Antoine Amrani Chocolates
Welcome back, Jenn! In preparation for my trip, Jenn will be guest blogging regularly for the next few weeks. If you guys are nice to her, maybe she’ll make it a regular gig!
Recently, Helen sent me an article about a chocolate factory store in East Norriton, which is my neck of the suburbs. It wasn’t just any old chocolate store, however, but one started by an executive pastry chef for Le Bec Fin! (No, not Miel.) I drooled over the idea of dainty exquisitely flavored chocolates being minutes from my house.
Excited, my husband and I headed over to Antoine Amrani Chocolates on the same day. We sampled their dark chocolate which they use for a base (70% cacao), a mild but delicious chocolate. We had several of their bonbons and chocolates, which were gorgeous and tasty. However, both my husband and I agreed that their spiced caramels stole the show. The cinnamon and cardamom notes were perfect, not too strong, but not too weak. I meant to give some to Helen, but I secretly kept popping them when Paul wasn’t looking. I loved them so much that I ended up buying Helen a bag for her to sample since they were not available at the tasting she went to. If you’re a real caramel lover, get a bag of their salted nut caramels while you’re at it!
After some prodding from Helen, she convinced me to go back to the factory store and take more photos for PhillyFoodie. Since I wanted an excuse to buy their 6 piece petit box, I willingly went with camera in one hand and toddler in the other.
The factory store is tucked into a little industrial park in East Norriton which also has an All-Clad outlet and Talluto’s Italian Market. It’s a great visit for any suburban foodies. Surprisingly for an industrial park store, it’s gorgeous on both the inside and out.
When Amrani’s partner, Fred Potok, spotted me taking photos, he graciously offered me a tour of the factory’s kitchens. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I grabbed my 50mm lens, my son and a hairnet, and followed him down the hallway. It was shockingly clean and white in the kitchens with a few people running around, mixing and pouring chocolate.
After a minute or two, I heard Potok say, “This is Antoine Amrani.” A man rushed past me to grab a slicer. By the time we passed his kitchen, the chocolates had been sliced.
Potok was super friendly, explaining what was being made, why the biggest kitchen was empty (a visit from the New York Times on the same day), and answering any questions I had. He recommended his favorite chocolates — the coconut, the coffee sour cherry, and the pistachio. I noticed that most of those were in the box I was given, as did he, so he offered me a sample of their Duo Cafe, which knocked my coffee-loving socks off, and the Almond Crisp.
I’d like to point out that these samples were not due to the camera. Previous visits to the store with other clerks had always led to sample offers. On our first visit there, Paul and I tried the Earl Grey (my favorite) and Cinnamon Honey (which both Helen and Paul raved about) as well as a few caramels. If you get a chance to visit the store, you will not leave without something since the store keeps offering you samples until you find a flavor you can’t NOT take home with you.
If you’re not a fan of flavored chocolates or caramels (why are we still talking to each other, if so?), you can always try their truffles. I tried one and I would definitely consider bringing a box home to be shared with friends and family that stopped by.
Now is the perfect time to stop by the store and pick up a sample and a box of chocolates or bag of spiced caramels as a hostess gift this Thanksgiving. It’s located at:
550 Foundry Rd.
East Norriton, PA 19403
If you can’t make it to their store, order at their website or pick some up at DiBruno Bros. on Chestnut St. I’d recommend the 17 piece box as it has at least one of each of their chocolates. I won’t go into detail about each piece they have, but my strong hint is to grab the raspberry chocolates by any means.
November 5, 2009
Week 25: What is a CSA, anyway??
The 2009 Greensgrow CSA wraps up this week. After my encounter with a reader, though, I realized I have never really explained what a CSA is!
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. They’re sometimes also referred to as a farmshare. In a traditional CSA, a farm sells “shares” of their crops at the beginning of the season, which CSA members then receive as they are harvested, usually a box a week throughout the growing season.
As eating locally produced foods became more popular, some CSAs began adopting more flexible arrangements. Some CSAs let you select your own box of goodies each week. Some incorporate non-plant items (eggs are a particularly popular choice.)
Greensgrow takes that flexibility to the extreme. Even though they are a farm (in the middle of the city, even), most weeks’ boxes don’t include any Greensgrow-produced items. Instead, Greensgrow acts as a broker between the local-food-loving public, and an array of local producers including farms who may be too small to run their own CSA, meat producers, dairies, and even local prepared food vendors like Superior Pasta Company and Bobbi’s Hummus.
As a member, participating in a CSA means you’re getting fresh, seasonal, super tasty produce all summer long. Plus, you’re doing your part to support a local food economy and farming families, and it’s good for the environment, too. Joining a CSA is a great way to put your money where your mouth is on a range of issues. For farms, it’s a chance to get some money in the door earlier in the season, and also build a group of supporters. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone in a CSA who wouldn’t enthusiastically promote it to you.
If you’re thinking about joining a CSA next year, there are a lot of options in the area. When choosing, I would think about:
- CSA style: there are all-veg, fruits and veggies, produce and eggs, a full mix including meat, and more. Some CSAs also let you add on things like extra fruit, or actually select a given amount of your weekly box.
- Food Quantity: Many CSAs have a full and half share. You can also buddy up to split your share.
- Pick-up locations: do you need to take a weekly trip to the farm (Greensgrow requires this), or is there a pick-up location near you?
- Signup date: Popular CSAs sell out, almost every year.
The first year I wanted to do Greensgrow, I didn’t think about it until May, when I saw the first produce of the season hitting the farm stands. I was too late, and the CSA was sold out. I spent that whole summer in CSA envy, watching people picking up their boxes at the Fair Food CSA drop-off. I made an entry on my calendar for February of the following year, so I could be sure I wouldn’t miss it. And with good reason…. the 2009 CSA sold out in under a month.
Want to stump for your favorite CSA? Tell us all about it in the comments!
On to this week’s basket, AKA the end of season hodge-podge AKA beer week!
- Greensgrow Bucks - Philadelphia, PA
- Brussels Sprouts - Lancaster, PA
- Radicchio - Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
- Bell Peppers - Lancaster, PA
- Beer - Philadelphia Brewing Company, Philadelphia, PA
- Cheese and Meat - Choose 1 from mix
- 1 dozen free-range eggs
Thanks for a great season, Greensgrow!
