From The Blog

Chuck Visits the Chocolate Machines at Dandelion Chocolate Japan

December 16, 2019 by

Chuck is our Chocolate Production Mechanic who helps to keep the factories running here in SF. His engineering skills are second to none; he’s never met a machine he couldn’t woo into working at its best. In November, 2019 he was asked to bring his knowledge and elbow grease to our factories in Japan, and take in a little bit of the local culture. Below, Chuck shares a few highlights from his trip.

 

Chieko and Kaija invited me to come inspect and repair the machines they use at Kuramae and Honjo, and I found that Dandelions are the same everywhere you go: hard working, kind to people and to machines, and very welcoming to this old man.

The river between Honjo (on left) and Kuramae

What a clean and beautiful place to have a chocolate factory and café.

Chieko and Kaija (and the DCJ team) take very good care of their chocolate-making machines but, before something serious breaks, they wanted to create a proactive preventive inspection and servicing plan. Luckily for me, I got to visit for about a week and help them implement the plan. One of the Japanese chocolate makers, Ozaki, got the nod from Chieko to add to his duties the care and feeding of the machines. (They don’t eat much.) Ozaki and I worked side-by-side for a careful inspection and preventive maintenance session for each machine. He is ready to do the hands-on work that will keep the DCJ machines in tip-top shape and minimize surprise failures.

Luckily, DCJ chose and installed identical machines to those that we use in California. The machines don’t get worked as long and as hard as they are in the US, and they’re all in great shape. We had some minor touch-ups that got implemented and a few more that Kaija and Ozaki will implement going forward.

Just like all travelers to Japan, I lost a day as we crossed the International Date Line but got it back on the return trip. That really messed with my sense of time.

I arrived on a Saturday and made a valiant effort to gather some energy for my first visit to Dandelion Chocolate Japan at Kuramae on Sunday morning. Kaija and Chieko and the chocolate makers gave me a warm hello.

Dandelion Chocolate factory and café at Kuramae with beautifully weathered wood front; to the right, Dandelion Chocolate ChEx (Chocolate Experiences classroom)

Retail space with traditional Dandelion Chocolate chalkboard (Thank you, Elaine!)

 

Upstairs guest tables and chairs make a comfortable tasting experience

 

The Kuramae factory and café are much like the Valencia factory in San Francisco

After a nice greeting with the DCJ team, Kaija laid out the plan for the week and led me on a tour of the welcoming Kuramae factory and the strictly-functional Honjo factory. We discussed all of the equipment and our action items. We would take care of Kuramae first and get some serious plumbing out of the way. While the plumbers worked at Kuramae, we attacked the projects at Honjo. I met Ozaki on Monday and we were side by side for the rest of the work.

On Thursday we went shopping for tools. We traveled by train and found a huge “everything” store that looks like a Home Depot or a Lowes on the ground floor, then continues to many floors of anything you might need to keep your home operating.

Kaija and Ozaki waiting in the train station

Just like everything I saw in Tokyo, the factories are immaculate and extremely orderly.

We had plenty of tasks to fill the week, but worked at a comfortable pace that left time to experience a wide variety of tasty delights. The baristas know how to make great hot chocolate and coffee drinks just like at home.

Cafe latte for an old mechanic

 

One day the wonderful pastry chefs made udon for the whole staff. I got to join the lunch!

Every meal became a flavorful adventure. One rainy day we even ate an American-style hamburger. It relieved Kaija’s hankering for a taste of home. I have to say, they even did that well.

On Saturday night Kaija and her friend took me to a traditional restaurant that required shoes off at the door and to sit on mats on the floor. The food was amazing! I was surprised that this old man was able to stand back up after dinner. 

What a great experience it was visiting Tokyo and our Dandelion Chocolate colleagues in Japan!

Chuck enjoying okonomiyaki in Japan

Chuck enjoying Japan and some okonomiyaki

Recipe for Nibbuns

December 3, 2019 by

Nibbuns - baked chocolate bunsBreakfast doesn’t get much more decadent than our nib-studded, sugar-coated morning bun with a labyrinth of chocolate custard swirling through the middle. This recipe makes an excellent weekend or holiday project because the dough and custard must both be made a day in advance. You can also make the filling and cinnamon nib sugar ahead of time, but wait to assemble the buns until the day you plan to bake and serve them. The cinnamon and yeasted dough in this bun pair well with coffee notes, spice, and nutty flavor profiles. The nibs in this recipe are ground, which intensifies their impact a little. This recipe is from our book, Making Chocolate: From Bean to Bar to S’more.

