Gourmet Chocolate Love

The artisan chefs of Norman Love Confections are pleased to announce the introduction of 10 new gourmet confection flavors. Each premium confection is handcrafted using the finest ingredients including quality Swiss chocolate, decadent California honey and fresh fruits and nuts. There’s nothing like new LOVE!

1. California Honey – Simplicity sings in this beautiful golden California honey ganache dipped in Swiss milk chocolate.

2. Hazelnut Praline Truffle – Pure and delicious Hazelnut praline is better than ever in this luscious milk chocolate truffle.

3. Hot Dark Chocolate – This intense dark chocolate confection is infused with jalapeno pepper for a delightfully spicy sweet combination.

4. Mango – Ripe sweet mango provides a taste of paradise, which we enrobe in delicate white chocolate.

 5. Peaches and Cream – Nothing says “summer” like tart fresh peaches drenched in heavy cream and coated in white chocolate.

 6. Peanut Brittle Truffle - The buttery toffee and roasted peanuts that make peanut brittle such an all-time favorite are blended into a creamy milk chocolate truffle.

 7. Peanut Butter Banana – Back by popular demand, this confection is new again, honoring a classic flavor combination with a blend of creamy peanut butter and fresh banana covered in milk chocolate.

 8. Rum Cake – Indulge in a rich buttery dark rum-soaked cake, which we’ve blended into white chocolate ganache and covered with dark chocolate.

 9. Sweet Tea – Fresh brewed black tea and a splash of lemonade covered in white chocolate is a refreshing change from the ordinary.

 10. Tiramisu – Ciao down on creamy vanilla mascarpone and rich espresso ganache enrobed in a dark chocolate shell.

Norman Love Confections offers a total of 36 flavors year-round. In addition to the new flavors described above, the following delectable tastes are making a comeback this year:  66% Venezuelan Dark (formerly known as 70% Complexite), Almond Marzipan, Caramel Apple, Cherry Cordial Truffle, Cinnamon Roll, Coconut Truffle, Cookies ‘N’ Cream, Dark Chocolate Cream Truffle, Espresso Truffle, Florida Orange, Key Lime Shell, Milk Chocolate Truffle, Mint Chocolate Chip, New York Cheesecake, Passion Fruit, Passion Panna-Cotta, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Pistachio Cherry, Pumpkin, Raspberry, Strawberry, Tahitian Caramel, Vanilla Cupcake, White Chocolate Raspberry and White Vanilla Truffle.

For more information on these 36 flavors, special collections such as BLACK and S’more Love, Specialty Chocolates and more, visit http://www.normanloveconfections.com/.

Wine and chocolate have a lot in common. Many people enjoy tasting and comparing wines from various vintages and growing regions. Now, chocolate connoisseurs have also discovered the importance of the cocoa bean’s origin and quality, and chocolate tastings that are conducted similarly to wine tastings have gained popularity in recent years.

At Norman Love Confections, we hold chocolate tastings occasionally at the Fort Myers, Florida Chocolate Salon, and we find wine is a perfect complement to our gourmet artisan chocolate creations. However, there is an art to selecting a wine and chocolate pairing. A wine can bring out the flavor notes of a fine gourmet chocolate, or it ruin the flavor by turning it bitter or sour to the taste.

Of course, discovering the combinations you enjoy most is the whole point of this activity. We suggest the following tips to help you begin your adventure in wine and chocolate pairing on your own:

The wine should be as sweet or sweeter than the chocolate served with it to avoid a bitter or sour effect.

1. A light, buttery White Chocolate should typically be paired with lighter, sweeter wines such as Sherry or White Zinfandel.
2. Milk Chocolate is usually excellent with Pinot Noir and lighter bodied Merlots, with chocolate accented desserts and mild milk chocolates better complemented by Rieslings and dessert wines.
3. Robust Dark Chocolates, such as those in Norman Love Confections BLACK™ line, are best paired with a Red Zinfandel, and Tawny or Vintage Port is best for dark chocolate desserts and Truffles.
4. If your tasting includes many different types of chocolates, start with the lightest chocolate and progressively work toward darker varieties, ending with dark or bittersweet chocolate.

Visit http://www.normanloveconfections.com/ to order a wide selection of fresh handcrafted chocolate creations, from the single-origin dark chocolate collection Norman Love Confections BLACK™ to the 36 different flavored confections available year-round.

Please share your favorite Norman Love Confections chocolate and wine pairings here for others to try!

