If you would like some GerDan Chocs for Christmas

Create a stir

MMmmmm.......Hot chocolate.  Boil or microwave your milk and add the stir stick.  Wait a few minutes for the chocolate to soften, the stir until it dissolves and enjoy.  Great idea for stocking stuffers or Teachers gifts.

Stocking Stuffers or Place settings

 These little trees would be great as either.  Popular last year our chocolate Christmas trees are back, available in either Dark or Milk chocolate.  We can make them plain or you can have dried fruit  and nuts (apricots, cherries, figs, pecans, almonds) added.  Just drop us an email to let us know.

Keep checking back, as we will be posting more chocolate stocking stuffer ideas.

Photos from last day of market

We had our Christmas trees on display at the market last weekend.  Just send us an email to order (dark or milk chocolate) and pick them up before Christmas.
Photo courtesy of WRAL - Out and About

A rafter of Turkeys

Thanks to those who ordered their chocolate Turkeys, we will have them for you at the market tomorrow morning.  There will also be  a few extras for those who want to gobble them up, I mean buy them - small ones $3 each and larger ones $6.

Just because the Market has finished for the year, doesn't mean you can't order GerDan Chocolates.  Send us an email to order and pick it up at the Market on a Saturday morning between 11 and noon.

The best kinda Turkey

The kind the you just unwrap and eat!

Tomorrow at Midtown Farmers Market, we will have a few of these little guys.  They are made of Belgium chocolate and the small one weight about 2 oz while the larger ones are about 5 oz.

We will take your orders for the following week which will bet he last day of the Market until 2013.

Of course just because the market has ended, doesn't mean you can't order GerDan Chocolates.  Keep checking back at this site  as we will be doing tastings in various locations around Raleigh or send us an email.

See you tomorrow.

Wedding Favors

Last weekend (October 27) was a very good weekend for GerDan Chocolates, we had two events.  Dan was at Sams Quik Shop in Durham, selling out Brew Chews, Beer Marshmallows and Beer Brittle, while I was delivering wedding favors to Susan and Johns wedding in Durham also.
Sorry no photos of the "Sams Quick Shop" event but here are some photos of the wedding favors.

Brew Chews with Pretzels

One of our featured Brew Chews today was Pumple Drumkin with pretzels.  Pretzels add a nice crunch with salt to the caramels

Grapes...... Scuppernong to be exact

On Saturday we will offer Scuppernong ice cream.  We had Scuppernong sorbet last week and it was a huge success, this week we made it with heavy cream.   Mighty purdy!

Our latest flavor

This week our new truffle flavor is - 72% dark chocolate ganache with Pink peppercorns.  Very fragrant with a "fruity "taste.  Perhaps I will get to post a photo tomorrow!

Our ice cream this week is.......... Curry (no Mango Chutney this time) and it is not a Hot curry. 

New Flavor

This week we are introducing a new flavor Brigadeiro - Dumante.    The bottle has a really interesting shape and the back  has a great Trinacria image.  See you Saturday morning at Midtown Farmers Market if you are interested in trying out latest addition.



Trinacria symbol on the back.   And yes, I did take the photos!

Wow

Thought I'd share this photo of our truffles that we took.  I'm so proud of it.  Great photo and tasty truffles, you can't beat that.
Left to right: Citrus, Rain Forest, Pecan Brigadeiro.
Front left: Coconut Rum Brigadeiro and on the right with the blue splashes is Tiramisu........ all yummy!

Mango and Curry Truffles

Yep, that is what is on our menu for tomorrows Midtown Farmers Market.
Mango curry truffle - Mango chutney top layer and mild curry ganache on the bottom. Makes a great truffle. 

Tiramisu - well, we had to, it sold out last week.  Marscapone with marsala top layer andcoffee brigadeiro on the bottom.

