The Cordial Cherry has been passionately making our old-fashioned cordial cherries for 5 years now and have put thousands of smiles on the faces of chocolate cherry lovers all over the country. We believe we have the best cordial cherries in the world and are hopeful you agree. If so, please cast a vote for us as Best Sweet Shop at BestofOmaha.com and then bring in your Voting Certificate to spend $5.00 on chocolates!
Chris Sund, Director of Sales and Marketing for Lucky Bucket Brewing Co. challenged me to create five extraordinary chocolates to pair perfectly with five of their hand-crafted artisan beers. And, so the adventure began....sampling each of their beers, researching their brewing process, and then my favorite part....mixing and matching spices, herbs, nuts, fruits, seeds, oils with various chocolates until I found the perfect combinations.
Heartland Wheat ~ Brewed with citrus variety hops and golden yeast, I decided to compliment this beer with a glazed lemon peel chocolate truffle coated with course sugar and blue poppy seeds for texture.
Lager ~ A light beer with a subtle maltiness, we decided to go bold and spicy on the chocolate. A rich dark chocolate truffle coated in cocoa powder and cayenne pepper concealed a surprise cashew inside.
Spring Break ~ This beer is full of flavor, brewed with rose hips and a number of spices including one of my favorite, cardamom. I paired this beer with a complementary chocolate truffle infused with cardamom, surrounded by a chocolate cup, and topped with a candied violet petal.
IPA ~ Otherwise known as India Pale Ale, this beer is complex, incorporating a number of floral hops and flavors. So, I decided to go simple, yet decadent on the chocolate....a 64% dark chocolate truffle coated in powdered sugar....delicious!
Certified Evil ~ Aged in Cabernet barrels and sweetened with molasses and honey, this beer begged of a complimentary chocolate. We combined cinnamon, nutmeg, and clover in a creamy chocolate ganache, topped it with brown sugar, and set the whole thing on a white chocolate disk.
What a wonderful night...full of friends, new and old, wine bold and mild, and chocolate, delicious and more delicious! The Cordial Cherry provided a beautiful backdrop for wine and chocolate lovers to convene and support a great cause. Thanks to Robert Bolden of Winestyles for providing wine and a wonderful education on wine pairings and thanks to Barabara Leu of Mass Mutual Financial for organizing such a special event!
I'm not sure if I love teaching or learning best...either way, our Saturday Workshops are an excellent opportunity for both. They're FREE, only take about 15 minutes, and perfect for anyone who can reach the counter! Next Saturday Workshop TBD.
This Monday, I enjoyed a lovely tour of Omaha's own artisan coffee bean roaster, the Beansmith...the owner of such is Chris Smith. Upon entering their quaint little manufacturing plant, tucked away in the industrial district of LaVista, Ne, I was captivated by the smell...I remember that smell...as a child I'd visit my grandparents a few times a year in Joplin, MO and one of my fondest memories involves coffee. Grandpa Sheldon would make his coffee at 5:00 am every morning, always black. I would stumble down their 100 year-old stairs and join Grandpa Sheldon at the kitchen table...just me and him, an English muffin, and of course his beloved coffee. My grandparents would've loved the Beansmith...the aroma of roasting coffee beans, the beautiful artwork, and the intellectual and conversational disposition of Chris Smith himself...such a great combination of attributes.
