CHOCOLATE DESSERTS -a win-win solution that’s sweet!“If in doubt, go for the chocolate option” may be on customers’ minds when they scan the dessert menu. It’s an option that chefs shouldn’t overlook either.

Chocolate slab,Piccalilly, The Battery Point, TAS

Despite everyone’s obsession with dieting, fat and calories, restaurant customers haven’t stopped ordering dessert. From family restaurants to fine dining, many guests feel the experience wouldn’t be complete without an ice-cream, a piece of cake

or a chocolate extravaganza. This is especially true in full-service establishments.This is good news for operators. Desserts are based on lower-cost staples like sugar, flour, eggs, butter and cream, providing the opportunity for better profit margins in comparison to appetizers and entrees. And as we know chocolate wins the popularity contest again and again! OURHotel spoke about chocolate desserts to three well-known chefs.

Why chocolate desserts?“I think 90% of our customers would buy a chocolate dessert because hey, who doesn’t like chocolate? Chocolate desserts always sell very well!” enthuses Paul Hewitt, Head Chef from P. J. Gallagher’s Irish pub restaurant in Parramatta. The pub was awarded Best Restaurant (City) in the 2009 Australian Hotels Association NSW Awards For Excellence. “It adds colour, richness, texture (both hard and soft), shape and interest to a dish; it’s a very versatile ingredient,” says Iain Todd from Piccalilly. The Battery Point, Hobart, restaurant was voted Best Overall Restaurant of 2008/2009 in the Tasmanian Hospitality Association Awards for Excellence. “My favourite chocolaty dishes are those where the chocolate has been lightened in texture so it melts away in the mouth,” Todd says.

Managing the cost of chocolate as an ingredient“Chocolate is and always will be a hit with diners,” says Leigh McDivitt, Head Chef of the multi award-winning Restaurant in the 3 Weeds Hotel, Rozelle. It has two chef’s hats from the Good Food Guide and was awarded Best Restaurant in a Pub 2009 from Australian Restaurant and Catering Association.“And yes, good chocolate can be expensive. You must, of course, balance the costs of your ingredients so that you can make money. I couldn’t sustain having a dish on my menu that didn’t make money.”But he says the very high-perceived value of chocolate, at the same time makes it a perfect ingredient to produce a high rate of return. Piccalilly’s Iain Todd agrees.“The better the quality of the chocolate the more intense the flavour, so you can afford to use less in your recipes. As you mentioned, chocolate is a good seller, so you know you will move plenty of units,” Todd says. “Buy chocolate in bulk and never waste it. Chocolate, as long as it remains uncontaminated, can be used again,” he advises.Paul Hewitt describes his approach to chocolate desserts: “Well, just like any dish, we weigh up the cost of all the ingredients and find the best price that not only is profitable, but is also value for money for our customers.”All the chefs agree that chocolate desserts will always sell. The trick is to find the right balance between cost of the produce and labour. Then the knowledge, experience and skills come into play.

Tips on working with chocolateSkills and knowledge of the product’s properties and behaviour are a must when working with chocolate. “You need to know what you are doing. Chocolate can be very tricky and takes skill and patience to achieve good results,” warns Leigh McDivitt. “Using quality chocolate and having the right equipment does make the difference.”

Paul Hewitt gives chefs a few tips how to work with chocolate:“Work quite quickly as chocolate tends to go hard and lumpy if left out too long; never add cold ingredients to warm chocolate; don’t melt chocolate over direct heat or it burns; and make sure all bowls and utensils are clean and dry before touching chocolate with them.” “Do your research,” Iain Todd advises. “Ask for samples and taste the chocolate to decide which one suits you best for both price and intensity. Think about cocoa percentage and how that will affect bitterness or sweetness of the finished dish. Don’t be afraid of it – it is easy with some understanding and practice.”

