Candy Dish Blog

In the wonderful Ferry Plaza Building in San Francisco is a chocolatier I have made a personal pledge to visit every time I am in town.

Recchiuti.  It’s pronounced, the sales clerk informed me, “like cutie with a ‘re’”.  So re-CUTE-ee.

When I visited two years ago, I tried a few of the filled chocolates – Star Anise & Pink Peppercorn and the Lemon Verbena, if memory serves. 

Somehow two years ago I didn’t know how much I would grow to love salt and chocolate so I didn’t try the Fleur de Sel Caramels.  This year, I bought a whole box.  For $23.  Without as much as sample to whet my appetite.

This is a big deal for me because I have a lot off access to candy and chocolate so I very, very rarely buy any.  And $23 is a lot more than than a single serve bar at the front of the grocery store, you know?

I carefully wrapped them up, put them in my carry on bag and transported them back home.  I really wanted to open the box and just try one … but I was afraid that once I opened them, they would be gone too soon (and I really wanted to share them with my fellow Candy Dish bloggers and my fiance). 

When we finally opened the box, last Friday, our first impression was that they were beautiful, and big.  Maybe too big.  But then we figured out that each paper sleeve is double stacked – two caramels on top of one another. There are actually 16 caramels per box which I point out because it really helps put that $23 I mentioned into perspective.

Each caramel is actually the perfect size.  And delicious.  The salt is mixed with the caramel (or actually flecked on the caramels) and not sprinkled on top so the texture and flavor are a lot different than others we’ve tried.

The ingredient list pretty much says it all - sugar, cream, extra bitter chocolate, fleur de sel (sea salt) and vanilla bean. 

Have you tried them?  Are you ordering online right now?

We also tried their homemade marshmallows (the Chief of the Candy Dish, Larry Graham (our boss), is a huge fan of gourmet marshmallows) and the S’mores.  Yum!

One other thing, I am happy to report that five days after I opened the box of caramels there are still eight caramels left (and I shared with Susan S, Carl, Tori AND the fiance).  Yay. 

I’m thinking my mid-morning coffee may see the end to another one of them, though.

I have just returned from the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco and have lots to share with you over the next week or so.  First, let me say that while the show is filled with olive oils and cheeses and crackers and every gourmet food imaginable, the chocolate and candy booths were huge draws.  No surprise there, right?

On Tuesday, January 20th, I was very excited to sample President Obama’s favorite candy – Fran’s Chocolates Smoked Sea Salt Caramels.  His attachment to this particular treat has been well documented in the New York Times, the Seattle Examiner, the Seattle Times, the USA Today and plenty of other sources.

Fran’s Chocolates is a Seattle based confectionery manufacturer run by Fran Bigelow, her son Dylan and her daughter Adrina.  I saw her products in all kinds of gourmet stores on the West Coast, including at the wonderful shops at the Ferry Plaza Marketplace in San Francisco.

But I held off sampling the goods until the Inauguration Day.  I’m both happy I waited until such an auspicious occasion and sad that I had never tried them before and had wasted so much time.  I’m always a fan of sweet and salty combinations, and sea salt caramels are a favorite. 

Fran’s are especially good.  President Obama prefers the milk chocolate variety which incorporate a delicious and flavorful smoked sea salt.  First Lady Michelle prefers Fran’s dark chocolate variety with grey sea salt.  Both are excellent, but the smokey flavor of the milk chocolate is different enough to set it apart from the rest in my opinion.

Have you tried these presidential treats?  Did you love them as much as I did? 

smoked salt caramels by cafemama