Have you ever wondered why we eat so much more during the holidays? Who came up with the idea of going door to door to score loads of candy on Halloween? At what point in American history did Thanksgiving become all about the turkey and pies? Can Santa really eat all the cookies and milk at each and every home he visits? And don’t chocolate bunnies seem an odd way to celebrate Easter when you really think about it?

We can’t argue with success, and wouldn’t want to either. We love all of these holiday traditions as much as the next person – possibly more given our passion for chocolate.  Just thought we’d give you some food for thought (no pun intended) and hope you will join us by sharing the holiday traditions you most look forward to this year.

Here are few extreme “Trick or Treat Tidbits” from the National Confectioner’s Association to whet your appetite as Halloween approaches:

• Four-in-ten (41%) adults admit that they sneak sweets from their own candy bowl
• On Halloween night, the majority (52%) of those providing treats to costumed. kiddies will be passing out chocolate, while three-in-ten will drop hard candy or lollipops into the sacks.
• 62% of adults will be handing out candy because “it’s a personal favorite” or it’s a household tradition (55%).
• 43% of grown-up celebrants cite costumes as one of the most indispensable parts of the holiday.
• About 26% of households will include full-size candy (chocolate and non-chocolate) in their Halloween activities.
• 90% of parents admit to sneaking goodies from their kids’ Halloween trick-or-treat bags.
• Parents favorite treats to sneak from their kids’ trick-or-treat bags are snack-size chocolate bars (70% sneak these), candy-coated chocolate pieces (40%), caramels (37%) and gum (26%).
• Parents least favorite goodie to take from their kids’ trick-or-treat bags is licorice (18%).
• 30% of kids report that they SORT their candy first when returning home with trick-or-treat loot, others: Savor it (20%), Share it (16%), Stash it (14%) or Swap it (7%).
• Kids say they prefer homes that give: anything made with chocolate (68%) followed by lollipops (9%), gummy candy (7%) and bubble gum or chewing gum (7%).
• More than 93% of children go trick-or-treating each year.
• Kids tell us that their favorite treats to receive when trick-or-treating are candy and gum. Eighty-four percent of kids said candy and gum are their favorites over other options like baked goods or small toys.

After nine years in Fort Myers, Norman Love announced today that he has signed a lease at Parkshore Plaza in Naples for the second location of Norman Love Confections. Construction on the chocolate salon will begin soon with a projected opening prior to Christmas.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Love. “We’ve always wanted a presence in Naples and the timing is right to expand into a new market.”

According to recent reports, premium chocolate sales have increased in recent years. Consumers are indulging in chocolate on good occasions and bad days and dark chocolate is gaining momentum for its health benefits as a good source of antioxidants.

The new Euro chic retail space, located next to the popular USS Nemo Seafood Restaurant at 3747 Tamiami Trail North, will be a combination of a confection shop and coffee bar. The shop will include a complete selection of NLC ultra-premium, handcrafted artisanal chocolates, pastries, desserts, breakfast bakeries, Italian Gelato, specialty coffees and smoothies.

Founded in 2001 by Norman and Mary Love, Norman Love Confections creates and distributes ultra-premium, handcrafted artisanal chocolates. Based in Fort Myers, the corporate headquarters encompasses both production and retail operations. The Chocolate Salon is a stylish retail shop with an intimate ambience in which customers may purchase chocolates or linger over house-made pastries, gourmet coffees, lattes and smoothies.

For more information or to place an order, call 239-561-7215, toll free 866-515-2121, or visit www.normanloveconfections.com. The Chocolate Salon is located at 11380 Lindbergh Boulevard, east of I-75, off Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers, and is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Two years ago, Norman Love Confections launched BLACK, an ultra-premium line of intensely dark chocolates made with cocoa beans from some of the finest growing regions in the world. Since then, the line has been expanded to include European-style sipping chocolate, in addition to the original five confections, each of which are named for their cocoa of origin. Now that BLACK has a loyal following with new fans joining the ranks with each and every taste, we think connoisseurs would be interested to taking a detailed look at what makes BLACK so special.

