A Seductive One

La Rose: Organic Pink Rose, hibiscus flowers, orange peel steeped in white chocolate

Seduction is the muse behind my newest Valentine chocolate, La Rose. For me, our complex sense smell plays such an enormous part in the power of seduction! And what is more seducing and romantic than the delicious smelling flowers of Rosa gallica officinalis? I’ve read that impératrice Josephine consoled herself with old world roses at Château de Malmaison after sadly departing empereur Napoléon. For un poète, la rose is symbolic and represents love, more specifically “love’s passion and beauty and perishability”. Haven’t you read Christopher Marlowe’s love poem, "The Passionate Shepherd To His Love”?

“Come live with me, and be my love

…And I will make thee beds of roses…

And a thousand fragrant posies;

A cap of flowers, and a kirtle…

Behind all of this fragrant madness is a mild fixation of mine. After a recent (and long-awaited) trip to Grasse, France, I am besotted by “les nez” (perfumers, modern & Medieval) & lately I’ve begun a little experimenting with the art of making scents. The more I sense scents and their mysterious power, the more I seem to want use flowery notes in our chocolates.

Le chocolat, La Rose, is a second attempt to create a floral ganache that is balanced, yet intricate. Wlady & I used organic rose, orange flower water, and hibiscus flower to stain the white ganache and hibiscus powder to adorn the finished chocolate. This deep, reddish hibiscus powder might lightly stain your fingertips and lips and might also prickle your tongue a bit with lemony-tart flavor, but what power would there lie if a desire to guarantee the object of affection did not seduce?

Janvier's Passing

The song, "Cold Song" might be morbid to some, but not for me. And it is befitting for the last weekend in January, because it conjures up strong feelings for me this cold, dark month. While I am happy for the return of warmer weather, I am also ambivalent or sad to see the passing of l'hiver.

Cold Song

What Power art thou,

Who from below,

Hast made me rise,

Unwillingly and slow,

From beds of everlasting snow!



See'st thou not how stiff,

And wondrous old,

Far unfit to bear the bitter cold.



I can scarcely move,

Or draw my breath,

I can scarcely move,

Or draw my breath.



Let me, let me,

Let me, let me,

Freeze again...

Let me, let me,

Freeze again to death!

Au revoir Noël! Bonjour L’hiver!

Running our two “dainty” chocolateries pendant Noël has challenged us since my last post, more than two weeks ago. I rank it up there with a grueling, month-long marathon, although I am exceedingly grateful for the business. Simple daily shop tasks are not what strained us, really. The energy and piling demands of La Châtelaine becomes erratic, reminding me of the exhausting “Can-Can” musical.

Thank goodness for loyal employees, whose workload increased threefold. They didn’t complain much – not to my face at least – about trimming 1,000 yards of ribbon, piping pounds and pounds of truffles, repainting chocolate moulds, stuffing thousands of paper candy cups with chocolates, or the implicit pressure to work late, not unlike Santa’s elves.

We crowded our store shelves with handmade chocolates such as crème fraiche, local mint, organic peanut butter, fleur de sel caramels, toffee, morello cherries and more. We stocked our retail area with burlap-wrapped French sea salts from the Camargue & chocolate fondues, house-made chocolate barks and marshmallows dipped in chocolate. Bags of mendiant discs hand-tied with candy cane colored ribbon sold as quickly as we could package them. I am happy to report that hot chocolate sales are the highest they’ve ever been (finalement!). Could it be the homemade marshmallows? Or the addition of our Cocoa Bar, I wonder?

The holiday “Can-Can” dance has ended, our cozy chocolate shop has resumed to a quieter pace.

A present we’re in the depth of a cold, snowy hiver, and Montana’s landscape has magically and hauntingly transformed. It is the season to dream and imagine. This is an important time for rêveurs. During the chill – while the world is quiet – I find inspiration more easily. Do you? Please do stop by the shop, as there is a new truffle to be found in the case inspired by desire.

Merci pour votre visite. Au revoir Noël! Bonjour L’hiver!

Le Cocoa Bar

On this grayish, freezing Dimanche, St. Lucia Day, we celebrated the Grand Opening of our Cocoa Bar. We served almond Financiers, Madeleines, Crêpes, to accompany our deep, dark drinking chocolate. While customers filed along the chocolate-filled display case, gazing at their choices with a somewhat guilty pleasure, they remarked “ooooohhhh” and “[this tastes] like a melted chocolate bar”, or “how many calories?” (a question we abhor, you realize). At one point, our chocolate lovers had comfortably occupied all of the barstools (the ones I thought would never arrive) and at that moment, I knew deep down that La Châtelaine’s Cocoa Bar would be un succès. Saint Lucia, known as the Queen of Light, unquestionably lit up our cozy chocolaterie.

Buvez votre Chocolat Chaud

Even though I’m in my trentaine, I still feel the enchantment of Noël. Not every year, but certainly this year, with all its ups & downs. Last week, cuddled on the couch with my son, I drank imaginary hot chocolate “as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars” watching the film The Polar Express, based on Chris Van Allsburg's book.


You are cordially invited to our
Cocoa Bar Grand Opening
Dec 13th
St. Lucia Day
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Le Cocoa Bar

The Making of a Hot Chocolate Bar

Some time ago, Wlady and I realized that we needed to provide a cozy spot inside of our chocolaterie for people to sit & linger over our decadent, steaming Hot Chocolate. Making this real bittersweet, dark hot chocolate is a labor of our love, but… pouring it into a to-go paper cup? Pourquoi?

We would rather serve this unabashedly rich chocolat chaud in a colorful bowl, with fresh whipping cream and homemade marshmallows and intice you to nibble on our Madeleines, Sablés, and Financiers (little French cookies you’ll soon become addicted to) and chocolates. And we want your company (not virtual company) here in our store.

Wlady and friend, Chuck, built this Cocoa bar with concrete and bare hands. They took an open space and filled it with imaginative concrete work. I’m working on warming up the concrete bar with comfy barstools, and lots of fun colors, but we need you to visit us to really make it worthwhile!

You are cordially invited to our

Cocoa Bar Grand Opening

Dec 13th

St. Lucia Day

1:00 – 3:00 p.m.