Nadège goes online!

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you’ll know that Nadège Patisserie is the place I recommend to anyone who asks for “Toronto’s best macarons.”  If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might remember I interviewed Nadège herself for Spotlight Toronto a couple of years ago, when the store had only been open just over a year but was already extremely successful.  Now with two locations, Nadège is, this holiday season, launching her online boutique where, if you live in Toronto, you can purchase macarons, cakes and chocolates for pickup only (delivery is in the pipeline, apparently!)

Prior to last month, I had only visited the Trinity Bellwoods location, Nadège’s original store and café which focuses on pastries, cakes, macarons and viennoiseries. An invitation from Nadège herself to come and taste the chocolates at the newer Rosedale location where the kitchen is more suitable for working with chocolate, temperature-wise, was not something one turns down so I spent a lovely hour with Nadège as she walked me through her chocolate range.  The Rosedale location crafts, and exclusively retails, a line of house-made chocolates, 16 flavours in all.

Of course, I had to check out the macarons while I was there…

Nadèges’s macarons are my favourite in Toronto with good reason.  They have a delicate crunch in the shell which gives way to the softer buttercream, ganache or jam inside and the shell is just a teeny bit chewy. Just how I like them! As Nadège herself says “with flavours always changing, repeat trips are in order.”

Yeah and um, they have a mojito flavour. ‘Nuff said!

Nadège also produces exquisite marshmallows (nothing like Jet Puff!). Again with the fab flavours…

I don’t know about you but a gin and tonic flavoured marshmallow sounds about perfect to me.

Nadège also sells her own hot chocolate mix…

Her own version of Nutella…

And gorgeous and oh-so-French treats like mendiants…

And because “t’is the season” there are stunning chocolate decorations…

But about that chocolate…  I am totally in love with Nadège’s playful “tablet collection” – an exploration of flavours from A to Z (literally!) and an example of Nourian’s ongoing pursuit of new projects.  When the collection is complete, it will be the first of its kind internationally. Each letter tablet has its own unique packaging, hand letterpressed locally in Toronto. The tablet collection is set for completion in early 2013.

The flavours?  ‘A’ for Amande, ‘B’ for Banane, ‘C’ for Café, ‘D’ for Dynamite, ‘E’ for Espelette, ‘F’ for Fleur de Sel,‘I’ for Intense (85%),‘K’ for Kerala Pepper (organic black pepper from India), ‘L’ for Lactée, ‘M’ for Menthe, ‘N’ for Noisette/Cranberry, ‘O’ for Orange. ‘P’ for Parmesan,‘R’ for Réglisse (liquorice), ‘S’ for Sesame, ‘U’ for Ultimate Cacao (70% chocolate + cacao nibs), ‘V’ for Venezuela, ‘X’ for Xocoline (sugar free). Flavours set for release before the end of 2012:  ‘G’ for Genévrier (juniper berry), ‘T’ for Thé Vert (green tea), ‘Q’ for Quatre Noix (mixed nuts), ‘J’ for Jasmine, ‘Z’ for Zest Agrumes (citrus zest).

And if that’s not enough chocolate for you, how about the exclusive-to-the-Rosedale-location house made chocolate bonbons?

These are artisan chocolate bonbons made with the finest quality Valrhona chocolate.  Each ingredient, from pistachio to goat cheese, to Roquefort blue cheese is matched with a complementary chocolate and each chocolate is finished with the Nadège signature design (triangle, circle and square) in a coordinating colour.

Like little precious boxes of jewels.

Everything Nadège produces is exquisite both in looks and taste. Her Rosedale boutique, especially, reminds me of Pierre Hermé in Paris where you have to do a double take to realise it’s selling food, not clothing or jewels!

The Nadège e-boutique  will offer a selection of 14 cakes, as well as macarons and chocolate boxes for in-store pick-up, until early 2013, when the boutique will house a larger selection and hopefully expand to include other delivery options.

Check out Nadège’s cakes in the e-boutique. Ummm, no really:

*graphic from Nadège’s Facebook page
Check out Nadège’s macarons in the e-boutique.
Check out Nadège’s chocolate bonbon selection in the e-boutique.

 Disclosure: I was invited by Nadège to visit the Rosedale location and taste the chocolate line. I was not asked to write a post, not am I being compensated for it, though Nadège did send me off with a lovely goody bag to enjoy at home. All opinions are 100% my own.

CONTEST: Canadians – win a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer! Contest closes December 14th at 4pm EST.