Chocolate Heaven with Amedei Napolitains and Pralines

I'm in pure chocolate heaven. The Amedei White Chocolate Bar with Pistachios is simply the most decadent white bar I've had in a while. The Sicilian pistachios complement the cocoa butter so well - it's not overwhelming the bar at all. I normally don't go for whites simply because they're usually too sweet but this one stole my heart. The vanilla is not too strong either, so it brings out the creamy milk flavors, melding perfectly with the cocoa butter.

Using rare "Porcelana" criollo beans, the limited edition Porcelana Napolitains are really beautiful. Generally these beans result in a more delicate taste, but this one comes on quite dark in the beginning, with lots of woodsy and smoky hints, ending with a fresh and mellow finish. It's just so darn smooth and dreamy, its texture gliding around the palate like a graceful swan. For a more robust profile, the Chuao Napolitains are also worth trying. The prized and legendary Chuao beans are used, resulting in a fruity explosion of plums and red berries. For dark chocolate lovers, you can't go wrong with these selections.

If you really want to go all out, the special Le Praline box is a sumptuous gift idea or for yourself. It's totally forgiveable if you end up munching on most of the truffles - they're that delicious. These classically made pralines include the Capriccio with fior di vite and grappa, the Vin Santo, and the Solare with zabaglione.

With it's masterful precision in crafting such gorgeous chocolate, it's really not a big surprise to see Amedei winning so many awards at this year's World Chocolate Awards. They swept away eight of them, including the top Golden Bean prize.

Get these at www.amedei-us.com.