How to make the Perfect Gourmet S’more

by Aaron Davidson

The perfect s’more has always been an elusive creation to make on a consistent basis. Sometimes you make one and it turns out great; other times they are OK, and other times they are just burnt.

I’ve finally found a way of making one that is perfect every time. The only hitch is that they aren’t made the way most folks think nature intended them to be made—over the campfire. These s’mores are made in your own kitchen.

The one main ingredient, of course, is with a fist-size chunk of Lula’s Chocolates’ Aloha Rocky Road. You can use either the dark chocolate or milk chocolate, but I, personally, prefer the dark chocolate.

The first step is to pick a healthy chunk that you can cut off, so that at least two of the marshmallow chunks in the bar end up in your s’more.

The next step is to place the cut piece between two halves of a graham cracker. You can use any graham cracker, but keeping with tradition, I use Honey Grahams—I grew up with them, and I still love them.

The third step is to place the uncooked s’more in the microwave and cook it for 8 to 12 seconds. Each microwave is a little different, so watch for when the marshmallow starts to expand. You should allow it to expand for a few seconds. You may have to experiment a little for the perfect timing. But that’s the fun part, because if it doesn’t quite work right the first time, you get to say, “Dang, that didn’t quite work right—I’ll eat this one and make another one for you.”

When hosting a s’more party, you might want to even make sure you mess up on the first couple—that way, you’ll get the first ones, instead of getting so busy making them that you don’t get any.

After you pull the s’more out of the microwave, the fun part comes. Now: smash it down a little so the marshmallow is distributed evenly over the graham cracker.

Oh, did I mention—there is an even more fun part. Now you get to eat your perfect creation, or, if you’ve been cooking them up for others, you get to enjoy watching them eat your perfect s’more creation.

So, what did you think? Give it a try and let us know how yours turned out. Was that perfect or what? Enter your comment to this blog or send us an email at feedback@lulas.com.

Thanks for the Apple Pie

By Aaron Davidson

Lula’s Chocolates has some great employees. One of our chocolate dippers, I won’t mention who (Nanette), wished me a belated birthday yesterday and brought me in one of my favorite treats, home-made apple pie. I couldn’t wait to dig into it, but I did anyway because I just had to take a photo of it in my dining room with the morning sun. I guess that makes me a photo freak. I got in a little late today because the clouds were out and I had to wait until the sun barely peeked through the clouds so I could get just the right light. I had to wait so long that I didn’t have a chance to eat any, but there’s a silver lining to that though…I have something to look forward to when I go home tonight. Thanks again Nanette for being great and for the apple pie.

Concours Weekend Photos

by Aaron Davidson

One of the great advantages of living and producing gourmet chocolates in Monterey is that we get to be here every year for the Concours. At the end of each summer, some of the most exotic cars ever produced converge on Carmel and Pebble Beach for a week of gawking and admiring automobiles that others may never see in the quantities and styles that appear on the roads here.
The price tag on these works of art may put them out of my reach right now, but taking photographs of them is not. I spent several hours on Saturday walking the streets of Carmel, taking pictures of some of these beauties.

On Saturday, many of the cars are just parked along the streets of Carmel. This is not one of the scheduled events, but that is what I like about it. It’s just the drivers of these exotic cars, wanting to hang around Carmel and let normal people gawk at their cars as they stroll Ocean Avenue. I like this environment because there are not as many people looking at the cars, so you can get better pictures, and sometimes you even find them in motion rather than just parked. I took around 200 pictures (I just love digital photography—it costs almost nothing to take a photo), and I posted what I thought were the best 35 on flickr. Please enjoy the pictures, even if you were not able to enjoy the event.

After Seattle

by Scott Lund

Thank to everyone that came out to visit our table at the Seattle Chocolate Salon. It was a great time and met some wonderful people.

At the table we had contact cards that I said we would be doing a drawing from. The lucky winner would receive a $100 gift certificate, and that winner is Carla D.! We will be contacting her in the next week to inform her of the prize.

