A west coast-based gourmet food outfit takes the stress out of shopping for your beloved foodie by bringing the goods straight to your door.
If the thought of hitting the malls right about now makes you dizzy, sit down, and log onto www.epicureal.com. This gourmand’s paradise has everything every food lover could want. From Coconut Palm Sugar from Bali to Black Truffles from Perigord, owner Yves Farges has you deliciously covered.
A recent peruse netted some serious finds including one of my all-time favourite chocolatiers, Michel Cluizel’s 1er Cru (or first growth) deliriously good Plantation Chocolate. The Los Anconès bar (67% cocoa) from the Caribbean’s Santo Domingo is a dark chocolate lover’s fantasy- smooth and complex like a good glass of red without being the slightest bit bitter. I’ve read it’s got a “bouquet of licorice with flavours of red currants.” I caught some of these nuances, but mostly, I got lost in the reverie of wondering how I might be able to get to where this cocoa comes from.
Heading to another part of the world where some of the finest sea salt comes from is Ile de Ré, France. There, The Salt Merchants cultivate white salt crystals created “by the evening breeze” (sigh). An ideal finishing salt for a good cut of steak, or those frites you blanched and carefully fried until golden crisp.
For those looking for something more exotic, there’s the Royal Command branch of Qualifirst’s gourmet products. One such ingredient might include the Royal Command Seed of Paradise, a spicy hot seed that’s also called a malagueta pepper. Part of the ginger family, it’s spicy and floral overtones lends a unique flavour to sauces, soups and meat dishes.
And here’s the bow on top of the present- right now there’s Free shipping with $75 purchase to select Canadian cities or $15 shipping rebate to other areas. Merry Christmas and bon appetit!
