Paul A. Young Stem Ginger & Cardamom Pavé
The final offering from the Chocablog raid on Paul A. Young’s shop in Islington, this pavé is made from 64% Ecuadorean cocoa dark chocolate. Add to that the ususal suspects (soya lecitihin, a little vanill, cocoa butter) and Chinese Stem ginger, and essentially that’s it. Melt it all together, spread it out on a slab to set, chop it into squares, box it up… done. (As a certain TV chef might shout.)
But of course it isn’t that simple.
Paul has very cunningly used Ecuadorean chocolate. It’s ideally suited to blending with other strong flavours because the Nacional beans carry great cocoa flavours which are light on the palate and have little or no bitterness. The aromas from the package were woody, deep spice notes with a lighter floral bouquet, and on the palate the chocolate has a full, well rounded body. The mouthfeel is superb and the pavé hosts the tiniest fragments of cardamom and larger (some quite large indeed) pieces of warming, slightly sweetened ginger. At the finish the chocolate is as bold and hearty as when it first started to unleash its flavours, and after the finish my mouth was left clean and very much ready for another piece. And another.
It’s a killer combination. An harmonious balance of flavours executed in masterful style. A box of this stuff would be a great finale to a dinner party, served on a funky plate with some proper espresso coffee.
I loved it – to death.
Information
- Contains dark chocolate (64% cocoa solids).
- Cacao Origin: Ecuador
- Filed under cardamom, dark chocolate, ginger, paul a young, uk.
Did I mention that I fell in love with Paul A. Young’s creations from the first delicious whiff of aroma in his store? I just can’t resist the subtlety of flavours that he infuses his chocolates with. Plus, his Aztec hot chocolate is the best thing ever!
I’m soooooooooooooo jealous!