Again, thanks for coming to the salon and hope that you loved Lula's as much as we enjoyed meeting you.

Seattle's International Chocolate Salon!

by Scott Lund

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the Chocolate Salon this Sunday (July 13) at the Bell Harbor Center, in Seattle, Washington from 11a.m. to 5p.m. Admission is $17.50 presale and $20 at the door (while supplies last). This is an incredible event that features some of the best chocolatiers and confectioners in the US, and it is the first major chocolate show in the Pacific Northwest!

To have the chance to stand beside not only some of Seattle’s finest, but to introduce ourselves to a new area is unbelievable. If you have any friends or family up in the Seattle area make sure to let them know about it! Their website is www.seattlechocolatesalon.com. Come and experience what Lula’s is all about! Some of the other companies featured include: Theo Chocolate, Dilettante Chocolates, Oh! Chocolate and Blissful Brownies, among a collection of others.

If you came to this blog after falling in love with Lula’s at the salon, we would love to hear from you! Write a comment for the blog and then send us an e-mail to blog@lulas.com and we will give you add an additional 10% off your online purchase, making your discount 25% off! We look forward to hearing your feedback, and thanks again for visiting our blog!

Why We Cook With Copper Pots

by Aaron Davidson

One of the distinct and tasty advantages to working in a gourmet chocolate factory is the opportunity to give tours to great people who love great chocolate. I wasn't raised making chocolate confections, so almost everything I've learned is new to me. I came on board at Lula's as the business end of things but have found that I have a great interest in the production process. I learned the basics in order to conduct tours when nobody else was available but have taken it upon myself to learn the details of chocolate making. One of the questions I always get asked is why we cook our lush centers in huge, copper pots. This is one of those savory details I have loved investigating.

In my search for the answer, I first went to the source--"the master chocolatier", Scott Lund. He explained that copper pots transfer the heat better so that the centers cook more evenly and the chances of their burning is reduced. That was a perfectly accurate answer, and one that would probably suffice for the average person coming through the factory for a tour, but the answer only fueled my curiosity. I wanted to know more.

These days it's easy to find out anything if you're willing to Google a topic and do some reading, so that is exactly what I did. I am now convinced that cooking in copper is the only way to go. Two of the most informative and easy-to-read articles are "Cooking with Copper" at www.rameria.com and "Understanding Pan Structure" at www.cookswares.com. Naturally these two websites are interested in selling copper pots, and they would like everybody to cook in copper so that their copper pots will sell. Yet sometimes the goal of selling becomes a great motivation for producing useful and even fascinating information.

So that you don't have to read all of the information given on these two sites, I will give you the lowdown on copper pot cooking in laymen's terms. Other than silver, copper is the best metal you can use if you want to conduct heat. For example, you can use a lower heat than you would with a stainless steel pot, and you can get a more consistent result. In addition, the copper disperses the heat better across the entire pot instead of just concentrating it where the heat is applied to the pot. This gives you more control over the cooking process. Finally, when you remove the pot from the heat, the heat disperses faster, allowing you to exercise more control over how long your items cook in the pot.

According to some websites, one of the down sides of using copper is what happens when you cook acidic foods. Acidic foods can actually leech some of the copper out of the pot, which is obviously poisonous. Fortunately for Lula's, the only substances being cooked are the candy centers--which means perfectly created cremes, caramels, and ganaches. Every single time.

A Great Day!

by Scott Lund

Today was a truly amazing day. It started off with a surprise visit by Health Department and ended with two new accounts.

Because we are a food production company, we are regulated/investigated by the State of California – Department of Public Health Food and Drug Branch. We receive unannounced visits from a Senior Investigator every one to three years. It had been about 18 months since we received our first visit, so I have had a feeling that we should be expecting someone for while.

I like to think that we run a clean shop just like my grandmother did, but one never looks forward to visit from the State. We will show the factory to almost anyone so it generally very clean. Today was no different. When John (that is his real name) showed up at 9:30 this morning the plant was still spotless. Everyone was working and the place looked great.

