Past Newsletters
Vol 5 No 10

In Pursuit of Chocolate

Delectable Chocolates Made in the Belgian Tradition!

The tradition of fine Belgian chocolate-making has earned respect the world over. Most people are familiar with the reputation of remarkable quality held by the chocolaty delights created in this country. As you can imagine, this has led many companies to opt to somehow incorporate “Belgian Style” or “Belgian Tradition” in their corporate marketing strategies, with similar catch phrases appearing on product labels. While this method of attracting consumers has proven effective in many markets, the true gourmand will not be duped when these products reach the almighty proving ground of the palate. Truly authentic, gourmet, hand-crafted Belgian chocolates are unmistakable in their look, flare and of course, most importantly, their flavor. This month, we at The Gourmet Chocolate of the Month Club offer a collection of delicious goodies that are in fact rooted in true Belgian tradition; chocolates whose flavors are absolutely brimming with the gustatory highlights inherent in authentic chocolatiers from Belgium.

Swimming with a Smart Crowd of Chocolatiers

The Dolfin Company was founded in 1989 by Michael and Jean-Francois Poncelet, brothers who can attribute their infatuation and experience with chocolate to a fortuitous parentage. Their mother and father once owned the world renowned Belgian master-chocolatier enterprise known as Neuhaus. As such, they belonged to the great Belgian tradition of chocolate-making tradition and expertise. This heritage and exposure instilled in the brothers a two-fold adoration and understanding of chocolate and chocolate-making. They knew first hand the intoxication that chocolate—and we mean excellent chocolate—can have on the senses. At the same time, they gained experience and exposure to the time-tested methods and ingredients used to produce world class chocolate.

When they jointly decided to create their own company, they weren’t on a quest to make a quick buck by simply advertising their Belgian chocolate-making legacy. Rather, they wanted to found a chocolatier company that created delicacies that would be respected and coveted the world over. To reach this end, they chose to draw on the original strong points of old-world chocolate, highlighting its strengths and pure taste, while appealing to an increasingly discerning buying public and catering industry demand for authenticity.

Their efforts have delivered some astonishingly delicious chocolate, not to mention some remarkably satisfied chocoholics. The components of Dolfin chocolates are a far cry from flavored creams and other artificial fillings, such as those found in many other products on the market. Their entire product line is underscored by the recurring theme of the art of skillful combinations: carefully selected natural ingredients are mixed directly with high-quality chocolate. Always bearing in mind this craftsman’s approach, forcing the tool to meet the demands of quality, rather than the other way around, the Poncelet brothers can be very content with their decision. Sales are rising steadily, amounting to 220 tons of chocolate sold in the year 2000, with 40% allocated for the export market. Their top-of-the-shelf bars and Neapolitan chocolate squares are offered in some of the most prestigious emporiums in the world, such as Selfridges in London, La Grande Epicerie in Paris, the KDW in Berlin and the Sony Plaza in Tokyo.

Their creations have been met with public as well as critical acclaim, as they have been awarded the Imagination and Creativity Prize at the Sial in Paris as well as Gold & Silver medals in the Great Taste Awards held in London. Among their most sought after offerings is their collection of remarkably flavorful Neapolitans. A real invitation to indulge to excess, the square Neapolitan provides a perfect bite of pleasure—a moment of delight to be repeated as often as you desire. These gourmet squares come packaged in posh, attractive boxes and artfully designed individual wrappers. We’re sure you will enjoy them as much as we did! Enjoy!!

Rediscovering Chocolate and Getting Reacquainted with Authenticity

As chocolate has been mass produced over the years, the finer points inherent in well-made cocoa products have been, shall we say, watered down. As with many gourmet delicacies turned commonplace snacks, the veritable constellation of flavor-based features that can be found in authentic, artisanal chocolate is often lost. The Poncelet brothers realized this when they founded the Dolfin Chocolate Company, not underestimating the desire consumers held for rediscovering the true flavors of true chocolate. As Jean-Francois Poncelet himself puts it, “People want to rediscover how things really taste and that applies to chocolate, as well.”

