Experience Lindt EXCELLENCE

Experience Lindt EXCELLENCE

Lindt Master Chocolatier Ann Czaja joined our live panel for a conversation about dark chocolate and the Lindt EXCELLENCE line, and then guided Feedfeed community members through a Five Senses Chocolate Demo.

Feedfeed:  What are some of your favorite chocolate recipes to make and why is it so important to use a high quality dark chocolate?

Susan: Chocolate *chunk* cookies, where you really taste the chocolate and experience the texture.

Molly: I would have to say a classic sheet cake with a rich dark chocolate ganache.

Susan: I want to second that!  A ganache is more unadulterated, you can really experience the chocolate.

Chelsea:  American buttercream. With the sugar and powdered sugar, a high quality dark chocolate helps balance out the sweetness.  There is nothing better than a super rich, dark chocolate frosting. When you eat a chocolate cake and say ‘that is incredible’, that’s from using high quality chocolate.

Feedfeed: What is your favorite Lindt Chocolate bar to work with (and to eat!):

Susan: To work with, Lindt 70% or 80%. These higher percentages have less sugar, which is great for a flourless chocolate cake.  Less sugar means the cake will crack less. And the one I buy the most to eat is Lindt EXCELLENCE Sea Salt!

Molly: Lindt 70% for baking. My favorite to eat is Lindt EXCELLENCE Hazelnut, or a higher percentage with a glass of wine.

Ann: For baking or cooking, Lindt 70% or 78%. I’m loving our Sea Salt bar right now with a glass of Pinot Noir.  In general keep in mind that if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t cook or bake with it!

Feedfeed: For the self-taught home baker and cook, how did you learn and what inspires you?

Chelesa: Baking was a creative outlet for me, which is so important.  Chocolate too, because you can do so many things with it. For me the first step was just learning to do.  Then, I could eventually look up and watch others, and be inspired by others’ work.

Ann: When I first started out, I worked in a restaurant in Switzerland.  I did not have formal training, but the chef there mentored me because he saw that I was a hard worker.  It was there that I was introduced to chocolate and then became hooked. I enrolled in a traditional Swiss apprenticeship as a Confectioner/Pastry Chef and didn’t look back.

Following the panel, Ann led the group through a Five Senses Chocolate Demo. As she reminded us, our senses don’t lie, and we can trust them when it comes to recognizing and enjoying high quality chocolate! Here’s what we learned during her demonstration:

1. Look: Chocolate should be shiny (vs. dull or streaky).

2. Touch: A smooth surface indicates premium manufacturing processes and proper storage temperatures.

3. Smell: While you’ll pick up different aromas, you don’t want to pick up a burnt or an intensely smokey smell - this can result if cocoa beans are hurried to dry over fires before shipping.

4. Sound: The chocolate should make a *snap!* sound when you break it, as cocoa butter is a hard fat at room temperature.

5. And of course, Taste: Let the chocolate melt in your mouth and coat your taste buds.  The flavor will evolve as it melts in your mouth - with Lindt EXCELLENCE 70% many people experience citrus at the end of the melt.

Finally, guests and Feedfeed team members alike enjoyed a self-guided chocolate pairing experience, which included some unexpected and surprisingly delicious combinations. Our favorites? Lindt EXCELLENCE Sea Salt paired with Aged Gouda cheese, followed by Lindt EXCELLENCE Hazelnut paired with Gruyere Cheese.

We know, we know - chocolate paired with cheese? But trust us and give it a try, we promise you (and you taste buds) will be delighted by the way the nuances in flavors compliment each other. In addition to the cheeses, chocolates from the Lindt EXCELLENCE line were paired with the following:

• Lindt EXCELLENCE Intense Orange + Earl Grey Tea

• Lindt EXCELLENCE 70% + French Roast Coffee

• Lindt EXCELLENCE 78% + Cabernet Sauvignon

• Lindt EXCELLENCE 85% + Legacy Red

• Lindt EXCELLENCE 90% + Zinfandel

• Lindt EXCELLENCE 95% + Pinot Noir

Try a few of these unique combinations yourself, or create a chocolate pairing pot-luck for an exciting twist at your next gathering, and enjoy a Summer of EXCELLENCE!

Feedfeed gives a huge thanks Josh Cellars for the generous wine donation provided for the Experience EXCELLENCE pairings.