CocoaRoar Has Its Own Webpage!

Greetings from the chocolate trenches! CocoaRoar is in full swing this month, and I have recently created a separate webpage for my chocolate endeavors. You can click here to check it out. Or you can just stay here for a moment, if you’d prefer. Either way is fine with me.

I am enjoying my time in the chocolate kitchen more than ever. I thoroughly reorganized my kitchen in November and am able to be more efficient than ever in this small space. Believe it or not, this is where the magic happens, people.

I’ve discovered that using the food processor is a foolproof way to mix up large quantities of chocolate with infused cream, creating the silkiest most luxurious chocolate ganache imaginable. Isn’t that gorgeous?

And for the first time in CocoaRoar’s 3-year history, I have a dream of an assistant. My wonderful sister-in-law, Alison, has taken over most of the packaging duties so that I can focus on making the truffles. She has an artist’s eye and makes everything look beautiful, not to mention that she is the loveliest person to have around on a regular basis. We slip into an easy rhythm working together in my little chocolate factory while favorite movies play in the background, and I’m so grateful for her help and for her company. It makes me wonder how I ever did these big Christmas rounds of truffles by myself.

We did truffles for a wedding earlier this month, boxing up four different varieties as wedding favors for the guests. The bride requested white and purple, in place of the signature CocoaRoar red boxes with gold ribbons, and while at first it felt bizarre putting my truffles into totally different packaging, I loved the way it looked when it was all finished. It felt like wearing a radically different shade of lipstick and feeling very strange at first but then really enjoying it in the end.

But even with my streamlined kitchen, efficient mixing techniques, and Alison’s invaluable assistance, I’m still struggling to do much in the way of savory foods. I am making a lot of Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Parmesan and Olive Oil, and I have a bottomless pot of Roasted Cauliflower Soup going, mixing up yet another batch as soon as I’m running low. Both of those foods warm you up from the inside, which is important on these frigid days. I am making endless bowls of Raw Kale Salad, substituting grated romano cheese for the toasted breadcrumbs because it not only is quicker but it also tastes good. Being surrounded by this much chocolate make me crave all things GREEN, plus this recipe also contributes very little to my dishwashing load. That is a critical factor these days, especially since my small kitchen has a tiny sink and limited counter space and I still have a thousand more truffles to make in the next ten days. To be continued soon…

One Year Ago: Louise and Her Chocolate Factory

One truffle at a time...