Well, where to start? This week, a dear friend sent me a link to a Groupon for chocolate classes in Vancouver. I thought to myself: I can get that in my own kitchen… replete with good pals, booze, and laughs galore.

You see, over the course of two nights in November (I had to add a second night, there was such interest), I was lucky enough to host chocolate diva Monica Mueller in my home, for a glimpse into her sweet world.

After some shots of Advocaat (which Monica described as ‘fermented egg yolks’ in a bid to keep more for herself) along with dark chocolate as a chaser, then biscotti flavoured Baileys liqueur in chocolate shooter cups, then port wine, Monica showed us how to properly temper chocolate.

Tempering chocolate… kinda like grouting tile?

Then we were shown how to apply chocolate to a cocoa butter transfer sheet, for a striking and simple design effect.

When the transfer sheet was peeled away after drying, we had a salt and pepper chocolate bark with a cool orange and red striped design. Here, Kayla applies the tempered chocolate to the sheet.

And! We learned the secret of how they get the caramel in the Caramilk bar 😉

Mesmerizing! Why didn’t I stick my face under here?!?!

Fruit! See, it’s good for ya! Janet slices apples for the caramel apple bites.

My favourite item of the night was the crispy peanut butter toffee clusters made with milk chocolate. Chomping at the bit to add the Rice Krispies…

Ramsey tries his hand at tempering.

Sweet climax… goodies to take home!

All in all, the two evenings yielded eggnog truffles, salt and pepper chocolate bark, crispy toffee clusters, dipped marzipan, caramel apple bites, vanilla chai spice tea infused truffles, and crunchy hazelnut balls. We also got into trouble with Trader Joe’s cookie butter: try it rolled in cocoa as a truffle-y unit.

When can we do this again?!?

Yesterday afternoon, I had the rare pleasure of sitting at the communal lunch table with the owners of Abbotsford-based Chocolatas, and their friendly staff. I didn’t expect to be educated (by Veerle Tas) about the proper way to slice an avocado (while still in its skin), but that was just a bonus.

I was really there for the chocolate, having heard that Belgian chocolatier Wim Tas had recently perfected his new salted caramel chocolates. They have been flying off the shelves at the Granville Island location, in a limited test run.

As someone who adores salted chocolate (try Candice’s Hawaiian salted hot chocolate at Sumas Mountain Coffee, folks!), I was eager to try the latest Chocolatas experiment. After an amuse-bouche of a few rounds of the new biscotti flavoured Baileys liqueur in Chocolatas dark chocolate shooter cups, I was ready for my ‘entree’ of salted chocolate. How lucky am I?!?!

The filling of the square pillow of goodness is surprisingly soft without being sloppy. So, you won’t get caramel stuck in your teeth – an attribute especially valued when you are sneaking them! And the coarse salt sprinkle is a welcome first taste just before the tongue settles around the silkiness of the caramel itself. The outer robe of dark chocolate deepens the flavour without overshadowing the caramel centre.

As the Chocolatas crew readies for its main seasonal show – the Circle Craft Christmas Market – I am sure that the salted caramel offering will be a best seller. I suggest waiting a few weeks for the new caramels to hit the shelves.

In the meantime, the new Chocolatas e-commerce website offers a more immediate remedy to chocolate cravings. If you’d rather browse in person, check out their Abbotsford location (where the product is made) or their busy site at the Granville Island Public Market. And of course, there is Circle Craft: November 7-11 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.