You can’t have a proper Valentine’s Day without chocolate. But why binge on boring Whitman’s Samplers when you can have truffles and chocolate bars flavored with exotic ingredients like chipotle, goji berries and reishi mushrooms?
Inspired by her travels around the world, Katrina Markoff, the founder of Vosges Haut-Chocolat, is constantly adding new and exciting flavor profiles to her sweets.
We caught up with Markoff — who’s opened nine trademark purple Vosges boutiques nationwide, including two in NYC — as she was packing for a trip to Panama. She filled us in on her favorite international spots for picking up bonbons, braving chocolate-covered crickets and the sexiest way to enjoy candy with that special someone.
You caught the chocolate-making bug while studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris — what experience did you have there that convinced you to become a chocolatier?
It was the truffle beignet at L’Ambroise in the Place des Vosges. I bit into that perfectly crunchy, battered dessert with chocolate inside — it was just incredible. I don’t know if it’s on the menu anymore, but I ended up naming my company after the Place des Vosges, and a big reason is because of that dessert.
What are some of your favorite Parisian chocolate shops?
I love Jean-Paul Hévin; he does chocolate drinking salon upstairs in one of his boutiques — it’s very elegant — and serves interesting combinations, like goat cheese and chocolate. And Pierre Hermé, he has the best macarons in the city; buy them [from the location in the 1st arrondissement], then go to Luxembourg Gardens to enjoy these treats.
What are some are some of the most interesting dessert flavors you’ve seen on your travels? Have you been inspired to try them in your own chocolates?
In Bangkok, I went to market where there were pandan leaves, and tasted a bunch of different desserts made with them. They are sort of a cross between vanilla and hazelnut, but in a leaf form. [Vosges serves a pandan ice cream seasonally.] I spent a lot of time in Oaxaca, Mexico, which is home to chapulines (crickets) — they use them in sweet and savory ways, including covering them with chocolate. I wasn’t taken with them, but did enjoy learning the process of taking the cacao beans and burying them in the earth where they ferment; they then froth the results into a foam texture. We do something similar with our hot cocoa.
And finally, what’s the best way to experience your chocolates for Valentine’s Day?
Go with your partner and put together a menu of “duet” chocolates. For example, he would pick the truffle with curry and coconut, and she might have one with honey — then kiss and see how the flavor profiles would mix. The chocolate melting in your mouths, then the kiss — it’s a totally sensual experience.