I’m not sure if toffee is having a “moment” right now, or if it’s just me finally paying it some attention, but I’m seeing it everywhere. At the Fall Chocolate Salon, there were a couple of exclusively-toffee vendors, and chocolatiers who I am more used to serving straight-up chocolate selling toffee too.
Now I’ve discovered that a local bean-to-bar chocolate maker I love, L’Amourette Chocolatier, also makes toffee worth seeking out. The toffee comes in large thin irregularly-shaped squares, lightly dusted with caramelized almond bits, that are encased in cellophane sleeves, which keeps the mess down when you break the toffee into bite-sized pieces. There are 2 squares in each box.
Pretty as a picture
The packaging makes it a pretty gift: a 5″-square Tiffany-blue box decorated with L’Armourette’s Art Nouveau-esque logo and graphics. And the toffee itself has an obvious hand-of-the-maker visual appeal.
I’d say the taste is what you would expect of a straight-up toffee, with one exception: It’s made with is a very nice, non-bitter dark chocolate (as I would expect from L’Amourette).
If you or someone you love fears bitter chocolate, this toffee could be your gateway to the dark side. The caramelized base is crunchy and sweet, becoming chewy toward the end, and melds nicely with the smooth, dark chocolate. Almond bits are scattered throughout the candy base and across the top, but they are not a top flavor note. It’s really about the caramel & dark chocolate combo.
I found L’Amourette English Toffee at Sacred Wheel Cheese Shop, an Oakland merchant who sells much more than cheese (and serves a great, inexpensive lunch). You can also order it online from L’Amourette’s website.
