Looking for the perfect Christmas or Hostess present?

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Caramelsdebouchard-Corporategifts5379Everybody wants to give something special for the holidays, whether you are giving to family, teachers, friends, a colleague at work, a special client, or the host of a holiday party.  In fact, that is exactly how we got started!

Every year at Christmas our family would get together working in shifts to make batch upon batch of Memere’s delicious caramels to give to friends, teachers – you name it.  You can’t imagine the reactions we’ve been getting over the decades.  EVERYBODY loves receiving our handmade caramels – even people who aren’t keen on caramels LOVE our caramels.  So we know with some certainty that your friends and family are going to love them too!

We have recently added gift cards to our product line, so be sure to include a card and we will hand-write out your message in our best Catholic school handwriting for that personal touch and send them directly to your recipient.

Businesses, why not thank your clients with packing with YOUR logo on it?  Your clients will be grateful and you will make a lasting impression.  We always include a coupon for your customer, so that they can receive a discount on their next order.

caramelsdebouchard-etchedjars-72Our vintage gift jars make an exceptional gift too.  Hand-etched and painted by local glass artist Jack Walsh of Dancing Sands Bottle Etching, these jars are perfect for that special somebody or client.  You can even refill them throughout the year at other occasions!  So it’s a great gift that can keep on giving.  Each jar even has an etched back panel, so when new flavors come in the recipient can chalk the flavor name on the back.  These jars have a neat retro look to them, and will look great on any counter or front office desk.

We know your friends, family, clients, teachers are going to LOVE getting Caramels de Bouchard this Christmas!  But be warned, they may expect getting them from you year after year!

Caramels de Bouchard Caramel Bar – the perfect party favor for bridal and baby showers and corporate events

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Candy is for kids, but Caramels are for adults!

 

I go to many many events each month as a guest, and the party favor that generates excitement time and again are the candy bars where your guests can fill a box or bag of their favorite treats.  I recently went to a few events that had candy bars.  Some were professionally done, the others by candy companies.  Now, I love chocolate.  I actually crave chocolate.  All. The. Time.  I never crave caramels to be honest (except for the cherry ones), perhaps because I am surrounded by them all the time!  So, I was excited to fill my favor bag full of chocolates.

On the way home, I couldn’t resist and reached into the bag for a piece of chocolate.  I grabbed a large round candy-coated ball thinking it was a malt-ball or some other candy coated chocolate treat, but to my surprise it was a gum ball.  Bubble gum.  A hard, chewy, granulated-sugary gum ball.

Honestly, I was so put off by this.  One, I hate sugary candy (I know, doesn’t make sense given what I do!) and but two, at the event I had just come from, I was probably one of the youngest people in the crowd!  Who over 50 is looking for bubble gum as an after-dinner treat.  I could certainly see if it was a kid’s party or a younger demographic, but not in a business or gala setting.  I think I would have been happy if it had been a sugar-free minty gum, but I can understand how that just doesn’t present well in a pretty apothecary jar.

I speak to people all the time about teeth strangely enough. Everybody is always worried about their teeth, especially as dental is so expensive and everyone seems to have had work done.  It is one of the reasons where I err on the side of “soft” when making our caramels.  I don’t want anyone to have to work at eating them.  I once had a caramel that was supposedly “gourmet” at the till of a store and when I bit into it I thought I was going to lose a tooth.  The owner of the store looked at me and said “Aren’t they awesome?”.  I couldn’t actually respond – I was fighting my urge to spit the damn thing out into the wrapper but I didn’t want to insult the person.  So I wrestled with it for about 5 minutes and we made joking faces at each other as I did this….but I couldn’t hide it, I had to say something.  That was the hardest damn caramel I had ever had AND it had no flavor.

There’s another reason I make the caramels softer – the less you have to wrestle with it and the more it can actually melt in your mouth, the more you will taste the flavors of the butter and sugars as they hit certain flavor receptors on your tongue.  Go on and try it.  First, chew a piece of caramel, then, let the second piece kind of melt in your mouth.  You will get to savour the flavors longer AND they will be more intense.

So, while it’s true, our caramel bar is definitely more money than a candy bar, I think you AND your guests will be more satisfied with a hand crafted artisan caramel experience!  Your guests are going to LOVE you for it!

 

A Caramels de Bouchard Caramel Bar comes in two varieties: WE SUPPLY or DIY.

WE SUPPLY

is for local customers on the North Shore of Boston.  We can deliver a caramel bar to your event complete with the following:

  • 8 varieties of caramel, each in their own vintage glass or apothecary jar (you can opt for more at additional cost)
  • staging for the jars and signs for the flavors
  • tablecloth and decorations, ie, our light-up lights that say “Treats”
  • white paper candy favor bags (customizable packaging upon request, costed separately)
  • Setup and breakdown for your event.

DIY

is chosen by those further afield who do not want to pay for the shipping/liability of the jars and props:

  • 8 varieties of caramel, shipped bagged
  • signs for the flavors
  • white paper candy favor bags (customizable packaging upon request, costed separately)

Let us know how we can help you plan the perfect event with our Caramels de Bouchard Caramel Bar!

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How to eat a caramel (bet you never thought you’d need help with THAT!)

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Ok, so you probably know how to eat a caramel.

What’s there to know, right? Open mouth, insert caramel, chew, gulp it down!

Well sure!  But I find that if you actually take your time and let it dissolve a bit in your mouth first you will notice that the flavor is much more enhanced.  Obviously taking your time is the sensible thing no matter what you’re up to!  One, you just get to experience things longer, but two, the sweet and salt receptors of your tongue are out front, so letting it dissolve means you hit those receptors more and the flavor will be intensified.  Seriously, give it a try.  Eat one “normal”, then eat another one letting it dissolve in your mouth for a while.  The smooth buttery sweetness is intensified when you take your time.

Many people are also concerned about caramel and their dentrifice.  This is caramel after all so we make no promises!  However, this is another argument for taking your time and letting it dissolve – the chances of it damaging any dental work is minimized.  I had braces as an adult and did not pop a single bracket testing caramel, but i did go slow, did not chew, – and enjoyed every last second.

Personally, i hate chewy things.  Anything I have to struggle with or get messy eating is something I avoid, so I try to make our caramels somewhere in the middle in terms of hardness.  Because everything is hand made, and they are very sensitive to the weather and temperature, there will be variations in hardness, it can’t be helped (well, unless we automate, but then they won’t be made by hand and with love now will they!).

So take your time and savor them!

Bon Appetit!