Your right. I even explained to people not to think of them as candy. Of course, if I had sprinkled salt on top or added bacon, they'd have gobbled them up.
People have expectations that chocolate will always be sweet. I've eaten unsweetened chocolate bars (or pieces of them, and only if it's REALLY good stuff) by choice, because I wanted something less sweet. No one eats a potato chip and complains that it's not sweet because the expectation is that it will be savory, but with chocolate, they always expect it to be sweet. Takes a more open-minded chocolate eater to be receptive to chocolate as an ingredient in more savory stuff.
I made some mole truffles once. They had cinnamon, clove, chilies, cumin, sesame, tomato paste. I was going for a savory hors d'oeuvre kind of thing, only slightly sweet. I tried them out at work but nobody liked them. maybe it was the onion and garlic. I loved them though. I also did coconut and green curry paste white chocolate ganache. Again, they hated it, I loved it. Go figure
Hi Everyone,
This is a really amazing thread I am glad I have found it. I have just set up a chocolate company and I thought my flavours were brave, how wrong I was. Some of these flavours sound truly amazing, the olive in white chocolate sounds really good. It makes my flavours such as dulse seem a bit boring! I will go back to the drawing board and re double my efforts. Has anyone tried or heard of a smocked chocolate before? I wounder if that would work...
Melbourne's Chocdiva Dr hanna Frederick Famed for her innovative chocolate creations, Dr Hanna Frederick of Mmor Chocolates & High Tea Szaln is back to her creative best, this time creating chocolates infused with red wine from McLaren Vale, South Australia.
Mmor's Red Onion Confit and Poached Pear Chocolate Truffles Hanna isnt your average chocolatier. A food chemist by profession, she loves a culinary challenge and has already brought the world Kangaroo salami chocolate, beer infused chocolate, garlic chocolate, and even aphrodisiac chocolate to rave reviews.
Now she turns her attention to the produce of her adopted country along with the flavours of red wines from the greatest wine region in the world along with spicy and delicious local ingredients.
The wines of Australia are just extraordinary, says Hanna. Weve done chocolate wine-matching before, but never with wine-flavoured chocolate, so we thought, lets do it!
She partnered with a local wine distributor Re-Find Wines for the project, eventually opting for a Way Wood Shiraz 2009 (McLaren Vale) as the perfect ingredient for her chocolate creations.
And after a month of experimentation, the result is two outstanding examples of chocolate couture that would inspire any dedicated foodie.
Hannas Mmor Red Onion Comfit Chocolate Truffle has glorious Way Wood Shiraz, balsamic vinegar, and orange marmalade tastes.
And her finale, the Mmor Poached Pear Chocolate combines Shiraz with lemon, cinnamon, Victorian Pepperberry, and well-ripened, locally grown Corelli pears.
Hanna said that the ingredients certainly presented their challenges, but likewise inspired surprising results.
We had so much fun creating these chocolates, making sure that there were many delicious flavours, but ensuring that the rich tones of the Shiraz shone through, says Hanna.
We couldnt add cream to some of the ingredients, so experimented with spring water instead, which resulted in a wonderfully tasty, yet low-fat chocolate in fact both chocolates are able to be labeled Vegan, something we intend to do a lot more!
They may be the first of many Vegan truffles in Melbourne?! said Hanna.
Andrew Wood, wine maker for Way Wood and sommelier, praised the complementary wine and chocolate making philosophy and noted the subtleties of the Mmor wine match.
We were just delighted by the chocolate creations Hanna developed from our Way Wood Shiraz, says James Atkinson of Re-Find Wines.
Hannas abilities with chocolate are un-matched and it is an honour to see her in action with our Shiraz.
We often say that there are chocolate notes in our Shiraz, but now we can say there is Shiraz in our chocolate! he said.
For more information or high resolution photos, contact:
Dr Hanna Frederick; Mmor Chocolates & High Tea Szaln ; Ph: +61-3-9419-3869 or Mobile +61-435-622-446 , email: hanna@mamorchocolates.com
153 Johnston Street, Collingwood (Melbourne), VIC 3066 Australia
James Atkinson; Re-Find Wine, Rediscover Real Australian Wine; Mobile: 0408377702 ; email: refindwine1@gmail.com
Oh my goodness Gerry, that sounds amazing! I'm so impressed and intrigued. If I ever get to the Philippines, I'llhave to come visit.
Oh wow! Can you imagine those doughnut holes with anchovies stuck through them that they serve at the restaurant Noma in Copenhagen dipped in chocolate? !!!
This thread is truly inspiring. I can see Ihave a lot of tasting to do. Thanks everyone forhelping me prove my theory - chocolate goes with everything!
Al Nassma also makes chocolates with higher (up to 30 % if i recall) camels milk powder - i'd recommend trying it if you get the opportunity.
This weekend I tried making a few truffles such as a wasabi ginger truffle, ancho chili and cayenne truffle - made my own halvah and then prepared a halvah choco truffle - much better Halvah then the store bought - I like to work with spices - like fennel and sea salt - that has been received well. Also spicy chili mango with pepitas and sea salt - in bittersweet chocolate - I was busy this weekend - 
Ggirl - I like working with basil and sage would be interesting... I love the smell of fennel when I am toasting it -before I use it in a recipe....even tried making a curry with hot and sweet curry powder in dark chocolate - trying it out on my clients this week....
The only camel's milk chocolate I've tried is Al Nassma. Ironically, I brought a bar to work today. Only 2% camel milk powder, so not sure if what I'm tasting is camel milk or the honey they also add to it, but it's interesting.
Camel's milk chocolate can be very delicious. As with all milk chocolates, the final flavor depends as much on the other ingredients and the process as it does the source of milk - but if done right, it makes a beautiful product.
