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Flavors of Florentines

     The best thing at this year’s San Francisco Chocolate Festival, in the opinion of my humble taste buds, was made in Lafayette.
The item went by the name Clarine’s Florentines and tasted like — well, exactly what they are, as in a lightly crunchy handmade almond-brittle confection with a touch of butter, honey and cream dipped in Guittard bittersweet chocolate.
     Clarine Hardesty started making her florentines when she came to live in the East Bay and knew she no longer wanted to commute into the city to teach her class of second graders. “For as long as I can remember, my mom would make these florentines on holidays and special occasions and people loved them. So I thought, let me rent a kitchen space and make some and see how it goes.”
    Turned out, they went very well. Elegantly packaged by Hardesty herself (“I wear all the hats, although I now have two part-time bakers who come in twice a week to help me,” she says), the florentines quickly got a following and a spot on
the shelves of high-end gourmet stores in the Bay Area.
     Hardesty’s background is Indonesian-Chinese. Her grandmother was a baker in Indonesia, which puts baking in her genes. She grew up in Los Angeles. And she in fact has no idea where her mom got the florentine recipe, or why her mom started baking this European-style cookie, more typically made with dried candied fruit or orange peel. But Hardesty does suggest enjoying them with coffee, tea, wine or ice cream. Or like I did, which was straight from the packet.
     See more about Clarine Hardesty, her cookies and where you can buy them on her website www.clarinesflorentines.com.