  • Brioche. A fluffy buttery bread that makes any brunch better. Try Craquelin, brioche with orange zest and Grand Marnier (Sundays only).
  • Farm bread. One of our favorite breads. Frank says “It makes a mean grilled ham and cheese.”
  • Easter Egg Cookies. Sara says “My kids look forward to getting one in their basket every year”.
  • Cream Pies. Cool key lime with graham crust, piled high coconut cream pie, or chocolate cream with chocolate cookie crust. Randy says “We can’t decide, so I’m getting one of each.”
  • Easter Bunny Cake. The best kind of table centerpiece. One you can eat! See photo
  • Easter Candy. From our friends at Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory. This time of year we all go for the raspberry marshmallow Bunny Tails and PB&J Fudge Eggs.

We’re open 7am-7pm everyday, even Easter Sunday! Give us a call to reserve your must have list. (734)-761-2095.