The Essence of Chocolate is dedicated to what you can create with Scharffen Berger fine chocolate. With photos of delectables like Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake and Chocolate Chinchilla, it'd be a beautiful addition to your coffee table.
But we're thinking: yours will find its way into the kitchen.
That's where you'll whip up some Baked Hot Chocolate: crisp on top, warm and puddingy in the center, and thickly liquid at bottom. Or how about some Chile Marinated Flank Steak with Cocoa? Spicy enough for ya?
Essence isn't about fancy schmancy embellishments or super-skilled preparations. It's about using excellent ingredients to maximum effect. There are recipes for That Chocolate Cake, Chocolate-and-Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast, and chocolate chip cookies good enough for dinner.
And the "Quick Fix" feature? Fabulous. Who wouldn't want to try the Almond, Fig, and Chocolate Shaving Sandwich—invented by an inspired eighth grader who prepares her own school lunches?
Experiment with different cacao contents. Learn the origin of the term "Devil's Food." (Hint: Puritans.) Read up on the history of Scharffen Berger Chocolates, written warmly by founders John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg. Or take their advice, and focus on the art of tasting:
Think about the amount of time that elapses when you taste a dark chocolate. It takes about six seconds to experience all the flavors and sensations, and something different happens during each of those seconds.
It's all meltably good at scharffenberger.com