Drenched in Chocolate...Again!
Last year I was a chocolate convention neophyte. I left the Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon in a chocolatey haze and required hours of rest and recovery. This year I came armed with key learnings that helped me both survive and enjoy the event. Just in case you have the opportunity to attend one of the regional salons, please take with you these tips:
- Dress lightly. At some point you may feel as though you've succumbed to hot flashes.
- Take the smallest piece of chocolate at every table. No really. We are talking survival here, people.
- Bring a bag. And a credit card. Maybe even some cash. When you discover an amazing piece of chocolate (or 30 of them), you will want to take it home and (maybe) share it with your loved ones.
This year's event featured more than 20 chocolatiers, mostly from the West. A few repeats of last year, but many were new. If the Seattle event is any indication of trend, expect to see these flavors and styles in chocolate shops near you this year:
- Fresh herb- and fruit-infused truffles, especially showcasing local and organic ingredients.
- Truffles adorned with colorful transfers on top. Nearly all truffle-makers used this decorating technique--many more than last year, and it was far more prevalent than the airbrushing that seemed to be everywhere last year.
- Interest in origin chocolate bars continues to grow, with chocolatiers offering increasing variety in the locations represented and in the cacao percentages.
- Use of spices and heat in flavoring truffles and bars continues.
- Wines, cordials, liquors, and even beers showed up as flavorings in the truffles at many tables.
- Salted caramels were showcased at many tables again this year, but with larger variety and experimentation. In several cases both the caramel and the salt presented unique flavors.
I tasted the offerings from nearly every table. It was my duty after all. Here are the chocolatiers that particularly stood out for me--keep an eye out for them at local shops or order their confections online.
Posh Chocolat
Posh Chocolat out of Missoula, Montana, offered a stunning quintet of sea salt caramels, with one particularly noteworthy variation: bacon caramel with applewood smoked sea salt. With the chocolate and bacon combo very much in vogue, I was surprised that this was the only representation at the salon. I tried it (of course) and it was quite remarkable. I've tried several bacon chocolates in the last year or so, always wanting to like them, but never quite getting there. This one I loved! The bacon is a subtle smoky flavor--definitely present, but balanced perfectly with the chocolate. Other caramels in this line include Turkish coffee caramel with Espresso Brava sea salt and Thai peanut caramel with ginger sea salt. Posh also showcased their truffles, adorned with vibrant transfers, and their uniquely-flavored origin bars.
La Châtelaine Chocolate Co.
Hailing from Bozeman, Montana, this chocolatier's selection of chocolates has a French bent and is as luxurious as it is lovely. The husband-and-wife team showcased a wide array of truffles, many with unique and colorful transfers--the prettiest at the show, I thought. My favorite flavors were a huckleberry truffle and a grapefruit truffle. Their kirsh cherry cordial was also a stunner--sophisticated and not too sweet. Their salted caramel was supple and perfectly chewy without sticking to your teeth.
Intrigue Chocolates Co.
The truffles from Intrigue simply wowed me! No fancy presentation here--just classic truffles dusted with cocoa powder. Flavors like mojito, grapefruit, and saint basil were vibrant and pure. The cocoa powder used for dusting had a perfect balance of astringency so you were left tasting the clean flavor infusion rather than the bitter aftertaste you so often get with classic cocoa-dusted truffles. Overall, a small, but impressively crafted selection.
William Dean Chocolates William Dean had a lovely collection of molded chocolates showcasing gorgeous airbrushing (the only dominant airbrushed color at the show this year). In addition to the beautiful technique with the color, the shapes of the chocolates were quite eyecatching--butterflies, spirals, spheres, and more. They also showed off their Maytag blue cheese chocolate, which is mostly what it sounds like, and quite a conversation piece. However, my favorite confection at this table was not chocolate, but their collection of pâtes de fruits. In the realm of fruit candies, these were absolute perfection. They exploded with flavor and seemed to be barely held together by just the smallest amount of pectin necessary, giving them a texture that made them practically burst when you bit into them. Their newest selection features wine infusions and flavors like cassis, kiwi, and passionfruit.
Amano Artisan Chocolate
My favorite story from the salon is that of Amano Artisan Chocolate. I met Amano founder Art Pollard last year, when he was presenting his line of origin bars at the salon. Origin bars seemed to be just coming into popularity at the time and didn't have the pop of the vibrant airbrushed chocolates showcased widely at last year's event. With origin bars as well as chocolate education coming up in many major cities right now, Art's years of dedication to learning about cacao, traveling throughout the world to locate the best chocolate regions, and perfecting his chocolate-making technique, seem to have landed him in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. This year's table at the salon presented his origin bars simply cut into small tasting chunks and accompanied by a mile-long list of awards and a stunning trophy from the recent Academy of Chocolate Awards in London--or the "Olympics of the chocolate world," as Art told me. Amano won one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals. My favorites of Amano's current line-up are the Madagascar 70% cacao dark chocolate bar (the gold medalist) and the Jembrana 30% cacao milk chocolate bar (bronze medal). Congratulations to Art and everyone at Amano on their success!
So, that's a wrap for another year at the Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon. I'm already looking forward to next year's event! See you there? Maybe a few more photos to get you in the mood:
--KitchenMaus
All photos taken by KitchenMaus. Please click on any image to view a larger version.
SEO Jaipur on July 15, 2009 at 04:52 AM
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jondugan on July 16, 2009 at 01:15 PM
HEY! this blog is really cute and informative. i just read a bunch of articles. keep up the good work! check out a local chocolatier, one of my favorites near me, Enjou Chocolat. their stuff is delicious!
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