Milk or Dark?

Did I ever tell you about the time I picked up Neuhaus chocolates as stocking stuffers for my siblings one year?  And how, come Christmas morning, not a single sibling had a morsel of fine Belgian chocolate to enjoy?  Between my birthday and Christmas Eve, I had gluttonously pigged out on all three bars.  My birthday's the 13th.  That means twelve days of chocolate mania.  Shameless.

Neuhaus is still tops in my book (and might I add that the man that works at the flagship store on Madison, he is as charming as ever), but I think I've found a new favorite.  A friend recently returned from a trip to Brussels and kindly brought back some chocolate pour moi.  I hadn't heard of Leonidas until yesterday, but I will say this now: a trip to Belgium will end in no other possible scenario than Julia leaving behind her clothes in the hotel room to make room in the suitcase for all the milk chocolate goodness she'll most certainly need to bring back home for all her friends.  Or so she says.  Because she might very well then proceed to eat all of it herself before landing on this side of the Atlantic.

What you see here is great for a milk chocolate lover like yours truly.  As it slowly melts, you'll detect the very faintest hint of texture from the tiniest crumbles of wafers.  So delicate on the tongue.  And so decadently good.  And so grateful for the kindness of traveling friends.