chocolate madness.

NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts hosted their annual Chocolate Madness event at The Cyclorama. I was invited to attend as a judge which included a catered reception with plated appetizers and glasses of wine before diving headfirst into plates of chocolate everything. At assigned tables fellow judges and I rated eight entries based on taste and creativity, before making the rounds to all (or as many as we could!) individual tables. We sampled from the wildly inventive treats to the standard but never disappointing confections from local restaurants, bakeries and chocolatiers who came out to support the cause.

My favorite? Definitely the Grand Cru Granada chocolate mousse w. cookie crumbs, caramel + meringue from Union Bar & Grille. Runner up was a tough call, but I will give it to the salted caramel chocolate cupcake from South End Buttery.  Honorable mentions go out to the Taza Chocolate bread pudding w. salted caramel + toffee cream from The Fireplace, the peanut butter chocolate fudge brownies courtesy of Butter Girl Baking Co. and the French macaroons w. Bergamot chocolate + salted toffee provided by Beacon Hill Bistro. Oh and then there was Foie Gras Cupcakes from Kickass Cupcakes - not for everyone - but definitely for me. 

As it turns out, you can have too much chocolate. But I wasn't complaining. It was such an honor to judge this event and I would do it again in a heartbeat!