I walked John through the facility for about half an hour answering some questions about our processes, lot tracking and products. In the end we received a clean bill of health and he said he would be back in about 3 years. As a side note: Chocolate is not exactly dangerous product to manufacture. Chocolates are generally too dry for salmonella and e-coli and too sweet for bacteria.

So by 10:30 a.m. you probably could have told me most anything and I would not have cared. Yet, the day only got better.

I visited with the great people of the Cannery Row IMAX Theatre and they have decided to carry Lula’s in their café. May I suggest an IMAX movie and some of Lula’s best chocolates? They should be available by this weekend in the upstairs café.

On top of that, this afternoon I also received word that Berkeley Bowl Marketplace will carry our Grab‘n’Go products (Aloha Rocky Road and California Toffee). We shipped product to them today, so they should have it for you tomorrow.

I don’t know about you but to me that is a great day. I hope you have a Great Day too!

Rocky Road S’mores

by Scott Lund

I was recently at Bruno’s Market checking inventory of Lula’s, when I saw a dear friend, Linda. While we were catching up and offering suggestions for each other’s businesses, I met Kimberly, a Lula’s Chocolates fan.

Of course, Linda began to extol the virtues of Lula’s—taste, freshness, local product, and gift-ability—to our new friend. Not to be outdone, Kimberly explained that she had created a new recipe for the Dark Aloha Rocky Road S’mores. As she described it— you take a 4.0 oz Aloha Rocky Road and cut or break in half. Sandwich the half rocky road between 2 graham crackers. Next, wrap tight in aluminum foil and place near fire for sufficient time to melt the chocolate. Peel off foil and enjoy with friends and family.

I look forward to trying this fresh spin on a classic recipe this Memorial Day weekend. See you at the beach.

KYMB TV Spot!

by Scott Lund

It’s always nice to be recognized for your chocolates and get free publicity at the same time. Recently Juliana of KYMB 27 approached me to do a spot with Sara Meyn, here is what we ended up with.

Hope you enjoy!! (TV is a lot harder than it looks!)

Sea Salt Caramels... yum!

by Scott Lund

Lula’s and I are thrilled to announce that we are launching a line of sea-salt caramels. We debuted them at Pebble Beach Food & Wine to much enthusiasm. With a total of nine different flavors, there is sure to be a crowd-pleaser for any palate.

Our flavors include:
Lime Fresco – Strong but not too tart, this course, lime-colored salt is sprinkled playfully across the surface of the caramel to evenly distribute the flavor.

Chili Verde – Don’t underestimate this fine-grained, dark-roasted chili salt. This caramel’s salt is clustered on the end of the caramel to give you a blast of flavor and a zesty kick you’ll remember.

Vintage Merlot – The result of a lovely pairing of vintage wine and chocolate is a caramel topped with salt that has a distinctly grape tint and is poured in a long band along the surface of the caramel. Forget the glass and experience a new dinner party favorite.

Matcha (Green Tea) – Flavor harvested in the tea fields of Japan, this salt is fine-powdered, with a tea-green hue. It’s clustered in the center of the caramel for easy identification. Enjoy your own private tea ceremony.

Cyprus Flake – This subtle, white salt has a pyramidal shape, and its crystals are large and course. It’s sprinkled boldly across the surface of the caramel, transporting us to the sweet air of it's Mediterranean roots.

Hiwa Kai – Large, course, and distinctly charcoal-hued, this beautiful Hawaiian salt is sprinkled breezily across the length of the caramel.

Alaea – This course grained red salt is a traditional Hawaiian sea salt. Enriched with reddish Hawaiian clay (‘Alae), this bold salt provides an Aloha experience with every bite as it hulas the length of the chocolate.

Fleur De Sel – Acknowledged by many chefs as the best finishing salt in the world. With its mild flavor and crisp texture, this French salt graces the center of caramels in a soft cluster.

Himalayan – This pure, hand-mined salt found deep inside the pristine Himalayan Mountains. It’s marked by the soft pink, course salt scattered lightly over the caramels.

