master_of_chocolate

Yes in both cases. Years ago, I mixed foi gras in a truffle, expecting to be horrible but it was actually very nice. On the bad side, at a dinner party at my house I received a dare of "How spicy can you make a chocolate?" ...I added about a tablespoon of ghost pepper to dark chocolate and no one could eat it.

Unwrap your favorite chocolate bar and eat it. That's the easiest recipe. :)

I've made slightly savory ice cream, with a mix of fresh herbs and tomato. Try to paint in your head a slightly sweet tomato soup, but frozen. I serve that as a trou Normand. What that is, is between heavy meals you have a little break to cleanse the palate. So just have a small scoop with a splash of your favorite liquor. One I enjoy with this is a pepper vodka.

I was trained in Canada and Europe in pastries and chocolate. Then I specialized in chocolate, and in Canada and Europe there is such a thing as having a certificate as a master chocolatier. In the US, it hasn't been as defined, so pretty much anybody could call themselves a master chocolatier.

So yes, you can do it from home, but you could not commercially sell from your home.

We are not hiring tasters, we just take volunteers for that. :)

My feeling is that the best way to incorporate coffee in chocolate is by using a coffee paste. Chocolate is fat based (cocoa butter, sugar, cocoa powder, etc.) and there is no easy way to mix liquid coffee to pure chocolate. That would create an irreversible mixture. Think of water and oil. A coffee paste has no water, thus making it very compatible with chocolate without the grit of simply ground coffee. This "third way" is my favorite coffee flavoring ingredient.

Well yes it is. :) I've heard guys want to be me, and girls want to be with me. Try it, it works. :)