At church, I have a sweet friend who happens to be from Belgium.  Her mother comes to visit her about once or twice a year and every time she does, she brings me Belgian Chocolate!  There really is something completely different about European chocolates in general.

European chocolate has a higher fat content owing to their use of butter and cream lending their chocolate a smooth creamy finish.  With the higher fat content, you’re naturally going to get a richer flavor out of a great deal less than an American piece.  There have even been studies that have shown that eating something with a greater fat content in moderation (vs low-fat/non-fat) satisfies one longer than the alternative.  So you can often be satisfied with less.  I’ve found that once I’ve been eating the more expensive European stuff, it’s near impossible to be satiated with the Hershey’s Special Dark of which I used to be such a fan.

These chocolates she brought me this time can’t even be found in or shipped to the US making them (and me feel) more special.  (You can find them here on Amazon, but they’re a bit cost prohibitive.)  When I opened this delicious assortment, I immediately sampled the Café Liegéois.  Who doesn’t love the warm, smooth hug of coffee with their chocolate?  I’ve been learning French, but I wasn’t sure of the liegégois, but Google really is your friend.  It’s apparently a lovely French coffee dessert.  My friend told me that if I ever made this dessert, she was coming to my house.  Out of all places, I found an easy-enough recipe here!

You can find a great selection of European chocolates at World Market.  One of our favorites is Côte d’Or.   I even found a better price at World Market than both Amazon and Central Market!  Also, World Market tends to run sales and have coupons fairly frequently so you don’t have to break the bank to expand your horizons!

As she was parting, Wendy’s sweet Maman even cautioned me, “Un seul par jour!” with a wink and a smile.  Yes, ma’am!  I’m savoring these slowly.  Only one a day!