$2600

Probably the most intriguing product that Knipschildt Chocolatier sells is its famed $250 dark chocolate truffle with a French black truffle inside. It is made of 70% Valrhona cacao that is fused into a creamy ganache with truffle oil. The truffle is hand rolled with a dark truffle on the inside and then dusted with cocoa powder. Mmm…is your mouth watering yet? These specialties are only available by preorder, so hurry and call, fax, or email in your order if you want to enjoy these bites of bliss soon.

If you’re not so keen on spending approximately $2,600 for a pound of these babies, then maybe you’d like to consider something more affordable. Knipschildt has a wide selection of individual chocolates of all shapes, flavors, and sizes which can be purchased for $60 per pound.

The individual chocolates have names like Amanda, Helena, and Carrie, suggesting Knipschildt may have a thing for naming his creations after ex-girlfriends. Regardless, each of these intricately formulated pieces is a matchless and pleasurable delicacy.

Knipschildt pairs delicate fruit flavors with exotic spices and fragrances in his chocolates. The Charlotte features apricot and basil ganache, the Elizabeth is composed of a passion fruit and ginger ganache topped with crystallized ginger, and the Kelly contains strawberry and lemon-thyme ganache.

Other odd and surprisingly tasty creations are the Patricia, a narrow, cone-shaped ancho chile and tangerine ganache piece; the Hannah, containing burnt caramel and Hawaiian sea salt; and the Antoinette, filled with rosewater and dark chocolate ganache.

Assuming Knipschildt did name these masterpieces after ex-girlfriends, perhaps the chocolates’ ingredients represent each woman’s personality. If so, the breakup was probably much rougher with Patricia than it was with Antoinette. Just a speculation.

Currently, Knipschildt Chocolatier supplies approximately 900 vendors worldwide, including Whole Foods Market, Dean & DeLuca, The Chocolate Room, and other small specialty stores.

In 2005, Knipschildt expanded his sweet success by opening Chocopologie, a cafe and retail store that offers guests an inside look at how these handmade treats are made the old-fashioned way. While wandering through the establishment, visitors can view different processes that go on in the exciting world of chocolate.

The first window features the packaging team packing the chocolates in handmade boxes and sending them on their way. The following four windows showcase every step the chocolate goes through as it is prepared. These steps involve composing the ganache fillings, tempering the raw chocolate, and cleaning the individual molds.

$150 million

A house belonging to late TV producer Aaron Spelling has gone on the market in Los Angeles with an asking price of $150 million (£105m) – making it the most expensive property for sale in the US. Located in the exclusive Holmby Hills neigbourhood, the sprawling mansion boasts a staggering 56,500 square feet of interior space, set in over 4.6 acres of land.
The property is so vast that Spelling’s widow, Candy Spelling, was unable to provide estate agents with an exact room count – although estimates put the tally at over 100.
“There’s a lot. (The house) has evolved and I actually haven’t gone around and counted”, she said.
Potential buyers perusing the labyrinthine, French chateau-inspired estate will find such essential features as a bowling alley, a wine cellar and tasting room, a library, gym – even a dedicated gift-wrapping room, and a humidity-controlled facility for storing the family silver.

The grounds are peppered with fountains, a waterfall, a citrus orchard, tennis courts, two swimming pools and a spa – plus parking space for over 100 cars,
The 17,000 square foot attic, which was converted by the Spellings before Aaron’s death in 2003, features a full-service barber shop and beauty salon.
No self-respecting magnate would even consider moving into such an ostentatious abode without a full complement of staff – and the buyer’s entourage will undoubtedly be thrilled with their accommodation.
Set in a separate wing, the seven-bedroom quarters are the height of luxury, with five fireplaces, a kitchen and four ‘wet bars’ for post-service entertaining.
The piece de resistance of the three-storey property is, according to Mrs Spelling, the screening room where her late husband – who produced hit shows such as Dynasty, Charlie’s Angels and Beverly Hills 90210 – spent much of his time.
The hi-tech projection system comes up through the floor, simultaneously extending shades over the room’s windows to ensure uninterrupted viewing pleasure.
“I wanted Aaron to have the best projection room anyone had ever seen, and the biggest, so I came with this solution”, Ms Spelling said.
Sally Forster Jones, an estate agent with Coldwell Banker Previews International, is co-marketing the property.
“Everything there is glamorous, and is luxurious and it’s really great scale,” she said. “There really is nothing to compare it to.”
Mrs Spelling – who is moving into a comparatively modest $47 million (£33 million) penthouse apartment in LA – says she enlisted the help of her dog Madison when it came to selecting the right ‘realtor’ for the job.
Security brought the wheaten terrier into the room with each prospective agent, and Candy scrutinised the animal’s reaction. Those that didn’t meet with Madison’s favour were immediately dismissed.