Hey! You got your curry in my chocolate!

I recently watched a profile on Food Network about Vosges Haut-Chocolat in Chicago. Owner Katrina Markoff utilizes unusual and unexpected spices and flavorings to create exotic truffles, chocolate bars, and even ice cream. I was intrigued by the idea of combining things like olives, wasabi, or pink Himalayan salt with chocolate, but never expected to actually taste any of these crazy concoctions. Imagine my surpise when I stumbled upon a display of Vosges chocolate bars at my local Whole Foods. My first reaction was sticker shock. $7 for a chocolate bar? Inconceivable! But as I continued shopping I kept thinking about the chocolate, rationalizing that they were large-sized bars, and made with expensive ingredients, and surely I could afford just one?

So I went back to the display. The first bar that caught my eye was the Red Fire, made with chili peppers and cinnamon. However, I have already tasted similar flavors from both Moonstruck and Dagoba, so I decided to go with my second choice: the Naga bar, combining sweet Indian curry powder with tiny coconut flakes. I was alternately skeptical and fascinated when I finally got home and opened the bar. Inside, the chocolate was smooth and shiny with cute images of a girl with a shopping bag stamped onto the squares. I browsed the detailed "instructions" on the back of the box (which recommed savoring the chocolate using all five senses), closed my eyes, and took a bite.

Wow! I know it's a cliche to talk about having a party in my mouth, but the flavor was incredible. Sweet, salty, savory, and creamy all at once. I was impressed! I've tasted a lot of unusually flavored chocolates, (particularly in London, where all the sweets seemed to be made out of flowers) but this curry bar was the first one to really knock my socks off. If you get a chance you really must try this chocolate (and if you don't like it, send me the leftovers). I'm going to have to try the Black Pearl (that's the wasabi one) next.