All our caramels are enrobed in dark chocolate and accented with a sprinkle of these remarkable salts. The salts are all available from gourmet sea salt company SaltWorks of Woodinville, Washington. Though, if you are looking to try the delicious salts, they are also available locally at Clementine's Kitchen, so feel free to check out the delicious flavors there!

We look forward to hearing your feedback and suggestions on this exciting new line.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine

by Chad Freeman

Hey there! Chad here. Scott asked me to do a little report and recap on our time at the first ever Pebble Beach Food & Wine, and gosh is there a lot to tell. For those of you that weren’t able to make it to the event, it was pretty impressive, and you should make a point to visit next year. The whole team did an incredible job putting things together, and it is sure to become another must-attend event on the Peninsula.

We began the weekend with an invitation to provide a tasty treat for the VIPs at the after party on the first evening. The opening festivities were showcased by the amazing Inn at Spanish Bay. Several of the other sponsors (Patron, Tommy Bahama Rum, & Lexus) helped to make the entire party something to remember – and not just because of the breeze in the air.

We were featured right at the bottom of the stairs as guests arrived. Vases were filled with chocolate to create a decadent feeling of luxury, and with the assortment of chocolates provided, we made sure that no one went away unsatisfied. Gail Simmons of Food & Wine Magazine and Bravo’s Top Chef even stopped by for a taste. The hit of the night (the whole event really) was the tasting of our new sea salt caramel collection. More will be written about all the amazing flavors, but for now let’s just leave it that they are all beyond incredible.

Next up was working the Lexus Grand Tasting on Saturday and Sunday. That kept us busy. We were featured in the 30,000+ sq ft. tent that was constructed on Pebble Beach’s Equestrian Center. There were over 200 wineries and 20 celebrity chefs, and no wonder – there were 2,000+ people scheduled to attend.

Being placed up on the VIP stage in the back tent was a mixed bag of gift/concern. On one hand we were able to really target-market our product, but at the same time we weren’t able to get the exposure we might have had elsewhere. Either way, it seemed like we made a splash created lots of talk and enjoyment.

Also adding a nice compliment to the Grand Tasting: we supplied the valets with 4-piece boxes so that any Lexus driver would get a bonus – not a bad perk for arriving in luxury.

Thanks to all the folks at Pebble Beach Food & Wine for including us in this unbelievable event, and to the staff at Pebble Beach for all their help. We look forward to participating again next year and seeing where things lead.

My Very First Blog

by Scott Lund

Q. Why does one start a blog? For me, this blog will capture a fresh perspective as I interact with current friends and future friends who share my passion for chocolate. Our website, http://www.lulas.com/ doesn’t provide me with the feedback and dialog that I would really like to have.

For example, the website is mainly about marketing and sales, with a little information and fun mixed in. My hope is that the blog will bring about shared experiences, stories and some education in the world of chocolate. Another benefit of this blog is the informality in conversation it brings—I can use my “blog” voice.

Best of all, this blog will allow me to receive questions from you. It is your opportunity to get answers to anything you might wonder about my sweet life in the chocolate industry. Feel free to ask as many questions as you would like. Lula’s has very few secret recipes, so ask away.

Let me start with the most frequently asked question—“Who is Lula?” Lula was my grandmother. She was an amazing woman with charm, wit and a great work ethic. Her candy kitchen in Utah was spotless. I remember her saying, “if someone finds a bug in my kitchen, I’ll eat it.” She never did, and the Lula’s Chocolate factory would make her proud. We use her recipes and believe in her ideals. “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right!” The Lula’s Story is a great one and I invite everyone to read it when you go to the website.

I look forward to telling you about our recent experiences at Pebble Beach Food &Wine which we attended last weekend. It was fabulous! I will put a teaser out there for you…can you say “Lime Fresco?” If you haven’t tried this new Sea Salt Caramel, you are missing a party in your mouth.

The buzz about Lula’s Chocolates is making its way around. We have come so far, but we are striving for more. Ilovelulas.blogspot.com is just another step in that direction. I look forward to your visits, chats, chocolate confessions and more.