The Art of Tasting Chocolate

AMANO ARTISAN CHOCOLATE, MADE IN THE USA!

Pssst. Over here. This is just between you and me. If you have found your way to this website then I can assume that you like chocolate. Or probably love chocolate. You are familiar with the usual suspects. That is, the fine chocolate that is available at boutiques in urban areas, in your specialty food market or on-line. Names like ScharffenBerger, Guittard and Bonnat. May I add another? A small, artisan chocolate that is made in small batches right here in the United States? And that will have your friends begging for more? AMANO ARTISAN CHOCOLATE. My only disclaimer is that I know Art Pollard, Chocolatier. I am a fan of his chocolate and of his vision. His two pure chocolate bars, 70% Ocumare  and a 70% Madagascar just became available to the public. Lucky you. This is pure, uncut, suitable for mainlining with the best of friends...Well balanced acidity. The Ocumare is fruity, the Madagascar is all citrus. Hurry. With great press from places like NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO the word is out. Hurry to order his bars. He produces in small batches only and when he runs out, well, he runs out. But this is chocolate worth waiting for.

eTODO

TODO is a monthly 'urban action guide' that features the best new places to eat, drink and see around San Francisco. We thank the TODO folks for including us in their eTODO on line isssue for February 2007.

POCO DOLCE, A STUDY IN SIMPLE ELEGANCE

Dark. Elegant. Luscious. The three words that come to mind when I conjure up my taste memory of the latest offerings from POCO DOLCE. You may recall seeing their name mentioned in American Vogue this month. They were among the many chocolates ordered up by writer Jeffrey Steingarten for his evaluation. He may not have had space to review all the confections in his possession but he surely missed out by not naming these bonbons among the best. We have loved Kathy Wiley’s Bittersweet Tiles with Sea Salt for a long time. Add the following to the list of favorites.

Turkish Coffee: Dark roasted coffee infused ganache formed into the shape of a stylized coffee bean and thickly enrobed with smooth extra dark chocolate. No cream in this coffee, thanks.

Pistachio: Toasted pistachio pieces in a nutty butter center. The bitter dark chocolate coating offsets the slight sweetness of the pistachio well.

Coconut Almond Praline: The crunchiest of the bon bons. Toasted coconut bits this time in a nutty butter ganache center. Touch of salt to offset the sweetness.

Five Spice Almond: We love the thick mouthfeel of these centers. With the consistency of almond butter (think peanut butter smoothness), subtle five spice infusion and again, we think, a nice sprinkling of salt.

Tangerine: Fresh tangerine flavor is infused into a creamy ganache. This would be an excellent accompaniment to an afternoon cup of Earl Grey or Assam tea.

What all of these confections share, besides remarkable flavor, is a modern form and sense of restraint. Less is so much more here. Not too sweet. Clean, smooth design. Quietly elegant. Visit the website and you will get a sense of how this sense of less is more is carried through in all aspects of presentation and taste. Well done.

Valentine’s Day a.k.a Chocolate Resolve Day

On this most chocolate of holidays may I suggest that you use this opportunity to make your real New Year’s Resolution? The resolution to eat a piece of chocolate everyday. There is a very good chance that you will be presented with a box of chocolates today. If not, go out and buy your own. And spend some good money on it. Skip the drug store sampler and head over to the best confectioner or chocolatier in your city and treat yourself to a dozen or so bons bons or a pure chocolate bar. And when you get home, sit down and enjoy a couple pieces. If you have purchased well, it will be so satisfying that you can now put the box down and save the rest for tomorrow and the next day and so on. Something quite marvelous happens when you eat a piece of good chocolate in the early afternoon. I promise you that it is better than any anti-depressant. Your life will change if you give yourself the gift of chocolate. Mine surely has. Happy Valentine’s Day!

JOIN US TODAY FOR ITALIAN WINES, AMEDEI CHOCOLATE AND BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS

Join us this afternoon from 4 to 6 pm at BIONDIVINO Wine Boutique on Russian Hill. Owner Ceri Smith will be pouring Italian wines. I will be behind the AMEDEI chocolate table where I will be talking about how to taste and derive as much pleasure as possible from a piece of AMEDEI OF TUSCANY chocolate. Amedei was ranked 'Best Chocolate in the World' by the Academy of Chocolate, London at the annual WORLD OF CHOCOLATE AWARDS. Ceri sells the most complete selection of Amedei in San Francisco. Chocolate and wine buying opportunities abound. Liz Rivera of URBAN DAHLIA NYC/SF will be present to take flower orders for Valentine’s Day. $5.00 tasting fee.

