Chocolate meets Cheese And Comfort Begins

Chocolate meets Cheese And Comfort Begins all came about when we looked up an old Who Cut The Cheese Aluma on Cape Cod last fall. Heather Cantin, is the successful owner/operator of Chatham Cheese Company on Cape Cod in MA.

When I owned Who Cut The Cheese in Kihei on Maui, people would often ask, “are you going to make your own cheese?” My reply, “heck no! It takes too much milk and time!” A similar question came up when the wine industry. People would ask if I wanted to be a wine sommelier. “Heck no! It takes too much time, and I have lots of other interests.”

The past few years have been spent in the school of life, as it was for a lot of us, and this particular chapter unfolds into the world of making chocolate from seed to bar. Chocolate making was never on the forefront for this entrepeneur, but as that famour Forrest Gump quote “life is like a box of chocolates cuz you never know what you’re gonna get!” or something to that affect. The same applies when you come on a tour by Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours. Chocolate meets cheese and comfort begins, is a great story, but it has too many chapters for this short blog.

When Who Cut The Cheese was open, years ago, we were pretty clueless about chocolate, as we were too busy studying up on our cheese and wine. We knew we needed other yummies to accompany our vast selections of cheese and wine, so we purchased some chocolate by name recognition only, ScharffenBerger. If we only had connected the dots back then! John ScharffenBerger is a wine maker who segwayed out of wine to identify the different flavor profiles of single origin chocolates. Who would of “thunk”!

Now, on to Heather and her cool story. She started Chatham Cheese Company with a business partner some years back and has been successfully operating the store on her own since 2011 after her business partner went on to new endeavors. Her shop is quite seasonal due to weather, as many of you may know if you have experienced a winter on the east coast. One winter Heather came to Maui and sniffed out a job at Who Cut The Cheese. What a refreshing delight she was and still is! We actually had someone who knew how to handle cheese, aka, cut the cheese! Now, stop it with all of your flatuation jokes, we were a serious store for “ folks with fine taste AND a sense of humor”! We were pretty much over the wine snobbery thing and then came the “curd nerds”! Come on guys and gals…wine is simply fermented grape juice and cheese is just fermented milk! Alright you mighty nib nerds, guess what chocolate is? Yes, fermented cacao (ca-cow), for those who may not know that chocolate is made from fruit, cacao. All together chocolate meeting cheese gives us so much comfort!

Heather put out a beautiful spread of cheese and charcuterie with stunnimg wine pairings at the Chatham Cheese Company that would rock your world! We offered to write about the Chatham Cheese Company in March, as that is when they will be re-opening, or coming out of their winter hibernation getting ready for another successful season. Again, we applaud Heather and her cheesemonger team in carrying the torch for Who Cut The Cheese and keeping the yummy comfort in bringing chocolate and cheese together.

On that note, that trip and writing this blog also inspired the Who Cut The Cheese Alumni Reunion! Yes, chocolate meets cheese and the comfort begins will be celebrated on the island of Oahu. Why Oahu, you may wonder? Katarina Tualamoso, owner/private chef of Maui Food and Wine, dscovered a killer house on the north shore of Oahu last month while creating an amazing farm to table event for some guests staying at the Turtle Bay Resort. Wowza, best describes it all!!!! My part in that event was more of infrastructure for the party and the most important course…Chocolate! We showed three finely handcrafted Hawaiian grown chocolates: Madre’s Kona Criollo 70% made on Oahu, North Shore on Oahu, Nine Fine Mynahs 70% and 100%, and Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours Haiku, Maui grown 70%.

By the way, the 100% was stunning, and what was most impressive was the mouth feel, so it had no bitterness. Crazy, cool and it definitely brought out the comfort in chocolate!

It’s always best to close on a good and delicious note, and what could be better than chocolate meets cheese and comfort begins.

The title of this blog changed as the week unfolded. Last week when I was struggling with SEO for the blog, I told my web designer, Charles of the Xconcept, all I want to do is write! Even though my writing doesn’t conform to the algorithms or whatever is necessary to optimize my website’s search engine, writing this piece has given me personal comfort. How has writing this blog given me comfort? i Last week I lost 2 people on the same day,  and one is holding on each day waiting for his biggest chocolate and cheese party ever! It’s okay Johnny.  This is written in memory of Jo Wallace, loving mom to Val and Hanson in Texas, and Maui’s beloved chef and person Mark Ellman. You all will be missed and we’ll never forget you as we’ll see you at the greatest chocolate and cheese party with all the comfort of loving arms of Aloha!

