Decadent, rich, irresistible, addictive – and actually good for you!
It’s a sweet, secretive, passionate love affair that’s finally coming into the open. Aphrodisiac, pep pill, fashion statement, reward and bribe – chocolate is fast taking over the world! You see it everywhere from airport shops to elegant boutiques, from haute cuisine to haute couture, from special cocktail drinks to beauty products.
Yes, the hottest new ingredient in lifestyle is luxury chocolates!
Is chocolate the new black? Sexy models walked the ramp in New York recently dressed in nothing but gourmet chocolate and stiletto heels. The occasion was the runway show at the Chocolate Show in New York which brought together noted fashion designers like Narcisco Rodriguez together with pastry chefs like Martin Howard of Brasserie 8 ½ and Zac Young of Butter to create striking fashions with noted chocolatiers including Knipschildt, Jacques Torres, and Valrhona.
The theme of this tongue-in-cheek, risqué fashion show was Super Heroes and as you sipped your champagne, you had Wonder woman, Batgirl, Xena Warrior Princess, Barbella and X-Men all taking to the runway clad in ingenious outfits, bras and armor crafted out of chocolate. No, viewers were not permitted to take a bite!
The Salon du Chocolat, the creation of Parisians Sylvie Douce and Francois Jeantet, was conceived 14 years ago and now, as the International Chocolate Show, it is fast becoming an addictive annual event held in Russia, France, Japan, the US, Spain and China. “Our goal is to celebrate chocolate, to foster a richer appreciation and understanding for this wonderful, magical substance,” says Douce.
In New York, the show turned the 55,000 square feet of Pier 94 on the waterfront into a veritable Chocolate Country with scores of chocolatiers showing their latest, including Knipschildt Chocolatier, Christopher Norman, Jacques Torres, Francois Payard, Lindt, Valrhona and an entire Italian brigade including Domori, Guido Gobino and Rizzati Cioccolato. Visitors were transformed into blissful kids in a candy store, stopping at scores of booths to sample unending displays of gourmet chocolate from topnotch local and international chocolatiers.
So what’s with this unstoppable chocolate-mania? Well, for one thing, something as sinfully rich as chocolate is actually supposed to be good for you! This proves there is justice in the world. In a world of calories and karma, this rarely happens but several health studies have proven that dark chocolate is a mood enhancer, with several health and beauty benefits.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the benefits come from flavonoids in dark chocolate, a naturally occurring antioxidant that have been associated with a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. One recent study showed that 6 grams of dark chocolate a day, about one square, lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 2 points each. Flavoids may also lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by about 5 points, and have an effect on how the lining of the blood vessels functions.
Robert Sheeler, M.D., a family physician at Mayo Clinic, says that just one square a day, about 30 calories worth, will provide the health benefits. He does recommend chocolate that contains at least 60 percent cocoa. Milk chocolate typically has 15 percent to 25 percent cocoa while dark chocolate tends to have 50 percent to 80-plus percent cocoa.
In recent years, with all the hoopla about its virtues, dark chocolate has become hot and chocolatiers more adventurous in bringing ever more complex and sophisticated flavors to the consumers. The bar has been raised and the big addiction is gourmet dark chocolate, made from a complex juxtaposition of cocoa beans from different estates and mixed with an unlikely blend of ingredients.
“Like wine, cocoa from around the world is enjoyed for its distinct regional flavor profiles,” say Shara Aaron and Monica Bearden in their new book, ‘Chocolate: A Healthy Passion.’ “So distinctive are the differences created by the region as well as the handling of the beans and the making of the chocolate that tastings encompassing a variety of regions are gaining in popularity.” Prime cocoa regions include several countries in South America and Africa, such as Venezuela, Columbia, Ivory Coast in Ghana, and Madagascar.
The fact is that while most chocolates are made with additives, preservations and emulsifiers such as soy lecithin, the new breed of gourmet chocolates is created primarily out of cocoa butter and cocoa liquor, are often hand-made and use exotic spices and rich ingredients. The world of luxury gourmet chocolates is flourishing with star names from France, Italy, the US and England.
We all know Indians adore gold – now they can actually eat it too! DeLafée, based in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, was founded in 2004 by Sebastian Jeanneret and is famous for creating luxury chocolates dipped in 24 karat edible gold. Angelina Jolie, Pierce Brosnan and Cameron Diaz were some of the celebrities who were presented these gold covered chocolates during the Oscar ceremonies a few years back. DeLafée also produces Pure Gold 23.5 karat edible gold in leaf or flake form to sprinkle on your cocktails or gourmet entrees or desserts.
A whopping thousand bucks can get you Noka’s Sky Collection, a 1.5 high Vintages collection of signature boxes containing 224 dark chocolate crafted from 75% dark chocolate made with cacao beans sourced from a distinct cacao estate in Venezuela, Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Trinidad. The Grand Cru Collection includes handcrafted truffles made with single-estate dark chocolate and fresh organic cream.