Fig & Honey - While figs are in season, we are taking advantage and making wonderful fig and honey ganache truffles

Brigadeiros
Ouzo covered in candied cinnamon pecans
Coconut Rum - rolled in coconut
Grand Marnier - rolled in shaved chocolate

Ice Creams
Fresh Fig and Honey ice cream, what can I say, they are plentiful,  in season and delicious.

Sweet Potato with pumpkin spices.

Beet & Raspberry in coconut milk (dairy free).  Paying homage to the flavor  that started our ice cream making venture. 

Brew Chews
Southern Tier - Pumpking (with pretzels and without pretzels)
Duck Rabbit - Baltic Porter
Kona Brewing Co - Koko Brown

Hope there is something listed above that will tempt you to come visit us at North Hills Midtown Farmers Market tomorrow.  See you in the morning. 

Labor Day Weekend

Well here goes, here is our selection for tomorrow Saturday Sept 1.
Ice Cream:  Stout Ice Cream made with Coconut cream and agave nectar.  We used Ten Fidy and Black chocolate stout and I have to say, it is really good.

Raleigh's own Larry's Bean coffee.We brewed a cold press carafe of coffee and added it to ice cream then added bits of coffee brigadeiros.

Fresh pineapple, coconut milk and agave nectar makes our last offering - Pineapple sorbet.

As for truffles we have Sea Salt caramels, Tiramisu truffle (marscapone cheese with Marsala on top with a coffee brigadeiro on the bottom) encased in a dark chocolate shell. Due to popular demand we made more Fig and Honey truffles (can't beat fresh figs), Mango chutney (Mango, apricots and ginger in a chocolate ganache) Bourbon Pecan, Rum Raisin and Rain Forest.

We have brigadeiros - coffee rolled in chocolate, plain rolled in pistachio and plain rolled in slivered almonds. I see a Coffee theme going on here!

See ya in the morning, if not, have a great Labor Day weekend!

Truffles

Our fig and honey truffle proved very popular yesterday at Midtown Farmers Market, it sold out!  Not surprised as we used fresh figs from a friends garden and honey from one of the local vendors at the market.  Thought I might have one or two left so I could take a photo but alas, no.  That is a good thing.

Now with the cooler mornings, we will be able to show our truffles off at the market, instead of putting the little display case in and out of the cooler all morning.

Well it is Raleigh's Beer Week so here is to making some beer flavored candy or truffles or ice cream next week....... keep you in suspense until Friday.

Curry Ice Cream

For those who were curious what out Curry Ice Cream with Mango Chutney looked like...... take a peek.
Unfortunately that batch is all gone and it was delicious!

We're Green

We are proud to say that most of GerDan's Chocolates packaging is green!   Much as we loved those push-up containers for our ice cream, they were made of plastic.  We were pleased to hear that some of our customers were reusing them themselves which is great.  Now GerDan has found an alternative..... a throw back of sorts..... bagasse cups.  We will now be packaging our ice cream in these 4oz  cups and lids which are made from sugar cane extract, a renewable resource and compostable.

Aloha

Keeping in line with our "tropical temperatures" here, GerDan will be bringing some Hawaiian flavors to Midtown Farmers Market tomorrow Saturday August 8.

We will have Mango Sorbet, Lava Flow Ice Cream (pineapple, coconut ice cream with Strawberry puree throughout) and lastly Cantaloupe Ice Cream, made from cantaloupes from one of our fellow vendors.

Our featured Brew Chew this week will be made from Koko Brown beer from Kona Brewery.  We will also have some Honu's (Turtles made with Macadamia nuts) and a few tropical inspired truffles and brigadeiro's.

Come visit Hawaii tomorrow at GerDan's Chocolates booth at North Hills.

Wine and Chocolate..... mmmmmm

Those little bandits are at it again!  This time they were trying to run off with my bottle of wine from Neusiok Wines.

GerDan Chocolates has partnered with Neusiok Wines,  a small winery in North Raleigh, to supply you fine wine and exquisite chocolates for your next event.  We can personalise labels and packaging to suit every occasion.  

