Location: Mykonos, Greece

At Ornos Beach on Mykonos,  where all the gorgeous yachts seem to pull up, there is a restaurant amongst a touristy spot just steps from the beach that you can tell is the one where the locals frequent. It is called Porto Ornos Restaurant and Bar. The service is nothing to speak of but, the moussaka was the best my lips have ever encountered. Fluffy, soft, rich mashed potatoes atop thick, juicy, olive oil baked eggplant and small delicate crumbles of hours roasted lamb with a gorgeous confited in sweat fat-filled and tart tomato sauce.

It was divine, truly. I ate it with many breaths of disbelief in between each slowly fork risen bite.

Location: Madrid, Spain

They like their Jamón Ibérico in Madrid, Spain served in white coats and ties.

Jamón Ibérico de bellota is the finest form of this decadent ham and made from at least 75% black Iberian pig, also called the cerdo negro (black pig).  They are named for the unusual black color of the pig’s nails hence, another name pata negra.  They are so sought after, there have been cases of counterfeit pigs with manually painted black nails! From the moment these special Iberian hogs, descendant of native Iberian wild boar, are born, they are treated royally, allowed to roam free in their oak forest and fed only acorns in their last months before their sacrifice.

When their time comes, they are sacrificed, salted and hung up to cure for two to four years. While they hang in the mountain air, the hams lose 20-40% of their weight. Unbelievably, the curing process converts much of the remaining fat of the ham into a good-cholesterol type fat, much like extra virgin olive oil!

Jamón Ibérico only accounts for about 8% of Spain’s cured-ham production and is not widely available abroad.  It has only been available in the United States since 2007.  What a treat it was upon arriving in Madrid to enjoy this special delicacy in a very traditional restaurant like Casa Lucio. I wasn’t the only one who appreciated it…

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.

A Little Peek Into My Office

People often ask me about my office and where I work. Since I am regularly traveling or on the go, I work like most people these days – in my car, on planes, at the kitchen table and sometimes at our corporate office. The last year has been a bit different since the arrival of my little angel, now 7 months old. I’ve been learning how to juggle even more things from more locations.

Our corporate office, kitchen and shipping facility is in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood alongside the river. My office is not very large but has many windows with a view of the river where I occasionally see a lone kayaker on an industrial barge. Almost always, I have trays of chocolate concoctions awaiting my revisit. Each new product usually requires many rounds of trials as I taste, test, adjust, add and experiment. All tasted at different times of the day to get a true sense of the parfum.

So I look, smell, snap, taste and feel at all hours and write my feelings.

Along the length of one wall is my inspiration board. It holds layer upon layer of papers, clippings, tear sheets, packages, drawings and paintings that inspire me or drive my creative process. Also pinned on the wall is a 5-foot poster of Bob Marley and one of Erykah Badu saying control freaque. Music is a constant source of relaxation and energy and often serves as a catalyst for my creativity.

The newest additions to my work world are the crib and baby gear. My son doesn’t come to work with me full time but makes regular appearances. My Twilight poster featuring Edward hangs right above the crib where the babe gazes up, dreaming of developing such a head of hair.

For me, it is important to be surrounded by things that keep me leaping from one opposite idea to the next and all with a good vibe. My success relies on my ability to create. With cell phones, many responsibilities and now motherhood, it can be hard to find the needed time and inspiration. I am currently working on creating better time outside of the office to revitalize and find inspiration so that my time inside the office is all the more successful for it.

Hmm wish me luck ~ Who knows how to do this gig anyway?

Why CAN’T we eat cookie dough anyway?

There is Sukiyaki, spaghetti carbonara, eggs over easy, health drinks with a whole egg, Pisco sours, Caesar dressing all of which use raw eggs. So why must it be so taboo in the category cookie dough consumption?

As described in my previous post, I have been doing a LOT of baking of late. Dozens of batches of brownies, cakes and cookies have traveled through my kitchen. There is almost a permanent aroma of ‘baked good’ in my home – not a bad thing.

