THE CHOCOLATE ADVENTURE RECIPE CONTEST

What a way to spend a Sunday afternoon! TuttiFoodie.com founder, Lisa Schiffman, hosted a delicious event for the press at restaurant Rubicon. Why? To kick off the first ever Scharffen Berger and TuttiFoodie.com recipe contest for the home cook (press release below). Marcia Gagliardi, The Tablehopper, was the charming facilitator (why hasn’t someone tapped this gal for her own show? Are you listening, Food Channel?). The afternoon started off with a guided tasting of chocolate by Scharffen Berger’s affable co-founder John Scharffenberger. Then Rubicon’s truly gifted pastry chef, Nicole Krasinski, presented her rift on chocolate. She made us all very happy. I still can’t get the smirk off my face. Hard to believe this stuff is still legal...

What we really like about this recipe contest is that it is giving home cooks the encouragement to really stretch their imaginations with ingredients that are not usually found in the average home pantry. Our big hint to those that may want to go the baking route, check out Alice Medrich’s cookbook BITTERSWEET. She addresses many of the issues inherent in working with the higher percentage cacao chocolate in a baking context. Good luck, Culinary Muse and Art of Tasting Chocolate readers! Make me proud!

WHAT: "THE CHOCOLATE ADVENTURE" RECIPE CONTEST

Home cooks are invited to create original, exciting recipes combining Scharffen Berger chocolate with one or more of twenty ‘adventure’ ingredients. The recipe may be for any course: appetizer, entree, dessert, or drink.

WHO:Sponsored by Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker and TuttiFoodie.com weekly food lover’s guide.

WHEN: Contest starts September 1, 2007, 12:00 a.m. Pacific and ends December 1, 2007, 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Winners will be announced on or about January 20, 2008.

HOW: Recipes may be submitted online at www.ChocolateAdventureContest.com

ADVENTURE INGREDIENTS: Combine Scharffen Berger chocolate (cacao content between 62% and 99%) with one or more of these twenty ‘adventure’ ingredients:

1. Amchur powder (an Indian spice used to add acidity to stews, soups and fillings)

2. Ancho chili powder

3. Cacao nibs

4. Cardamom

5. Cloves

6. Curry

7. Ginger

8. Green tea

9. Grapefruit

10. Lavender

11. Lemongrass

12. Lemon verbena

13. Mastiha (aka mastic gum), woody, lightly bitter spice with hints of mineral, Greek

14. Quince or quince paste

15. Pomegranate

16. Rosemary

17. Saffron

18. Sea salts

19. Star anise

20. Wasabi

JUDGING: Recipes will be judged on creativity, taste, ease of preparation and appearance. Judges include renowned chef and author Alice Medrich, Scharffen Berger bean specialist Brad Kintzer and TuttiFoodie founder Lisa Schiffman.

PRIZES:

> Grand Prize Winner will receive $5,000 and the winning recipe with be served during the month of February 2008 at Café Cacao, located at the Scharffen Berger factory in Berkeley, CA.

> Second place winner will receive $1,000

> First, second and third place recipes will be featured in the Scharffen Berger e-newsletter and on TuttiFoodie.com.

> All winners will receive a signed copy of The Essence of Chocolate, the 2007 James Beard award-winning cookbook by company founders John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg, and a custom Scharffen Berger baking kit personally selected by John Scharffenberger.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Complete contest details: www.ChocolateAdventureContest.com

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker: www.ScharffenBerger.com

TuttiFoodie: www.TuttiFoodie.com