1/2 lb. Spring Gift Box- $24.95

BELGIANS LOVE CHOCOLATE - Saying that Belgians love chocolate is a real understatement. For us, chocolate is a devouring passion, a sweet addiction, and our national pride. Undoubtedly, Belgian chocolate is some of the finest in the world, with a very distinctive flavor all its own, in large part because we use cocoa beans from Africa, which are stronger and more assertive than the milder South American beans favored by American Chocolatiers. Daily social life in Belgium would be unimaginable without chocolate. Beginning at breakfast, we indulge our passion with a thick, smooth chocolate paste that is smeared generously on a slice of bread. This chocolate paste, which is sometimes mixed with nuts, is the Belgian equivalent of peanut butter and appears on our tables just as frequently. Chocolate milk, a favorite with children as well as adults, is made with dark, strong chocolate, and to my taste is the best chocolate drink I ever had. In Belgium, one never appears empty-handed at the door of relatives, friends, or acquaintances for even the most casual visit. A box - it may be small but always beautifully wrapped and beribboned - containing fine chocolate pralines is a must.        BELGIAN CHOCOLATE ART - A word about the masterpieces of Belgian chocolate art - the exquisite pralinen (say prah-LEE-nen). The Belgian chocolate praline is not to be confused with the American praline made of sugar and nuts. Pralinen in Belgium are sublime chocolate confections, the highest achievement of the chocolate maker's art: A beautifully sculpted chocolate shell concealing a center filling explodes with a surprise of texture and flavor in your mouth. Every town supports at least one shop that purveys these luxurious chocolates. And a purchase of fine chocolate pralinen is not done casually. The shops themselves (confiseries) are places of elegance and refinement, and the customers are very knowledgeable, carefully picking and choosing, one by one, their assortment of the day. Belgian pralinen are a far cry from the mass-produced chocolates. Pralinen are made by skilled craftsmen. A thin layer of chocolate is poured into a mold (the molds come in a variety of beautiful shapes such as flowers, hearts, shells, leaves), and is then filled with any number of delectable surprises- a silken ganache, fluffy fresh cream, nutty praline, or any number of fresh fruit creams. Each one is an adventure in taste and a sensuous experience. Many chocolatiers still make their pralinen by hand. They are mostly family businesses that have kept their methods and recipes as closely guarded as state secrets. Because each chocolatier has spent generations perfecting his own methods, there is great variety from one house to another. Excerpted from Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook, by Ruth Van Waerebeek. © 1996.Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

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