Never too Much of a Good Thing

Even the most dreamy tasks can be daunting at times. When I occasionally have to leave the Vosges kitchen on a spice hunt or a visit to our New York or Las Vegas boutiques, my awesome team must execute my recipes in my absence. Upon my return, I am faced with a sea of truffles to taste. I ensure that each and every batch meets our strict standards before chocolates are placed in purple boxes or go into your lovely mouths.

Because we use all natural products and because much of our process is done by hand, there will always be natural variance. I taste to be sure the chipotle is smoky enough, the Maldon salt crystals are big enough and the Hungarian paprika is ground fine enough.

After my most recent excursion, I came home to find about 35 truffles awaiting inspection. I like to taste them first thing in the morning when my palate is most fresh, working my way from white to milk to dark chocolate. I start by cutting each truffle in half and looking for smooth texture and a maximum shell thickness of 2 millimeters. Consistency in chocolate deposit temperature is crucial to a nice, thin shell.

Although I don’t look forward to problem batches and errors, they do not anger me. Each misstep is an opportunity for improvement or a honing of our process. After all some of the best inventions are born out of mistakes, tarte tartin for example.

One of the most frequent comments I hear from people is, “If you need someone to help taste chocolate, I would be happy to volunteer.” Well, there is no denying that there is a lot of it to be done in my line of work. Although facing dozens of truffles at a time can be daunting, I  prescribe to the saying there is no such thing as too much of a good thing.

Bacon Bar and Chorizo Stuffed Dates with Spicy Oaxaca Red Sauce

This recipe is inspired by a signature dish of likely my favorite restaurant in Chicago, avec. Chef Koren Grieveson is epic and this is the spot I bring all out of town and in town guests to not only experience the food but the creative, easy going vibe. The air pulses with energy, the communal seating promises a chance encounter and the room buzzes with great tunes. It is an absolute must-try. They don’t take reservations and thank God they are open late. I think this is the only late night spot in Chicago where you can eat something other than a burrito. Can anyone tell me why Chicago closes shop so early? avec is open until midnight on weekdays and 1 am on weekends.

The taleggio foccaccia and bacon wrapped chorizo stuffed dates are two of my passions on the menu. I have created my own version of Koren’s dates, by of course, adding chocolate to the dates and in the sauce. The magic of that salty and spicy meat, a touch of sweet chocolate and some acidic tomato is heightened by a roasting process that brings it all together. Spread the flavor and try it out.

Bacon Bar and Chorizo Stuffed Dates with Spicy Oaxaca Red Sauce

yields: 15 stuffed dates & sauce

For bacon bar stuffed dates:
15 medium-sized Medjool dates
2 chorizo sausages, casings removed, raw and spicy
1, 3 oz. Vosges Mo’s Bacon Bar (or 3 segments Couverture Bar, cut into 4 pieces per square)
8 slices Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon
1 batch of Spicy Oaxacan Red Sauce (recipe follows)
cilantro for serving

For Spicy Oaxacan Red Sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium sweet Spanish onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine or sherry to deglaze
1 lb skinned, heirloom tomatoes or canned San Marzano tomatoes
2 oz. Vosges Haut-Chocolat Oaxaca Bar
1/2 dried chipotle chili, reconstituted in water, seeded
1 tbsp olive oil to finish
salt to taste
3 splashes liquid smoke
1 tsp cumin

Cut the dates on one side lengthwise and remove the pits. Break each 3 oz. bacon bar square into 4 pieces. Cut bacon strips in half. Stuff each date with 1 tbsp of chorizo and place a piece of bacon bar in the center of the chorizo. Fold chorizo around chocolate and close date. Wrap each date in half a piece of bacon. Sear bacon-wrapped dates over high heat in an ungreased pan until crispy. Set aside.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in large stock pan. Add onion and garlic with salt and sugar, cooking over medium heat until translucent. Add tomato paste and deglaze pan with sherry; cook until the majority of alcohol is boiled off, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, Oaxaca bar and chipotle chili. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Purée with an immersion blender until smooth. Add cumin, liquid smoke and season to taste with olive oil and salt.

In a deep baking sheet (about 1″ side walls) pour Oaxaca red sauce about half-way up the sheet. Transfer the seared dates to the baking sheet, spacing each about 1 inch apart. Bake the dates in sauce for 25 minutes. Serve in sauce, garnish with cilantro and bacon bar shavings.