Over fifty batches of cookies have resulted from over fifty bowls of cookie dough. And, you can bet that a nibble or thirteen from every single batch has gone down my hatch. Though every time I bite, a cautionary voice bellows in my head, “Don’t eat that cookie dough. There are raw eggs in that there dough, you could get salmonella! Then maybe the baby will get it or it will poison the milk…”

The key is fresh eggs. And, I suppose all fresh eggs come with a slight risk and so does starting a business, … so? When faced with this risk, I am going to let fate have its way with me and take my chances

A Sprinkle, dash and flash into the oven, check your temperatures, calibrate your range and load up on chocolate chunks, but be sure to spread the batter evenly, choose the right amount of gluten and prick the top to know when to start the cooling.  These are the things that accumulate my hours of late as I develop this new line of baking mixes set to hit this fall.

Last year, I developed Mo’s Bacon Chocolate Pancake Mix to bring my original bacon + chocolate concept back to its roots in Ft Wayne Indiana on the side of the highway.  It all began with chocolate chip pancakes lingering with drizzles of maple syrup and strips of sizzling hot bacon on my childhood breakfast plate.  The response to the pancake mix has been uplifting and inspiring.  I have always enjoyed customer feedback but the comments, questions and suggestions from people who have been mixing, flipping and serving these pancakes has added a new level of engagement with customers.  It is a more of a two-way street as we must both put in effort, working together, before the final product is ready for tasting.

The development of mixes is very different than the development of a new truffle or candy bar.  Knowing that someone will take these ingredients into their kitchens and produce the final product him or herself means a new type of information must be provided… instructions!  In developing the pancake mix I found that separating the yolks and whites of the eggs made a big difference and that mixing the batter too much released the precious air bubbles caused by the baking soda resulting in flat flapjacks.  Added hints and tips along the way made the directions a bit longer but also revealed some great tricks of the trade. My hope is that there is no guessing involved in how things should look.

Though not quite like cooking together, this new relationship with home cooks has been inspiring and fun.  I start the process and send it out in the world for others to help finish and also add their personal touch.  Baking mixes open up room for more creativity from people like you.
Always motivated by a challenge, I found the chemist in me stimulated as I work towards the perfect baking mixes. In the past months, I have likely made over one hundred batches of cookies.  The scientific aspect of baking, the portions, ingredients, processes, temperatures and even the perfect size cookie scoop can make all the difference.

I look forward to working together with you in just a few months. Until then, I will continue to make dozens more batches of brownies, cookies and cakes, honing the ingredients and noting the tips and tidbits that will help make them divinely delicious.

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.

Hot Spanish Chorizo Meets Chocolate and the Yolk

My first foray with chorizo and chocolate came with this recipe for Bacon Bar and raw and soft Chorizo Stuffed Dates baked with Spicy Oaxaca Red Sauce.  In this latest experiment, I wanted to simplify and break it down as a quick umami seduction.  Ingredients are always important but for this, the right ingredients are CRITICAL. Below are links and exact ingredients and if you follow them… I promise that you will find yourself in a new realm of flavor phenomenon.  The combination of spicy Spanish chorizo atop a slick of tart 74% dark chocolate and a cushion of freshly baked Spanish bread will blow your mind. Seriously, I’m not just talking this up.

Start with this glossy visual — green olive oil beds the river of russet chili oil  that seeps from the chorizo into the dainty caverns of the freshly baked bread, as the dominican chocolate pastilles slowly melt from the heat.  A sprinkle of my favorite Maldon salt atop it all balances the chocolate sweet.  The rich, bitter dark chocolate stands up to the spicy hot chorizo.  And, that bread… the perfect Spanish bread serves as a magic carpet for it all. You must buy the Galician bread and bake fresh. 

For high quality Spanish ingredients, delivered right to your door, try La Tienda.  Once you start exploring this site, you may end up with more than just bread and chorizo.  The Jamon Iberico, Croquetas, Zamorano cheese…. I can almost feel the flamenco dancers stomp on my heart.  These Chorizo + Chocolate bites would work well alongside other tapas.  Or, just consider…breakfast.  In my house, we eat chocolate for breakfast. Seriously good.  Yolks and chocolate, why not?! 

