Breaking Vegan (for Chocolate)
When you get invited to a chocolate grading, you go to a chocolate grading.
On March 9 at 10:58am I received the following text message:
To which I responded “IDK sure.”
Truth is, I did know if chocolate is vegan, and it’s usually not. But what was I supposed to do? Not go to a chocolate feast that would, in all likelihood, make one hell of a SLAH story?
In my defense, I didn’t really know what “grading chocolate” meant, and figured I could go and observe. But, upon arriving at the SUNY Adirondack Culinary Center, the base of operations for the college’s culinary arts program; meeting professor (and Barkeater Chocolates owner) Deb Morris; and learning that I was one of four chocolate-grading panelists (along with Gina Mintzer from the Lake George Chamber of Commerce, Chris Hatin, from Lake George Ice Cream and Max Oswald from Northway Brewing)…I was all in.
I quickly learned what had not been revealed to me prior to arriving at the grading: that this was the midterm exam for a nine-student chocolate-making class taught by Deb as part of SUNY ADK’s Culinary Arts Program. Over the course of the semester, students learn the art of tempering chocolate and creating confections such as truffles, caramels, creams, bark and bars, in addition to the business side of running a chocolate, well, business. “The power to pass or fail them is in your hands,” the professor said, only partly kidding. The students’ assignment? With a team of three or four, create a trio of (definitely non-vegan) treats, inspired by a certain theme.
First up was the group that had randomly drawn the South Pacific/Luau theme, who decorated their spread with leis and a Hawaiian table cloth. “Mahalo” team leader Mike said, before regaling us with the tale of a pull-out-your-tooth, Kona coffee–infused caramel recipe that the chefs-in-training had tweaked at the last minute. (The tweak—adding cream—made for a soft, smooth caramel that, while delicious, didn’t quite deliver on the coffee flavor promise.) Also on the menu was a coconut-topped chocolate bark, chocolate-covered pineapple and macadamia truffles that tasted more like a delicious custard than white chocolate.
Then came the group that had pulled the very timely Irish theme, donning on-brand shamrock bandanas. They chose to stay away from the cliché mint, assuming the panelists had already had their season’s fix of Shamrock Shakes, and instead pulled luck-of-the-Irish inspo from Bailey’s Irish Cream (they infused their truffle with it), green salt (they topped their dark chocolate–covered caramel with it), edible gold flakes (they sprinkled them on milk chocolate spoons), and pistachios (which gave the white chocolate bark its slight lime green tint). This group’s caramel was a tad hard—apparently the substance can go from ooey-gooey to rock solid in a split second—but the simple bark recipe was a fan favorite among the panelists.
Lastly was a South American–inspired spread, which, in my opinion had the best presentation. This group had done their research; they incorporated a triple-layer truffle as a tribute to a popular South African cake, hid a slice of (pleasantly surprising) banana within their bark, and infused their caramels (three of them, covered in white, milk and dark chocolates) with chilis, giving it a definitely noticeable but not overwhelming heat.
“I was very impressed with the students’ creations,” Deb told me after the presentations. “This class works very well together, and it was exciting for me to see their high level of enthusiasm and unique ideas. The fact that they were able to translate those ideas into delicious treats that also looked great is quite an accomplishment at this point in the semester.”
After turning in my “grades,” which basically amounted to A-pluses for everybody, I left the Culinary Center with a little to-go box jam-packed with leftover chocolates. When I got home, they were quickly discovered by my boyfriend. I told him they were the midterm exam for a chocolate-making class, and he looked at me, wide eyed and mouth stuffed: “I can’t wait for the final!”
—Natalie
Introducing: Quote of the Week
“For us, the summer is our Christmas.” —Impressions owner Maddy Zanetti speaking about the busiest time of year for Downtown Saratoga businesses at a press conference hosted by Discover Saratoga on Tuesday.
Instead of a boring photo from the press conference, here’s a tangentially related photo of SLAH investigative correspondent Annette Quarrier giving my dog, Nola, a mini Pooch Pancake at Impressions’ Paw-ty on March 5. (That’s Maddy in the dog dress in the background.)
And here’s an unsolicited pic of Nola absolutely thriving at the Pawty after slurping down a (non-chocolate) Mutt Mocha.
ICYMI: This week in Saratoga Living After Hours
On Monday, we shared our first-ever SLAH cryptoquip, a type of puzzle you probably recognize from the comics page of print newspapers.
Then, on Tuesday, we shared five festive drinks to imbibe on St. Patrick’s Day. If you’re lucky, they may still be available.
As always, you can become a paid subscriber at any time to receive the complete Tuesday newsletter (including the Game Time answers!), as well as the occasional bonus SLAH post (like a behind-the-scenes look at how our Design Issue came together).