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The dark, rich, and unique yet classic flavorof Palet D'Or
chocolate is blush-inducing. As I feel my cheeks turn pink, Ginger
Elizabeth Hahn explains to me how it was crafted from
chocolate grown in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Not five minutes into my
visit to Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, and I'm deep in an
enthusiastic lesson about the finer qualities of chocolate and how it gets its
flavor.
Like wine, every factor of growing and production affects
chocolate's final flavor profile--from the soil, to the climate, to the roasting
and tempering. Ginger continues on to explain something about a husk and a
cocoa bean and fermentation, but I've got more chocolates in my hand and after another
bite, I vanish completely into what is by far the best chocolate I have ever
had.
Ginger started her business with one credit card and a lot of
determination. She had worked in New York and Chicago, but really built a name
for herself at Masque Ristorante in El Dorado Hills, where she also trained
pastry chefs for both Ella and Mason's restaurants in Sacramento.
In 2005, she opened a small wholesale business, Couture
Chocolate by Ginger Elizabeth.
With a little help from her family, Ginger was able to expand
her business this year and open her own store. Her sister helped write the
business plan and now helps with accounting, and her mom handles customer relations.
Still, it's Ginger's business and she runs it the way she sees fit.
"I wanted my workers to feel appreciated and to be educated.
They should feel good about coming to work and not feel so corporate. It's a
good team that helps make such good chocolate."
Intrigued by the science and taste of chocolate, she followed
the path of the chocolatier from day one. "You can learn something new every
single day about chocolate and you still wouldn't know half of what there is when
you died," she noted as she explained to me science of emulsification.
Unlike many other chocolate shops, you won't find an endless
variety of flavor combinations; instead, you will find a select choice of
sixteen cut truffles with some classic and some contemporary pairings. "The
Crème Brûlée was one of the harder ones to develop. Eventually, we infused burnt
sugar and some vanilla into the white chocolate and put a small bit of burnt
sugar on top to simulate the crunch. It's new and still familiar to people."
That's Ginger's ideal for all chocolate she develops: it's classic enough that
people's palates will embrace it, but it's also new and different and so will
educate at the same time.
Each chocolate shows her determination and craftsmanship. The
Meyer lemon, a chocolate infused with the juice and zest of fresh Meyers, is
sweet and tart. The peppermint, which uses fresh chocolate peppermint grown by
Del Rio in Yolo County, is refreshing and light.
In the Lychee Rose chocolate (Ginger's favorite), the lychee
and rose flavors highlight the chocolate, not the other way around. (Another
ideal of Ginger's- that the chocolate doesn't merely act as a background.) The
Olmec Spice chocolate, imbued with vanilla, chiles, fresh ginger, and cinnamon,
lightly tickles the tongue and finishes with a bit of heat. One cannot help but
giggle and smile with each bite. Treats other than chocolate await at Ginger Elizabeth
Chocolates as well.
Fresh espresso is available, but a variety of hot chocolates
dolloped with homemade vanilla marshmallows and whipped cream are far more
alluring. The most artistically profound macaroons are beyond tempting and each
bite should be deliciously savored. The Gianduja Cake, made with bittersweet chocolate
mousse, chocolate biscuit, and a crunch hazelnut bottom (aka best dessert ever),
is a must-try. "Chocolate is the most beautiful thing in the world. We don't
use artificial anything, but we don't want to be the organic or esoteric chocolatier
in the area, we just want to be chocolate."
Something Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates does so very well.
Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates
1801 L Street, Suite 60
Sacramento, CA 95811
916-706-1738
http://www.gingerelizabeth.com
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