Author Archives: Laura Florand

Permalink to What’s your favorite Parisian moment?

What’s your favorite Parisian moment?

by Laura Florand|on July 1, 2012 |in Paris, also France, Uncategorized |tagged , , |2 Comments

RT Book Reviews did a fun interview with me, Eloisa James, Joanna Bourne, Cara Black, and Anna Davis on Paris in their July issue, in honor of Bastille Day.  To see the whole interview, you have to get the magazine, but they share our least favorite moments here.

It was a great interview, but I hate to leave it in the negative!  So here’s my question:  What’s your favorite Paris moment?  Or if you haven’t been to Paris, what’s that one thing about it that makes you dream the most?  That most tempts you to buy a ticket and just go?

Permalink to Wonderful news

Wonderful news

by Laura Florand|on June 27, 2012 |in Books, Chocolate Thief, Uncategorized |tagged , |Leave a comment

I really, really like those Italians.  I knew it as soon as they said they were going to package THE CHOCOLATE THIEF with little boxes of chocolate.  It’s like they peeked into my soul.  Or maybe read the book?

Anyway…the wonderful news is!!  Fanucci (Leggereditore), the Italian publisher, is inviting me to attend the International Women’s Fiction Festival in MATERA, ITALY, which looks like a gorgeous town on Google, and then do a book tour of the major Italian cities afterward.  At the end of September/beginning of October!  Which must be one of the most gorgeous times of the year.  There is going to be a CHOCOLATE PARTY to get things started at the Festival.

In terms of book tours, it does not really get much better than this.  Io amo gli italiani!  And I might need to practice saying things like that correctly a bit over the next three months.

 

 

Permalink to Frothy fun…:)

Frothy fun…:)

by Laura Florand|on June 24, 2012 |in Books, Chocolate Thief |tagged , |Leave a comment

“Florand’s descriptions of Sylvain’s elaborate chocolates and his irresistible good looks are equally delectable, and readers will devour this frothy, fun novel.” Booklist

Aww…I have really built up quite a dread of the reviews for THE CHOCOLATE THIEF, for some reason, so it’s quite nice to see such positive ones!

 

Permalink to Which one would you eat first?

Which one would you eat first?

by Laura Florand|on June 23, 2012 |in Uncategorized |Leave a comment

I’ve been meaning to torment you all with this for some time.  And since I’m doing some final proofs on THE CHOCOLATE KISS where this type of dessert is the center of a passionate battle, today is the day: Paris Pâtisserie’s top 38 pastries in Paris.

First you have to hop over to his blog to read the detailed descriptions and realize how cruel I am.  Then, here’s what I want to know: On a trip to Paris, which of those 38 pastries would you eat first?  It’s okay to give a list of your top 3 if you want, but you have to tough it up just like I do every trip to Paris and make a decision.  You will not be able to eat all 38 in a week.  I know because I often try to do this, and it’s even worse, because not only do I have to do research for my books in top kitchens, I also have my own lists, and then there are people like Adam on Paris Patisseries who insist on posting lists like this so that I want to try all their favorites, too.  It’s a tough challenge to live up to.

My French in-laws look at me very sternly when I try to, in fact, as, despite the fact that their country produces such extraordinary things, they firmly believe you should only eat one of them, say, once a week after a meal.  Possibly once every two weeks.  The rest of the time, desserts are yogurt, fruit, and grapefruit, possibly a barely-sugared fresh fruit tart.  (In fact, I have a funny story to tell about my daughter asking if she could have some Halloween candy after supper one time and my husband saying very sternly, “You have to eat your dessert first.”)

So…take a look at the list and NO DUCKING THE DECISION by saying, “All of them.”  If you’re in Paris, you have to choose one first, and if you’re there for a week you might have to, in all honesty, at least trim the list down to 21 (that’s still 3 a day).  Which would be your first choice?  Any particular reason why?

 

 

 

Permalink to A Pool of Liquid Heaven

A Pool of Liquid Heaven

by Laura Florand|on June 22, 2012 |in Books, Chocolate Thief |tagged |2 Comments

Okay, I don’t usually post every single review to the blog, but I just love the first sentence in this one.  What a lovely review to be the first one in for THE CHOCOLATE THIEF.

“It’s like when you find that amazing piece of chocolate — you take a bite, and it sits on your tongue and melts into a pool of liquid heaven: Florand has managed to capture that emotional experience and put it into the pages of her novel. She’s also captured some of the political parts of chocolatiering and mixed in a pretty serious romance to boot. This is definitely a pleasure to read, and the hints for excellent stateside chocolatiers in the back had me firing up Google!” – RT Book Reviews, 4 stars

Permalink to Contest Winner

Contest Winner

by Laura Florand|on May 29, 2012 |in Uncategorized |Leave a comment

The winner of May’s contest for THE CHOCOLATE THIEF  ARC is Meridith from Utah.  Thank you all for your interest!

