Ever since the Mayans first ground up cocoa beans to use them for their cocoa drink thousands of years ago, humans have been enjoying chocolate. Most of the time, chocolate is consumed either as a drink, such as the Mayan concoction, in its candy forms in addition to being used in baking sweets. However, chocolate doesn’t need to be limited to the sweet treat. On its own, unsweetened, it has a very dark, earthy flavor that can add deep tones and nutty flavors to just about any dish. For example, chocolate is also used as a flavor in savory dishes such as Chicken Mole. Since chocolate is supposed to be a healthy food, as well as a treat, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to use it in other dishes? Add it to your diet through other savory dishes in your kitchen? Because of Hotel Chocolat’s recent decision to come stateside, you can now get extra help in doing just that.
Hotel Chocolat (www.hotelchocolat.com) is a European chocolate house launched about 15 years ago, when a couple of guys got appalled by the quality of chocolate to be found in the UK. They began with a mail order business, moved to a website, and now even grow their own cocoa at Rabot Estate in St. Lucia, an island in the Caribbean. Because they grow their own cocoa, they’re better able to control the quality of the chocolate they produce, thus bringing their customers better tasting truffles, bars, and other delicious chocolate products.
The owners of Hotel Chocolat believe in being innovative and do not want to limit the extent to which their imaginations can soar in regards to chocolate, and have explored different areas of chocolate consumption that other chocolatiers have not necessarily investigated. Case in point, their Gourmet Cooking line, which includes Balsamic Vinegar with Cocoa Nibs, Cocoa Bean and Chili Olive Oil, Cocoa Pasta, Spiced Savory Chocolate Sauce, and Bitter Chocolate & Black Truffle Salsa. This doesn’t include the more usual cocoa products, such as Organic Madagascar Cocoa Powder (unsweetened cocoa powder), Chocolate for Anything (baking chips), and a variety of flavors of Liquid Chocolat (for drinking).
Now, a dinner that includes chocolate salsa and chips for an appetizer, a salad with dressing made from cocoa nibs vinegar and cocoa bean and chili oil, chicken cooked in chocolate sauce, and cocoa pasta, with possibly chocolate treats for dessert, sounds extremely intriguing, doesn’t it?
But I Want My Sweet Treats!
Fear not, chocolate lovers of the world, they have those, too. Hotel Chocolat has a variety of truffles, chocolate bars, and other sweet treats for a chocolate lover to try out. The bars may be purchased singly, but if you can’t decide, they also have collections, such as The Purist’s Library, a set of seven different single estate and origin bars. The truffles come in four different sets: Hand Piped (a collection of different handmade chocolate truffles), Classic Champagne Truffles and Pink Champagne Truffles (the pink truffles have a strawberry powder instead of a white powder), and Just Truffles Sleekster. For those with a more adventurous palate, try the new Rocky Road Slab, a milk and dark chocolate slab with chunks of white chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, and crispy, puffed rice (Yum!).
By Customer Request
Hotel Chocolat has also taken into account many customer concerns in regards to their chocolate. For example, there are categories for special dietary requests, such as vegetarian, vegan, and a special note for diabetics. They have also organized the site for easy gift giving, including such categories as "For Him," "For Her," "For a Young Person," Christmas, dinner parties, wedding favors, birthdays, and other considerations. In addition, for those who wonder about the provenance of their chocolate, Hotel Chocolat has a statement of their Ethical Chocolate Policy regarding their work in St. Lucia and Ghana. (Find it on their UK website here).
Currently, in the U.S., Hotel Chocolat is based out of Boston and ships to just about anywhere. They even have a handy delivery map so you can estimate how long it will take to get your shipment of goodies, as well as the best days to order (Hint: if you’re close to Boston then you’ll get it much faster than if you live on the left coast).
Now, if you’re not hungry for a good, solid meal of chocolate, cocoa, and nibs, you oughta be.
