Culinary Columnist Philippe Mollé   A Day of Chocolate  

 

Article written by culinary columnist Philippe Mollé 

I had issued a challenge of sorts to a chocolate-maker friend. It was dedicated to a poor martyr whose memory is celebrated with chocolaty delights on February 14. St. Valentine’s, as we observe it today, is of course the day of lovers and of love itself, or at least what remains of it.

At any rate, this is the moment we dream of for talking about chocolate, all the more so since SWISS has accustomed me on my journeys to praline candies made with fine milk from the mountains that Switzerland’s reputation is built on, here in the very country that has the world’s highest per capita chocolate consumption.

The challenge was daunting: going from Zurich to Vevey by train, then returning to Zurich and going by air to Paris, spending a few hours there, then going from Paris to Brussels on the high-speed train, and returning to Zurich early the next day – all in 24 hours without ingesting any chocolate.

Beyond a doubt, chocolate is a sugary treat that chocophiles or chocomaniacs such as myself cannot go more than a day without. I was setting out to visit three European countries where chocolate really matters, where feasts and festivals are dedicated to it, not to mention the many recipes for fondues, and where all sorts of spectacles are inspired by it.

Over many years I had established friendships with chocolate professionals who had taken me to meet some of the great chocolatiers in Switzerland and, more particularly, in Vevey, the place where the first milk chocolate was created in 1819 by François-Louis Cailler. I wished to devote my initial meeting to Mr. Poyet, a great local chocolatier and confectioner, whom I had met previously on a journalistic visit. There, in the fiefdom of Charlie Chaplin, he had obtained from the Chaplin family the right to reproduce Charlot’s famous shoes in chocolate form. I can readily understand the true significance and importance he attaches to Swiss milk in the production of chocolate. With the contentment brought on by the proximity of the lake and the Saturday market beneath a radiant sun, I would, on a different occasion, have chosen to take advantage of the sunlight illuminating the snow-covered peaks.

After this initial visit, I left for Zurich, my arms laden with chocolate, with the precise timekeeping imposed by the Swiss railways.

 

The flight was leaving in 10 minutes for the French capital, where I would arrive at about 1 p.m. When I arrived at Roissy-Charles-De-Gaulle, Christophe Morel, a master chocolatier from Montreal, the ambassador of Barry Callebaut chocolate and a long-time friend, awaited me at the Paris airport. He would later accompany me to Belgium, to his mentor, Marc Ducobu, a great thinker and gourmand philosopher of chocolate.

The choice had been far from easy because, as in Switzerland, there are a good many chocolate professionals in France. The making of chocolates or candies differs somewhat between the three great countries that most revere the divine bean. It is up to each of the makers to determine the taste and differences characterizing their products. Jean-Paul Hévin bears a resemblance to Morel, a passionate gourmet and gourmand. All his candies are outstanding creations that satisfy both the eye and the palate. Pale caramel with fleur de sel from Guérande, roast pistachio from Turkey with a smooth passion fruit blend, combined with top-grade Alto el Sol chocolate from Peru. As we salivated before this array of chocolaty happiness, Hévin also offered us a wonderful tasting sampler. Chocolate aromas filled the shop, transformed into a salon de thé, exuding gentle cacao fragrances all the way to the chic boutiques of rue St. Honoré. But it was already 5 p.m.! Time to head to the Gare du Nord to catch the famous Paris-Brussels TGV that would take us to Belgium for our meeting with Marc Ducobu.

He was waiting for us in front of the entrance to his lovely pastry shop. At 7:15 p.m. in Brussels, it was almost still teatime, and taking tea at Ducobu is almost as long as the tea ceremony in Japan, except that, at Ducobu, the tea becomes hot chocolate accompanied by chocolate éclairs and madeleines. Smooth, fine and deliciously creamy, each mouthful of this hot chocolate makes you want to return. The discussions and debates were proceeding: among France, Switzerland and Belgium, which makes the best chocolate?

On the Grand’Place in Brussels, illuminated by the garlands surrounding the pretty houses of the Corporations, the discussions, accompanied by Gueuze Lambic, continued well into the evening.

Christophe decided to keep debating with his friend for a good part of the night. Meanwhile, I decided to move off to dreamland, falling asleep to thoughts of chocolate and of the breakfast that would follow in the morning. Night turned into day, and there then appeared the much awaited breakfast: brioches and croissants, with steaming hot chocolate served in a porcelain chocolate mug, as always. Then it was off to the Brussels airport. With my arms loaded with Belgian pralines and Swiss and French chocolates, I had to go back to Zurich.

Upon my arrival in Zurich, Swiss Customs officers saw me coming, my arms loaded with various chocolates. They obviously asked me why I was bringing in so much chocolate, something that Switzerland produces. A long explanation began, right up to the final question: which is the best chocolate? To which I responded: "Swiss chocolate, of course." St. Valentine could rest assured that chocolate would continue to be offered by – and to – every lover on earth.