A fragrant gift from an old comrade.

My dear friend, David Romanelli, has the knack for finding me the perfect gifts. I suppose it is a sign of our long and strong friendship. On the wall of my office is a rare, signed Bob Marley album that inspires my work and reminds me of my bond with Yeah Dave, yogi extraordinaire.

After a trip to Portland, Oregon, David surprised me with a specialty salt that he uncovered in a little, fantastical shop The Meadow on 3731 N. Mississippi Avenue. The Iburi Jio Cherry salt has a unique smoked cedar aroma. Have you ever been on a ski trip and noticed at the end of the day, as you walk back to your chalet, that dry smoky wood smell in the air mixing with the aroma of fresh snow? Tired winter sportsmen have ignited mountain forest wood to warm their extremities and in doing so, they send smoky fumes up through their chimneys. When I close my eyes and breathe deeply from this jar of salt, that is the memory my mind conjures.
How to use this aromatic salt? It is good on everything from reindeer meat to stream river trout.

Once you’ve used one salt, you have not used them all.

A simple formula: NaCl. Together, the elements sodium and chlorine form molecules of salt. This happens all over the world, in the seas, on land and in caves. Salt is a magical mineral that has such a deep role in our lives, far beyond the pleasure it produces on the palate. The very cells of our bodies swim in a saline solution, tying us to the vast oceans from where we are believed to have evolved.

Much like grapes, various salts have terrior picking up the aromas and flavors of the land and surroundings where it is formed. After salt is gathered in its natural form, the mineral can be smoked and finessed to create additional flavor profiles.

I have always used salt to counteract the sweetness in chocolate. But, a handful of years ago, my exploration of salt became more specific. Just as I match the proper chocolate with each recipe, a salt is also specified for each creation and carefully chosen for its flavor characteristics. Delicate Pink Himalayan salt balances the crunchy, buttery Bapchi’s Caramel Toffee. Large Fleur de Sel crystals crown the Organic Peanut Butter Bonbons offering texture, a welcome crunch and a strong salty balance to the rich peanut chocolate ganache. Alder wood smoked salt brings out the smoky bacon flavor in all my bacon + chocolate creations.

For all who cook, I encourage you to expand your salt repertoire. Once you begin experimenting, you will never go back to a solitary white table salt in your pantry. Start your collection by finding a local spice or specialty food store. You can also order a variety of salts online here or here.

The Search for Natural Peppermint Candy Cane

Peppermint and chocolate always taste good together, but the wonder of the combination is magnified in December by the magic of the holiday spirit. Last year, the peppermint candy cane truffle was such a hit that I upped the ante with a number of additional limited edition peppermint creations.  My favorite, the Chocolate Cameo Ornaments include both milk and dark chocolate combined with all natural candy cane.  For the dark chocolate lovers, you may not be able to stop nibbling our Peppermint Candy Cane Bar in dark chocolate, which comes in both large and miniature form.

I am a stickler about using natural ingredients in the Vosges Haut-Chocolat kitchen. With each new creation, I source specific items with high quality standards.  Usually, this takes a little time, but doesn’t prove overly difficult. Every now and then, I come across a bit of a challenge. It turns out that red food color, so often used in candy canes, is not the most friendly of foodstuffs. But, a substitute is not easily found either!

The commonly used Allura Red AC, also known as Red 40, is made from petroleum and is banned in other countries such as Japan. In our country, it has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in cosmetics, drugs and food and is found in soft drinks, children’s medications, cotton candy and even some tattoo inks. So, some countries say it is harmful and ours believes it is not.  I choose not to take the chance!

Red has always been a color associated with royalty and palaces partly because dying something red was expensive. In some cultures, wearing red clothing was reserved exclusively for royalty. In the 17th century, before synthetic dyes were made, red textiles were colored with a little bug found in the Mexican cactus, the chochineal.

I digress… back to our candy canes.  I finally completed my natural candy cane search with the discovery of a stick that uses beets for the red coloring.  Betanin is a food pigment found in red beets and beet root powder that can give food a magenta hue. For your home holiday baking and cooking requirements, you can find all natural red coloring sugars and more here.

So my point is, you can feel assured that any red in our sugar cookies or peppermint confections are free and clear of the weird stuff.  So tuck a few peppermint candy cane bars in your bag, tuck chocolate cameo ornaments in stockings or bake up some super duper sugar cookies and let the holiday spirit roll.

The Sweet Aroma of Fermentation
It was his grand finale. Jing, an Indonesian spice importer, finished his spice presentation and then carefully pulled out a muslin cloth and laid it on the table in front of me.  Peeling back the cloth, I caught a glimpse of the dry, brown skin.  Jing peeled off the fine, husky shell to reveal a soft, molasses colored garlic clove.  “Just smell it!” he urged.

Black garlic smells sweet but upon first taste I had memories of Australian vegemite. Ordinary, white garlic can be transformed into black garlic through a fermentation process that takes about a month.  Fresh, raw garlic undergoes the process of fermentation (exposure to controlled levels of heat and humidity) for three weeks, and then is left to cool and dry for one week. The sharp and pungent garlic flavors disappear, and what is left is a very earthy, meaty mellowness.  It almost gives off a sweet and savory molasses flavor.  Odors are diminished and the texture becomes that of a smooth jam.

What makes it black?  Garlic contains sugars and amino acids. When garlic undergoes fermentation, these elements produce melanoidin, a dark-colored substance that is responsible for the rich, intoxicating color.

I’ve read that black garlic has twice as many antioxidants as raw garlic, but I know it has also lost all the negative qualities: no more bad breath, pungent odor, or acrid bite!  Black garlic also contains S-Allycysteine, which is fancy talk for a natural compound that has been proven to be a factor in cancer prevention.  The best possible side effect?  In Taoism mythology, black garlic was rumored to grant immortality!

Commonly used in Asian cuisine, black garlic’s popularity has begun to spread all over the world.  It is currently a highly coveted ingredient in many high end restaurants in the United States. I have been experimenting with black garlic and chocolate for some time.  It is an important inclusion in our Cheese + Chocolate Gift Box, which studies fermentation of all kinds.  And, you just may find black garlic in a chocolate bar in the future.

Interested in trying it?  Order some here or here.