Recchiuti Chocolates at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

Like I said in my first Ferry Plaza market post, there was so much to experience, I couldn’t possibly cram it all into one measly little article. So, this is the chocolate post.

I have been in a few different chocolate shops in my day. Some not so good at the low end (sounds like…Bee’s) and some at the higher end (…um…Bodiva?). But Recchiuti Confections inside the ferry building was a spectacular event on it’s own.

We bought two delightful pieces of chocolate and I can honestly say, one of them was easily in my top 5 best chocolate adventures. The store was beautifully designed in shades of brown, and the back wall had a kind of mural of the different chocolate flavors with a simple drawing of the shape each flavor came in.

The quirky blown glass lamps looked as if they had been drizzled with chocolate. What fun! The packages of chocolates were very modern and cleanly presented in beautiful colors and playing matte off of gloss.

For all the sophisticated design, the two staff members behind the counter were very friendly and helpful. Not an upturned nose to be found.

Marc and I were in awe. Such exquisite decor and packaging, kind staff…could their chocolates possibly live up? We took a bunch of pictures as you can see, and debated about what to buy. They use a lot of organic ingredients, which appeased the hippy chick in me.

We walked over to the chocolate counter that was playfully yet elegantly arranged. Each flavor of chocolate was on it’s own white plate with the description piped in chocolate. All the plates sat on a bed of cacao nibs. Cacao nibs! What classy presentation.

There were so many unbelievable flavors, it was really hard to pick. Lemon verbena, rose caramel, star anise with pink peppercorn, bergamot tea…oh how to choose.

I have heard so much about fleur de sel caramels lately, that we decided to give one of those a try. Salts in general have become all the rage lately. But, fleur de sel, specifically has been showing up in all kinds of desserts. It was (to use their descriptive language) enrobed in bittersweet chocolate and marbleized with Venezuelan white chocolate.

The chocolate was out of this world. I wasn’t too hot on the salty caramel part of it though. Maybe I just need some nudging, but I like my sweets, sweeter than salty. Maybe the whole fleur de sel caramel thing is an acquired taste. I really wanted to like it. Oh well.

The one I did love, and is in the top 5 chocolate adventures, was spring jasmine tea. I’ve been on an “all things infused” kick lately. As in this post for Jasmine Pearl Green Tea Ice Cream, and my up coming Lemon Verbena Ice Cream post. This is the description of the spring jasmine tea chocolate on their web site: Delicate jasmine blossoms and green tea leaves infused in extra-bitter chocolate ganache, enrobed in pure milk chocolate and marbleized with 65% bittersweet chocolate.

It was utter heaven. Literally one of the most sensual, wonderfully scented silky ganache experiences ever. Heaven, I tell ya. The chocolate was of the utmost quality. A perfect balance of bitter and sweet and intensely chocolatey. The jasmine tea was absolutely present and stood up to the strong chocolate flavor. It was slightly herbal, distinctly jasminey, and absolutely delicious.

For the two chocolates, we paid close to $3. I looked more closely at the receipt to see how much they were a pound. Just guess…twenty dollars? Forty dollars? Fifty-five dollars per pound…and worth every last penny.

What I noticed with the staff, and how their web site is set up, is that, yes they are very spendy and sophisticated, but there is kindness, humor, and you can tell that it’s based on a sincere appreciation for and love of chocolate. That means a lot in my book. I don’t need some elitist snob telling me what I should or shouldn’t like, and making me feel bad in jeans and a tee shirt. These people know what they’re doing, and enjoy doing it. You can taste it in the chocolate.