No, That is Not Steamy Cream
Like any new babe, these sweet little babies are not quite ready to venture out into the world just yet, well except for maybe a potential sneak peek to some that may find themselves on a Vosges taste-tester list soon. (If you are interested, please email your name and address here. The first 100 lucky people will be put on the coveted list!) Nevertheless, by autumn, you can all be sure to to find a line of vegan truffles that are truly, my new favorite obsession.
The idea has been stirring within for some time as I am a frequent spa-goer and a fan of the master cleanse – so a vegan program is no stranger to me. I felt even more compelled toward the vegan side of things when at Le Cordon Bleu we dealt with every offal, trotter and tongue you could imagine. I often feel caught and suspended, between two worlds. One side is drawn to the decadence of haute cuisine, the indulgence in sumptuous traditions of foie gras and duck fat; while my other half is pulled towards clean, healthy, spare-the-animal, super food love.
It is likely that on a recent trip to We Care Spa in Desert Palm Springs and a visit to the island of free hippie clean eating Kauai, that the reminder and call from the mighty cacao in its purest form hit me over the head. And so my two sides crossed like a solar eclipse. A set of dark chocolate, vegan truffles packed with super foods…Could it be?
To make a traditional truffle, you often add cream to chocolate. So the trick to a vegan truffle is creating a soft, sensuous chocolate bite without any dairy. I started with 100% cacao chocolate another challenge that may lead you to a bitter over note. Instead of cream, I am using coconut milk and some agave for sweetening. But, I just read an article on how agave is actually highly processed and the old agave methods are not used for the widely distributed agave nectar. Still searching, I may be back to Stevia soon.
As for flavors, I am still playing. But, anticipate walnuts, acai rolled in young green mango powder, caramelized cocoa nibs and probably matcha green tea. Looking forward to letting the cat out of the bag tout de suite.
Tags: acai, chocolate, matcha green tea, super food, truffle, vegan, walnut
As a person with food sensitivities it is SO nice that artisan companies like yours take that into consideration!
My family and I have become HUGE fans of your Chocolate creations! Thank you for all you do!
Courtney
Dear Katrina,
I have just found your blog, and am so happy to have done so. My parents found your chocolates at Fox and Obel near Navy Pier six years ago, and sent me a box of my own to celebrate my first Mother’s Day. I loved so much about them: they were made in Chicago (I now live in Nova Scotia, Canada); they were chocolate, which I love; they came in beautiful packaging; they were delicious; but most, they told me a story. You cared about each of the flavors and made me care and taste them, too. I ate one chocolate a day that year, and in the subsequent years, have looked forward to that gift. I have also delighted in seeing your stores popping up at places like O’Hare. I’m so glad that your work and passion have been recognized, and glad to see–as you indicate in this post–that you are continually challenging yourselves.
On a note directly related to your post: Our daughter had a dairy and wheat allergy for the first four years of her life. My continual search for good, tasty food for her means that I really appreciate the importance of the time you are putting into creating a vegan chocolate.
Best wishes,
Kathleen
Ha! Today I just got the bug to find a way to contact Vosges to challenge you to make a vegan treat and found this particular blog. But, not only do I challenge a vegan treat but maybe even raw chocolate (candy bar?) treat. I can tell you as a child I never liked chocolate. Then after college I moved to Chicago and found Vosges. A love for your chocolate was born. I traveled to mexico and had some of their chocolate. So simple but I think by far my favorite way to eat chocolate; just nuts, nibs and sugar! Since then I have kicked the sugar, dairy and grain habit. I agree with the agave reservation and would love to see raw honey or dates uesed in your coconut milk idea! I also have a few other ideas up my sleeve that I would like to toss in as well. Maybe a garden herb collection? Superfoods are great and very exotic and interesting but how about some using garden herbs that we see all the time. Lavender, thyme, rosemary, basil, cilantro, maybe even fresh mint. I am sure there are other lesser known garden herbs that are great that I am not mentioning. I read about a lot of great herbs in a book about how to grow a first aid herb garden. OOH, I also dream of a Lilac infused truffle
Cheers! I love your commitment to wonderful artisan products that challenge!
this is so amazing.
what a treat and combination these will be to experience.
i also search for minimal and yet maximum food experiences all the time.
it is nice to see chocolate in rare forms.
i lived in chicago for 4 years… and fell in love with your products.
thank you for what you do.
it is a true treat.
cheers,
courtney