SousChef Community

A recent Saturday afternoon found me cruising the aisles at a large downtown Chinese market that I’d somehow never been to in all my years of living in this town. Naturally, I made a beeline for the candy section. All the usual suspects were there – Kasugai and Lotte gummies, White Rabbits, and a few [...]

Around here, when you’re eating Thanksgiving dinner with your grandparents and someone passes around a box of chocolates, it’s likely to sport the familiar purple and gold wrapper of Purdy’s. Purdy’s, which has been around since 1907, is a fixture in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. It’s one of those mid-range chocolate ...

I love the word “nutjob,” so when I learned there is a candy bar called NutJob, my hopes were high. NutJobs are manufactured by Bartons Candy, a candy company that was founded in 1898 in Vienna and then moved to the United States around 1938. The packaging of the NutJob chocolate bar is rather appealing [...]

To heck with Christmas – summer is definitely the most wonderful time of the year. You’ve got warmth and sunshine, barbecues, beers on the patio, and outdoor sports. And in my home town of Edmonton, Alberta, summertime is Capital Ex time. That’s our local midway, recently re-branded from Klondike Days. (Considering that our claim [...]

“To share or not to share, there is no question” declares the side of my chocolate truffle Nestle Heaven bar… and I have to say no truer words were spoken. These three flavors - chocolate caramel, chocolate truffle, mint truffle - are among the most delicious, addicting, totally fabulous chocolate bars I have ever tasted. [...]

When we were first offered these review samples of Tequila Caramels, nobody on the staff wanted to try them. Tequila and caramel just doesn’t sound very appetizing. Since I enjoy a good margarita and have been known to do a tequila shot or two from time to time, I figured I’d give them a [...]

One of the most exciting new candies that I came across at the All Candy Expo was the new Reese’s Select Cluster, a bite-sized piece of sweet, peanut buttery goodness consisting of Reese’s peanut butter, caramel, peanuts, and pecans, all held together by a creamy layer of smooth milk chocolate. It was as if [...]

Seldom do I get as excited about candy as I did when the shipment of Zingerman’s Zzang! Bars arrived after a long workday. The hip, slick packaging, the simple mixed with fancy ingredients, and the interesting flavor combinations promised a unique treat. And, with three varieties, I felt sure my palate would be artfully stimulated. I [...]

Forrest Gump’s mother once told him that life was like a box of chocolates. That’s all well and good, unless that box of chocolates happens to be opened by someone else in your family who eats all of the caramels before you get a chance. There is nothing better than a candy box piece of chocolate-covered [...]

(photo from davidlebovitz.com) Even if you are not Jewish, you must RUN to your nearest place-where-there-are-Jews and buy a box of matzah. You must then RUN home and make a giant batch of this stuff. Seriously. Trust me - it’s THAT good. When pastry chef David Lebovitz posted this recipe several months ago, I bookmarked it [...]