In 1998 Dolfin launched a new chocolate product line that melded together the need they saw for new flavors and styles with the traditional methods they’d become known for. Ingredient selection is paramount to their overall process, and the folks at Dolfin clearly subscribe to the notion that if one starts with the wrong ingredients, they’re limiting themselves to a product that can never be satisfying to the chocolate maker or the consumer. The first component in creating their masterpieces is of course the use of outstanding traditional Belgian chocolate, made with cocoa butter only. Relying on a subtle blend, and aspiring to achieve the most refined harmony possible, Dolfin seeks its inspiration from the celebrated properties of the best of natural ingredients.

However, the actual ingredient, while critical, is not the sole important issue when it comes to the overall tasting experience. The method of incorporation is key, that is, should the ingredient be ground, grated or crushed? Unlike the principle governing flavor, which itself radiates throughout the chocolate, blending in with it and essentially inseparable from it, this new approach of meticulous attention devoted to ingredient selection and blending promises a genuinely mouth-watering experience that can be characterized as “a procession of flavors.” First you taste the chocolate, and then it melts, allowing the other components, the sharp or mild spice of the other ingredients for example, to be revealed in all their purity.

This method of making chocolate, as you may have already picked up on, is not simply a methodology, it is a philosophy, and it is one of their most passionate endeavors. The end result is a product line that is sublime to taste, ever pleasant to the nose, and a genuine pleasure to behold—each designed to heighten your eating pleasure. And to protect the fine aromas contained in each of their chocolates, their chocolate bars come, like fine tobaccos, in a specially wrapped wallet.

Let’s Get Acquainted!

Milk Chocolate

Plain and simple? Not even close. While Dolfin’s more intricate flavor pairings that employ multiple, non-cocoa ingredients may garner more attention at first, this milk chocolate Neapolitan is about as flavorfully ornate as milk chocolate comes. The true essence of the superbly popular cocoa and milk combination that is milk chocolate is revealed in this smooth and sultry example of chocolate perfection. Relish it!

Dark Chocolate with Nougatine

The nougatine created by the artisans at Dolfin is unlike anything you have ever tasted. Countless incarnations using literally hundreds of varied blends of ingredients were experimented with before finally achieving the flavorsome combination found in this ambrosial confection. Note the aroma that invades the nose first, highlighted by a nutty, almost buttery quality. The initial flavor is of dark chocolate, with the bulk of the nougatine flavors being released only after the chocolate begins to melt in your mouth. An absolutely brilliant pageant of scents and flavors.

Milk Chocolate with Cinnamon

Cinnamon and milk chocolate? Not the most common of pairings, but it is often the uncommon that yield unique delights. This Neapolitan is a splendid example of this philosophy. The cinnamon has been perfectly powdered and ground to achieve a subtle flavor rush that is withheld until the point of melting before being fully realized by the taste buds. Try this piece with some coffee spiced with nutmeg and light whipped cream (too sweet a cream will overpower the flavor of the chocolate) or perhaps alongside a slice of the currently available favorite—pumpkin pie.

Dark Chocolate with Mint

Not just delicious, but also refreshing. The mint used in this chocolate square maintains its aromatic properties and leaves the taster with a fresh, clean flavor upon the tongue. Not your simple after dinner chocolate mint, this skillfully crafted jewel possesses an aftertaste that is rather complex—you’ll notice how the nearly menthol-like mint flavors intermingle and play off the bittersweet properties of the dark chocolate that surrounds them. A very nice example of an old standard reinvigorated by new imagination!

Milk Chocolate with Nougatine

Sultry smooth milk chocolate blended with a rich cascade of nougatine flavors—that’s what awaits you inside this deliciously delicate Neapolitan square. Truly delicious, but be sure to take your time with these (and all of the other) chocolate pieces we’ve sent you. Sample it bite by bite and indulge in the savory bliss that is revealed as each morsel is allowed to slowly melt in your mouth, bathing your taste buds in a wash of flavorful chocolate ecstasy.

