Chocolate, chips, and macarons....

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting up with the newly married Kirbie (along with her DH)...

She had brought back some goodies from her Parisian honeymoon, which was really sweet and generous of her...

What treasure lay within?

OMG, THIS is why it's great to have food blogger friends! Behold, a prized box of hand picked chocolates from Jean Charles Rochoux. According to Kirbie, the gentleman who picked it out was also the same guy who hand carves chocolates into fantastical sculptures. You will just have to wait for her post on that!

The dark chocolate had a matching dark chocolate filling which was rich and smooth. The middle pieces were chocolate dusted dark chocolate coated almond. The last piece was milk chocolate with a caramel type filling.

I don't have any "interior" shots of the chocolates but take my word that they were excellent! Plus the box was totally cute!

But wait there's more! Nestled in a takeout box were these:

These were macarons from one of the best patisseries in Paris, Pierre Herme.

You can read a more detailed post from Kirbie (link at end of this post). These macarons were amazingly flavorful. They held up well during the transatlantic trip.

I'm not sure what flavor this was, but the top was different from the bottom. These macaron fillings were also quite substantial and packed. Each bite was like a flavor bomb. This one below had chocolate chips embedded into the outside edges of the filling. That was a nice textural touch!

This one had a fabulously thick chocolate filling.

Now this was our favorite, the Passionfruit because it was quite intense. The shells were different as well. I really like the combination of flavors and colors.

This was the Mosaic - Ceylon Cinnamon, Pistachio filling, and Cherries. The top had a very pretty metallic pink sheen to it. There was also a cherry in the filling!

This was also a very pretty macaron, the shimmery and pale Jasmine tea flavor. Not my favorite of the bunch, but still quite striking to behold.

This was the Creme de Menthe (mint) which really lived up to it's name. Very minty! Like toothpaste minty!

We loved these macarons and out of all the different types we've tried (Bouchon, Pix Patisserie, Opera Caffe, Jacques Torres, Big Joy), these were the absolute BEST!

And then there were chips...

Kirbie got these at the airport in London. She thought it would be cool to pick up some chips in flavors she hadn't seen in the U.S.

Out of the three, these Flamed Steak Flavor was our favorite.

Very very flavorful and thick and crunchy! No MSG either! You could really taste the steak flavor in here and I'm lamenting the fact that these are not found in America.

Next was this flavor, and you'll notice it's not JUST cheddar, but MATURE Cheddar and red onion.

They didn't have ridges like the other variety, so these were thinner. The flavor again was quite bold. This was my second favorite of the three.

Lastly, TC's favorite, the Seal Salt and Balsamic Vinegar. I thought I wouldn't like these because it had vinegar, but these actually were pretty good.

Not as tangy and sour like the regular vinegar and salt chips they sell here. These had a much better flavor to them. I also liked the thickness of the chips.

Thanks again to Kirbie for her kindness and generosity!

More info here:

Jean Charles Rochoux (official site)
and a blogger's review - Kels eats

Pierre Herme (official site)
along with Kirbie's recent post and this really detailed post by Best Eats (gorgeous photos and descriptions)

Since we're on the subject of chips and candy...more posts to come on interestingly flavored snacks!