About the Logo

Le Fleur's logo was designed by Nichole Reed, and a big thanks to her for it. I love the finished result for a few reasons.

The reason I chose a plant for the logo (and the reason I chose the name, for that matter) is that most of my artistic creativity goes into the flavor of the candy. Instead of just focusing on the flavor of the chocolate itself, I add various plant flavorings, from hibiscus to tea to fruity-tasting oils. The different combinations of taste are what make each recipe unique.

It's easy to appreciate the beauty of a flower. However, a plant is nothing without its roots. A flower grows two ways, stretching out its roots as well as reaching upward.  The roots of chocolate stretch very far back; as far as we know, the Olmecs of the Mexican Gulf lowlands were the first to cultivate cacao about three thousand years ago. Later, among the Mayans and Aztecs, chocolate was almost never consumed plain, instead, it was a drink that was flavored with various plants including chilli, vanilla, and other regional plants like "ear flower." I like to think I, too, am reaching both directions, both tapping into the tradition of flavoring chocolate as well as branching out into my own creations of flavored chocolate.

The lotus flower, pictured in the logo, is recognized as a symbolic plant because it grows from the muddy bottom of a body of water to a very beautiful flower the rests just above the water's surface. It is known as a symbol of overcoming struggle and hard times.

I did not wake up one morning and decide to create Le Fleur. I needed the help of a friend to get me out of the internal struggle that came with trying to choose between doing what I wanted and doing what I was expected to do with my life. And even after deciding that I would make chocolate, I was met with opposition and disappointment from teachers I had looked up to as mentors, among other older people. Over time, I had to learn on my own that only I have the right to say what I should do and what I should care about. I could not live my life giving in to pressure from people trying to shape me and my goals.

So this is more that just candy. It's Le Fleur Chocolat.

Jumping Hurdles

Here is what my dark chocolate usually looks like:

 And here is a box I made today:

And true, I will admit that part of this lovely box of truffles is partially made of couverture chocolate. Still, I'd say no more than a third of it is couverture. Besides, the top picture contains it too. I did this box without using a thermometer, so if I did this well without it, I think I'll be ready to take off my couverture training wheels soon.

In addition to getting better at tempering, I'm also getting better at making white chocolate ganache. At first, whenever I made it it would come out like pudding or would not mix. Now, I'm getting it right on the first try. I'm pretty comfortable with white chocolate at this point.

So you may be asking what's next on my hit list.  Well, I'd like to keep refining my tempering, for one. I want to be sure that second picture wasn't just a mistake, so I'll keep on working with dark chocolate. Also, currently, I do not make milk chocolate ganache; I'd like to change that very soon. One more is that I need to find out how to keep rice crisp crunchy when I put it in truffles. And of course, I have those new recipes to work on. So while I am very proud of the progress I'm making, one mustn't get complacent from one little success.

For now, here's a nice cross-section of some of the truffles I make:



Sneak Peek

Here are some names of some works in progress, try and see if you can figure out what it might be made of!

Cherry Bomb

Riceball

Tropic Rum

Butternut

Just some ideas I'm tossing around right now. ^.^