Chocolate Gourmets Say It With Spice

Lisa Denenmark

Ancho chili or chevre with your chocolate? The idea may be hard to swallow but the chocolate isn't -- that is, if you stop thinking about chocolate as flavored sugar and consider it as food, travelogue or even conversation piece.

Artisanal chocolatiers are spreading love this Valentine's Day with assortments from exotic confections infused with cardamom or pasilla chili to a twist on the traditional champagne truffle.

Like fine wine, a Speyside single-malt or a cup of Kona, success has become a careful amalgamation of ingredients -- here, of blend, cocoa bean and machine. Ultimately it all comes down to taste, says Clay Gordon, chocolate critic and founder of Chocophile.com. "If you like the way it tastes, it's good chocolate," he says. Gordon's advice: Never give a piece of chocolate you haven't tasted yourself.

Since logistically that may be difficult, we and our helpers did some tasting for you -- sampling the creations of eight chocolatiers. One crucial tip before you read on: place an order at least a week in advance of the big day.

Cocoa Puffery?

Creator-chef Katrina Markoff of Vosges Haut Chocolate, has rolled art, fashion, wanderlust and chocolate into one. The company also sells clothes, motorcycles -- and a culinary Yoga retreat for $3,900. "Our chocolates are not just about tasting good, but about exploring other cultures and their traditions and agriculture," says Markoff.

Vosges Haut Chocolate Art, fashion, wanderlust and chocolate rolled into one.

We may not necessarily be buying the concept, but we will buy the chocolate. The Naga truffle melds milk chocolate, coconut and a sprinkling of Indian curry powder. Some tasters said "pumpkin pie," and the kids definitely wanted more. The black pearl truffle, a subtle concoction of dark chocolate, ginger, wasabi and black sesame seeds, did not please all of our tasters' buds but inspired many conversations.

The Aztec collection includes ancho chili, Mexican vanilla and dulce de leche, pleasing both palate and conscience. Part of Aztec's February proceeds and those from the Grande Hatbox ($200), will benefit V-Day, a charity of activist and playwright Eve Ensler that this year aims to help women and girls in Juarez, Mexico.

Haut, Cut It Out!

At Christopher Norman Chocolates, the first business to move back to New York's revitalized financial district post-Sept. 11, the confections are all about the senses and the founders' sense of fun. For Chief Chocolate Officer (no kidding) and painter John Downs, chocolate is a canvas that objectifies chocolate as fine, delectable and interactive art for everyone.

Wild Amerene Italian Cherries dipped in dark, then bittersweet ($40 for 8 ounces) are a successful marriage of tart and sweet. A Smoked Pepper morsel elicited a collective "no mas." The White Chocolate Lemongrass bar was a surprise hit. And we knew we'd reach consensus on the Hazelnut Gianduja bar if only we could pronounce it.

But with such an infinite palette of flavors, we just had to ask, what didn't go with chocolate? "Sun-dried tomatoes," said Downs. "That was really awful."

For your inner Hannibal Lechter -- or Valentine -- there's a truffle-filled edible heart ($65).

At the Top of Their Game

At San Francisco's Ferry Building, a showcase of Northern California's bounty, Michael Recchiuti's hand-stamped confections beseech you to bite. Known for its infusions of herbs, teas and whole spices, this confectioner, like a master vintner, aims for harmony and balance.

Recchiuti Confections Hand-stamped pieces with herbs and spices.

Our tasters thought they got it right, but with the caveat that if you don't like tarragon, say, you won't like it with chocolate. Star Anise-Pink Peppercorn titillated; Cassis Strata was nicely nuanced; Lemon Verbena was a bit too inspired and the PMS de resistance was Force Noir, a vanilla bean-infused dark chocolate ganache. Kids will adore the S'mores kit, and their palates will stretch for Fleur de Sel Caramel. The real sweetheart deal: $425 for a yearlong membership to the Chocolate Club.

Southern California's Chuao Chocolatier uses only chocolate from Venezuela because, says co-owner Michael Antonorsi, it is more aromatic and fruitier than chocolate from Africa, the largest producer of the world's raw material for chocolate. "If it's not a 'wow,' it's not Chuao," Antonorsi likes to say.

But Chuao's most bizarre bonbon -- Picante -- drew a "whoa!" from three of our tasters. "I'm not sure why someone would go out and buy that," said one taster of the dark chocolate-filled raisin fondue and Napa Valley Cabernet caramel, spiced with pasilla chili and cayenne pepper. Surprisingly, our raisin-averse taster praised Picante's fruity flavor.