The facts about BLACK
BLACK was inspired by the growing demand for dark chocolate. Norman Love Confections’ signature line already included many delicious dark chocolate confections, but BLACK is unique as a pure dark chocolate confection, with no additional flavors to distract the palate from the special character of each chocolate. On Sept. 1, Norman Love Confections will hold a BLACK Tasting, led by an expert artisan, to help aficionados explore and discover the nuances of each origin confection. Here is a summary of what they will experience:

Each of the five confections in the BLACK collection derives its distinct flavor based upon the origin of the cocoa means used in its creation and what percentage of pure cocoa it contains. Just as with single-vineyard wines, the flavor of an origin chocolate depends on a variety of conditions unique to the place in which the cocoa beans used to make it are grown. Here is a detailed description of the five origin chocolates in the BLACK line:

• 74 percent Hacienda Elvesia, an elegant, robust chocolate with notes of black tea and a hint of tobacco made with beans from the Dominican Republic. The processing method produces a fruity note that is sustained by a refreshing hint of orange and a splash of grapefruit.
• 72 percent Arriba, made with cocoa beans of the prized Nacional from Arriba Mocache, Los Rios, Ecuador. This chocolate’s flavor is enhanced by intense coffee and licorice fragrances. A gentle processing technique gives rise to an intense dried plum bouquet and a long finish of flowery black currants.
• 68 percent Cru Sauvage, the world’s first chocolate made from beans harvested from wild cacao trees growing in the Beni region of north-eastern Bolivia. This harmonious chocolate possesses fresh lemon and grapefruit notes, an intense dried plum bouquet, and an exquisite hint of vanilla.
• 65 percent Maracaibo Clasificado, made with noble criollo cocoa from the vicinity of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. This well-balanced chocolate is enhanced by coffee and plum aromas with an undercurrent of orange blossom and cinnamon, possessing a light, sweet raisin bouquet.
• 64 percent Madagascar, made with cocoa beans of the trinitario variety from Sambirano, Madagascar, an island off the southeast coast of Africa. This is a fruity chocolate with a roasted hazelnut aroma and wild berry notes as well as a subtle hint of clove and cedar.

Quality in every detail
BLACK features confections made with five signature couvertures (from the French word for ‘cover’). These couvertures are made by the well-respected Swiss supplier Max Felchlin AG, a 100-year-old boutique manufacturer recognized internationally for their high quality cocoa products.

Handcrafted at the Chocolate Salon in Fort Myers, Florida and individually decorated with captivating colors and designs, the BLACK confections are available for purchase in the Chocolate Salon and online at www.normanloveconfections.com in five-piece, 10-piece and 15-piece boxes, as well as in gift baskets. BLACK sipping chocolate is also available for in store and online purchase and is incorporated into beautifully decorated BLACK-themed gift baskets.

“Norman has long been known for high quality work that combines a distinctive style of decoration with classic flavors,” says Clay Gordon, author of the 2008 IACP Cookbook of the Year finalist Discover Chocolate, and moderator of the online community for chocophiles, www.TheChocolateLife.com. “In BLACK, Norman is using everything he has learned about the techniques of making fine confections and focusing his attention to creating pieces that are all about delivering the flavors and textures of the remarkable chocolates he’s using with finesse and maximum impact, if you can imagine such a combination. It is no coincidence that he’s chosen to use Felchlin chocolates for BLACK; I and many others regard the Hacienda Elvesia and Cru Sauvage to be two of the finest chocolates to have been created in the last five years.”

Health benefits of dark chocolate
Chocolate has long been known to soothe the soul but more recently it has also been scientifically proven to help the heart. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants known as flavanols that destroy free radicals, which have been implicated in heart disease. Dark chocolate also contains endorphins, the body’s natural opiates, which provide a feeling of well-being and reduce sensitivity to pain. Another element, the amino acid tryptophan, produces serotonin in the brain, promoting feelings of calm and well-being. And, according to a report in The Journal of the American Medical Association, dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure in a way that milk and white chocolates do not.

Due to the high cocoa mass in BLACK confections, it is an excellent source of the ingredient responsible for reported health benefits. Do you agree dark chocolate is good for your health or do you just enjoy the taste? Tell us why you like BLACK. To experience the BLACK line visit: http://www.normanloveconfections.com/store/BLACK-Single-Origin-Chocolate/

We often talk about how we use “only the finest, freshest ingredients” in our marketing, but did you know we actually handcraft each element in the recipe?

When you bite into a Peanut-Butter-and-Jelly confection, you taste peanut butter and strawberry jelly that were made fresh in the Norman Love Confections kitchen by our very own artisans. Yes, we even bake our own New York-style cheesecakes to create the New York Cheesecake confection and Key Lime pies for Key Lime confections.

One of our newest lines, S’more Love, is a perfect example. We take this traditional campsite treat to the next level by preparing our own crunchy, freshly baked graham cracker, light and fluffy homemade marshmallows and salted bourbon vanilla caramel. These ingredients are then enrobed in dark chocolate. By producing each ingredient in every piece of S’more Love step-by-step, we can ensure our customers enjoy the freshest, highest quality gourmet ingredients possible!