Dark Chocolate with Orange Peel

This isn’t your ordinary orange-infused chocolate square. The folks at Dolfin are not content to just use some artificial orangey flavor, or even a simple yet genuine orange oil concentrate; this chocolate actually contains tiny pieces of crystallized orange peel, imparting a sweet yet slightly bitter flavor that sings in perfect harmony with the chorus of dark chocolate flavors. Yummy!

Milk Chocolate with Coffee

In addition to the quality of the coffee used, it is the milling of the beans that provides the flavor keystone for this chocolate: fine enough to avoid large, cumbersome bits on the palate, but not too fine so as to under whelm the senses. With this carefully achieved blend, the coffee taste is carefully spread out and not overpowered by the sweetness of the chocolate. Note the tiny chips of crystallized coffee bean as you enjoy this treat in all its enhanced texture.

Dark Chocolate with Lemon Peel

This is another citrus-based variety of dark chocolate treat. A slightly bittersweet edge is maintained in this dark chocolate Neapolitan dotted with finely ground, properly aged, gently sweet lemon peel fragments. It’s characterized by an uncommon flavor that leaves a smooth, fresh impression on the palate.

Dark Chocolate with Earl Grey Tea

Many companies have begun infusing their chocolates with tea, often with the incomparable Earl Grey. This Neapolitan contains fine bits of tea leaves, imparting a wonderfully flavorful, aromatic, slightly spicy quality that must be tasted to appreciate. So what are you waiting for? Wonderful alongside a fresh cup of Earl Grey, as you might imagine, steeped for 3-5 minutes and taken straight (i.e. no cream or sweeteners to interfere with the true tea flavors please).

Dark Chocolate with Coffee

In addition to the quality of the coffee used in these treats, the grinding or milling of the beans is critical. Dolfin’s Café Noir coffee beans are ground fine enough to avoid having pieces left in the mouth, but not too finely powdered to reduce potency of flavor. Their process ensures that the taste is carefully spread out and not overpowered by their bittersweet dark chocolate.

Dark Chocolate—52% Cocoa

The company prides itself on employing the true nature of chocolate in its creations, and dark chocolate is chocolate as nature intended. Dolphin offers three high cocoa content goodies for those who enjoy the dark stuff. Their 52% is a wonderful example of true, honest chocolate flavor, but still tame enough for those not accustomed to the high potency reminiscent of Aztec concoctions.

Dark Chocolate—70% Cocoa

Cocoa lovers, be prepared for a real indulgence. At 70% cocoa, this chocolate is a truly decadent extravagance. At these levels of cocoa content, the real qualities of dark chocolate are revealed. As you likely are aware, what most mass-produced “chocolates” taste like has very little to do with authentic cocoa flavor. Thankfully, this is no mass-produced, dumbed-down confection—it serves as a delectable counterpoint to such chocolates, providing genuine cocoa flavor to those who are lucky enough to come across them. Consider yourself lucky—the Dolfin line of chocolates is particularly difficult to find.

Dark Chocolate—88% Cocoa

Prepared for a cocoa overload? No such thing, we say. But this Noir 88% does approach a certain imaginary line of excess. For the true chocolate lover, this exceptional example of dark chocolate with its astonishing 88% cocoa will wow you. It still manages to be remarkably palatable with a bittersweet character that is truly difficult to put in to words. Best you try some for yourself and experience Dolfin’s mastery over the art of chocolate-making first hand. But heed these tips: enjoy this little piece of heaven when you’re not in a rush. This is no quick bite-sized snack; this is chocolate that must be savored. Don't eat it after a large meal, when your palate is spoiled and your taste buds exhausted. Enjoy it during a quiet moment, just as you are beginning to build up an appetite between meals, with either a glass of very cold, dry white wine, or with a cup of full-bodied, black coffee. When taken with the wine, the sharpness of the chocolate will come through ahead of the sweetness. With the coffee, it will be the sweetness you taste first. These sorts of pairings are wonderful ways to turn your chocolate cravings into moments of ultimate cocoa complacency.