The Chevre confection -- a melange of pear William, goat cheese and crushed black pepper butter cream -- offered a smoother experience. The flavors didn't hit all at once but began with the chocolate and then the cheese, complemented by mild pepper.

Back on the farm in Jacksonville, Ore., only Lillie Belle Farms combines organic fruit with chocolate-making. Owner Jeff Shepherd's one-man show grows raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and marionberries over 2 acres and then enrobes them in chocolate.

Valentine's Day options are pink-striped Raspberry Ganache, which will appeal to the true fruit-and-chocolate fanatic. Another eclectic offering is Banana Ganache, with its Escher-like, yellow design. One taster liked the look and texture of the chocolate but had trouble discerning the banana flavor.

Jacques, John and the Chocolate Factory

Both the East and West Coasts are graced with companies now making their own gourmet chocolate on a small scale.

At Jacques Torres Haven in downtown Manhattan, you don't need a gold ticket to watch cacao beans being spun into chocolate ambrosia.

"Our secret is simple product, simple recipe, simple process," says the amiable Frenchman, "at a reasonable price."

Though Torres tips his toque to some exotic flavors, we welcomed a break from the extreme-chocolate experience, savoring the more mainstream Wicked, creamy hot chocolate, Fresh Coconut in dark chocolate, European Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Pistachio Marzipan. A 50-piece box, which includes Love Potion # 9, pure dark with ganache, will only set you back $43.

For Valentine's Day, Torres gives a big shout-out to the men. "Women come in and pick each piece carefully. The men say, 'Here's $40, what can I get?' We want the men to know we have the bags ready for them. Carefully chosen, beautifully wrapped."

Back in the San Francisco Bay Area, Scharffen Berger has been making chocolate with vintage European equipment since 1997 and just recently introduced its own line of confections.

Scharffen Berger's Berkeley-based production is larger scale than Jacques Torres', with plans to produce 800,000 pounds of chocolate this year. Co-owner John Scharffenberger brings a take-no-prisoners focus on flavor and structure cultivated from his former metier running a champagne business. Careful bean selection gives the chocolate its fruitier, trademark taste.

For something unique, try Nibs Nougatine. The confection combines a chocolate ganache with Scharffen Berger's signature cacao nibs -- roasted cocoa beans separated from their husks and broken into small bits, giving the chocolate a crunchy texture.

Among Scharffen Berger's justifiable boasts are Sea Salt Caramels and chocolates infused with fresh-crushed mint leaves. Our tasters gave mixed reviews to the dipped figs -- chewy dried fig in bittersweet chocolate. And tasters had a love/hate relationship with the ultimate aphrodisiac, ginger dipped in unsweetened chocolate.

You Can't Touch This

Say what you will about the French, but it's tough to match the delicacies created by La Maison du Chocolat. Founder Robert Linxe opened La Maison's first shop in Paris in 1977, expanding to New York, Tokyo and London.

La Maison du Chocolat Subtle flavors, traditional designs and a special jewelry combination.

This grande dame of chocolate creators may be smaller than other confectioners, but here size definitely doesn't matter. La Maison offers subtler flavors and more traditional designs, such as coffee, lemon zest and mountain honey encapsulated in squares, rectangles and circles distinguished by simple chocolate ridges ($39 for 30 pieces).

Jolika, almond paste flavored with pistachio nuts in a dark couverture, is "surprisingly restrained" but "darn good," one taster declared. Similarly, citrus flavors were not overpowering.

"You cannot go wrong buying products from them," Chocophile's Gordon says of La Maison. For Valentine's Day, La Maison and jeweler Bernardaud offer a ganache/necklace combination for her and a ganache/cuff links combo for him (both $215).

There's nothing neutral about Switzerland's Teuscher Chocolates. The venerated chocolatier, which opened its doors more than 70 years ago in a small Alpine town, has become synonymous with champagne truffles. Its classic milk chocolate truffle packs a little punch of Dom Perignon in its silky center. The dark chocolate champagne alternative, dusted in cocoa powder, should quell any hormonal cravings.

For Valentine's Day, Teuscher recommends a traditional velvet heart with your choice of truffles ($30 for six pieces; $325 for a whopping 138). Chocolate ducks and dogs will please the kids.

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