This evening (September 21, 2004) marked the official launch of Vintage Chocolates’ Plantations line of 100% Arriba chocolate products made from 100% Ecuadorean cacao. The launch was held at the River Cafe in NYC (well, Brooklyn, actually), and was co-sponsored by the Rainforest Alliance. Plantations chocolate is the first that is made with Rainforest Alliance certified cacao beans.

Importantly, RA certification covers nine important standards for sustainable cacao production. Not only does the chocolate (which is also manufactured in Ecuador) taste good—the 90% is my favorite for just plain eating—but it’s good for the rainforest as well as cacao farmers.

The cacao has also been genetically tested by CIRAD (the French international institute for tropical agronomy research) and identified as true Nacional cacao (technically a Forastero type with Criollo characterstics) that is native to Ecuador and is famed for producing the unique Arriba flavor.

Several NYC exec Pastry Chefs who are working with the chocolate were at the launch and had prepared items to taste. These included Ellen Sternau (River Cafe), Jean-Francois Bonnet (Restaurant Daniel), George McKirdy (Veritas - but only for two more weeks as he’s moving to Blue Fin), and Will Goldfarb (Cru). Other places in New York where the chocolate is being used include the Waldorf-Astoria #### and the restaurants Les Halles and Picholine.

Except where noted, all chocolates mentioned are Plantations Arriba. Sorry for the uneven quality of the photos, the late afternoon sun streaming through the windows not only made it uncomfortable for the chefs but it was making the chocolate melt as well as making it difficult to find angles where the desserts were not washed out.

Ellen Sternau’s chocolate tarts: dark chocolate (75%) ganache base, a layer of roasted Spanish peanuts, topped with a milk chocolate (40%) mousse. The saltiness and the crunchiness of the peanuts really made this one for me, and it was hard to believe that the top layer was made with milk chocolate, it was so dark. Intense, but in a good way.

Ellen’s Devils Food Cake: bottom cake layer made with cocoa powder (Van Leer), dark chocolate (75%) mousse, topped with dark chocolate glaze (didn’t catch). Have you ever had a dark chocolate cake and wondered what all the fuss was - where was the real chocolate taste? Not in this one. Dense cake layer with rich mousse. The floral notes of the chocolate still carried through in the mousse.

Will Goldfarb’s warm dark chocolate (100%) mousse (served from an ISI pressurized container) with a garnish of mustard-flavored salt (salt with mustard oil). I am a definite fan of salt in chocolate (I make a dulce de leche milk chocolate ganache that I garnish with an Italian herbed sea salt that includes sage, rosemary, garlic, and black pepper) but I had never heard of mustard salt before (they make it at Cru and it is a lovely bright yellow). A very unusual flavor combination but good, counterbalancing the depth and bitterness of the 100% chocolate used to make the mousse.

Jean-Francois Bonnet’s dark chocolate/raspberry mille feuille, layers of thin dark chocolate rectangles (blend of 75%, 90% and 100%) sandwiching a raspberry cremeux and a dark chocolate (75%) mousse. I asked Jean-Francois why he used three different percentages for the rectangles and he said he was looking for an intensity of chocolate flavor balanced with the sweetness and floral notes and he found it by blending.

A selection of Jean-Francois’ truffles which are served as petits fours; various ganaches (made with Cluizel couvertures) all enrobed with Plantations 75%. Among the truffles, favorites were the Maple, in which maple sugar is sprinkled over the ganache before cutting on the guitar (the maple sugar added a delicate texture “bite” to the piece); the Sichuan peppercorn; and the salted butter caramel. The enrobing chocolate added a depth, intensity, and contrast to the centers that was very appealing and the color and finish of the enrobings was also very attractive.

George McKirdy’s dark chocolate (65%) mousse with an almond bisquit castel garnished with a dollop of banana marmalade. The moistness of the castel really complemented the texture of the mousse and the floral notes in the chocolate worked very well with the sweetness of the banana. Interestingly, the 65% seemed less sweet than the 75% which might be why George used it here.

I asked each chef what they thought about working with the chocolate and all were very positive (which is to be expected, I suppose, given the nature of the event). All were unanimous in praising the color of the chocolate as well as its workability - saying that it was very user friendly. While few were tempering it, Jean-Francois, who is used to working with Cluizel, said that the fluidity of the 75% made it a good choice for enrobing. All of them also liked the flavor profile, citing its floral characteristics and fruitiness coupled with low acidity.

George said that he was one of a number of chefs consulted during the development process, specifically with regard to the technical characteristics of the chocolate. {Often with these specialty chocolates, not much attention is paid to the technical characteristics of the chocolate when it comes to workabillity issues that are important to PCs. This is not the case with Plantations; PCs are seen as important users of the chocolate and their needs were considered to be very important in developing the final formulas and manufacturing parameters.}

All of the chefs also mentioned the clarity and intensity of the flavor of the chocolate, mentioning that it had a unique flavor profile, but not one that was too distinctive (unlike for example the green olive notes in the Cluizel Hacienda Los Ancones). Ellen Sternau has been experimenting with the 40% milk chocolate (made with Ecuadorean milk) and brought a sample out for me from the kitchen. It has a flavor profile unlike any other milk chocolate I have ever eaten, an attractive herbaceous quality that lends it an earthiness rather than usual caramel notes of most good milk chocolates.

Plantations chocolate is not perfect, but for a first run out the gate it is a remarkably good product that deserves consideration and support. Plantations chocolate is available for sale in The Chocolate Co-Op.

And finally, the event was a sort of mini-reunion for those of us who went on the University of Chocolate trip to Ecuador in June, 2003. Here we are at the end of the party (three of the people in the photo were on the 2002 UoC trip to the Dominican Republic). That’s me in the white shirt.