Vosges Haut-Chocolat, based in Chicago, IL, is America’s first producer of high-end chocolates and truffles based on the finest ingredients from around the world. Their indulgent products are a blend of exotic flavors, capable of transporting you far, far away. Thanks to Vosges and their team of skilled chocolate makers, you can experience the smells and flavors of different places like Latin America and even Italy in your own home.

And to guide you through your own private tasting session, Vosges chocolates come with informative tasting notes and information on suggested pairings.

Let’s take a look, shall we?
Have you been craving a little spice in your life? Vosges’ Aztec Collection may be exactly what you need. This collection of exquisite truffles is based on carefully selected ingredients like Mexican vanilla bean, Venezuelan dark chocolate, Argentinean dulce de leche, Costa Rican cashews and ancho chilies.

Each truffle promises a sophisticated blend of flavors, delicately balanced to evoke curiosity and passion.

And for all of you Italian food lovers out there Vosges presents its seductive Collezione Italiana – a selection of chocolate truffles filled with regional Italian products like 12-year aged balsamic vinegar, Sicilian sea salt, wild Tuscan fennel pollen.

Each elegant truffle is a play on savory and sweet sensations. Take, for example, the Sale del Mare truffle: Sicilian sea salt is added to a soft burnt sugar caramel and covered with sweet milk chocolate.

“The salt of the caramel leads to a craving for the sweet ~ the milk chocolate.”

And get this…after careful examination and taste testing, Vosges has decided to pair with their Italian inspired chocolate collection with Academia Barilla Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We couldn’t be more pleased!

Inside the Vosges Olive Oil and Truffle Gift Box, you will find 9 chocolate truffles and a 750ml bottle of Academia Barilla Monti Iblei Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The fresh, green flavor and peppery finish of the oil make it an excellent palate cleanser.

And you don’t have to take our word for it:

“When I hold a cheese and chocolate pairing with the Collezione Italiana truffles at my house I always serve a crusty Italian farmer’s bread with olive oil to cleanse the palate between bites. My friend, Susan, suggested I offer the pair in a gift package ready to go, all you need to bring is the bread and cheese. Here you go!”

–Katrina Markoff, chocolatier and owner of Vosges

(Source: Vosges Website, http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/)

A weekend packed with cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, and educational seminars, it will surely be an event not to miss. For cheese lovers, this is truly an experience unlike any other, with over 200 varieties of cheeses for guests to sample from local and international producers.

If you haven’t tried Academia Barilla’s velvety smooth and complex Pecorino Gran Cru table cheese, rare mountain-milk Parmigiano Reggiano table cheese, tasty Pecorino with porcini mushrooms and truffles cheese spread or the savory Spicy Fig Compote, make sure to stop by and see why Connie Rizzo, Deli and Cheese Buyer of DeLaurenti Specialty Food & Wine Seattle, says that Academia Barilla has a cheese that’s hot now in a recent article in Specialty Food Magazine.
Take a peak below to see some delicious notes on what we’ll be featuring at the event!

PARMIGIANO REGGIANO

Aroma: Fresh milk, with hints of butter and honey.
Flavor: Sweet and mild, with hints of fresh milk, skimmed yogurt, straw and white flowers.
Texture: Soft and compact.

PECORINO GRAN CRU

Aroma: Sweet and fresh, with hints of milk, cream and grass. Scents of nuts, fruit and hay.
Flavor: Milky, sweet and nutty. Fills the palate, well balanced, round, complex flavor.
Texture: Compact, velvety, moist.

SPICY FIG COMPOTE

Made with fresh green figs and spicy mustard essence, this traditional recipe is presented
with a modern flair.
Aroma: Spicy, distinct flavor of mustard has an intense, refined aroma.
Flavor: Softened by fresh figs, this compote embodies the perfect balance between sweet and spicy.

