An afternoon of chocolate

What a delicious Sunday afternoon it was yesterday!

I attended a private chocolate lecture and tasting at Rubicon in anticipation of an upcoming chocolate recipe contest sponsored by TuttiFoodie and Scharffen Berger chocolate maker. Recipe contest, you ask? Yes! And it’s a contest for home cooks, meaning most of YOU readers.

The afternoon began with a lecture by the charismatic John Scharffenberger who led us through the evolution of drinking and eating chocolate from Mayan times to the present. He then walked us through a tasting of cacao nibs, a few unsweetened chocolates, then some of his famous dark chocolates. If that weren’t enough of an indulgence, we were then treated to a three-course chocolate dessert menu created and prepared by Rubicon’s acclaimed pastry chef, Nicole Krasinski.

You’ll have to forgive me—I slacked on my blogger duties and neglected to bring my camera to yesterday’s event (doh!), so I will describe the desserts in words, letting your imaginations fill in the blanks.

First off was Krasinski’s ode to the s’more. A rectangular plate arrived with a smear of toasted meringue that looked as if it had skidded onto the plate and dropped a ripe wedge of fig in its wake. Off to the side was a sandy crumble of cookie crumbs and fresh thyme, topped with a quenelle of dark chocolate mousse (made from both 70% and 62% Scharffen Berger chocolates). The pairing of chocolate with fresh thyme was intoxicating and complimentary in a seamless way, as if the thyme and cacao beans sprouted from the same soil.

Next up was a sultry combo of creamy, delicately sweet (think milky sweet, not sugary sweet) cacao nib panna cotta and chocolate-umeboshi plum sorbet, separated by a tuile-like chocolate chip cookie. The tasters went wild. Umeboshi plum? With chocolate?? The salty/tangy Japanese pickled plums revved up the chocolate to such an intense level, it made my eyes pop. After all the cooing and moaning was over, Karletta Moniz exclaimed, “This is a dessert that makes me happy.” The table agreed.

The final dessert was my favorite: a chocolate croquette floating in lemon-scented condensed milk and Blue Bottle coffee gelée. Krasinski explained that it was essential to taste all three elements at once, since the condensed milk was the only element that had added sugar. The croquette (curry-scented chocolate ganache fried in a wonton wrapper) was crunchy and warm against the creamy coolness of the condensed milk and playful bounce of the coffee gelée. It was fun, witty and downright delicious.

Well, I hope this account inspires you to enter the contest. Alas, professional cooks aren’t allowed to enter, so I’m relying on all you talented home cooks out there to whip up something amazing and get some recognition for your creation. What kind of recognition?

Does $5,000 for first place sound enticing?

As if that weren’t enough of a prize, the winner will also have his or her recipe served at Café Cacao in Berkeley for an entire month. This is an incredible opportunity. Don’t miss out! For more details, visit here.

Cudos to Scharffen Berger, TuttiFoodie and Tablehopper for putting on such a stellar event.