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For some people, Easter baskets signal the beginning of spring; for some, it is the blooming yellow forsythia; and for others, it is matzoh. While there may not be anything inherently seasonal about the ingredients in hard, crunchy unleavened bread, matzoh's pride of place in the spring Passover celebration makes it as much a hallmark of the coming warmth as any daffodil. At the same time, matzoh is not particularly appealing on its own. Sure, its cracker-esque snap feels great in the mouth, but even slathered in butter, matzoh tends to be among the world's blandest foods.
vosges haut-chocolat chocolatier Katrina Markoff's brute force solution–to cover the tasteless matzoh with such large quantities of dark chocolate that the matzoh's flavor becomes almost academic–might seem extreme, but it works. 
To be fair, we have fallen for this trick many times before, as we found ourselves blissfully scarfing down thickly enrobed prunes, haystacks of fibrous lemongrass, and once, long ago, ants. No surprise then that a little Jewish hardtack would benefit from the same treatment.
Where Vosges's concept really takes off is when another element is added to the dark chocolate mix–in this case, charoset, another Passover staple made from apples, cinnamon and walnuts. The result tastes like a Willy Wonka trail mix of nutty and fruity flavors, all set against the prominent backdrop of ultra-rich chocolate.
And just as we were making plans to purchase a few of the 3 ounce containers ($14 each) as holiday gifts, we discovered the ultimate irony: These snacks are not kosher for Passover. A pretty cruel twist, but at least the chocolate matzohs keep well for three months, which leaves plenty of time to enjoy them after the week-long holiday ends. Plus really, who really wants chocolate fingerprints all over the seder plate?
vosges haut-chocolat, (SoHo and UES branches: See the Vosges website for addresses and hours).
