Valentine's Day Gifts: L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates top of the list

By April MacIntyre Feb 7, 2011, 8:05 GMT

Their dedication to making the finest chocolate desserts began with Larry, who hails from Boston. Larry learned his craft in the late 1970s in France, and then the mid 1980s in Switzerland.

This year, Monsters and Critics went high and low and found the coolest gifts that you can buy your special someone, or yourself, this Valentine's Day.

Keeping in mind that we love finding small American businesses who make cruelty-free items, we are excited to recommend L.A. Burdick Chocolates as a gifting consideration.

One of America's best artisan chocolatiers is New England-based L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates.

The Company is headed by founder Larry Burdick, his wife Paula Burdick, and Chocolate and Pastry Chef Michael Klug of Montabaur, Germany. 

Their dedication to making the finest chocolate desserts began with Larry, who hails from Boston, Massachusetts.  Larry learned his candy making craft in the late 1970s in France, and then the mid-1980s in Switzerland.

Coming back to the US, Larry established L.A. Burdick Chocolate in New York City in 1987, and the success of his door in the big city led him and his family back home to New England, setting up shop in Walpole, New Hampshire.

My first encounter with Burdick chocolates was back in the early 1990's, and I fell in love with the exquisite packaging (wood boxes and wired ribbon) delicious contents and attention to the smallest details, including their signature "Mice" and Penguins too.

The presentation of these handmade confections made it my first choice for any gifting occasion, after years of disappointing experiences with the Harry & David's of the world. Everything I ordered and received from Burdick was top-notch, and raved about by my gift recipients. 

Burdick has since opened more doors of his Chocolate business, plus a fine French restaurant, and a gourmet food store is now planned. The most exciting news, given the recent reports that there's a very real cacao bean shortage looming, is that the company has partnered with the country of Grenada's cocoa farmers to ensure their chocolate source is solid, and ethically grown and supported.

In chocolate-making, Burdick's philosophy is based on his training and experience: Use the best ingredients to start with. Burdick has imported chocolate from France, Switzerland, and Venezuela, mostly dark with rich complex flavors, and minimally sugared and made with real vanilla in their preparations. 

But now, Burdick has partnered with Grenada cocoa farmers, and their first chocolate factory will make cocoa farming more profitable for the source harvesters. It will help interest the next generation in farming and protect a unique ecosystem.

Another way Burdick's is set apart from their competitors is that they cook in very small batches, and cut and shape all chocolates by hand. There are no molds.

There are three Burdick cafes to showcase their chocolate, located in Walpole, NH, Cambridge, MA and now New York City.

Burdick's Chocolate is an outstanding, quality gift to consider for Valentine's Day February 14.   We were fortunate to test taste the following unique gifts from Burdick's this 2011:

Velvet Heart Set

Stunning Red Velvet in just the right size! Sexy and classic, this is the kind of luxe chocolate anyone would love to get.  Two heart shaped red velvet boxes stacked and tied with a beautiful ribbon. The top box holds hand-cut, heart-shaped bonbons in two flavors - dark chocolate with a ganache made of dark rum, hazelnut and rum-soaked raisins, and milk chocolate with a cashew-almond ganache. The larger heart box holds a mixed half-pound chocolate assortment.  Beautiful presentation!

Valentines Hearts & Cigars

A favorite with the men of the house. Clever cigar box with hinges, beautifully made, with rum flavored chocolate cigars and hand-cut, heart-shaped bonbons. Dark chocolate hearts that are a ganache of dark rum, hazelnut and rum-soaked raisins, and milk chocolate hearts with a cashew-almond ganache. Really impressive gift for any man you are sweet on!

Chocolate Mice

My favorite, the traditional Burdick's wood box with holiday themed ribbon holds chocolate mice in three flavors: dark chocolate with an orange interior, milk chocolate with a mocha interior and white with a cinnamon interior. The mice all have almond ears and colorful silky tails.

So here's the story on the mice.  When Larry worked at a chocolate shop in Bern, Switzerland, the “leftover” pieces from the bonbon making were re-cooked and re-worked into chocolate confections for children. The chocolate bonbons were meant to be inexpensive. Being "seconds" and a bit dryish, and they were molded into the shape of a mouse, with little tails attached too!