Pierre Hermé is renowned for his game-changing marriage of flavours, however at the heart of his mastery is pure, unadulterated chocolate.
The new Fetish Infiniment Chocolat limited edition collection is a celebration of exquisite chocolate made with the finest cocoa from far-flung plantations around the world.
I visited the Lowndes Street boutique last week for a special preview tasting and was treated to highlights from the collection with glasses of rosé Champagne.
Our first taste of the collection were Bonbons Chocolat, each with their own distinctive flavours and notes. The stand-out Bonbon Chocolat Ampa is an intense ganache of pure origin Plantation Millot chocolate from Madagascar with a punchy bitterness and exotic notes of passion fruit and caramelised pineapple.
My favourite is the playfully-named Bonbon Chocolat Choc Chocolat (try asking for that over the counter) – a silky ganache studded with nougatine and cocoa nibs.
Other seductive chocolates in the collection are the Brazilian Bonbon Chocolat Paneiras, the crunchy Nougatine Infiniment Chocolat and the slim and elegant Galet Intense.
There are also new chocolate macarons, including the seductive Venezuelan Macaron Infiniment Chocolat Chuao with a hint of blond tobacco and the Macaron Infiniment Chocolat Pérou, which is well-rounded and easy on the palate.
Another highlight is Pierre Hermé’s latest discovery – the intense Macaron Infiniment Chocolat Paineiras using pure origin chocolate with notes of citrus, red berry and spice.
As a lover of cake, I was wowed by the the fabulously rich, moist, vanilla-scented Cake Infiniment Chocolat with pieces of dark chocolate and fleur de sel, enrobed in glossy dark chocolate.
It would make a fabulous addition to a chocolate afternoon tea, alongside the perfectly buttery, indulgent Sablés Infiniment Chocolat and a cup of thick, rich Chocolat Chaud.
The London boutiques offer an edited selection of the range, but if you’re in Paris, be sure to indulge in an exquisite Infiniment Chocolat Saint-Honoré, rum baba, millefeuille, cheesecake, brioche, éclair or ice cream.
As always, Pierre Hermé likes to keep us on our toes and is constantly innovating, so head down to Lowndes Street to pick up some treats from the collection before 8th December.
Also, look out for a brand new Pierre Hermé boutique opening next month in Covent Garden’s stylish Seven Dials neighbourhood.
For more information and to buy online, visit: www.pierreherme.com
Photos by Pierre Hermé Paris
You Might Also Like