The strangest chocolate things i've ever had? Bacon grease enrobed in milk chocolate (a Georgian - the country, not the state) favorite), and chocolate covered squid.
Although by now it is old news, one has to admit that the first time they saw a Voges Chocolate Bacon Bar they likley raised an eyebrow. I know I did, and then Iwas hooked after one bite! John R.
I made a wasabi pea praline for fun, it was a very interesting flavour. Would I make it again, probably not unless specifically asked as it was a very unique taste. One was enough for me. Although some of my asian friends enjoyed them significantly more then I did.
I made the garlic chocolate truffle last night - but I added sea salt - some loved it and others passed on it. I made a panko with sea salt chocolate truffle and it was Ok - but nothing special.
The halavah with chocolate sounds great!
Hello All
Am new to your forum and new to the business of chocolate truffles. Been making truffles since 2001 and gave to family and friends and later to clients and decided that this would be a good year to start a business in chocolate. So any advice or comments are welcomed. Your subject today is Weird Flavors and Inclusions in Chocolate - several of the truffles I prepare are made with fennel and ginger and sea salt, cayenne and chili powder, basil and cinnamon, thyme, pop rocks, balsamic, halavah, cardamon and saffron and more -
Trained as a food chemist, Melbourne's Chocolate Diva, Dr Hanna Frederick, is now consulting with large chocolate companies on her theories of taste and sensory analysis.
"Shes pioneered beer-flavoured chocolate and kangaroo and venison salami chocolate, so what could Hungarian-born chocolatier Hanna Frederick come up with next? Here are four recent taste sensations.
Mmor Mountain Goat High Tail Ale Chocolate Truffle Hanna finally uncovered the secret of how to coax malt to compete . . . and win . . . against dark chocolate. The result is pure harmony! It's Mmor's Mountain Goat Hightail Beer Truffle . We have tried beers from all over the world, but we found the perfect one here in our own backyard in Melbourne, says Melbourne's Choc Diva Dr Hanna Frederick. The new dark chocolate truffle is being rolled out for Good Beer Week in Melbourne. Mountain Goat Hightail is an English-inspired Amber Ale, light copper to light brown in colour, with a balance of caramel and malty flavours. Hanna, a trained food chemist, found a trick that allows the floral components of the 71% Dark Belgian Callebaut chocolate to come through to match the strong hoppy and malty notes. The Hightail Chocolate Truffle has its own nose too. You can smell a mixture of toffee and fruit aromas with a lovely aromatic lift. Burnt phenolic even nicotine characters with fresh slightly sweet flavours.
Mmor's Dracula's Last Kiss Garlic Truffle Draculas Last Kiss - garlic chocolate truffles with dark moulded lips and white chocolate fangs! It is a whole new world of flavours, said Hanna, whose company Mmor Chocolates in now Collingwood is world renowned for exciting chocolate ideas. It took me back to my Transylvanian heritage to create a vampire-killing flavour, she said. Her result is an extraordinary taste sensation of luxurious chocolate paired with the tangy taste of roasted garlic.
Mmor's Ghost Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Draculas Last Kiss complements her other Halloween truffle, the famous American Pumpkin Pie flavour, shaped in the head of a ghost featuring real baked pumpkin filling, with cinnamon and other sweet pie flavours. I love it, says Hanna. I think there are so many more opportunities for these kinds of flavours!
Mmor Kangaroo Salami chocolate Another taste sensation is the amazing Kangaroo Salami chocolate . Using smoked salami from a bespoke producer in South Australia, some people find this to die for. It is especially good before dinner as a starter or hors d'oeuvre. You can taste little bits of meat along with some amazing smoke and chilli.
Trained in chocolate-making in Australia, Hungary, and New Zealand, Dr Hanna Frederick is a former food chemist who gave up the corporate life to follow her passion and make chocolate. Her Collingwood Mmor Chocolates Szaln, where the window is dressed up with pumpkins, jack o lanterns and spider webs, produces more than fourty flavours. Hanna has made headlines around the world with her innovations, as her website shows . Her beer-chocolate mentioned in the New York Times and her aphrodisiac-chocolate made with exotic herb Tongkat Ali was reported in the USA and Europe on the Fox news network.
Hanna lovingly calls her taste sensations couture chocolat , as you'll see in her blog "My Philosophy of Couture Chocolate" . Chocolate is the ultimate pleasure-food, she says. There will never be enough ways to indulge in this gorgeous elixir. And if garlic is not your thing, try the spring season flavours: Jasmine Tea, Lavender, Rosewater Cardamom, all topped with edible flowers. Here you can see Hanna applying the fresh dried Jasmine blossoms."
I love ginger and chocolate! The first time I tried it was weird, but interesting - I didn't like it, but the flavor was sort ofhaunting. Now I can't get enough of it.
Turmeric sounds cool. If nothing else, it will be very bright in color!
Absolutely agree! That is the logic behind my pricing (and eating!) too. That said, some 'groceries' (well put!) are pretty involved. We do a candied ginger that starts with organic young ginger and after peeling, chopping, candying, drying, and getting it into a bite sized chunk of chocolate that actually looks pretty... Let's just say I'm overjoyed when people will pay top dollar for it!
As to weirdest inclusion, where I live the only one doing novel chocolate making is... me, so if I want something weird I have to make it. I haven't actually tried it before but I have turmeric root paste waiting in the fridge to become ganahe ... Should be interesting.
These sound great. I must admit -- not sure if anyone else feels the same -- but when I pay high-end prices for good chocolate, interesting flavors are awesome to have, but I'd prefer not to have a lot of groceries mixed in. Paying in excess of $50 per pound of chocolate is one thing, but I don't like paying that much for all the lower-priced "particulates", reason being that I'm actually getting less chocolate.
