Flavors of the World - Chocolate Flight

Creator: Trevor Hardwick, New York
Category: Beverage
Serves: 8 (with five 2-ounce tastes).
Adventure Ingredients: Cardamom, Ginger, Lavender, Lemongrass, Pomegranate

Note: A separate base (as detailed immediately below) should be prepared for each individual flavoring. The result will be five bases.

Base Ingredients:

• 1 pint whole milk (plus extra)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 ounces Scharffen Berger® 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate (melted)

Flavorings:

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 stems fresh lemongrass (trimmed of hard stalk and finely chopped)
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate concentrate

Preparation:

1. Bring milk to a boil. Add an individual flavoring to the milk base and cover. Remove from heat. Steep for a minimum of 15 minutes.

2. When the flavor is infused, pour through a sieve to discard solids. Add extra milk if necessary to be sure you have 1 measured pint.

3. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the infused milk to a low simmer, and then add sugar and water, stirring until sugar dissolves.

4. Add the chocolate and stir with a whisk. Remove from heat and whisk with an immersion blender to ensure smoothness.

5. Repeat the process for each of the five flavorings. You should have about 1 pint of each flavored chocolate.

Presentation:

Serve a two-ounce portion of each flavor in a shot glass. Serve the complete flight on a small plate or tray. A menu of the flavors may help as an educational tool or perhaps as a quiz to test the palate.

Note: The flight may be served hot or cold. Just reheat the flavored milk to serve hot. To serve cold, chill the chocolate drink, stir in 1/4 cup of cold water per 1 pint mixture, and then mix with an immersion blender.