Le Salon du Chocolat

Halloween is not a very big deal in France.

We Americans tend to ignore this fact: the past three years, Halloween has been as big an affair as it is back home, with costumes and drinking and parties. This year, however,  I just wasn’t that into it (probably because of the cold. I’m a very whiny sick person.) The only thing I feel I missed out on was watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, and I’ll probably find the time to watch it at some point over the next month, probably when I should be working or doing homework or updating the blog… you know… in a perfectly grown-up and responsible way.

I did, however, have the opportunity to do one thing that could be considered Halloween-y, if only because of the candy: the American Proust Fan and I had already made plans, so I bundled myself up and drank another mug of hot water and walked across the street to the Salon du Chocolat.

One thing I didn’t realize I would be gaining access to when I moved to the edge of the 15th arrondissement is the Parc des Expositions at Porte de Versailles. Here, all year long, different trade shows come to Paris. From the agriculture show (I hear I won’t be able to get the smell out of my clothes), to the car show last week to the video game show, I didn’t think I would be interested in much… until the Salon du Chocolat signs went up.

I know, I know… I don’t like chocolate. Anyone who’s met me has already told me how strange it is… and I don’t have any comeback. So why was I so interested in going this weekend? In part, because anything food related is interesting to me… and also in part because I knew that a chocolate show in France would probably have more to offer than a chocolate bar.

I was most definitely right in my assumptions: the nearly half-hour long line and the 12 euro fee were completely worth it as soon as we stepped inside and the faint smell of chocolate–not stale, sickly sweet Hershey chocolate, but cocoa and coffee–perfumed the air. The jostling was overwhelming at times (and reminded me why I never want to go to Disney World again), but over the course of the three hours that we spent there, we learned a lot about different chocolate products from all over France.

Our first stop was Lindt’s… booth? I’m going to say booth. It was one of the larger ones, to no one’s surprise, with a display including (very cute) French chocolatiers making chocolate bars by hand. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that this is not what the Lindt factory looks like, but it was very cool to watch.

I’m a sucker for local products, and these chocolates from Marseille were one of my favorites. Olive oil replaces the butterfat used in most filled chocolates, so the finished product here–with flavors of almond, orange and mint–is perfumed with olive, thus its shape. This chocolate won an award in 2000… it was well-deserved.

Didn’t taste this one (it was huge) but the caramel pouring out of it was so tempting that I couldn’t resist snapping a picture.

Wow.

Moving on.

Some of the delicious non-chocolate things we tasted (I knew they would be there!) included this brioche with what they called praline… though it was bright pink, so I have no idea what it was, but it was certainly nothing like any praline I’ve ever tried. We were also offered toasts of foie gras with chocolate-onion or chocolate-fig compote. The chocolate- onion was suprisingly not weird. As in really good. I probably couldn’t eat more than the tiny spoonful they put on top of the foie gras, but I loved it.

There was also a table covered with different teas and spices, including this beautiful blue Persian salt. I still haven’t wrapped my head around the idea of buying finishing salts for using at home, but as soon as I win the lottery, I’ll be investing in some.

There were also candied whole fruits like these clementines. I loved the way they looked… like Christmas ornaments.

College students will understand why this got us so excited.

A bartender blended ice and Bailey’s and gave us little shot glasses of it. Not very much, but we hadn’t really eaten anything aside from free sample chocolates, and so we got a little restless and silly.

Mm… Bailey’s.

We stole a hand. Shh… don’t tell. It’s for the Artist.

The American Proust Fan saw this sign and decided we had to try one of these verrines, and boy am I glad she did. For those of you who don’t read French, that’s fruit gelée, vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate mousse. Yes please! (And yes… my favorite part was the fruit. No judgement, please.)

All in all, a successful Halloween, if I do say so myself!