Unforgettable, like one’s first kiss, was my first Fleur de Sel caramel from Recchiuti Confections. A fellow food connoisseur had told me about them and I placed an order. A small, lavender box arrived with 16 square, chocolate-covered caramels inside.
That first bite—a chorus of smoky caramel, bittersweet chocolate and sea salt—was an epiphany. Surely, they were among the best things I had ever tasted. But I only had 16 (actually, 15 were left)—and Recchiuti was on the other side of the country. How would I get through the night?
Fortunately, caramels take a while to chew, so the 16 pieces didn’t disappear quite as quickly as a half pound of bonbons.
Since then, salt caramels have become my passion. I buy them wherever I find them. I’ve never had a bad salt caramel, and some are quite wonderful. But none will ever match that first box of Recchiuti Fleur de Sel caramels. Although I’ve enjoyed many lavender boxes of Recchiuti Fleur de Sel caramels since, I still have the original [long-empty] box! |
