Take chocolate seriously – for fun.
Even if it is Easter and you are getting the kids rabbits, bunnies, and eggs – the adults need a bit of chocolate that isn’t covered in pastels. Easter, Father’s Day, Spring, good cups of espresso, the finish to a good meal – whatever you are celebrating- add chocolate and it will be better – and sweeter.
Super Chef turned to Nicole Patel’s Austin, Texas-based Delysia Chocolatier for some surprises and satisfaction.
For Easter, you might want something to wake up your adult taste buds and open your mind to spring. Delysia’s Ghost Pepper Bark fits the bill. It is so intensely hot that you had better share it with someone who adores hot peppers and have at least a gallon on milk on hand to cool both of you down. Delysia claims it is the hottest pepper chocolate in the world – Super Chef believes it.
If you want to wake up your senses, but skip the milk – try the less potent wasabi truffles. They are pretty and a bit more subtle, but with an equally rich, deep chocolate flavor. They are part of the Asian Collection that also includes two other truffles – milk chocolate Coconut, and dark chocolate Five Spice that is a standout for exotic chocolate.
For Father’s Day, choose the Gentlemen’s Collection. It includes three pieces of Scotch flavored chocolates, three Dark chocolates, and three unusual Cigar chocolates – even for a non-smoker, they capture the essence of what makes a cigar smell good, with none of the nastiness of an old stogie. Super Chef asked Nicole how she does it:
Yes – the cigar truffle actually has tobacco in it. I take the cigar, steep it in cream, strain out the tobacco and blend it with 75% bittersweet chocolate. It is one of our more subtle flavors, but you will get a slightly tingling sensation in the back of your throat from the tobacco.
But if Papa would really go for the Scotch, then, the Spirits Collection might be a bigger hit: three Rum, three Bourbon, and three Scotch chocolates. These are not the nasty liquid-filled bottled-shaped cheap chocolates that taste more like cough syrup then anything else. These are delicately flavored ganache-filled truffles with lovely patterns on the tops. Serve them with an after-dinner snifter of Papa’s favorite tipple to remind him of Father’s Day any day of the year.