Sorry for the gap in postings. However, today seemed as good a time to write as any.
So not so long ago, I waxed poetic about the wonders of desserts and, namely, chocolate. Today, one of chocolate's most seminal figures passed away.
No, not any of the Hersheys.
No, not Lady Godiva (whoever the heck that is)
No, not Russell Stover (and for Pete's sake, stop buying those cheap-ass chocolates)
Today, Robert Steinberg passed away.
("Who's Robert Steinberg?)
If you wondered the above, that is the essence of my complaint.
Robert was the co-founder of Scharffenberger Chocolate, one of fine cuisine's most celebrated and used chocolates. A regular staple among gourmet bakers, Scharffenberger is one of America's first artisan chocolate makers, and its factory in Berkeley is a popular destination as visitors marvel in the traditional techniques of making chocolate. The result? A chocolate that is not only ultimately satisfying, but one that contains a variety of different flavors that dance on the palate. No wonder the tour guides there tell you NEVER to chew the chocolate.
Yet Robert is a classic example of how, in the toughest of times, following one's passions can take life into a new and exciting direction. In the mid-1990s, after being diagnosed with lymphoma, he began learning about how artisan chocolate was made, using large stone grinders and high-end cacao. Joining with John Scharffenberger, the experiment began with in Steinberg's apartment, using, of all things, a coffee grinder, a mortar and pestle, an electric mixer, and a hair dryer to start making chocolate. Soon after that, the factory in Berkeley opened.
Scharffenberger only uses accurately fermented cacao nibs and pays above market rate from their Latin American suppliers for them. They were the first chocolate maker to indicate on their bars what percentage of the chocolate is Cacao. So began American cuisine's fascination with high-end chocolate.
So with great gratitude to Scharffenberger's chocolate tradition, perhaps you can do one of the following to pay tribute to Dr. Steinberg and his chocolate revolution.
1. Buy a Scharffenberger bar. Might I recommend the 73% bittersweet. Only take the 99% unsweetened if you want a head rush.
2. Order a desert that indicates it uses Scharffenberger, Valhrona, or a comparable chocolate-maker's chocolate.
3. On Valentine's Day, take a pass on the Russell Stover. It may be cheap, but you get what you pay for.