Permalink to Michel Chaudun, and my favorite autograph

Michel Chaudun, and my favorite autograph

by Laura Florand|on May 28, 2012 |in Uncategorized |Leave a comment

As I am signing ARCS for THE CHOCOLATE THIEF and sending them out, I keep thinking about one of the men who helped me learn enough to write these books, and also gave me one of my favorite autographs ever.

Michel Chaudun, considered by quite a few to be one of the best chocolatiers in the world, not only let me invade his workshop, or laboratoire as most Parisian chocolatiers prefer to call it, but after endless patience with me and my questions, gave me the best present possible:  a box of his indescribably delicious pavés, pure melt-in-your-mouth chocolate ganache, lightly dusted with cocoa.

He was the very first chocolatier to open the door of his laboratoire to me–I don’t really believe in starting at the bottom!–and the first to overwhelm me with the exceptional generosity of some of these great French chocolatiers-pâtissiers.

He also provided me with my research moment most frequently quoted in interviews, when I got to see his assistant Sébastien (not to be confused with my own Sébastien) melt enrobing chocolate off a grill with a hair dryer and filter it through a pair of pantyhouse!

Here you can catch a glimpse of Michel Chaudun’s enrobing machine, which dates from the 50s.  Newer machines?  Forget about it!  “They just don’t make them like that anymore.  I had to look all over for this one.”

And here is one of my favorite photos, myself starstruck with the chocolatier himself, getting a chance to stir a great cauldron of chocolate melting over a bain-marie.

 

Alas, Michel Chaudun’s chocolate cannot be ordered online, but when in Paris, he’s not too far from the Eiffel Tower.  (Or as I would say, the Eiffel Tower is not too far from him, so you can always take in a monument or two while enjoying your chocolate.)

Michel Chaudun
149, rue de l’Université
01 47 53 74 40

Permalink to Pastry of the Day

Pastry of the Day

by Laura Florand|on May 22, 2012 |in Uncategorized |Leave a comment

Isn’t this beautiful?  One of Pierre Hermé’s Mother’s Day offerings.  (The French Fête des Mères is usually a couple of weeks later than the American one–June 3 this year in France.)

Pierre Hermé‘s exquisite pastries were a frequent inspiration for me when I was imagining Philippe’s work in THE CHOCOLATE KISS (January 2013).  In your real life travels to Paris, you should not miss tasting something his flavors.

Jasmine ganache…rose-infused mascarpone cream.  Inspired, according to Hermé on his website, by the perfume Joy, by Jean Patou.  A concept I find utterly fascinating (a dessert being inspired by a perfume).

 

Permalink to CHOCOLATE KISS cover & which Paris monument would you choose?

CHOCOLATE KISS cover & which Paris monument would you choose?

by Laura Florand|on May 14, 2012 |in Uncategorized |6 Comments

My favorite kind of surprise when we got back from our weekend trip last night:  the cover for book 2 of the series, THE CHOCOLATE KISS, which comes out December 24, 2012.   (Well, all right, second favorite kind of surprise, after finding a box of chocolates from some new chocolatier, which, you can understand why, completely makes my week).

Now a question.  If you look closely, you’ll notice that the cover artist (Kristine Mills) is using a different Paris monument on each cover.  CHOCOLATE THIEF  (Aug 2012) will have (of course!) the Eiffel Tower.  CHOCOLATE KISS will have the Arc de Triomphe (even though the Arc de Triomphe is never seen once in this particular novel, but who’s quibbling with symbols?).  But we have at least two more books in this series!  What two Paris monuments would you choose for the others?

 

Permalink to Chocolate of the Day

Chocolate of the Day

by Laura Florand|on May 14, 2012 |in Uncategorized |1 Comment

I figure we all could use some chocolate this morning.  And really, what better dose of poetry than a French chocolatier’s description of his own chocolate?  Here is Franck Kestener’s Rubis.

The description in French:

Sauvages accords de framboise et baies de genévrier : cette ganache onctueuse invite à une tendre promenade dans les sous-bois…

Which I translate as:

The savage harmonies of raspberry and juniper berries:  this unctuous ganache invites you on a tender walk in the woods…

Don’t you love it?  I think I need a chocolate calendar of the day (complete with description and a sample).

Franck Kestener is a chocolatier from Alsace who was named Meilleur Ouvrier de France at the age of 27.  A MOF (Meilleur Ouvrier de France) is really the height of chocolate-making, not only in France but on a global level.   Chocolatiers and pâtissiers (as well as those entering in any of the other categories; food professions get the most attention, but these include all manual professions, such as roofing, shoe-making…) train for years and years, mercilessly, to attain it.  Imagine an Olympic athlete with a full-time job in addition to the training schedule and you’ll have an idea of how much effort is put into passing these trials.

(While being named MOF is a gold medal that no one can argue with, only French citizens can enter the MOF trials, one of those complicated quandaries for chocolatiers outside of France trying to prove their own worth.)

Franck Kestener recently opened a boutique in Paris, near the Luxembourg gardens, although his laboratoire is still in Alsace.

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