Chorizo + Dominican Chocolate Tapas

Hot Palacios Chorizo from Spain
Traditional Galician Bread – Barra Gallega
Spanish Arbequina Olive Oil
Maldon Salt
Dark Chocolate – 74% Organic Dominica Noir

Per instructions, finalize the baking of the bread in your oven.  When cooled slice bread in 1/2 inch thick pieces. Drizzle with Spanish olive oil.  Place 2-3 broken bits of chocolate on top of the bread.  Place 2-3 slices of hot chorizo on top of the chocolate, sprinkle with Maldon salt.  Place in the oven at 250 for 8 minutes to melt and heat. Take out of the oven and eat immediately.

arriba!

Turning Scraps into Treasures

There is waste and then there is waste.  Perhaps you can relate based on your own kitchen experience.  Scraps of pie dough in the oven with butter and sugar?  Discovery of sauteed beet root greens? In the Vosges Haut-Chocolat kitchen things melt, break, and get trimmed.  Yummy things that create yummy waste.

One of our most popular comfort foods, the Caramel Marshmallows were born out of desire to make a use for a yummy by-product.  We make our crunchy Caramel Toffee in sheets and then coat is with milk chocolate and then sprinkle on walnuts and pecans.  In order to sell bite-sized portions, we then break the toffee into chunks. When breaking this coated toffee, a small rain shower of crumbled nuts touched with chocolate that haven’t fully secured to the toffee.  At first, we all took turns bringing home bags of toffee crumble, as we called it, to sprinkle over ice cream.  But, as production grew, we had more crumble than we could use.

A brainstorm session led to the idea of marshmallows, then we considered caramel and then of course… I had to coat it all in chocolate.  Perched proudly on top, crowning our new Caramel Marshmallow creations, the leftover toffee crumble found its day in the sun.

The top photograph showing snacks of buttery, soft fresh caramel  is a common one in our kitchen when we make our Exotic Caramels and Wink of the Rabbit Caramels.  Batches are made in our old copper kettle (never more than 120 pounds at a time.)

We then pour the caramel on trays to cool.  After it is room temperature, we measure the caramels and cut them by hand, one-by-one into a perfect bite-sized morsel.  The by-product of our equally sized cut caramels is a pile of edges.  Our tray of caramels is brought to the enrober where the bites go under a chocolate waterfall, coating them in either milk or dark chocolate.  While the chocolate is still wet, we sprinkle freshly ground spices or organic nuts on top.

So, we find our way to my conundrum.  These piles of caramel scraps call to me.  Some are eaten of course.  But do they have a path to better ending?  Might they be as lucky as the toffee crumble and find their day in the sun?  What would YOU do with these caramel scraps?

Anxiously awaiting your ideas,

Katrina

A letter from my friend David Romanelli with whom I created Yoga + Chocolate.  David is excited to share something new: Yoga for Foodies beginning next Friday in NYC. Here’s a letter from David:

I recall being out to dinner with a friend who proceeded to take my food and splice n’ dice it into many small pieces. It turns out the woman had two small children and was so accustomed to the duties of motherhood, she assumed I needed my food prepared in child-size digestible chunks. Such is life in today’s world where every little thing is spliced n’ diced into quick tweets, short videos, and brief emails. Anything too big or too lengthy is an instant delete.

Have you ever considered that the speed and need for efficiency and brevity has gotten the best of us?  Who has time to indulge in big, sweeping thoughts or savor profoundly delicious meals? I invite you to step out of the rocketing comet of life and into an oasis of deliciousness and relaxation. This Friday, January 22 in New York City is the launch of Yoga for Foodies. Honoring the Slow Food movement’s plea for a more sustainable pace and system, the evening will begin with my flowing yoga class followed by a guided meal with New York City’s renowned vegan chef Joy Pierson of Candle 79.
Visit here for more on this Friday’s NYC event.

Namaste

David Romanelli
www.YogaforFoodies.com