The Most Beautiful Chocolat.

You may remember an earlier post of mine raving about one of my favorite chocolatiers, Diane of Maison Bouche. Was I excited to see their new Spring line of chocolats! Divine!

Maison Bouche (literally translated as "house of the mouth") is named after the sumptuous kitchens at Versailles, and based here in the Bay Area. Maison Bouche's packaging is as divine as the scrumptious taste of their confections.

I asked Diane what inspired her for her new lines, and here's what she had to say...

"For 'Les Fleurs,' I've always admired Grandville, who was a celebrated artist of 19th century France. His "Court of Flora or Les Fleurs Animées" shows flowers personified. The collection is redolent of the spirit of French Romanticism."

"For 'Botanicals,' I wanted a spring collection with beautiful floral images. I found them in 19th century hand-painted Botanical prints. I'm constantly amazed at how wonderful flowers are and this is a homage to their loveliness."

"For 'Couture et Confections,' I love love love the fashions of 18th century France - the tall wigs, the attention to detail people put into their attire, the richness of the fabrics, the colors. It was so wonderful!"

"For 'Marriage a la Mode,' I wanted to recreate the lavishness of early 19th Century Royal weddings with the tiered cake, precious jewels given to the bride from all over Europe, the ornate invitation, the beautiful clothing and the fairy tale feeling surrounding it all. These items would have been printed for the world to see. But I also wanted the Collection to appeal to couples getting married today, because we still carry on the same traditions."

Beautiful, aren't they? With Lait and Noir chocolats and numerous flavors, the Maison Bouche bars and confections are available online and at these retailers.

BUT WAIT... there's more!!!

Stay tuned for a Maison Bouche giveaway tomorrow.....

photos: Maison Bouche