Chocolate Week Favourites No.3: Pink Marc de Champagne Truffle

Back in 2010 my friend Becci presented me with a Pink Marc de Champagne truffle from Charbonnel et Walker after receiving them free at work. Two years later, my boyfriend presented me with a box on our third date.  It was love at first sight, or should I say first taste. Up until a couple of months ago nothing could top Charbonnel’s Pink Marc be Champagne truffles. They were heaven. A perfect pick me up whenever I was down, true indulgence. Now, it’s not to say I no longer feel this way about them, I have just grown fonder of the rest of Charbonnel’s collection, namely their Pink Strawberry Truffle.The Pink Marc de Champagne Truffle is coated in a dense layer of pink chocolate, identical to that found in the Pink Strawberry Truffle. As with all Charbonnel’s truffles, a light dusting of icing sugar creates an elegant decoration.  The truffle filling is made up of milk chocolate, butter and Marc de Champagne. The champagne flavour is intense but it doesn’t burn the back of your throat, like some alcohol based confectionary does.  This may be down to the chocolate and butter offseting the richness of the champagne. For someone who doesn’t even like champagne, I’m astonished how delicious I find this truffle. It’s THAT good.  The centre is harder than most of Charbonnel’s other truffles, although this varies depending on the temperature they are kept at.  Personally, I like my chocolate to be at room temperature so it easily melts in my mouth. My mother on the other hand, keeps hers in the fridge so she can nibble at the chocolate which has gone hard in the cold. It would be interesting to hear how you like yours?One thing I love about this truffle is that just one will leave you feeling satisfied, similar to how a square of dark chocolate fulfils the cravings of any sweet tooth. These truffles are the perfect gift. You can almost taste their quality, which is replicated in the gift boxes they are purchased in. I like to keep the Charbonnel et Walker gift boxes after I have eaten the chocolate and I am beginning to have a quite a collection.  My favourite is the Swarovski embellished box priced at £50.00 for 8 chocolates. Pricey, but you are really paying for the box which is a collector’s item in its own right.

Can’t decide on what to get the mother-in-law for Christmas (just 11 weeks to go!)? I guarantee a box of Charbonnel et Walker’s Marc de Champagne Truffles will keep you in the good books for years!

Living life, loving cake,

H x