Ah Shucks

Saturday July 28 is Corn Day at MFM.  Stay tuned for to see what treats GerDan will be thinking up to celebrate that wonderful vegetable.



July 21 - Goodies

Here is our line-up for the Farmers Market tomorrow

Truffles

• Bourbon Pecan
• Habanero Vodka (Habaneros from our garden have been soaking in vodka for the last 6 months and comes with a warning........ hot, hot, hot)

Brigadeiros

• Amaretto rolled in slivered almonds
• Expresso - Cold pressed coffee using Raleigh's own Larry's Beans, rolled in 72% dark chocolate shavings
• Date, Tamarind, Brazil Nut, Cashew and Ginger Treat (vegan)

Caramels

• Ginger
• Expresso
• Chocolate covered Fleur de Sel

Brew Chews

• Rogue's - VooDoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale
• Lindeman's Lambic - Kriek (Cherry)
• Hopping Frog - Double Pumpkin Ale
• Green Flash - Imperial IPA

Ice Creams
Push-ups made with heavy cream

• Tomato (only a few of these)
• Banana with chocolate brigadeiro pieces
• Chocolate Raspberry

Paleta

• Blueberry/Watermelon with Almond Milk (only 6 or these)

Hope you find something in the above line-up to tempt your palate.  See you tomorrow.

Saturday is Tomato Day

This Saturday is Tomato Day at Midtown Farmers Market and to join in the celebration of that wonderful fruit, we have decided to make a Tomato Ice Cream.  Yes you read that correctly, a Tomato Ice cream.

Made with heavy cream and small cherry tomatoes, it is creamy and smooth and not too sweet.  We will have a few push ups for sale Saturday.

Intoducing.... Push-ups

GerDan is please to say that their push-ups ice creams were a success a Midtown Farmers Market today.  We sold out of our Beet/Raspberry (vegan) Ice Cream.  Since  the vendor cook-off, several people have been asking whether we were going to sell it, so it was an easy call.  Thanks to everyone who confirmed we make the right decision to introduce Ice Cream into our summer offerings.  We also had a creamy Belgian chocolate ice cream  which was also a hit.
Here's to introducing more interesting flavors while the temperature continues to rise.

Hop Pops and Brew Chews sale

Tomorrow Saturday July 7, we will be having a sale on our Hop Pops and Brew Chews.  There are only limited numbers of each so when they are gone........ they are gone!

Our Hop Pops will be two for the price of one.  Our Brew Chews will be $3 for 4 and our selection will be:-

• Rogue VooDoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale
• A mix of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and Green Flash Imperial IPA in one Brew Chew
• Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
• Dunkelweizen 

We also will have a Pepita Beer Brittle made with Negro Modelo and fresh peppers from one of the vendors at the Farmers Market.  Wow... this brittle packs quite the punch but leaves you coming back for more.   Some of our other candies include a  Vegan Date and Tamarind candy.  This candy has hazelnuts, dates, tamarind with cumin, and ginger then rolled in chopped hazelnuts.  It is dairy, gluten free.
Goooolllly, I'm tired just typing that description.

There will of course be a selection of Brigadeiros, Ginger caramels and some chocolate truffles.  With the high temperatures we are experiencing, we are cutting back on our chocolate selection.  If there is a particular truffle that you would like to see, just speak or email us and we will have it the following week.

Beat the Heat, see ya tomorrow bright and early.  Until then.......... Keep on trufflin'

Tomorrows line up of truffles and candies

If you plan on visiting the Farmer's Market tomorrow Saturday June 30, plan on taking a cooler with you to keep your purchases cool as well as keeping your drinking water cool too!

Enough suggestions, see the header at the top of the page to see our line up of our truffles and brigadeiros on offer tomorrow.
What are patriotic sprinkes you may ask, well see the photo below.

Yes indeed, they are red, white and blue sprinkles!
We will of course have Hop Pops, IPA and an IPA/Black chocolate Stout mix brew chew on offer tomorrow also.  Can't let our Brew Chew fans down now can we as they have a following all of their own.
See you tomorrow and stay cool!

