Story by MATILYN MORTENSEN • Photos by SARAH WELLIVER • Standard-Examiner staff
Whether you want something simple to satisfy a chocolate craving or a more adventurous test of your sweet tooth, Utah has plenty of local options.
Ruth Kendrick is a chocolatier and the owner of Chocolot in Ogden. Kendrick creates unique European-style chocolates with colorful designs.
The shells of her chocolates are thin — she uses a mold to create them — and filled with a ganache, similar to a truffle, Kendrick said.
Kendrick then adds some whimsy to her sweets by airbrushing delicate and elaborate cocoa butter designs onto the chocolates.
“Everybody says ‘They’re too pretty to eat,’ and I say, ‘But they’re too delicious not to,’ ” Kendrick said.
There’s a lot that goes into the texture and consistency of a chocolate. Some ingredients give the taster a waxy taste and feel. Others create a melty, silky effect.
Kendrick has seen old chocolate recipes that call for paraffin wax, but she is quick to explain today’s so-called waxy texture doesn’t actually come from wax.
One type of chocolate isn’t necessarily better than another, Kendrick said. The important thing is choosing the kind that will best fulfill the purpose of the project.
For instance, the kind of chocolate Kendrick uses to make her European-style chocolates would not work for hand-dipped chocolates because it is too thin.
Chocolate experts also say beans harvested from specific areas can lend various flavors.
Cary Black, a chocolatier and the owner of Food of the Gods Chocolatier in Kaysville, said a unique aspect of his creations is his use of single-sourced chocolate. That means he uses only cocoa beans harvested from a specific place.
Chocolate from Madagascar has traces of red fruit and citrus in the flavor. Ecuadorian chocolate has a more earthy flavor, and Peruvian chocolate carries a flowery flavor.
“I just love Madagascar chocolate,” Black said. “I like all the others, but that one’s probably my favorite, and I use it the most.”
Black strives to combine unique ingredients and make chocolates that are more than just a sweet treat.
“We try to not just satisfy a sweet tooth,” Black said. “We make an experience.”
Here are some of the places to find local chocolates throughout Utah: