Mentchikoffs

Mentchikoffs were created in Chartres in 1893 in honor of the Franco-Prussian alliance. Any excuse to concoct a new sweet! The candies were named after Aleksandr Menshikov, favorite of Tsar Peter I. Their delicious praline chocolate center is covered with a thin layer of meringue. Mentchikoffs are hand rolled, a process involving no less than seven different stages of preparation. The candies are presented in sachets or pretty boxes that still bear an engraving of Chartres Cathedral.