Most creative

Even though we don't make ice cream to sell, we did enter our Beet and Raspberry Ice Cream into the Vendor Cookoff yesterday and won the Most Creative category to boot! 
It was made with Coconut Mik, Sugar (you could use Agave nectar if you prefer) and fresh Beets and fresh Raspberries.  If you would like a copy of the recipe, just email us at ger_dan@ymail.com and we'll send you a copy for free.
The competition was all in good fun and with the heat yesterday, I am surprised we didn't eat all the ice cream ourselves!

It is the pretties pink ice cream I've ever seen.

It's fast approaching

Yes indeed, Father's Day is nearly here-Sunday June 17th.  Drop by and see us Saturday at MFM and pick up some special truffles or Brigadeiro's for your Dad.  Of course there are always Brew Chews!

Wow..... 2lbs of hops

Bought two pounds of loose leaf hops yesterday.  Mind you they are all in vacuum seal packs so will keep but I see a lot of Hop Pops in our future!  Woo Hoo....never have we bought so much loose Hops at one time.  Goes to show that the Hop Pops are gainin'  popularity.

We have planted some Hops in our garden but they won't be producing until next year.  It is fun seeing the plants growing  from rhizomes.  Our Black raspberries are producing a lot of berries so watch out for some fresh rasperry truffles in the next week or two.  It is quite the battle between us and the birds as to who gets the nice "Black Jewel" raspberries first.  So far we are  winning but I am willing to share.  Just wish the darn birds wouldn't just take one bite out of each berry!  We are also keeping a close eye on our figs and this a fight between us and the deer.   Ok Deer........ you can have the low lying fruit and we will have the upper fruit that you can't reach.... is it a deal!  I'll sign loff now as I am ranting.  I see a Brew Chew in my future........Mmmmmmm....say no more.  Until my next ramble...... keep on trufflin'.

Brigadeiro

GerDan Chocolates will be at Midtown Farmers Market this Saturday.  Something new this week, we will have some Brigadeiro. What is Brigadeiro you might ask......... well it is a Brazilian confectionery.  It is soft and chewy on the inside like a cross between a caramel and fudge and then it is rolled in chocolate or nuts.  Just finished a batch and rolled some in chopped Macadamia nuts and some in Pistachios.......yum!

See you Saturday.

The Brigadeiro rolled in Macadamia are on the left and the pistachio are on the right.

Midtown Farmers Market - Memorial weekend

GerDan Chocolates will not be at the MFM this weekend.  See you all the following weekend, we'll be there bright and early!

Keep on Trufflin'

Fun day at Midtown Farmers Market today.  Sold out of Fleur de Sel Caramels early in the morning and our  Bourbon Pecans sold out too.  Our sample of the chocolate shoe caught a lot of folks attention as they stopped by for a look.   See you next Saturday.  Until then, keep on trufflin'

Advertising Campaign

Here is our advertising campaign.  Big push on to sell our Beer line of candy.    We even made it into the Hoparium Art Gallery which specializes in modern Art.  Hurray for Hop Art!

Mother's Day

As promised, here is one of our suggestions for Mother's Day - a chocolate stiletto.  Now what lady wouldn't like that.  If  you would like one, send us an email to order and then pick it up at the Midtown Farmers Market on Saturday May 12, the day before Mother's Day

GerDan Chocolates will be at MFM this Saturday with some special truffles to help you celebrate the Kentucky Derby and/or Cinqo de Mayo.  Drop by and see us.

Saturday April 27

Our second week at The Farmers Market  and it is going great.  A wee bit windy yesterday but still the crowds were there.  Met some old friends and made some new ones.

English Toffee proved to be very popular as it sold out yesterday!  People  are curious about the beer confection and how it is made.  Gave out samples of my Purple Sweet potato, kumquat and coconut milk Pate de Fruit which were well received.  One lady even said it may be the only way she could get her kids to eat sweet potatoes!

