CHINA / Taiwan, HK, Macao |
Life's like a box of chocolates: full of little hidden treasures(China Daily Hk Edition)Updated: 2006-11-24 09:31 Editor's note: The new kicker in chocolate flavours has been a long time coming but it's rocking the industry! It's the season for parties, but the one thrown for La Rose Noire's 15th anniversary in Kowloon Bay last week was unique. Filled to capacity with culinary stars, local and overseas luminaries from top line restaurants, and head honchos from hotels and the food & beverage world, it was an extravaganza to remember. Gerard Dubois, the inspired patissier/confectioner and baker boss of La Rose Noire was the star of an evening of entertainment and exemplary dishes. The highlight of the grand collection of food stations was a stunning display of his sweet creations he authored a book to commemorate the event. "Passion" is all about the most incredible mouth-watering cakes and sweetmeats. At the party, 300 guests downed the exquisite dishes with a variety of beverages. Like many others, I stuck to wine, either red or white depending on the dish even with the dessert! Creating "out of the box", many chocolatiers are experimenting with spices such as chili pepper and cardamom and other spices. Wasabi ganache and tea-infused chocolates are everywhere, with green tea confections being the most prevalent. And what's the latest trend? Wine flavoured chocolates! Wine and chocolate are seen by many as a good thing, there are over 300 chemically active compounds in the cacao bean, from which pure chocolate is made, making it one of the most complex health-promoting foods. The resveterol in red wine makes it a health asset too. Sadly, romantic Champagne is not a good mix for chocolate. The best bet is to match lighter, more refined chocolates with light-to medium-bodied wines. Full-bodied wines demand a richer, more full chocolate. The best of all is a bittersweet dark chocolate paired with a bold Cabernet Sauvignon (with rich black currant and blackberry flavours or classic Bordeaux). When the chocolate's natural bitterness is allowed to emerge, it goes well with a heavy-bodied dry, or near-dry, red table wine such as a plummy Merlot and Shiraz-Sangiovese blends. Fortified wine types, such as Sherry, Port, Madeira and Marsala, are good with sweeter options, too. Disappointingly, yet not unexpectedly, sweet-wine classics such as German Rieslings and French Sauternes fail to mate with most chocolate desserts. The Swiss are the No 1 consumers of chocolate, eating over 2 pounds a person a year. Hmmm, I wonder where Hong Kong ranks? I know that a sure-bet choice for birthday friends here is a box of chocolates. It never fails to please. Late Harvest Riesling is a sweet but complex white wine that is great as a dessert wine. It often has fruity and floral flavours that work well with white chocolate. Dark or bittersweet chocolates need a wine that offers a roasted, slightly bitter flavour itself, with a hint of chocolate. Keep in mind that the chocolate found in regular candy is processed and often laden with fat, preservatives, caffeine and sugar. There is a product called Xocai, which contains completely natural, unprocessed chocolate, which retains 100 per cent of its antioxidant and nutritional value. Many of our top pastry chefs use it. Matching chocolate and wine need not be a problem; sometimes there is another solution. At the La Rose Noire party, man-about-town Patrick Herbert greeted the dessert displays with appreciation, as did I. A gourmet member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, Patrick Herbert is also one of a small group of food and wine savvy well-to-do tasters that meets regularly to savour the best of the culinary best. For their get-togethers, he selects the wines to pair with the fine foods chosen by the others such as master-chef Walter Kern. On one momentous occasion he assembled 16 gourmets, 10 of them top international chefs, to cook and dine in my humble abode. With Rougier Foie Gras as the main theme it was an unforgettable event crowned by some grand wines, and the only time in my life I have been offered a third helping of Foie Gras in place of dessert! |
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