The other day at work we received a box from
Vosges: Haut Chocolat, about the size of a microwave. It contained a lot of packaging and four pieces of chocolate. Within the box o' chocolates were the
Exotic truffles and several pieces of literature, including a document entitled "How to Eat a Truffle." Tonight I took one of these delicacies home to see if I could master this art. What follows is an exact copy of the instructions and photos of my step-by-step truffle-eating experience.
How to Eat a Truffle...We suggest bringing the truffles to room temperature in order to taste the 'true' flavors of the spice, flower or liqueur. Vosges products contain no preservatives and no artificia
l flavors.
Firstly... read the story. This sets the stage. It allows you to paint the picture through your imagination to conjure up the expectations as to how the chocolate will taste and to where you will transcend.
See... there should be a glossy shine to the truffle, this shows a good temper:
a tight bond between the cocoa butter and the cocoa mass.
Lick... the spice on top of the truffle, we always like to do this on the spice truffles because it gives us a hint of what is to come, a teaser...
Snap... quality chocolate should always be dry to the touch. If the chocolate is stored at ideal conditions between 63-65 degrees Fahrenheit when you take a bite you should hear a crisp, snap breaking through the outside to reach the creamy ganache inside.
Taste... we always like to bite the truffle in 2 bites. In the first bite you are just getting to know the truffle and in the second, you delve deeper searching out the flavors and nuances, you become immersed into the experience of the chocolate, your mouth and the sensations. The taste should have a long, lingering finish that is layered with its
perfumed notes.
Well, I didn't transcend to Budapest, and I'd still rather just have a good chocolate chip cookie, but the truffle was pretty tasty. I encourage you to browse the Vosges website for other fine products, especially the Groove and Hip-Hop collections. I had one of those "I can't believe I just said that out loud" moments after reading the description of the former. It's so bad, in fact, that I really can't write it here. Ok, fine. The text said: "The Groove Collection is a multi-sensory approach to the culturally vital genres of music impacted by African Americans. Read the historical significance of each musical era, listen to a song and taste a truffle that reflects a popular ingredient of the time." I said to my coworker: "Popular ingredient of the time? Like what, fried chicken?" Yes, I've known I was going to hell since about age eight.
Today a reporter for the Daily News came in to the Cheese Shop to ask if Heath Ledger ever used to shop there. Having once waited in line behind Michelle Williams at RiteAid, I felt uniquely qualified to comment on his untimely death, but I kept quiet. My coworker, however, informed her that Heath came into another neighborhood cheese shop and often bought a specific cheese. She wrote down both the name of my coworker and that of the cheese. If only someone else had been around to inform her that he did indeed come into the Cheese Shop a year and a half ago, and he bought an imported Spanish lemon soda...
