Trending hugely right now in chocolate pastries and confections: adding a little something unexpected. Right now, you'll see a lot of bacon & chocolate combos (don't shy away- these are usually amazing), vanilla salt & chocolate combos, and spice & chocolate combos. Today, we'll devote some time to explore spice & chocolate and why Sugar Love finds it oh so nice.
The spices you'll find in chocolate today cover a pretty decent spectrum. Cumin, paprika, chipotle, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice are popping up in pastries and candies across the country. The way these spices mingle with the sweet taste of chocolate differs greatly, but all add a spectacular depth and new interest to a standard flavor.
Cayenne pepper spiked dark chocolate treats combine bittersweet flavors with heat. The heat is latent, it hits you right as you swallow and stays with you a little bit longer after that. But the next bite of chocolate soothes the heat. Cinnamon with semi-sweet chocolate adds a heady fall flavor to a regular treat. These flavors are everywhere- candies, cakes, ganaches, fudge, tarts- and they are worth a try.
Let's start with candies and confections.
At your local grocery store, try the candy aisle and look for the more gourmet candy bars. Lake Champlain Chocolates is selling a Grace Under Fire bar that combines dark chocolate, pistachios, red pepper, vanilla and cinnamon flavors in a chocolate bar. Online, try Vosges Chocolates. They have every spice imaginable combined with chocolate it seems. In Pittsburgh, check out Mon Aimee Chocolat in the Strip District. They have a ton of different flavor selections right now themed for spicy chocolate.
At Tamari in Lawrenceville, occasionally for dessert you'll find them serving a chocolate spiced tart. It begins with a dark chocolate cookie crust and then it's filled with a bittersweet chocolate fudge-like ganache cake that is laced with cayenne and cumin. It doesn't hit you until just as you are about to swallow but the spices take the flavor and let it carry just a little bit further. Such a wonderfully fun and spicy tart.
In bakeries across the country, you'll find that Asian 5 spice chocolate cakes are becoming quite popular, as well chocolate chai spice cakes. The trend has made it's way to Pittsburgh, but only weekly at the Dozen Bake shop, who sells a Chocolate Chai cupcake. I tend to find that their daily cupcakes are dry and overly sweet, but it might be worth a shot to try it on a random Wednesday, the only day of the week they sell it.
You might be better off trying to bake a little at your own home. I recommend this recipe from VanillaGarlic.com. They even offer a boxed mix option for the less enthusiastic bakers. Food and Wine Magazine also shares the recipe secrets of Joan Coukos, the head chocolatier at Chocolat Moderne in NYC. These truffles are shockingly easy to make and would be an excellent gift or snacking candy.
My own recipe for chocolate and spicey nice things can be found here. These spiced pear cups are really delicious and are a great cocktail party dessert.
Tamari's Chocolate Spiced Tart on the Sugar Love Scale
Taste ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Texture ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Appearance ♥ ♥ ♥
Overall ♥ ♥ ♥.5
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