Creativity with chocolateTodd suggests using chocolate to release your creativity. “Think outside the box and be creative,” he says. “Think about incorporating chocolate into other areas of the menu, but always be careful. If too much chocolate is used, it can ruin a dish just as much as it can improve one.” OURHotel spotted an unusual dessert on Piccalilly’s menu, so we asked him about it. Your current dessert menu pairs unusual flavours together (for example dark chocolate ice cream, pear and parmesan salad and mint jelly), where do you find your inspirations? “The creative process at Piccalilly involves the whole team; we discuss the dishes we would like to create and any ingredients we would like to see on the menu. We then trial the new dishes and manipulate them until they are what we are looking for,” Todd explains.“The chocolate ice-cream dish is comprised of flavours that work well together - chocolate, pears and mint is a classic combination. The Parmesan was added because it works so well with the pear. It adds salt to the dish, which is important, and gives it a more adult feel. Piccalilly’s diners eat a large number of courses over a long period of time, it is important not to overload them with sugar.”

Leigh McDivitt loves use of different textures in his chocolate desserts. One of his favorites in 3 Weeds is ‘Textures of chocolate with mandarin cigar and hazelnut praline.’While being creative with ingredients, he also takes a pragmatic approach. “We have found that we can be adventurous but must keep it real. I like to take a classic dessert and add on top of that my own take. And then, of course, price will always be the defining point.”

Upselling desserts“Selling desserts is an important part of running a profitable kitchen,” Iain Todd reminds us. “Educate your staff by getting them to taste the desserts. For the cost of one or two portions, the people who can influence your guests’ decisions can describe how lovely all the desserts are. “Try and be diverse to suit various tastes, make some items less sugary and remember to include fruit. If only one person on the table feels like a dessert, they are likely to say no, so they’re not the only one eating, but if there are more varied options on the menu to suit a range of tastes, you’re on a winner! “For example, have some classic options and some more modern ones, use various methods of cookery to add interest to your menu. Look at interesting cheese for your cheese platter or offer petite fours with coffee to try and boost sales. Dessert can be petit fours. Cheese? Anything else?”Paul Hewitt offers some straightforward advice on selling desserts. “Giving a good and proper description on the menu always helps, and taking into account customer feedback about what desserts they like to eat.“And also the coffee, the tea, and another glass of wine which people generally order to go with their dessert all add another opportunity to make a profit.

3 Weeds Hotel, Rozelle, NSW

It contains a so-called ‘love chemical’,

the darker variety particularly is said to

be good for the heart, and it’s best not

to get between a piece and a woman at

certain times of the month.

Yes, we’re talking about chocolate. Even the

mere mention of the melt-in-your-mouth treat

can be enough to get you salivating. Whether

as a slab of cake or a single bar, it can be

futile to try to resist.

Chocolate has been highly referenced in

popular culture. Tom Hanks famously uttered

the line, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates.

You never know what you’re gonna get’, in

Forrest Gump. Chocolat, starring Juliette

Binoche, followed a woman and her daughter

opening a chocolate shop in a French village

and winning over the townsfolk with their

delicious treats.

There are now cafes dedicated solely to the

confection, eateries where you can dip the

Spanish doughnut, churro, into it in liquid

form, and fondue parties, where you can coat

anything from marshmallows to fruit in the

sweet treat.

Even Aussie supermodel Miranda Kerr has

admitted to indulging in chocolate Lindt balls

on occasion.

But, while it’s one of the most popular and

recognisable flavours in the world today,

its history is often lesser known – even

though it is as rich as its taste. The term,

chocolate, entered the English language

from Spanish. How it came to be a part of

the Spanish vernacular is less certain, with

many competing explanations. The most cited

though is that it comes from the Aztec word,

xocolatl, ironically meaning ‘bitter water’.

(You see, at the time, the ground cocoa bean

was mixed with chilli, fragrant flowers,

vanilla, and honey to create a delicious,

albeit bitter, drink. Later on, Europeans

sweetened it up with sugar and milk and

another indigenous Mexican spice, vanilla.

Oh, and they also removed the chilli – which,

ironically, some chocolatiers actually now put

back in for something different.)

Montezuma, the king of Ancient Mexico’s

Aztecs, is reported to have downed 50 golden

goblets of the chocolate drink every day

before retiring to his harem, believing it to be

an aphrodisiac. (Wonder what it did for his

sex appeal though – namely his waistline?)

The Aztecs were actually unable to grow

and produce the cocoa plant in their own

environment, so they traded for the beans,

largely with the Maya Indian farmers. The

Aztecs would also take cocoa beans as tax in

the areas they conquered.