Hand crafted chocolates are created individually, meaning no large production lines or industrial machinery is involved in the process. The outcome will mean that each and every chocolate will turn out unique in its own way. Factory made chocolate is the opposite- generally producing larger amounts of chocolate, using industrial machinery, and each chocolate looking perfect and almost identical each time. In order to lower the cost of production, certain factories may replace the natural ingredients for artificial ones. They will also add preservatives, allowing the food to stay “perfect” for longer.
Think of it like cooking at home, versus eating processed foods on the shelf. Both taste good, we know that a home made meal is always better and healthier for you! You can taste the love put into hand crafted chocolates, and they are as pure as it gets.  Here at Maui Chocolate Coffee Tours we are proud to call ourselves “handcrafters”! Keep reading more to learn about hand crafted vs factory made chocolate.

Benefits of hand-crafted chocolate

Well, if we didn’t already answer this question from the above paragraph, let’s talk about it more in depth. There is a sort of art to chocolate, as there is to wine. Chocolate has unique and quite amazing tastes, aromas, and sensations. It’s a treat that’s produced by the most natural and fresh ingredients. Expertise and knowledge are required to achieve such delicious taste.
Chocolate that’s produced in a factory is mass produced. We aren’t saying that it won’t be tasty, I mean who doesn’t love all chocolate am I right? However, you can taste the difference. Hand crafted chocolate is fresh and pure. Someone made it with their hands. They put a lot of time into perfecting a small batch of chocolate, that can’t possibly be exactly the same as the next. No preservatives, no artificial flavors, and the highest quality of ingredients.

Hand crafted chocolate is typically made with natural flavors such as real hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, etc. But, commercial chocolate is filled with many different artificial flavors, syrups, or chemical fillings. Some chocolate factories also use cocoa butter as a substitute, taking away from the chocolates natural taste and quality.

Island Sharks Chocolate – Hand Crafted Hawai’i chocolate

Island Sharks Chocolate is a hand-crafted, black owned, Hawai’i grown and made chocolate business. They make everything in small batches, and they are based in Hilo, Hawai’i. Everyone in the Island Sharks Ohana are chocolate lovers that live and breathe the island lifestyle. Ethan Swift is the guy at Island Shark Chocolate! He makes the chocolate, designs the packaging, website, and runs all the social media. You go Ethan!

Their Hawai’i cacao is grown along the beautiful slopes of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai’i, and the chocolate is made just down the road. Island Sharks Chocolate support’s Hawaii’s local farmers. By purchasing Hawai’i cacao beans at an industry premium, they create livable wages for our community. We love Island Sharks Chocolate, and if you are looking for some Hawaiian hand-crafted, one of a kind chocolate for this holiday season, or just anytime, we couldn’t think of a better business to support!

The other amazing thing about their chocolate is that it’s all vegan, gluten free, soy free, non gmo, ethically sourced and made. Click here to shop Island Shark Chocolate! 

Manoa Chocolate – Commercial Hawai’i chocolate 

Manoa Chocolate has been crafting bean-to-bar chocolate on Oahu since 2010. Their cacao beans are ethically sourced from Hawai’i and other parts of the world. Their goal is to “bring out the best” in each bean. They craft all of their chocolate in house, so they have complete control during the entire process. What sets Manoa chocolate apart is that they buy their cacao beans straight from the farmer. This means while sourcing cacao ethically, the farmers get paid better, and they are able to get the highest quality of cacao. Their chocolate factory is based in Kailua, Oahu. They have their cacao farm, with about 130 cacao trees.

As we do at MCCT, their bean to bar experience is able to tell the story of where the chocolate is grown, which is important to us. Although they are factory produced chocolate, they still strive to make high quality chocolate with the least amount of “bad” ingredients. How cute is their packaging?!

A Manoa chocolate isn’t a Hershey’s chocolate since it is produced on a much smaller scale and in the Aloha state! However, if you do decide to shop for single origin commercial chocolate, make sure  of it’s ingredients, it’s the origin you are interested, the products are sourced ethically and that the growers truly care about how their fruit is handled from start to finish. When chocolate factories in Hawaii have the opportunity  to make their chocolate with Hawaiian grown cacao, you are in for a very special treat because the producers in Hawaii get to ferment the fruit where bean to bar producers on the mainland simply get to roast their beans that have been fermented and dried from a far away place.

