The Oakland Chocolate Co. - Wild Onion Roasted Almond Truffle - July 11, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Company
Wild Onion Roasted Almond Truffle
Good ++
Weight: .49 oz. (13.8 g.) (estimate) in 1 truffle
Calories: 74 calories (estimate) in 1 truffle
Cost: $2.50 for 1 truffle
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Company, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Savory Theme Week.

Today's Wild Onion Roasted Almond Truffle was created by chocolate-maker Nancy Nadel of The Oakland Chocolate Company (Oakland, CA). 

Nadel makes her chocolate bars and bonbons from scratch using cacao beans from Jamaica (Bachelors Hall). And flavor inclusions in her bean-to-bar, small batch chocolates are often locally (San Francisco Bay Area) sourced, from a farmers market or garden.

This dark chocolate truffle was filled with a creamy smooth dark chocolate ganache that contained a tiny sprig of wild onion and piece of roasted almond--inside and outside--embedded in the filling and as a topping. This garnish created a lovely appearance as well.

Balance is important in all food preparation, perhaps especially so for food items that combine sweet and savory. While salt is the most frequently used way to create a savory-sweet chocolate, there are other ways to incorporate an umami flavor or two, such as using herbs and spices people associate with savory dishes (e.g. rosemary, tarragon or black pepper). A dash of sea salt often balances out lots of sugar or or caramel and appeals to our food cravings. But no heavy dose of salt was required or desired today. Just a whisper would do just fine.

Today's wild onion truffle was not too sweet (thank you!). And because of the lack of extra sugar one could really taste the layers of sweet, rich and savory authentic flavors.