![]() We loved the Mogador at Pierre Herme so much we wanted to try La Maison’s version of passion fruit. We definitely requested that they give us a couple of the Maracuja, which is passion fruit pulp with dark chocolate ganache. As they only offered 9 different flavors of macarons, we had to choose a couple of flavors to take multiple of so that we could get to the 12 we needed. The smallest box was for 12, so we decided to get a box of twelve to take home with us. They were selling their macarons by the piece or you could make boxes using combinations of flavors of your choosing. One of the first things we saw when we stepped into the store was a small display of La Maison’s selection of French macarons. At a chocolate shop, they have just a few pieces of each of their different chocolates laid out for you to choose from, and once someone buys a piece they have on display, only then do they replace it with supplies they have kept behind the counter. Very few goods are actually laid out and presented to customers, so it’s almost as if you already have to know what you want when you walk into a shop. Counters are packed with goods, and shelves are stuffed to full with different product options here in the States, but in Europe it’s a completely different story. I think like many boutiques you see in Paris, or even just in Europe in general, it’s all about sleek, minimalistic design. Inside the store, it was so immaculately and minimally decorated that it was hard to know where to begin. ![]() Today, with boutiques that can be found in Paris, New York, Tokyo and London, La Maison du Chocolate is a chocolate force to be reckoned with. Linxe goes on, three years later to create the famous chocolate éclair which is his reinvention of the popular pastry and one of his stores opens in New York. It was his creation of such items such as Zagora, chocolate ganache infused with fresh mint leaves that he was dubbed the “Wizard of Ganache.” Ten short years after the opening of the first store, it is such a success that a second store is opened. And it is here that Linxe began to create his chocolate, including taking a huge risk and creating flavored ganaches. The first chocolate shop was set up in what used to be the wine cellar of the shop he had purchased. In 1955 he opened up his first shop in Paris, called “Marquis de Presles.” In 1977, Linxe sold the store so that he could establish the first Maison du Chocolate shop. ![]() Born in the Basque country, Linxe completed an apprenticeship in chocolate in France before moving to Switzerland to perfect his art. La Maison du Chocolat – Paris began in 1955 with master chocolatier Robert Linxe. And because it did so, my husband relented and agreed to go with me to this chocolate shop before we went back to the hotel. Again, like Pierre Herme, this chocolate shop made the list of one of the top 10 chocolate shops in the world. There was another chocolate shop that was supposed to be pretty close to the hotel that I wanted to check out. However, I had one more stop I wanted to make before we could go back to the hotel. I’d pick these morsels over caviar any day.After a very long day walking around Paris and sightseeing, my husband was ready to call it a day and go back to the hotel to cool down and to rest and relax for a little bit. Smooth, rich, flavorful and quite possibly, one of the best chocolates for sale. Try their orange rind in dark chocolate, their excellent truffles, huge chocolate macaroons, and you will understand why this is on my Top 10 list for any special occasion requiring sweets of some sort. Visit their equally luscious website for more details, but suffice it to say you just can’t go wrong if you show up with a 1 or 2 pound, beautifully wrapped box of these excellent chocolates if she or he turns her/his nose up at this gift, look for someone else more worthy, and eat the chocolates yourself… It’ll set you back big bucks (about USD100 for 2 lbs if you buy at the shops more if shipped by Fedex) but considering some of the other stuff you could waste your money on…I think it’s a pretty good deal, with some moderation, of course. I once walked for nearly two hours up a very long street in Paris looking for the main shop of La Maison du Chocolat, and when I finally found it, I knew it was well worth the effort and callouses on my flat feet. You can’t buy love but if you can “buy”, go buy these exquisite chocolates instead.
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