Chocolate was imported to Europe, following

the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs. The

Spanish soon began growing their own

cocoa plantations, using African labour. The

confection was introduced into England in the

second half of the seventeenth century, with

the first chocolate house opening in London

in 1657. Frenchman Doret invented the first form of

solid chocolate in Italy’s Turin at the end

of the 18th century. In 1828, Dutchman

Coenraad Johannes van Houten patented

a method for making powdered cocoa

and cocoa butter – plus, a process to treat

chocolate with alkali to remove its bitter taste.

England’s Cadbury brothers came out with

their own version of hard chocolate in 1849.

Switzerland’s Daniel Peter brought a new

product, milk chocolate, to the market in

1875, with baby food manufacturer Henri

Nestlé helping him to work out how to

remove the water content from the milk to

prevent it mildewing. (The latter name ring a

bell?)Today, Western Africa produces almost two-

thirds of the world´s cocoa, with individual

farmers at the mercy of volatile world markets

as with any commodity.

Valrhona chocolate, which has a high cocoa

content (and so, is quite bitter), is commonly

regarded as the finest chocolate by the

world’s greatest pastry chefs. On our turf,

the confection has been given a decidedly

Aussie flavour with local chocolatiers, like

Brisbane’s Mayfield Chocolates, teaming it

up with native ingredients like Kakadu plum

jelly, wattleseed, and Tasmanian leatherwood

honey.Chocolate has been both praised and criticised

in recent times. While it has been documented

that it can help lift your mood and lower

blood pressure and cholesterol due to it being

antioxidant-rich, others moan that it causes

pimples and can help pile on the kilos if over-

indulged in.

Whatever the case, many of us couldn’t live

without the sweet treat. American actress

Alicia Silverstone reportedly said: “My

favourite thing in the world is a box of fine

European chocolates which is, for sure, better

than sex.” And, a common catch-cry is:

“Forget love... I’d rather fall in chocolate!”

Dark romance

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Easter bountyWhile many gripe about how fast Easter treats start lining supermarket shelves once Christmas is over, it often doesn’t stop them sneaking the delights into their trolleys. Who can resist a chocolate-covered marshmallow bunny – even if Easter is three months away?Easter, of course, is traditionally an annual Christian festival to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but it has long been connected with sweet treats as well. The origins of hot cross buns actually lie in pagan traditions, with the cross symbolising the four quarters of the moon. The Christian church adopted the buns and re-interpreted the icing cross during its early missionary efforts – and, in 1361, English monk Thomas Rockcliffe began a tradition of giving hot cross buns to the poor on Good Friday. The egg was also a pagan symbol, representing fertility and re-birth, which was adopted by the Christians instead to mark the resurrection of Jesus after crucifixion. The oldest tradition was to use dyed or painted chicken eggs, which some cultures still do. But, the substitute of chocolate eggs came into being in Europe during the early 1800s, when the confection was then all the rage with the middle and upper class. Local chocolatiers (smartly) used the image of the egg to celebrate Easter - and sell their products. The first chocolate Easter eggs appeared in Germany and France, before the phenomenon spread to the rest of the continent. The first choccy eggs were solid (so, you needed a good pair of teeth on you). However, this style was quickly followed by hollow eggs. Even so, the hollowed-out effect was more difficult to achieve, as they had to use a paste made from ground, roasted cacao beans at the time.Throughout the 20th century, chocolate fever took over the world - including in America - with the confection becoming the primary Easter treat. It has since expanded into all sorts of images beyond the egg, of course, including that of bunnies and birds, with different added flavours too, like caramel and peppermint. Plus, there are now chocolate hot cross buns, with chocolate chips replacing the currants. And, closer to home, Queensland author Rose-Marie Dusting has been recognised for inspiring the bilby as the Australian Easter icon. Her plight to save the bilby and other threatened native species culminated in the late ‘70s with her children’s book, Billy the Aussie Easter Bilby.Whether bilbies or bunnies though, many children still enjoy uncovering the choccy treats hidden around the home – allegedly by the Easter Bunny - on Easter morning. The squeals of delight can be heard for miles!