Chocolatier Katrina Markoff of Vosges Haut Chocolat, recently launched the chocolate and cheese collection of artisan cheeses and truffles which include some intriguing varieties: Rooster has a combination of Taleggio cheese, organic walnuts, Tahitian vanilla bean and 64% bittersweet dark chocolate; Naga comprises of sweet Indian curry, coconut and 41% deep milk chocolate; Balsamico is 12 year aged Modena Balsamic vinegar, Sicilian hazelnuts and 65% dark chocolate. If you want to try a really new flavor, it’s Polline di Finocchio – wild Tuscan fennel pollen and 65% dark chocolate. This haute chocolate collection of 28 truffles is paired with artisan cheeses and retails for $295.
Richart, based in Lyons and Paris, is headed by chocolatier Michel Richart. Richart chocolate is made from 70% Criollo cocoa from Venezuela, considered by many to be the best in the world, and is paired with almonds, raspberries and exotic spices. The cocoa used in each chocolate is finely ground to ensure a smooth taste. Richart chocolates have won the Ruban Bleu, France’s top honor, seven times. If you’re in a luxe mood then get yourself the Petits Richart in a Burlwood Vault, which presents 7 drawers of chocolate complete with temperature and humidity gauges. It costs US $ 825.
Another big name is Debauve & Gallais from Paris, and has a distinguished history, having being appointed the official chocolatier of Louis XVIII, Charles X and Louis Philippe. Its chocolates are low in sugar and high in fine-quality cocoa, and merged with fine ingredients such as Piedmont hazelnuts, Perigord nuts, Turkish raisins, Spanish almonds, Turin chestnuts and Antilles rum. If history is to be believed, the chocolates also had a following within the Russian court, with the tsars traditionally favoring the 99% dark chocolates as an accompaniment to their strongest vodkas.
Godiva Chocolatier, founded 80 years ago in Brussels, Belgium, is also a hot favorite around the world and the famous gold boxes are a must at society events. Recently Godiva introduced its Limited Edition European Dessert Truffles Collection which reinterprets six desserts as decadent Godiva truffles – Lemon Chiffon Cake, Caramelized Apple Tarte, Crème Brûlée, Chocolate Soufflé, Bananas Foster and Black Forest Torte. The flavor of each truffle is a concentrated culmination of a favorite dessert.
More and more, gourmet chocolates are becoming as pricey as jewels. Take the case of Patchi, which is known for its high quality and rich ingredients, as well as its stunning presentation in crystal bowls from Bulgari and Murano. It is headquartered in Lebanon and has boutiques all over the world, including India. A recent Patchi promotion at Harrods in London proved that chocolates are as valuable as gems! A box of just 49 chocolates went for a whopping 5000 pounds! True, each chocolate was decorated with gold, topped with a Swarowski crystal flower, separated by linings of gold and platinum, and wrapped in leather and hand-made silk, but that was literally 100 pounds a bite!
Talking of moola, probably the most expensive chocolate is the one created by Fritz Knipschildt, Maitre Chocolatier of Knipschildt Chocolatier in Connecticut. Each 1. 5 ounce truffle goes for $250. It is hand-crafted using a dark chocolate, classic ganache and a French Perigord truffle. The ganache is made using 71% single bean Ecuadorian dark chocolate mixed with fresh cream that has been infused for 24 hours with the flavor of vanilla pods and pure Italian truffle oil. The ganache is then shaped around the French Perigord truffle, which alone costs up to $1000 a pound, and then dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in cocoa powder. Is it made of gold, you wonder? Well, this precious gem does come in a gold bag!
A favorite in the US is the California-based Chuao Chocolatier which is the creation of Venezuelan chocolatiers Master Chef Michael Antonorsi and his brother Richard, who trace their heritage back to a plantation in Chuao, the cocoa-producing region of Venezula. Their collection of bonbons and truffles include unusual combinations of premium chocolate and natural ingredients. Try Firecracker, a chipotle caramel fudge truffle with popping candy, a hint of salt, and dark chocolate, and Pan Con Chocolate, a dark chocolate bonbon filled with roasted Panko bread crumbs and olive oil ganache with a touch of sea salt.
Unusual blends of chocolate and spices are being used not only in desserts but also in cuisine and drinks by innovative chefs around the world. In New York pastry chef Jehangir Mehta, through his company Partistry, creates Kama Sutra chocolates. The four ganache flavors are each flavored with four different aphrodisiacs – fennel, jasmine, papal, and beetle nut – which were mentioned in the Kama Sutra.
Out in Catskills Mountains of New York, Chocolatier Jeanne Fleming of Chocolate Deities, handcrafts Ganesha, Krishna, and Buddha out of quality Belgian, fair-trade dark, milk and white chocolate, and even sugarless chocolate. Each one comes beautifully wrapped and carries with it the story of that particular deity and implicitly a wish. Fleming recalls how the devotees of Amma, the spiritual mother for many, ordered a large chocolate oval inscribed with the108 names of the Divine Mother for her birthday. Amma, famous for her loving hugs, broke the chocolate into pieces and distributed it amongst her devotees.
Truly, devilishly rich and addictive, Chocolate is the food of the Gods!
© Lavina Melwani
Photo captions: 1, 2, 3 – New York Chocolate Show, 4 – Noka Vintage Chocolates; 5 -Delafee Chocolates; 6- Godiva Decadence Suite; 7-Knipschildt’s truffles. 8- Chocolate Deities.
Photos courtesy: The Chocolate Show and respective chocolate companies.
