http://www.dancinglion.us chocolate as art Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:01:55 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In-home chocolate tastings are one of Dancing Lion Chocolate's specialties. A few weeks back, customer K.H. hosted a tasting for nine friends in celebration of her birthday. The tasting lasted around two hours, during which the guests learned a bit of chocolate history and lore, how chocolate is made, and how ... http://www.dancinglion.us/?p=675 Use better chocolate. A year ago, after our last day of class at Valrhona, several fellow chocolatiers and I crossed the ancient stone bridge over the Rhone River that seperates Tain L'Hermitage from the town of Tournon. We selected a comfortable-looking restaurant and enjoyed fine French food with soft Rhone wine ... http://www.dancinglion.us/?p=663 Thank you. It occurs to me that small business owners must say "thank you" frequently as a business grows--there are just so many people who help us along the way. My family, friends, customers, suppliers, partners, I thank you! You make Dancing Lion Chocolate the pleasure that it ... http://www.dancinglion.us/?p=650 Lately I've been kicking the tires on the new kitchen, and I'm pretty darned happy with how it's turned out. Here's what I've been working on--try them and let me know what you think! African Sunrise Venezuelan chocolate ziggurats filled with a bright ganache of African Rooibos tea,  fresh ... http://www.dancinglion.us/?p=643 A few weeks ago I opened the new Dancing Lion Chocolate production kitchen at the Franco-American Centre in Manchester. This is wonderful for me because it's larger, it's my own space, and it's part of the local community; it's wonderful for you because that means I'll be able to produce ... http://www.dancinglion.us/?p=637 Thank you everyone who attended the Palace Theatre Annual Gala. It was a great evening and we enjoyed meeting each one of you! The new Dancing Lion Chocolate commercial kitchen in the Franco-American Centre is just about ready for production. As you can see, I'm mostly moved in. The tablecloth on ... http://www.dancinglion.us/?p=555 Join me this evening for the Palace Theatre's 11th Annual Gala Benefit at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford, NH. I'll be there with samples of all my current truffles and bonbons. See y'all tonight! http://www.dancinglion.us/?p=549 Handpainted Chinese Masks, each unique, each exquisite. Fruity Madagascar chocolate balanced against a ganache of fresh mango, coconut milk, and orange blossom water. An experience to look at, an experience to taste. Chocolate as Art. Chinese Masks are $3 per piece. http://www.dancinglion.us/?p=508 The Dancing Lion is home from Guatemala. And what a trip it was! I've followed the path of Theobroma Cacao from healthy pods at Finca Los Ujuxtes--near source of its domestication some 4,000 years ago--through the fermenting and drying process, the conching and near-magical conversion to some of the world's finest ... http://www.dancinglion.us/?p=484 [caption id="attachment_457" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Guatemala City. Note the volcano in the distance."][/caption] Carlos and I are having a fantastic time making chocolates. I've now been through the complete process of turning beans into bars, or in Carlos' case, ice cubes. (He's found ice cube trays a cheap and effective way  ... http://www.dancinglion.us/?p=452