Stolen from the gods

[Andre]

The pleasure of chocolate and a drink with chocolatier Efrat Hildesshaim

Open your mind and your heart will follow.

Stolen from the gods:

According to an ancient Maya legend, the seed of a cacao plant was stolen from the gods and brought to earth to serve humans for both medicinal and pleasure purposes. The following evening elevated our spirits to the holiest places known and unknown to mankind.

The evening began with an introduction to the world of chocolate that included a little bit of history, major cacao producing countries, and major European suppliers.

The tasting:

The chocolates tasted were freshly produced by super talented chocolatier Efrat Hildesheim except for the following three imported brands:

Starting of with a blind tasting of three dark chocolates: 70%, 70%, and 73%.

Callebaut 70%: Strong cacao powder aroma with hints of new oak dust.

In the mouth the chocolate starts on the dry less creamy side but develops complexity and texture after 4-5 seconds on the tongue to a well-rounded creaminess with a walnuts and Brazil nuts finish. This chocolate contained less cacao butter and more solids than the following two.

Froibe` 73%: Perhaps less aromatic yet more focused aroma of intense dark chocolate.

In the mouth the chocolate appeared sharp with a noticeable acidity that lingered very nicely in the aftertaste. Over all a very well balanced sharp chocolate with a nice lingering aftertaste yet not too complex.

Valrhona 70%: this Creolo based chocolate appeared with an intense dark chocolate aroma [yet less acidic than the Froibe’].

Smooth and creamy in the mouth [4-6 seconds to develop] with a slight orange peal aftertaste.

And now for the matching:

1. Milk chocolate with hot chili peppers served with Kir Royal.

The soft toffee and caramel texture gave little hints of the hot chili. On swallowing the chocolate the chili started signaling in the throat and stated to head back to the front of the mouth like ignited gunpowder ready to explode on a pastoral early spring afternoon. Cool! A sip of the Kir Royal [a blend of French Cremant and crème de Cassis from Dijon] proved a suitable match. The cassis added an extra dimension to the soft caramel texture portraying what a well-suited couple should be like. The law percentage of alcohol kept the hot flavors in place and bubbles helped maintain balance.

2. Lemon flavored white chocolate served with Lion’s Hill cape white, Swartland RSA2003.

The aroma of the chocolate was dominated by sweet vanilla and lemon peal. The chocolate was a bit too sweet for my taste and not something I would have picked for a cold winter evening anyway.

The 70% chenin Blanc and 30% Colombard dominated citrus and namely lemony flavors matched well the chocolate but left a somehow bitter aftertaste.

Matching white wine and chocolate proved extremely difficult though chocolatier Hildesheim enjoyed the combination.

3. Nutmeg and cinnamon flavored 73% bitter chocolate served with Cabernet sauvignon-Merlot Clos de Gat, Ayalon valley 2001.

The chocolate aroma is dominated by cacao, hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. The buttery texture is dominated by nutmeg with a cinnamon finish. An excellent balance between the spices and the chocolate flavors.

The wine chosen to match this chocolate is a combination of 70% cab. and 30% merlot aged for 18 months in new oak. The nose is still a bit closed and is dominated by the new wood. and a somehow dusty finish. In the mouth the wine is dominated by wood that matches the spiced dark chocolate perfectly. After 20 minutes the wine opens up to add to the combination some cassis, forest berries and a bit of pepper with a well balanced acidity. An excellent chocolate that married well this excellent wine.

4. 73% dark chocolate with minced allspice served with Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection, Tsoraa 1995.

Again the combination of the Hildesheim chocolate and the spice proves to be a winner. A smooth buttery and very rich texture is complimented by the masterful addition of this very rich spice in a perfect balance. Tzoraa’s 8-year-old Special Selection Cabernet with its very large quantity of soft ripe tannins, rich texture of dried fruit and long smooth bitter-spicy finish proved a thrilling match. The hot weather Cabernet, aged for 26 month in second year oak and just 12% alcohol was a jackpot. What a way to elevate body and soul. A rich, complex, very well balanced, and exciting match.

5. 73% dark chocolate with minced roasted Colombian coffee served with Port style Miles, Miless winery, Ben Zimra vineyards, upper Galilee.

There isn’t a single doubt in my mind about the ability and very fine taste of the creator of this chocolate. A very complex peppery bouquet joined by the mildly sweet dark chocolate aroma. Smooth, buttery complex with a perfect balance between the rich chocolate texture and the heavily toasted Colombian coffee beans. Very consistent on the tongue. A feast! Miles’s slightly oxidized port like merlot provided just the amount of sweetness, texture and flavors to match Efrat’s masterpiece. The after taste of the port was a bit off and derived this matching from a perfect “10” score, still the clouds were way down there.

6. Orange praline served with Passion fruit liquor, Kibbutz Gaaton.

An extremely thin coating of a Ganache flavored with orange peal.

The nose portrayed dominant dark chocolate aromas with some orange blossom reflections.

The creamy texture of the ganache, complimented by the very thin layer of 73% dark chocolate, created a utopian moment that appealed to all senses simultaneously.

The passion fruit liquor added an extra flavor and finesse. Smooth

Entry, excellent balance and complexity and a smooth consistent

Exit with out the sense of extra cream on the palate some pralines

Might leave. I am sure that when the “gentleman” had his last boxing fight and Sara brightman and Andrea Bocceli sang: “time to say goodbye” he was thinking to himself: no more pain, I am in heaven. In Kurt Vennuguts words: “everything was beautiful and nothing hurt”.

7. Cardamom flavored pralines.

Again an extremely thin layer of dark chocolate envelops a soft ganache rich with very high quality green Cardamom. Nothing came to mind as far as wine or other alcoholic beverage matching came to mind [even though a top quality coffee liquor may have been in place], so I let it be.

Life was never sweeter. A beautiful smile spread on Efrat’s face revealing a perfect set of white teeth. “I am off with my friends now”,

“Can I join? “ I hoped

“We will call you.”

That night was exceptionally long.

Patience is what separates quality from the rest. Dark chocolate needs time to develop in the mouth as opposed to the more popular milk chocolate. Enhancing already complex top quality flavors must be done carefully in terms of balance, complimenting or contrast.

Thanks for reading.

[GordonCooks]

Outstanding - Thanks for something truly unique !

[Andre]

Thank you very much.

[docsconz]

My first thought was that you misplaced this on the wrong board, but then I read on. was I wrong. This must have been a very cool evening.