SPREADABLE CHEESE WITH PECORINO SARDO, TRUFFLES, AND PORCINI MUSHROOMS

Aroma: Delicate notes of fresh milk and cream with the intense undertones of Truffles and Porcini Mushrooms.
Flavor: Milky and sweety with a very well balanced aroma with round flavor.

If you can’t wait until the event or won’t be able to make it, try this tasty recipe below to experience a cheese lovers delight!

CHEESE FANTASIA
Ingredients for 4 servings:
5.2 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano
5.2 oz. Pecorino Toscano
5.2 oz. Pecorino Dolce
5.2 oz. Mozzarella
7 oz. Spicy Fig Compote
7 oz. Fresh Pears with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
7 oz. Gourmet Chianti Wine Jelly
7 oz. Monti Iblei D.O.P. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sicilian Sea Salt with Black Olives, To Taste
2 Fresh Figs
1 Fresh Pear

Cut the figs into one-fourth pieces, the pears into eighth and the grapes into half. Cut the Parmigiano into flakes, the Pecorino into slices and the Mozzarella into cubes. Place all the ingredients on a platter with the Parmigiano near the Fresh Pears with Balsamic Vinegar and a piece of fresh Pear. Place the Pecorino Toscano near the Gourmet Chianti Wine Jelly and the fresh Grapes, then the Pecorino Dolce near the Spicy Fig Compote and the fresh Figs. Sprinkle the Mozzarella with the Monti Iblei D.O.P. Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a pinch of Sicilian Sea Salt with Black Olives.

As a matter of fact, the Valrhona meeting, entitled Il Gelato sotto i riflettori or “Gelato Highlight,” was held at the Academia Barilla headquarters in Parma, Italy. Here, Valrhona shared with their clients their new selection of summer recipes: from gelato cakes to desserts served in a glass. Obviously, all of the recipes were based on chocolate!

Alain Chartier, Master Pastry Chef honored with the titles of best pâtissier in France and World Gelato Champion, demonstrated how to prepare the Valrhona treats in front of a full house.

But start at the beginning. The day began at 1 pm, when guests were welcomed into the Academia Barilla Training Room where, for the special occasion, Master Pastry Chef Gianluca Fusto arranged an appetizing buffet of macaroons, small soft coconut tarts filled with chocolate and fabulous little chocolates.

Selections of macaroons, coconut tarts and chocolates

Academia Barilla training room

After this sweet prelude, the meeting moved to the fantastic Academia Barilla Auditorium, where Alain took over the show, in front of numerous guests and Academia Barilla’s video cameras.
The demonstration lasted 3 hours, during which Alain made various chocolate preparations – all of which were truly fantastic.

A moment during the demonstration

For his first recipe, Alain presented a dessert called Mojito. Based on an original recipe, the treat is combination of lime sorbet and vanilla with a light white rum mousse with a chocolate gelato. The recipe took 40 minutes to prepare, but we can assure you that it was worth it! Alain demonstrated, with expertise and professionalism, all of the steps necessary for making a perfect Mojito. And here is the final result.

A hard shell of shiny chocolate containing lime and vanilla sorbet that surrounds a white rum mousse with a heart of soft and creamy chocolate. Beautiful presentation and sublime flavor!

Another recipe that Alain presented was Sante, a glass of sorbet composed of an orange-carrot mousse, carefully placed on a soft layer of Coeur di Guanaja, a delicious chocolate produced by Valrhona.

The dessert was presented in a glass glazed with Coeur di Guanaja with a small transparent strip so that you could see the contents. The finishing touches were very fine strips of dried carrot. Excellent work Alain!

To prepare the desserts for all of the guests, Alain was joined by Chef Marco Canevari and Chef Fabrizio Pantani, who also assisted him during the demonstration.

From the left: Master Pastry Chef Gianluca Fusto, Chef Marco Canevari, Chef Fabrizio Pantani and Master Pastry Chef Alain Chartier.

