With Double Premium Confections
On Friday, November 23rd, Ma Petite Shoe hosted Bailey Kasten, founder of Double Premium Confections. We had the opportunity to get to know Bailey a little bit better, hear about her philosophy as a chocolatier, her dreams and even get a family recipe out of her. One of the most interesting things Bailey explained is that she has found some flavors are easier than others to balance in a chocolate bar or truffle. For instance, Earl Grey tea was a challenge. The gingerbread truffle, however, was easier to perfect. Our informal interview follows. Thank you, Bailey for taking the time to visit us and share your truly premium - flawless - confections with all of us!
Susannah: What's the secret to your chocolate?
Bailey: I follow the European tradition of using fresh ingredients whenever possible. Fresh raspberries, for instance. It makes the flavor more intense. Then I pay close attention to balancing the flavor with the chocolate itself. That's where I spend the time.
S: The care is evident. We taste tested the raspberry truffle for one of our VIP tastings and it was a crowd favorite. The tasters were mostly quiet while sampling the varieties of other companies' chocolate, but when they bit into your raspberry truffle, quite a few audibly exclaimed, "Wow."
B: Excellent.
S: What do you like to eat other than chocolate? What's your favorite cuisine?
B: Pakistani. My husband makes haleem, which is beef, lentils and lots of spices that are fried first. You can eat it like dip. Amazing.
S: What did you make for Thanksgiving?
B: My dad's here from Iowa, so I made corn casserole.
S: Can we get the recipe?
B: Sure. It's sooo easy. And I've never met anyone that didn't like it!
Bailey Kasten's Iowa Corn Casserole
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 small container sour cream
1 stick of butter
1 can of creamed corn
1 can of regular corn
2 eggs
Combine and bake at 375 degrees for 55 minutes.
Scoop and enjoy.
Scoop and enjoy.
S: That sounds delicious. I'm going to make it at home for our Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Day this weekend! Other than this dish, what's a chocolatier's guilty pleasure?
B: The show Reba and any of the murder mysteries on Lifetime. I watched the Craiglist Killer on premiere night.
S: That's quite the reveal. How about shoes? I see you're wearing flats.
B: Oh yeah. It's mostly flats, but I buy one trend boot each year. (Standing in the shoe room) ...right at this moment I'm feeling the 80%20 with the Pony print. I just went to Iceland and it reminds me of the Icelandic ponies.
S: What's next for Bailey and Double Premium?
B: Well...I really want to do my gourmet version of a Snickers, Milky Way, and Three Musketeers bar. In the spring, I'd like to do a violet caramel and dark chocolate bar using crushed violet pastilles on top. So stay tuned.
S: Definately! Thanks for talking with us and sampling out your amazing chocolate to Baltimore's Ma Petite Shoe-rs.
Double Premium Confections are delivered fresh throughout the season and change based on availability. Available this week are the following flavors:
Sea Salt & Dark Bar
Almond & Salt Bar
Cocoa Nib Bar
Honey Roasted Peanut Bar
Raspberry Bar
Strawberry Bar
Mayan Bar
Ultra Dark Bar
Raspberry Truffles
Earl Grey Truffles
Chai Truffles
Gingerbread Truffles
Black Cherry Truffles
Espresso Truffles
Shop Double Premium Confections online here.