Go ahead, splurge: Chocolate the ultimate of indulgence
Chef will demonstrate signature recipes — truffles — at ChocolateFest
By Margaret Plevak
For Weekender
Even in a penny-pinching economy, good chocolate is irresistible.Consumers might give up pricey cappuccinos and lattes at their local coffee house, but they’re still willing to pay $4.75 for a box of four hand-crafted chocolate truffles from Indulgence Chocolatiers in Waukesha.
“Is $2 for a truffle worth it when you compare that to a mass-produced candy bar? Definitely,” said Julie Waterman, chocolate artisan and owner of Indulgence Chocolatiers. “People still want to do something for themselves, spend on a little indulgence, and good chocolate is a small enough splurge.”
Waterman will create her truffles at Burlington’s ChocolateFest in a 2 p.m. demonstration May 23 in the Chocolate Experience tent. Eight other chefs will whip up everything from brownie pie to orange-scented chocolate soup in other cooking demonstrations throughout the festival, which runs Memorial Day weekend.
Waterman, who uses Belgian chocolate in her truffles, finds that chocolate aficionados are becoming more discriminating in their tastes, and favoring artisan-made sweets. “People are starting to get educated about chocolate and appreciate fine ingredients,” she said.
She developed her own palate for chocolate while backpacking through Europe with her husband a few years ago, after both finished college.
“I fell in love with the chocolate stores over there,” she said. “They share the same core philosophy that we do in regard to using fine ingredients.”
Returning home, Waterman, who’d studied to be a music teacher, decided she would rather create chocolate confections. Indulgence Chocolatiers opened in November 2007.
Waterman sells her chocolates online (www.indulgencechocolatiers.com) and at select grocery stores, including Sendick’s and Outpost Natural Foods. She also offers dessert, catering for occasions ranging from weddings to corporate events. Customized menus let guests sample several different chocolate creations, and provide an affordable alternative to cake, she said.
It took Waterman a year to develop her signature recipes. She will prepare one of them at ChocolateFest — caramel fleur de sel, a dark chocolate truffle mixed with caramel and sprinkled with sea salt (see at www.chocolatefest.com/pdf/caramel-truffles.pdf ).
Sea salt on a truffle might surprise some, but Waterman has created chocolates using even less traditional ingredients, such as bacon or crushed habanero peppers.
Discussing what ingredients and foods pair well with chocolate will be part of Waterman’s demonstration. She also will share with her audience a history of chocolate, talk about chocolate’s complexities — from subtle hues to determining where the beans come from — and explain how to find good quality chocolate.
What should consumers look for?
“The first thing is the ingredients,” Waterman said. “Chocolate should not be pumped full of preservatives. Chocolate is not meant to sit on store shelves. It’s meant to be eaten.”
People at the 23rd annual ChocolateFest can sample chocolates from more than 20 vendors. Besides chef demonstrations, there will be a wine and chocolate tasting event, a fashion competition using candy wrappers, a community mural of chocolate handprints, and various chocolate-related contests.
There also will be live entertainment, an art and craft fair, fireworks and a parade. Pre-festival events include chocolate sculpting and cake decorating contests, a 5K run/walk May 16 and a bike ride May 17.
The festival grounds are located off Highway 36 across from Echo Lake Park on Maryland Avenue. General festival hours are 4 p.m. to midnight May 22, 10 a.m. to midnight May 23-24 and noon to 8 p.m. May 25.
General admission tickets are $7 for adults ($6 in advance online and at grocery stores throughout the area), $6 for seniors and $3 for children 5-12. Children under 5 get in free. Tickets with various options, including parking, unlimited carnival rides and select events, also are available. For more information, visit www.chocolatefest.com.
