Ingredients Make it or Break It
by Kathy Aarons
One thing I’ve learned from researching chocolate-making for my book, Death is Like a Box of Chocolates, (and I’ve done a lot of research J) is that the quality of ingredients is the most important, well, ingredient in the outcome.
Of course, the base chocolate you use is critical. Chocolatier Isabella Knack uses Felchlin for much of her products. I’d been experimenting with her recipes that she provided for my book –more are available in her chocolate-making classes – using whatever I could find at my local grocery store, even springing for the Ghirardelli brand. And then I tried the Felchlin.
Wow! The difference was amazing!
Don’t get me wrong – pretty much all chocolate has something to offer. (Except for maybe Butterfingers, but that’s a personal prejudice. J) But the more I sampled from different chocolatiers, and the more I made myself, a few subtle and not-so-subtle qualities came through.
Of course, the flavor was critical – the depth of the cocoa itself and the notes of vanilla, berry, coffee, and other spices that depend on where the cocoa was grown. But the next factor of importance to me was the “mouth feel” — how creamy the chocolate felt while melting on my tongue without being pasty or sticky. And third, the aftertaste. Did it continue to taste just like chocolate as it melted or did it turn bitter? I didn’t mind good bitter (like a great cup of coffee) but bad bitter (like medicine) was not for me.
Chocolate connoisseurs also evaluate the sheen and color of the chocolate, the way a bar cracks when you break it, the feel of the chocolate when you touch it, and more. But to me, flavor –which is subjective and totally personal — is paramount.
Following is one of Isabella’s recipes that makes awesome Lavender Truffles. I experimented with a variety of chocolate brands and my favorite was Felchlin.
Enjoy!
Lavender Truffles
Recipe by Isabella Knack
Ingredients:
12 fresh lavender flower heads (can also use dried)
1/3 cup heavy cream
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions:
1. Place the flower heads and cream in a small pot. Heat on high until cream starts to simmer and melt the butter in the mixture. Take off heat and set aside to steep for 15 minutes.
2. Divide the chocolate into two equal 5 ounce portions, and set one portion aside.
3. Heat up the cream mixture again and, using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the cream into the chocolate in a small mixing bowl; discard the flower heads and bits of lavender.
4. Stir the cream and chocolate together until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until somewhat firm, but not hard, for about 1 hour.
5. Melt the other half of the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments until liquid.
6. Line a baking sheet with a piece of waxed paper. Roll the lavender mixture into 1 tablespoon-sized balls, and dip into the melted chocolate mixture using a skewer or toothpick. Place onto the prepared baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to harden.
About the Author:
Kathy Aarons is the author of Death is Like a Box of Chocolates, the first in the CHOCOLATE COVERED MYSTERY series by Berkley Prime Crime. It will be available at your local bookstore, Amazon and Barnes and Noble on September 2nd.
Research for the series was such a hardship: sampling chocolate, making chocolate, sampling more chocolate, and hanging out in bookstores.
After growing up in rural Pennsylvania and attending Carnegie Mellon University, Kathy built a career in public relations in New York City. She now lives in San Diego with her husband and two daughters where she wakes up far too early, and is currently obsessed with the Broadway Idiot documentary, finding the perfect cup of coffee, and Dallmann’s Sea Salt Caramels.
You can follow Kathy on Facebook or Twitter or visit her at: www.kathyaarons.com.
Whether it’s to satisfy a craving for chocolate or pick up the hottest new bestseller, the locals in charming West Riverdale, Maryland, are heading to Chocolates and Chapters, where everything sold is to die for…
Best friends Michelle Serrano and Erica Russell are celebrating the sweet rewards of their combined bookstore and chocolate shop by hosting the Great Fudge Cook-off during the town’s Memorial Day weekend Arts Festival. But success turns bittersweet when Main Street’s portrait photographer is found dead in their store, poisoned by Michelle’s signature truffles.
As suspicion mounts against Michelle, her sales begin to crumble and her career seems whipped. With Erica by her side, Michelle must pick through an assortment of suspects before the future of their dream store melts away…
Jennifer’s Review of Death Is Like A Box of Chocolates
Review (4 Stars): Michelle and Erica have created the perfect business in West Riverdale; a bookstore with a chocolate shop that have all the locals raving. Michelle has been looking forward to participating in the Great Fudge Cook-off when a friend is found dead in their shop, poisoned by Michelle’s own truffles. To clear her name and the reputation of her business, Michelle must team together with Erica and her brother to find the true killer before the negative publicity causes their business to go up in smoke.
I love culinary mysteries especially ones that deal with my favorite food, chocolate. This mystery was a winner for me because it had chocolate, books and a good-looking love interest. I liked Michelle and Erica together as a team because they were best friends and business partners and they just had this easy relationship with one another that I was a little envious of. The mystery was well-written and I’m excited to see what happens to these characters in the rest of the series. Death Is Like A Box of Chocolates is a mystery that you can definitely sink your teeth into and will have readers clamoring for more.
I love the title. I am surprised that this wasn’t use as a title for a mystery until now.