When I was a younger, I loved going into my parents’ bedroom at night and sharing a midnight snack with them. It wasn’t really midnight, it was probably closer to nine o’ clock, but it felt like midnight to my eight year old self.
We would have different kinds of snacks: little native Filipino cakes, triangles of queso de bola (Edam cheese), small plates of sweet and salty ham, hot tea, juicy pomelos, or apples and pears that my mom would peel and cut for everyone. But my favorite snacks were the ones that involved a box of chocolate.
(Of course.)
We always have chocolate at home. While I’ve written about my dad’s sweet tooth, my mom is no slouch in the dessert department. My mom, she of the fine taste in food, has exquisite taste in chocolate. Even as a little girl, I knew that the chocolates we were snacking on were special.
I’ve never seen my mom break open a bag of M&Ms, snap off a piece of a Kitkat, nor unwrap a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. It was always Godiva, Guylian, Mozart, Ferrero Rocher. And boxes of chocolate, with labels I ignored (I never really knew what I was going to get). Those boxes of chocolate were highly revered by me, they almost seemed magical. Up to now, I love slowly opening a box, admiring the content, and randomly picking a piece.
And up to now, chocolate is my favorite midnight snack…
I do appreciate the “cheat sheet” or menus that come with a box of chocolates but I also like the simple act of just picking one and enjoying it immediately. I can’t go wrong anyway, since I love all kinds.
I like treating myself to good quality chocolate (my favorites are Lindt dark chocolate with sea salt and the milk chocolate bars from LA Burdick) but I also love candy bars like 3 Musketeers and Toblerone, peanut butter M&Ms (I keep mine in the freezer and eat a handul cold), and I even like eating Ghirardelli white chocolate baking chips for dessert. Oooh and chocolate-covered gummy bears. Really, I like chocolate everything.
But give me a selection of chocolates, and I’m a goner.
So my BIGGEST THANKS go out to EH Chocolatier for this lovely box of chocolates! EH Chocolatier is a small independently owned artisan chocolate and confection company in Somerville, MA. They have started a Boston’s first CSC – Community Supported Chocolate. That’s right, just like a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) but instead of produce, you get chocolate.
Chocolate “shares” come in a classic white confection box with an assortment of fresh, locally made, handcrafted artisan chocolates and confections. I chose to join the Winter 2013 CSC. For three months, I can pick up a box of chocolate each month at my selected location (in my case, it’s Dave’s Fresh Pasta in David Square). The cost is $60, which comes out to $20 per month – I think that’s pretty reasonable for a box of lovely chocolates. (Full disclosure: I did get this box for free, and my first share will be complimentary as well.) There are different membership costs and chocolate seasons, so if you guys are interested, you can find more info on the EH Chocolatier website.
My favorites from this box were the rochers (little “haystacks” of crunchy caramelized cornflakes and roasted candied almonds covered in chocolate) and the toffee almond (a buttery-crunchy toffee filled with slivered almond and covered in chocolate, roasted almonds and fleur de sel).
It’s taking me a few weeks to get through my box of chocolates, and I’m savoring each piece at a time. It reminds me of all those evenings with my parents, going through a box of chocolates with contentment and joy.
Check out EH Chocolatier when you can and if you’re local, please support Boston’s first CSC! There’s also a Chocolate Club for fellow chocoholics who aren’t near the area.
Hi! I’m Bianca Garcia. I love food, running, yoga, sangria, and my job. I'm an advertising professional, social media enthusiast, blogger, freelance writer, and obsessive list-maker. I think about dessert constantly. 
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