Meeting David Lebovitz

For a beginner food blogger with an almost obsessive affinity for chocolate, meeting David Lebovitz might have made one as giddy as a teenie bopper Twi-Hard. Pastry chef, author, and award-winning food blogger, David Lebovitz has made a name for himself as one of the top "celebrity food bloggers" in the culinary world. I was just excited to meet someone who, like me, dropped everything and moved to the City of Light. His website has been (and still is) my go-to guide to Paris, not just for where and what to eat, but also for tips on how to order your food correctly, what to do when you're sick, and how to save money in Paris.

The book signing was held in Paris at La Cocotte, une librairie du goût (a bookstore of taste). The unpretentious and quite adorable bookshop was packed with a handful of food lovers. I was quite surprised that with the exception of the employees, essentially everyone mingling inside was either American or spoke English. I spoke to a woman from Vancouver who was on vacation with some friends from Seattle, and overheard people telling David, "I'm from Chicago," "We're visiting from San Diego." Being a little homesick (due to being actually sick) the previous week, the atmosphere made me feel right at home.

People gathered around the table of drinks and munchies, asking David if he himself actually baked the delicious treats that they were noshing. David humbly told everyone that although yes, he did make the fabulously gooey cheesecake brownies and cranberry oatmeal cookies, he also was human, and had burned a batch of the cookies prior to arriving. That of course, didn't stop me from going back for seconds.

I'll admit, I got a slight tingling of butterflies when I handed him my copies of Ready for Dessert and The Sweet Life in Paris. Anyone with that much experience and passion for dessert is definitely at the top of my "Food Heroes" list. A very friendly and quite humble guy, and we laughed about how he lured Quentin to come back inside to drink some wine and contemplated trading point-and-shoot cameras. 

As I flipped through Ready for Dessert, the latest compilation of David Lebovitz's best recipes, I remembered a video I recently watched on Rouxbe, about The Basics of Quality Chocolate. This video not only changed the way I buy chocolate, but also sparked a new obsession in buying it. I now have a small collection of dark chocolate waiting for me to attack it.

So while I read up on chocolate ganache custard tarts and Guinness gingerbread cupcakes, I'll be brainstorming ideas for my first super-chocolatey recipe post. Maybe now is a good time to break out my Dark Chocolate Espresso Soufflés. Mmmm...

What's your favorite chocolate dessert?