The meeting ended with a tasting session of all of Alain’s fantastic preparations and a toast to a job well done! Congratulations to everyone! Academia Barilla is very happy to have had you as our guests!

Still trying to figure out what to serve your guests this Easter? Not sure where you will find all the right ingredients? No need to look any further.

The Academia Barilla Easter Gift Pack has everything you need to make this Easter a day to remember.

Traditionally in Italy, Easter is a day spent together with your family. And as is the case with almost every Italian holiday, one can anticipate sitting down to long lunch or dinner. Easter is a time of celebration and where better to do celebrate than gathered around the table. Good food and good company is what it is all about.

Although we cannot help you with the company part, we can certainly give you a hand with the food. We understand that a great meal starts with great ingredients, so Academia Barilla has put together a special selection of Italian products to help you get started.

Our Easter Gift Pack includes,

a bottle of Academia Barilla IGP Toscano Extra Virgin Olive Oil
a bottle of Academia Barilla Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
a jar of Academia Barilla Sapori Italiani
and a jar of Academia Barilla Black Olive Sicilian Sea Salt.

All of our ingredients are rich in flavor and tradition. And each one can be used separately, or in combination, to bring new life to your favorite springtime recipes.

The Academia Barilla Easter Gift Pack is easy to order and easy to send. It is an ideal gift for any Italian food lover or passionate home cook. What’s even better is that we have decided to offer FREE GROUND SHIPPING for any order place through Monday, April 13th.

And should you still be searching for what to serve to your guests next Sunday, might we suggest a traditional Italian Easter dish of lamb with artichokes. A special thanks to the team of Academia Barilla chefs who crafted this recipe using many of the ingredients included in our Easter Gift Pack. Buon appetito e buona pasqua!

LAMB WITH ARTICHOKES AND SAPORI ITALIANI
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4 to 6
· 2.2 lbs of Lamb loin
· 6 artichoke hearts
· 1 clove of garlic, chopped
· 1 bunch of mint leaves, chopped
· Academia Barilla IGP Toscano Extra Virgin Olive Oil
· 4 oz. of Academia Barilla Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
· Academia Barilla Sapori Italiani, to taste
· salt and pepper, to taste

PREPARATION
Clean the loin of lamb, leaving it whole.
Flavor the lamb with Academia Barilla Sapori Italiani and allow it to marinate at least one hour.
To clean the artichokes, cut them in half, and then julienne (meaning to cut them into short, thin strips). Place artichokes in the pan with a little Academia Barilla IGP Toscano Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sauté until tender. Once the artichokes are done, add the chopped garlic and mint; mix gently.

Brown the lamb in the pan with some Academia Barilla IGP Toscano Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and then put it in the oven until it is finished cooking (approximately 10 minutes). Just before the lamb is finished, degrease and douse with Academia Barilla Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Once the lamb is finished cooking, let it rest for a few minutes.

Place the cooked artichokes in the center of a dish.
Slice the lamb, following the line of the ribs, and place them on top of the artichokes. Drizzle it slightly with the Academia Barilla Balsamic Vinegar of Modena remaining in the pan and the flavorful Academia Barilla IGP Toscano Extra Virgin Olive Oil and serve.

Make sure to stop by as we will be featuring some of the products in an effortless dish: Pinzimonio.
See below for a sneak peek at tonight’s dish.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- Your favorite fresh vegetables
- 3 ounces of Academia Barilla 100% Italiano Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 ounce of Academia Barilla Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, aged 3 years
- 1 large pinch of Academia Barilla Black Olive e OR Blood Orange Sicilian Sea Salt

Wash, dry, peel and cut vegetables into uniform strips approximately 3 inches long. Display the vegetables (standing up) in a glass bowl with crushed ice at the bottom. For the dip, mix the oil, vinegar, and salt together. Portion the dip into 4 small cups, one for each person.
Enjoy the Pinzimonio by dipping the vegetables into the oil and eating.