BIONDIVINO WINE BOUTIQUE, 1415 Green Street, SF, 94109, 415.673.3230.

I AM A CHOCOHOLIC

Read all about it on LEITE'S CULINARIA.  David's site won the 2006 James Beard Award for Best Internet Food Web Site. 

PAIRINGS

Welcome to Pairings where we focus on the pairing of specific chocolates with wines and spirits...

I do not know if the first person to suggest pairing chocolate with red wine was a marketing guy (or gal) trying to figure out how to unload a surplus of Cabernet Sauvignon (or worse, Cold Duck) around Valentine’s Day. Or if it was a drunken chef’s glass of red wine spilled into a bowl of ganache that he was then forced to christen ‘dessert’? No matter. What I do know is that it is not my favorite pairing with chocolate. In fact, I don’t like it at all. Neither the Cabs nor the chocolate win. Mostly the wine comes out tasting sour and the chocolate tastes too sweet. What a waste of two great foods. The only time it is worth pairing a chocolate with any libation is when it is an intelligent pairing that enhances the qualities inherent in both the chocolate and the beverage.

I predict that along with saving the rainforest, the world’s near fanatical interest in chocolate will also result in an increase in the popularity of Madeira. I grew up with a bottle of Madeira always present on the sideboard in our dining room. A place of honor. (My family is from Madeira, a small volcanic island 400 miles off the coast of North Africa and considered part of Portugal). The process of making Madeira is unusual. Madeira is fortified with grape brandy and then allowed to ferment before it is heated and held at approximately 115 degrees for six months. There are four distinct styles of Madeira based on grape varietal. One of my favorites is the Malmsey as presented by Bartholomew Broadbent in his Broadbent Ten Year Malmsey . Paired with a high percentage cacao milk chocolate like GUITTARD'S 38% Cacao or EL REY'S 41% Cacao this combination is smooth caramel bliss. The sweetness and acidity are a perfect match as are the slightly viscous mouthfeel of the Madeira and the creamy milk chocolate.

Dark chocolate your preference? Broadbent Auction Reserve Port (Douro Valley, Portugal) is an elegant medium-bodied port that is the perfect chaperone to pair up with your favorite 70% plus cacao plain chocolate bar. One of my favorites is to pair it with a 75% Nacional Arriba cacao from Ecuador, Plantations Chocolate. The floral nose of this single varietal chocolate and port pair beautifully. A very romantic duo.

A note about tasting method:

When pairing chocolate and wine take a small bite of the chocolate, allow it to melt on your tongue and then move it around your mouth so that it coats all surfaces. Then take a sip of wine. Allow the wine to move around your mouth. Where is the bang? In the beginning, middle or end? And is it a long or short finish? What flavors linger in your mouth after you have swallowed?

When choosing a pairing on your own remember to match sweetness and acidity.

Live today at 3!

Join us today on ABC local station KGO’s THE VIEW FROM THE BAY  where I will be demonstrating how to make the amazing ‘Chocolate and Sea Salt Cookies’ recipe that I developed a couple of years ago. If you aren’t near a television you can watch it streaming live!

Here is a sneak preview of the recipe:

Chocolate and Sea Salt Cookies yield: 30

3 cups chocolate chips or your favorite premium dark chocolate chopped into small chunks

¼ c (2 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ c brown sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

½ c flour

¼ tsp baking powder

1 ½ c chopped walnuts

Maldon Sea Salt (flaky sea salt)

1.Place 1 1/3 cups of chocolate chunks in a bowl and melt in microwave or over a double boiler.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs and vanilla extract. Set aside. Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside.

3. Once chocolate has melted, stir in butter until completely incorporated. Add brown sugar, egg and vanilla mixture, mixing well. Add the flour mixture, mixing until smooth.

4. Stir in remaining chocolate chunks and chopped walnuts. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a small ice cream scoop (capacity about a heaping tablespoon), scoop on to a greased baking sheet. Flatten with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle generously with fleur de sel then pat in gently. Bake on middle rack of oven for 13-14 minutes. Remove from oven. Rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool.