Be afraid, be very afraid: Manoa Ghost Pepper Chocolate at 2019 Winter Fancy Food Show
Single origin chocolate? Zzzzz…. So 2018. At the recent Fancy Food Show I sampled Scorpion Pepper chocolate from North Carolina, Lavender milk chocolate from Hawaii (source of the only cocoa nibs grown in the U.S.) and Salted Egg Cereal chocolate from Singapore. Each had a story to tell, about obsessive attention to quality and taste. All were found at the A Priori Food Specialty Food booth, offering retailers an “expansive collection of craft chocolate from around the globe, where the single unifying theme is cacao beans of respectable provenance.”
A Priori Distributors booth at 2019 Winter Fancy Food Show
You can read about the complete selection on the A Priori website, and order many of them from their mail order partner, Caputo Imports. At present, there is no link to find a bricks-and-mortar retailer in a given location. You could look up the chocolatiers’ websites and contact them directly, or send a request to info@aprioridistribution.com. It’s worth the effort; this is mind blowing stuff worth getting your hands on.
Another source to check out is Angkor Cambodian Foods, offering “authentic sauces and condiments” from a family operation with a Cambodian chef. The flavor base includes lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal and turmeric. Cambodian spices are said to be similar to other regional cuisines but milder, which is what I found with the lemongrass paste they sent me home with.
Grilled chicken thighs marinated in Angkor Lemongrass Paste
I tried their marinated chicken recipe (very simple: score the chicken and rub with the lemongrass paste mixed with a bit of oyster sauce, marinate for 2 hours, then grill in oven) then made a coconut beef curry and wanted to stretch out my condiment for another use so I mixed in some of the concentrated green curry in the little flat cans we find at Asian markets. The flavor profiles were indeed similar with the Angkor sauce milder but fresher tasting.
This is a Fremont, CA company and I want to support them as a former Bay Arean. Free shipping is offered on all their items, so there’s no reason not to give them a try.