Right now, we are coming up with ideas for Mother's Day which is not to far off - May 13.  Stay tuned as we will post photos of our Mother's Day gifts.

Here I am setting up our tables before the market started.

Saturday April 21

Our first day at the Midtown Farmers Market went well.  Beautiful day and plenty of people.
Our "beer selection" of caramels interested people a lot.

You can order GerDan Chocolates by sending us an email (ger_dan@ymail.com) and then pick them up at the Market on Saturday.  We are always trying out new flavors so please check back.

We had Fresh strawberry Ganache ( strawberries purchased from a Farmers Market)  Fresh Mint  Ganache (mint from our Garden) and Fresh Lemon available at the market.  As more fresh fruit comes available throughout the season, we will incorporate them into our chocolates.

See you next week at Midtown and stay tuned as we list our flavors available at next weeks market,

Midtown Farmers Market

This Saturday April 21, GerDan Chocolates will be available at Midtown Farmers Maket at North Hills.  Come check us out.  If you wish to order some truffles or candies, you can send us an email then pick them up at the market Saturday.

We will have a selection of truffles and some seasonal flavors, Brew Chews and Hop Pops available Saturday.  As our Easter flavors were so popular we will have more of them available for a limited time only.

North Raleigh Farmers Market

Our first Farmers market was an experience....... felt a bit like Mary Poppins with the strong winds.  We survived Wednesday's market and just finished our first Saturday market today.  It was a lot of fun, meeting new people and talking about our chocolates and candy.

Easter........ Bunnies and Eggs etc

We will be selling our Truffles and candy at North Raleigh Farmers Market tomorrow - Wednesday April 4.  Here is a photo of some of our special "Easter Truffles".

And  a little chocolate Bunny.

Supplies are limited so once they are gone...... they're gone!

We will have some of our truffles listed above for sale as well as our Hop Pops.  Kids aren't the only ones who like candy........    See you all tomorrow.

Stay slim..... eat more chocolate.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17511011

Chocolate 'may help keep people slim'

Hop Pops

Here are some photos of our Hop Pops.  The darker one is just from a different batch.  As they do not contain any alcohol you can enjoy one while driving or at work or put it in your beer glass to make your beverage more hoppy. 

They are $3 each so if you would like to order some, send us an email  at ger_dan@ymail.com

Facebook

We are now on Facebook (who isn't these days?).  Go check us out and "like" us.  We will still keep up the blog but have to keep current with all the social medias.!!  Still haven't figured out the website stuff, to be honest our blog is more current at this point.

What is the current "favorite" flavor at the moment?  Hop Pops continue to "intrigue" everyone, me too (I am currently enjoying one as I blog) .  With regard to truffles....... I'd say it's the bourbon creams and the Hazelnut Gianduja are the current favourites .... nuts seem to be a winner this time of year,
 
Changing the subject, we were in Durham yesterday and bought a growler of beer from the Bull City Burger and Beer with the intention to make BrewChews from their Snow Hill Winter Warmer.  Alas...... didn't quite make it  .... hic..... cheers, gulp, gulp,....slurp, .... burp).   Search continues for some Raleigh beers to make brew chews with.   If you have any suggestions, just post in the comments)  Stouts and IPA's seem to translate best as their flavor profile is big enough for the caramels.

By the way, the chocolate coated stout flavored marshmallow on a graham cracker with a brewchew in between were down right sinful,  if I say so myself.  They were AWESOME!  Had to try two for Quality Control purposes, if you know what I mean.

Here's to 2012

Thanks to everyone who supported GerDan Chocolates, a small business in North Raleigh that make handmade chocolates and candy.  We endeavor to create delicious and some unusual combinations.  Let's hope 2012 brings even more flavors and expands our followers and fan base. 
Our website is progressing slowly but then neither of us are skilled webdesigners but bear with us, we will get there eventually.

Thanks to you all

Dan and Ger