Belle Fleur is one of my favourite chocolate artisans in Sydney. Chocolate maker and owner Jan ter Heerdt is a third generation chocolate maker from Belgium. He and his wife Lynne established Belle Fleur Fine Chocolates in 1984 in Rozelle (with a 2nd store now open in Petersham).
Belle Fleur chocolate maker Jan ter Heerdt
You see, I used to work literally next door for 18 months. So several times a week, I would pop in to drool over their stunning window installations and buy a chocolate or two to go with my macchiato - which means I've probably tasted most of their flavours by now. The chocolates are made daily and there are more than 50 different chocolates on display in the shop at any one time.
Although I'm not a bit fan of all Belgian-style chocolates, some of my favourites at Belle Fleur include "Saffron" (white chocolate ganache infused with saffron threads), "Chilli" (dark chocolate ganache with a hint of fresh chilli) and "Lamington" (chocolate ganache with fresh coconut cream, sprinkled with coconut - triple yummy).
Wasabi ganache - a bit too experimental for me, but that's OK, I like trying new things.
However, what I like best at Belle Fleur is their superb selection of single-origin chocolates, with high-quality chocolate bars from Costa Rica, Peru, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Venezuela, Uganda and the Dominican Republic.
As some of you might now by now, I'm really passionate about the world of single origin chocolates, so Belle Fleur's a real treat for me! Head chocolatier Jan ter Heerdt even makes single origin Peruvian and Venezuelan truffles (as seen on MasterChef Australia) - which is quite unique...
Belle Fleur are hosting a series of half-day MasterClasses as part of the Sydney International Food Festival. The next class is on Saturday 30 Oct from 9am-12am. Jan will demonstrate a number of chocolate skills such as tempering, moulding, piping, dipping with plenty of hands-on experiences. These will include making truffles to take home ($200 per person, bookings and enquiries here).
Belle Fleur Fine Chocolates:
658 Darling St, Rozelle NSW 2039, and 584 Parramatta Rd, Petersham NSW 2049.
www.bellefleur.com.au; store locations here.
Wow, I would love to visit Belle Fleur. The chocolate sounds amazing.
Well done, Myriam. Thank you for elegantly signposting this delectable find.
Best, Robin :)
Posted by: Robin_Dickinson | 11/01/2010 at 01:51 PM