PASSIONATE RATIONS

It’s about time I wrote this. I received a pretty golden box (a “ballotin”) of these Belgian chocolates for Christmas 2008, and here it is March 2009. Well, the delay can be explained by two things:

(1) a cold that took my sense of smell and taste from me for about a month and during which time I refused to eat anything of quality since I couldn’t enjoy it; and

(2) do you have any idea how long it takes to eat 1.5 pounds of chocolate, even when you share?

[A brief aside to acknowledge how lucky am I to have relatives who take seriously my love of chocolate specifically (and food generally). Except for the weigh-ins.]

I am ashamed to say that, except for a certain glimmer of recognition in the back of my mind (likely because I had seen their storefronts in the L.A. area), I was unfamiliar with Leonidas chocolates when the box arrived.

It was filled with gorgeous deep-dark chocolate in a variety of designs, all too pretty to eat. A couple of gold-wrapped pieces, immediately identifiable as chocolate-covered cherries, glittered in the midst. Eat them I did.

The flavors were intense—deep, earthy tones that melted on the palate. Many had a subtle liquor edge to them. I don’t tend to love spirit-laden chocolates, but these were perfectly balanced, the cocoa butter and liquour undertones melding together into a deep, rich sensory experience. If only all chocolatiers got it so right.

The bottom line: these little beauties would be suitable to share with anyone, even those high-end relatives with summer homes in the Hamptons.

I was most intrigued by the oddly shaped oval-y pieces. One side seemed somehow misshapen. I couldn’t figure it out, but then I turned one just so and realized that the profile of a face had been sculpted into the side, so that, looking down upon it, I was actually looking at a profile, complete with eye, nose and mouth. A more abstract design marked the top surface, hence my inability to discern the face immediately. Very wonderful and artful. Since all were delectable, this edge immediately made them my favorites.

I’m planning a trip to NYC. I think it just may include a little side trip to 485 Madison Avenue (Leonidas’ first storefront in the U.S.).