Maui Chocolate Coffee Tours

We are Maui Chocolate Coffee Tours, and the cacao for our 70% handcrafted chocolate bars is grown in Haiku. The cacao will continue to be sourced from there until the trees at Kupa’a Farms are producing.  Kupa’a Farms is where MCCT enhances the tour with our hands on chocolate making demonstration along with other educational fun that happens on our tours!  You will get to see everything from the farm to the table, and how we make the chocolate in between. And yes, that’s right, we create hand crafted chocolate! Reserve a tour, or surprise someone with one as a gift, because this experience will be one that you won’t forget!

Madre Chocolate Hawaii purchases raw, fermented beans directly from farmers and cooperatives, and then they roast and process in small batches to craft their chocolate bars. The best part about making chocolate in Hawai’i is that they can work closely with cacao farmers to dial down the fermentation and drying process. This makes delicious chocolate. Many cacao farmers in the Latin America and Africa have never tasted the chocolate made with their beans. Once they receive the beans from the farm, a couple weeks later they go back to the farm and taste the chocolate and comparing notes. This allows the farmers an opportunity to improve and make their beans shine. Keep reading to learn more about the wonderful Madre Chocolate Hawaii!

Sustainable Chocolate

We love that Madre Chocolate does direct trade. They get to know each farm and farmer that they buy cacao from. They see every farm, the conditions of the people, and the ecology. This way they know that every single cacao farm they work with is treating their land, animals, plants and people well. Madre Chocolate is truly providing its customers with sustainable chocolate. All of their packaging is completely biodegradable/ compostable or recyclable! Great work guys!

Dr Nat Bletter PhD & Founder

Madre Chocolate Hawaii

A Unique Chocolate Bar:

Nat’s latest bar was the Jaguar Chocolate Bar, and it immediately sold out! Jaguar Cacao (also known as Patashte, Balamte, Macambo, or Cacao Blanco) is the lesser known sister plant of the cacao that is used to make chocolate. It’s equally delicious and holds equal reverence in Central America as that of cacao. the seeds are used in drinks like Tejate in Oaxaca, for it’s mild almond taste, similar to milk chocolate. This bar is one of the extremely rare cases “white cacao” can be tasted outside of Central America!

Island Shark Chocolate

Hana Gold

I have been traveling in Europe for the summer, and have spent the majority of my trip in Spain. Spanish chocolate is insanely delicious, and has a long and captivating history. As I write blogs for Maui Chocolate Coffee Tours, we thought it was necessary that I tell you about my European summer experience. Keep reading to learn about traveling to Spain and the history of chocolate!

The History of Chocolate in Spain

The Spanish Explorers first brought chocolate to Europe over 500 years ago! The Spanish were the first ones who mixed the bitter cocoa with sugar, thus modifying a bitter Mayan drink into the delicious and sweet hot chocolate drink as we know today. Over time, Spanish chocolate has changed, but their love for it has never diminished.

Hernan Cortez was the first person who brought chocolate to Europe. Cortez was warmly invited into the Aztec dinners, where they would give him their favorite drink, the spicy warm (but bitter) chocolate. Cortez began to realize the great importance that the Aztecs placed on chocolate. During this time they even used cocoa beans as money! He decided to load up on it and send it back to Spain. Once the chocolate landed in Spain, the Cistercian monks grasped the knowledge of how to turn cocoa beans into the yummy Aztec chocolate drink. The monks were in charge of prepping the imported cocoa beans into hot chocolate for the Spanish nobility. They kept their chocolate knowledge a secret, and managed to prevent the rest of Europe from finding out for almost 100 years!

How chocolate evolved

Now, as the years passed, the Spanish recipe for chocolate was molding to more and more European tastes. The Aztecs had blended fiery hot peppers into their chocolate, but the Spaniards decided to go for a sweeter option, with sugar cane from the Canary Islands to create the sweetened chocolate that would eventually be a worldwide hit!

In the 17th century, the Spanish Empire and the country’s hold on chocolate began to fall. The chocolate secret was loose! First to France, then Italy, and suddenly the sweet hot chocolate beverage spread quickly amongst the elite and bourgeois. Well, how did chocolate go from European royalty to every person in the world? It took another 200 years! All the way up to the 1800s, chocolate was only served as a drink. This drink was incredibly labor-intensive, and very expensive to produce. In the 1820s, a Dutch chemist invented a way to make powdered chocolate! Fast forward a few decades later, and a British company produced the FIRST ever chocolate bar! And this is how chocolate was able to be made in mass quantities.

Eating Chocolate in Spain

I landed in Madrid, Spain, and spent a few days here before going to my final destination in Tarifa, Spain. One thing I can tell you for sure is that Spaniards love their chocolate. Every morning, from Madrid all the way to Tarifa, you can find a local cafe where the most popular option on the breakfast menu is “churros”.

