Valentine’s slam dunk

While the rest of us sit here under the phosphorescent glow of our computers, Baton Rouge-based gourmet chocolate maker Steve Lawrence is crafting gorgeous handmade confections in time for this weekend’s Red Stick Farmers Market. Lawrence, a pastry chef, chocolatier and expat from the Great Northwest settled in Baton Rouge a year ago after his wife joined the LSU faculty. Aren’t we lucky?

Formerly of Fran’s Chocolates in Seattle, Lawrence turns out stunning, diminutive treats, including his own version of the salted caramels that made Fran’s famous. Other selections incorporate whiffs of the Louisiana culinary canon, like mayhaw, and his new Sazerac, rye whiskey and bitters-spiked dark chocolate inspired by the Big Easy cocktail. This month, Lawrence features 11 flavors, including star anise, cinnamon, rosemary caramel, passion fruit milk chocolate, raspberry and a milk punch truffle with bourbon and nutmeg. His methodical process includes dipping each square, or pave, by hand into tempered French Valrhona chocolate, then gilding the surface with applied gold designs. Boxes are available in 10, 18 or 36 pieces, but speaking from experience, they go depressingly fast.

Visit Steve Lawrence inside the Main Street Market during regular Farmers Market hours on the first Saturday of each month. February dates include the 7, 14, and 21. For more information, e-mail [email protected].