SPRING 2022 - LIMITED EDITION
Sale price
Price
$75
Regular price
Hanami, a Limited-Edition Bonbon Collection
Dandelion Chocolate
Sale price
Price
$75
Regular price
Hanami, a Limited-Edition Bonbon Collection
Dandelion Chocolate
Please note: This small-batch assortment is limited to 500 Collections each month (based upon what our team can produce in our small kitchen). Should you need help placing your order, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at info@dandelionchocolate.com or (415) 349-0942.
Our Confections team, led by Head Chocolatier Ashley Ugarte, spent months tasting local sakes, perfecting homemade white-bean-paste recipes, sourcing strawberries from nearby farms, and experimenting with seasonal flavor combinations to develop our first-ever spring bonbon collection inspired by the Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival) and the Japanese custom, hanami, of viewing cherry blossoms in full bloom. Crafted with our rich, classically chocolatey 70% House Blend chocolate — a balanced mix of several origins — these bonbons celebrate spring splendor with four flavors:
• Junmai Daiginjo Sake Ganache with Sour Cherry Jelly
• Sakura Shiroan (Cherry Blossom White Bean Paste) with Macadamia Nut Praline
• Strawberry Jelly, Japanese Cheesecake, & Matcha Ganache
• Miso Butter Caramel & IRI Genmai (ROASTED POPPED Rice) Praline
- Ingredients & Allergens
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SPRING BONBON COLLECTION:
Dandelion 70% House Blend chocolate (cocoa beans, organic cane sugar), organic cane sugar, glucose, cocoa butter from Camino Verde, Ecuador, heavy cream, morello cherry purée, butter, organic white kidney beans, genmai, macadamia nuts, organic strawberries, white miso paste, junmai daiginjo sake (rice, water, yeast, koji), milk powder, cream cheese, rice-bran oil, ceremonial matcha powder, salt-pickled sakura, sakura powder, puffed brown rice, organic puffed quinoa, cocoa nibs from Camino Verde, Ecuador, invert sugar, sorbitol, cherry liqueur (distilled sour maraschino cherries, water, sugar), sake kasu, sea salt, yellow pectin, citric acid, organic honey, baking soda
Contains: milk, soy, tree nuts (macadamia nuts)
Made in a facility that also processes peanuts and tree nuts (hazelnuts, coconuts, pistachios). - Weight
- 10.15 oz (288 g)
- Learn More
- Learn more about our cocoa beans and sugar — the region, the farms, and the producers.
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FOUR SPRING FLAVORS
Sakura Shiroan (Cherry Blossom White Bean Paste) with Macadamia Nut Praline
Pickled cherry blossoms in smooth house-made shiroan (white bean paste) nod to traditional sakura wagashi (shiroan-stuffed mochi, colored and shaped like cherry blossoms); while mild, buttery, crunchy macadamia-nut praline hints of the Pacific Rim. Shiroan (white bean paste) is incredibly difficult to source locally, so we made our own in-house, from scratch! It's a two-day process, but well worth the effort.
Miso Butter Caramel & Iri Genmai (Roasted Popped Rice) Praline
This is an appreciation of the variety of warm, savory dishes traditionally served during hanami while crisp, roasted-popped-rice praline accents smooth, miso-infused caramel. The iri genmai (roasted popped rice) praline, which our co-Sous Chef, Paula, led the formulation on, was probably one of the hardest components to figure out. Its roasty-toasty flavor and crunch pair perfectly with the umami-forward, salty and buttery miso caramel.
Strawberry Jelly, Japanese Cheesecake, & Matcha Ganache
Inspired by the tricolor dessert hanami dango, fresh red strawberry and ceremonial-grade Asha Tea House green matcha mingle with creamy Japanese cheesecake. Dillon, our co-Sous Chef, led the formulation of our house-made matcha couverture used to create the matcha ganache for this bonbon. We chose ceremonial-grade matcha from our friends at Asha Tea House, and organic, local organic strawberries to make the strawberry jelly.
Junmai Daiginjo Sake Ganache with Sour Cherry Jelly
Tangy cherry brings sweetness to complex, velvety chocolate ganache infused with California-brewed junmai daiginjo (highest-grade “pure rice”) sake. We searched far and wide for the right sake to pair with our chocolate for this bonbon. In fact, Paula became our resident sake expert and led a very extensive sake tasting process before ultimately landing on junmai daigingo sake from Roga, a local brewery based in Vernon, California.
Notes from Ashley
HEAD CHOCOLATIER
Sakura, ornamental cherry trees and their blossoms are a deeply revered symbol in Japan, representing the ephemeral nature of life. The blossoms' delicate and breath-taking presence is a reminder that nothing lasts forever, and time is perpetually fleeting.
Throughout Japan in spring, sakura matsuri (cherry blossom festival) celebrants prepare a variety of traditional wagashi (Japanese sweets) and savory dishes to enjoy during hanami (花見, flower viewing). I created each of these bonbons as a contemporary California expression of the season’s palette of beautiful flavors.
Yuki, our Japan team's H.R. manager in Kuramae, old Tokyo, offers, "Every year, when the park near my house turns to light-pink color, my family and friends gather and have a picnic under a cherry blossom tree." Sakura, ornamental cherry trees and their blossoms, are a revered symbol in Japan, representing the ephemeral nature of life, reminding us that nothing lasts forever. Yuki elaborates, “Cherry blossoms remind Japanese people of the ‘beginning of something.’ March is the month for ‘goodbye,’ and April is the month of ‘hello.’" In coming up with each flavor, we came back to these photos often, hoping to reimagine particular food moments in a single bonbon.
The floral photos here were taken by our other Japanese team members Seiji Horibuchi, Yasushi Morimoto, Tomoyo Yamashiki, and Furuno Mariko, while viewing peak-season blooms.
