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The Spirit of Fredericksburg, Texas By Sandra Scott |
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While exploring Main Street, John and I discovered more spirits - delectable spirits at Chocolat where spirited Lecia Duke makes “Spirited Chocolates” and more. Using a process nearly 200 years old learned from a master chocolatier in Switzerland, Lecia Duke creates chocolates with non-injected liquid centers that are filled with premium liquors such as Kentucky bourbon, whiskey, vodka, and wine. “What’s the difference between injected liquid centers and non-injected?” I asked.
Offering me a finished product, Duke said, “Pop the whole chocolate in your mouth. You'll be able to taste and recognize the liquor and savor its flavor. That’s the difference.” We enjoyed the “wow” sensation as the chocolate gave way to the Sam Houston Bourbon. Exquisite!
“I always wanted to run a hotel” she said. “My family convinced me to start small. Cottage 202 is perfect. We have two rooms in the main house and a cottage out back.” Every room shows her special touch, including the two rooms in the main house decorated in the spirit of, and named for, Kitsy Fay and Etta Ray, family ancestors. One night before heading back to our Cottage at
202, conveniently located just off Main Street, we had dinner at the
Navajo Grill where John caught the Texas spirit and dined on
Visit
www.fredericksburg-texas.com,
www.chocolat-tx.us/,
www.202andcottage.com, |
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team of oxen to turn around” and lined them with
stone buildings that have stood the test of time. Today in the
center of Marktplatz, is the eight-sided Vereins Kirche, a replica
of an 1846-meeting hall that served as a church, school, and fort
for the early settlers. Behind the building in the Pioneer Garden
is a statue commemorating the signing of the treaty between the
settlers and the Native Americans – a treaty that has been kept in
word and spirit. Hard to miss is the maypole depicting the
historical vignettes that preserve the spirit of Fredericksburg for
all to see.
“The process takes about five days start to
finish. Indentations in shallow wood racks are filled with
cornstarch. Then the liquid is dropped into the indentations and
lightly powdered with cornstarch,” she explained. “The cornstarch
holds the liquid by forming a sugar crust. When the crust is dry the
cornstarch is dusted away and the capsules are ready for the thin
chocolate coating.” The capsules reminded me of cocoons.
A well-respected architect, Duke found she was
working hard but wasn’t having fun, so she decided that if she was
going to work so hard she might as well do something that would
bring her pleasure. She created Chocolat where, she says, she works
just as hard but enjoys it. Lucia Duke is just one of the “spirited”
people who has settled in Fredericksburg to pursue a dream. Some
are “come-backs” like Judy Boatwright, the innkeeper of the Cottage
at 202, who returned to Texas in 2005 after 30 years away.