BEST CONFECTION
Pretzel-Covered Sea Salted Caramel

Rachel Zoe Insler
Chocolatier/Owner
Bespoke Chocolates
New York, NY
rachel@bespokechocolates.com

About Rachel Zoe Insler
Rachel Zoe Insler is chocolatier and co-owner of Bespoke Chocolates, an artisanal chocolaterie opening its first retail location in New York City in 2008. She is a classically trained chocolatier, having studied with Master Chocolatier Keith Hurdman at London's Melt Chocolates in Notting Hill. While working at Melt, Rachel had the good fortune to spend her free time traveling and discovering the countless tiny but exquisite chocolate shops that seem to be everywhere in cities like Paris, Brussels, and Rome.

Deeply inspired by her visits to these European artisanal chocolate shops, Rachel decided to bring that experience to New York. She'll open Bespoke Chocolates in her beloved East Village neighborhood this fall. The shop will specialize in luxury handcrafted chocolates, created with the freshest ingredients, that marry classic European techniques with modern flavor profiles.

Prior to pursuing her chocolate shop dreams, Rachel worked in the pastry departments of New York City's Union Square Café and Hudson Yards Catering. She holds a Grande Diplôme in Pastry Arts from The French Culinary Institute. In what seems like another life, Rachel was engaged in academic cognitive neuroscience research. She holds a Master's degree in Psychology from Columbia University and an Sc.B. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Brown University, but these days, she'd much rather make you a chocolate than scan your brain.

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RECIPE

Pretzel-Covered Sea Salted Caramels

400 grams sugar
80 grams glucose
365 grams Ronnybrook Farm heavy cream
6 grams Maldon sea salt
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
35 grams Ronnybrook Farm unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
High-quality dark chocolate truffle spheres
Valrhona Caraïbe dark chocolate, melted and tempered
Martin's Pretzels, crushed

In a high-sided saucepan, cook sugar and glucose together over high heat. In a separate saucepan, bring cream, sea salt, and vanilla to a boil. When the sugar reaches a deep amber color, carefully stir in the hot cream and mix to combine. Remove pan from heat and stir in butter to incorporate. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Cover surface of caramel with heavy-duty plastic wrap. Once caramel has cooled completely, transfer to a piping bag and fill truffle spheres. Reserve overnight. Using a sealing tray or a paper cornet, seal truffle shells with melted dark chocolate. Once the seals have set, roll each truffle in tempered dark chocolate, then immediately coat with a layer of crushed pretzels.

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