Where I come from, I am familiar with “Mexican churros”, where they are rolled in cinnamon and sugar, and then served. But in Spain, they serve churros plain, with a huge cup of hot, melted chocolate to dip them in! You can get a giant order of 10 churros (that would be nearly impossible for one person to finish on their own) for only $2! The chocolate to dip them in is the best part. One cafe I found, offered many different types of chocolate. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, hazelnut, white chocolate, and the list goes on! These churros are a must-have when you are visiting Spain!

Chocolate Tasting

My next experience with chocolate was when I went hiking on the Caminito del Rey. The Caminito del Rey is an aerial trail that was built in the walls of the Gaitanes gorge. It’s a path terraced onto the gorge with a length of 1.8 miles in long sections, and the path is less than 3 feet wide. The path is hanging on the vertical gorge walls, and you walk on this path that’s over 300 feet above the river. If you are afraid of heights, this hike could definitely make you dizzy (but it’s so worth the thrill and spectacular views)!

As soon as we finished the hike, hungry and exhausted in the middle of a hot summer day, we were waiting to catch the shuttle back to our car when we found a chocolate stand that was selling artisanal chocolate made in Spain. Of course, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to taste some Spanish chocolate and support a local company! The woman working there was very kind, and explained to us that many of her chocolates are sweetened with honey, rather than sugar. That is, locally farmed and organic honey!

Her chocolate was very pure, and only had a few ingredients in each one. She offered many different flavors including : red fruits, nuts, sugar free, lemon, dark chocolate, banana chocolate, cinnamon, white chocolate with strawberries, lemon and ginger, and pistachio. My two favorite ones that I tried were the chocolates with nuts and the pistachio! Delicious chocolate. I wish I could find the brand and give them credit here, but they are very small and unfortunately I can’t seem to locate a website or social media!

We brought some chocolate bars home after this adventure to enjoy with my husbands family. They loved the chocolate too!

You can find chocolate everywhere in Spain! Whether it be hot chocolate, chocolate croissants at the bakery a.k.a. Napolitana De Chocolate, churros with chocolate, and more! If you are a chocolate lover like we are, you must indulge when you travel to Europe. Everything here is so delicious, and has so much history behind it. Traveling to Spain and the History of Chocolate is one that goes hand in hand together.

I hope you enjoyed “traveling” to Spain with me and learning more on the history of chocolate. Give us a follow on Instagram to learn more about our chocolate farm on Maui, and the chocolate and coffee tours that we offer! Tell us about your Spanish chocolate experiences in the comments below. Ciao!

Although chocolate is known as a key sweet ingredient essential for rich and delicious desserts, you shouldn’t limit it to this! When chocolate is incorporated in small quantities, it provides silkiness and complexity to an abundance of savory preparations. We have put together a few of our favorite Savory Recipes that incorporate Chocolate! Valentines Day is right around the corner. We thought that these recipes might help bring some fun ideas to the table. Surprise your significant other with something tasty and new, or make a date night out of cooking together!

Maui Food and Wine

Maui Food and Wine was created to help you create a perfect meal for your special event. They source only the finest Maui ingredients, and provide wholesome, handcrafted, and innovative dining experiences. Owner and Founder of Maui Food and Wine, Katarina, has been living and working in the food and beverage industry on Maui for years. She has built a trustworthy network of professionals here to serve and work with you on putting together a memorable dining experience. Below we have listed the services offered at Maui Food and Wine.

Private Chef & Catering

If you are looking for someone to provide the food for your next event, you have found the right place! They will help you plan the perfect meal whether it’s for a family dinner, wedding, birthday party, cocktail reception, etc.

Sommelier

Maui Food and Wine works with the top Wine distributors on Maui. They have access to the perfect pairings and their team is certified through the Court of Masters Sommeliers.

Themed Dinner Parties & Menus

Their clients have a few favorites to choose from the menu! They can also help you create your own special themed dinner menu. How cool is that?!

Maui Food and Wine also offers additional services such as special menus for diets including vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free, prepared foods for delivery, farmers market to table delivery service, and filling your fridge with local products!

Here is one of our favorite recipes from Katarina at Maui Food and Wine!

Chocolate Rubbed Pork Chop

This is a savory dish where the essence of cacao really shines through!