If you haven’t yet tried S’more Love, Tuesday, Aug. 10 would be a great day to try it. It’s National S’more Day!

Do you remember your first taste of S’more? Was it a family camping trip, a Boy Scout adventure or a backyard BBQ? We’d love to swap stories with you so leave a comment!

In honor of National S’more Day on Tuesday, Aug. 10, Norman Love Confections will give away a complimentary hot or iced S’more coffee beverage with the purchase of any S’more Love confection from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., while supplies last.

A traditional campsite treat for young and old alike, each piece of S’more Love is enrobed in dark chocolate, filled with a crunchy freshly baked graham cracker, light and fluffy homemade marshmallows and salted bourbon vanilla caramel.

Founded in 2001 by Norman and Mary Love, Norman Love Confections creates and distributes ultra-premium, handcrafted artisanal chocolates. Based in Fort Myers, the corporate headquarters encompasses both production and retail operations. The Chocolate Salon is a stylish retail shop with an intimate ambience in which customers may purchase chocolates or linger over house-made pastries, gourmet coffees, lattes and smoothies. 

For more information or to place an order, call 239-561-7215, or toll free 866-515-2121, or visit http://www.normanloveconfections.com/. The Chocolate Salon is located at 11380 Lindbergh Boulevard, east of I-75, off Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers, and is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Those with discerning tastes and an interest in culinary trends may have noticed an emerging emphasis on comfort food in gourmet circles. Many fine restaurants are now offering gourmet versions of traditional comfort foods such as macaroni and cheese, pizza and even ice cream.

From New York’s famous 21 Club, which serves the ‘21’ Burger, to L.A.’s Spago, which serves Goulash, a traditional comfort food of German heritage, it seems almost no restaurant is without its comfort cuisine. Diners seem to love these simple familiar foods, especially with the additional flair and attention to quality provided by a gourmet chef.

At Norman Love Confections, we have a growing repertoire of sweet comfort food-inspired chocolate confections. Of the 36 signature flavors that make up our core line of chocolate confections, nearly a dozen could be placed in that category. We find these flavors come alive when combined with the finest dark, milk or white gourmet chocolate, from ice cream parlor favorites such as Cookies-n-Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, Rum Raisin and Butter Pecan to childhood classics such as Cinnamon Roll, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Vanilla Cupcake and Malted Milkshake.

Of course, the holidays wouldn’t be the same without certain comfort foods, which is why our special holiday collections include flavors such as Pumpkin, Candy Cane, Egg Nog and Gingerbread. All the ingredients that go into these confections are handcrafted fresh daily, giving them the authentic just-out-of-the-oven flavor you may have enjoyed at Grandma’s house growing up. However, our artisans use the finest ingredients and finely tuned techniques to transform those childhood treats into bite-sized gourmet delicacies.

Our BLACK sipping chocolate and S’more Love confections are both perfect examples of simple foods made exceptional. The sipping chocolate provides the same comfortable warm flavor of the hot cocoa you craved growing up, yet with an added sophistication as it is created in the great tradition of European-style sipping chocolates. For S’more Love, we transformed the simple treat traditionally enjoyed in campgrounds across America and enhanced it by using fine Swiss milk chocolate and fresh handmade marshmallows and graham crackers. No camp fire necessary.

The next time you dine out see if you can find any comfort-food inspired menu items. What kind of gourmet twist is added? Does the meal succeed in tasting authentic yet elegant?

Finally, what do you think is behind the comfort food trend? We have a few guesses of our own and would be interested to know what you think as well. Please comment!

Our summer classes are HOT HOT HOT and they are filling up fast so sign up for your favorites today! Learn expert practices and techniques for producing a variety of delectable culinary creations from the experienced, award-winning artisans of Norman Love Confections at the Chocolate Salon. All gourmet chocolate cooking classes take place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Chocolate Salon, 11380 Lindbergh Blvd., Fort Myers, FL. To register, call Lisa Mariani at 239-561-7215.

Summer Schedule – Remaining Classes:

July
21st – Truffles (This Wednesday Night!)
28th – Molded Chocolates

August
4th –  Liquid Love: Making Fondue with Flair
18th – Cupcakes (Sorry this class is full!)
25th – Molded Bittersweet 61%

September
1st – Black Tasting

Are you ready to learn the true art of creating Gourmet Chocolate delights?

If so – be sure to join us in our Gourmet Chocolate Classes where you’ll be assisted every step of the way by my team of gourmet chocolatiers.

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