Ingredients

Rub
1 tsp Cacao Powder
1 tsp Cacao Nibs
1/4 tsp White Pepper
1 tsp Salt Chards, Maldon if you have it
1 tsp Light Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Rosemary

Fruits & Veggies
1/4 Cup fresh Whole Cranberries
3 baby apples
1 fresh Julienne Jalapeño Pepper
1/2 small onion

Liquids 
3 oz local beer of choice
1 tsp local honey
1 tbsp cold butter

Pork
1 Large Pork Chop (8-10 oz) or 2 small chops

Directions

1. Create a dry rub for the pork and rub it generously, covering all sides. (They went with a boneless pork chop)

2, Let the pork chop sit while heating the skillet. Now’s a good time to chop the veggies!

3. On medium / high heat, place the rubbed chop onto the dry skillet.

4. Sear each side of the chop

5. Add oil and vegetables. Move the veggies around while the chop cooks and deglaze with about 3 ounces of beer.

6. After the beer has reduced for a few minutes, reduce the heat to low and put a lid on it. Let it sit for a few minutes. (Until pork is cooked how you like it)

7. Set the work on a plate

8. Add a slice of butter and little spoon of honey to the pan. Toss until the sauce is brought together, then pour over the chops.

Thank you Katarina for showing us that wonderful recipe! 

Here are a few more fun recipes to incorporate chocolate into a savory dish!

Roasted Baby Carrots with Balsamic-Bitter Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients

For the carrots 
3 lbs baby carrots
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp Salt
5-6 sprigs of fresh Thyme

For the syrup
1/2 cup aged Balsamic Vinegar (5 or 10 year aged)
Pinch of Salt
1/2 ounce 85% dark chocolate of your choice, chopped
1/2 tsp honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place carrots on top of a sheet pan and drizzle them with Olive Oil. Spread them into a single layer. Sprinkle the salt evenly on the carrots. Add the Thyme sprigs on top. Roast the carrots until they are tender and brown in spots. Shake the pan and turn over a couple of times. This will take about 35 minutes in total.
3. As the carrots are cooking, take this time to make the syrup. Put vinegar in a very small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat. You will do this until it’s reduced to a 1/4 cup. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the chocolate. Let the chocolate melt for 30 seconds. Take a small spatula and gently stir the syrup. Once the chocolate has melted and the syrup is smooth, add the honey and salt. Mix well. Cover the pan in order to keep the sauce warm until the meal is ready to be served.
4. Once the carrots are ready, discard the thyme and place the carrots nicely on a serving dish. Now, drizzle them with a generous amount of the syrup. Enjoy!

Cacao Nib Pesto

Adding Cacao Nibs to traditional pesto sauce provides your menu with a smoky dimension. You may use this pesto with pasta, salad, or as a spread. One of our favorite ways to use pesto is spread on toasty bread topped with grated Italian Cheese which makes a tasty and unique appetizer!

Here’s what you’ll need

1 1/4 ounces fresh Basil leaves (remove the stems)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (divided)
1/4 cup Cacao Nibs
3 tbsp Toasted Pine Nuts (divided)
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Pink Peppercorns
1/4 tsp Salt

Directions

1. Place Basil leaves in a food processor or high powered blender. Add 2 tbsp Olive Oil, Cacao Nibs, 2 tbsp Pine Nuts, Lemon Juice, Peppercorns, and Sea Salt. Turn on your food processor or blender and pulse until well blended with some texture. Add more oil if needed, and blend into a creamy paste. Mix the remaining pine nuts into the paste.
2. Use pesto immediately. If you would like to store it, refrigerate in a glass container topped with Olive Oil in order to avoid browning.

Bon Apetit!

We hope you enjoy these savory recipes that incorporate Chocolate. If you are looking for something fun to do on or around Valentines Day with your significant other or loved ones, we highly recommend booking a Maui Chocolate Coffee Tour. What better way to celebrate this holiday then to see exactly where chocolate comes from and how it’s turned into something we eat?!

Maui Chocolate Coffee Tours offers more than providing in-person Chocolate and Coffee tours at Kupa’a Farms. We do private in-home chocolate tastings! This is an incredibly fun and unique experience to include in an event or party. Your friends and family will be talking about it for years to come! Below we will talk about private in-home chocolate tastings and recipes.

What is chocolate tasting?

Chocolate tasting is when chocolate-loving friends gather and sample different types of chocolate, and discuss what they taste like. Check out our article to learn more about the art of chocolate tasting. When you book with Maui Chocolate Coffee Tours to do a private tasting, we will provide our very own homemade chocolate. Owner and Tour Guide of MCCT Ann Tuomela will also be there to educate and explain all things chocolate. Chocolate tasting is a fun activity and something that everyone can do! Contact us today to schedule your private tasting.

Chocolate Course By Ann

French Chocolate Mendiants