Makes 10 to 12 Nibbuns

INGREDIENTS

Bun Dough

  • 1 teaspoon / 3 grams active dry yeast
  • 3 tablespoons / 42 grams / 1 1⁄2 ounces sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1⁄2 cup  / 110 grams / 4 ounces heavy cream
  • 2 ¼ cups / 385 grams / 13 ½ ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon / 1.5 grams kosher salt
  • Pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg
  • 3 tablespoons / 42 grams / 1 ½ ounces unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
  • Nonstick cooking spray, for the bowl and the muffin tin

Chocolate Custard

  • 3⁄4 cup / 113 grams / 4 ounces 70% Chef’s Chocolate, Ground Chocolate, or chopped chocolate
  • 1 large egg
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon  / 1 gram vanilla extract
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons / 150 grams / 5 ounces whole milk
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

Filling

  • 1⁄2 cup packed / 110 grams / 3 1⁄2 ounces light brown sugar
  • ½ cup / 60 grams / 2 ounces cocoa nibs

Cinnamon Nib Sugar

  • 1⁄4 cup / 30 grams / 1 ounce cocoa nibs
  • 1 cup / 200 grams / 7 ounces sugar
  • 4 teaspoons / 8 grams ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of kosher salt

 

DIRECTIONS

Make the Bun Dough

In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar, and 1⁄2 cup (110 grams / 4 ounces) of warm water. Set the bowl aside for about 10 minutes, or until foamy.

In a small bowl or cup, whisk the egg with the cream. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and nutmeg.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the yeast liquid and the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed until the dough begins to come together; then stream in the egg and cream mixture, followed by the melted butter. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl, about 6 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it in a large mixing bowl or container that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or lightly greased. The dough will rise significantly; make sure the bowl has enough room for the dough to double in size. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight to develop the flavor and elasticity of the dough.

Make the Chocolate Custard

Melt the chocolate in a medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove the bowl from the heat and set it aside.

Whisk the egg and vanilla in another medium bowl to break up the yolk.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and cinnamon just until steaming. Gradually stream a small amount of the warm milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the egg. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan, and cook the custard over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom as you go, using a heatproof spatula. Be careful not to let the mixture get too hot as it will curdle. Cook until the mixture has thickened and will coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove the custard from the heat and immediately pour it over the melted chocolate. Whisk thoroughly to combine. Pour it through a fine-mesh strainer, and if the custard appears chunky or curdled, use a handheld immersion blender to emulsify it. Pour the custard into an airtight container and refrigerate it for at least 12 hours, or overnight.

Make the Filling

Combine the brown sugar and nibs in a small bowl. Set aside.

Make the Cinnamon Nib Sugar

Place the cocoa nibs in a coffee grinder or small food processor and pulse until they are finely ground. Sift the nibs through a fine-mesh strainer and combine the nib powder with the sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl, whisking thoroughly. Set aside.

Shape, Cut, and Bake the Buns

Generously coat a standard-size muffin tin with nonstick spray. After the dough has risen overnight, remove it from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a rectangle about 1⁄4 inch thick, approximately 12 × 16 inches.

Using an offset spatula or a rubber spatula, spread the chocolate custard in an even layer over the dough, leaving a 1⁄2-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cocoa nib mixture evenly over the custard.

Beginning at the longer edge of the rectangle, tightly roll the dough to form a log. Slice the log into 2-inch segments. Place one segment into each cavity of the prepared muffin tin, spiral-side up. Allow the buns to rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (176.7°C). Bake the buns for 20 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the tin 180 degrees halfway through to ensure even coloring.

Allow the buns to cool in the muffin tin for at least 10 minutes. Prepare a small bowl of melted butter, and using a pastry brush, coat each bun with a thin layer of melted butter. Immediately roll each buttered bun in the bowl of cinnamon nib sugar, coating the entire surface thoroughly. Serve immediately.

12 Nights of Chocolate 2019: Dec 4 – 15

November 8, 2019 by

This year marks our seventh hosting the 12 Nights of Chocolate, bringing together chefs from the Bay Area and beyond to take over the chocolate factory with a dinner series for charity. We lay down one rule: use our chocolate in any application on the plate. That’s it! After months of planning, texting, cajoling, we’re excited to announce the line-up for this year with 46 incredible chefs participating!

Way back in 2013 when Todd and myself sat down with Emily Luchetti (who’s joining us this year with April Bloomfield, Traci Des Jardins, and Loretta Keller ) to discuss how we could do something fun while giving back to the community, it was Emily’s idea to host a 12 Nights of Chocolate chef series, and we jumped at the idea. Our first year we had six chefs and had no idea that it would evolve into an event where some of the best chefs in the country collaborate alongside up and coming rising stars.

Some highlights this year include an elegant coursed dinner with Laurent Gras from Saison alongside Nick Muncy from Michael Mina, plus a special guest chef; a demo with Stella Parks aka @bravetart involving a six foot Yule log, a night we’re calling Bakery, BBQ, Booze where our factory will be taken over by 4505 Burgers & BBQ, Jane the Bakery, Manresa Bread,Kantine, Breadbelly, Cowgirl Creamery, Stonemill Matcha, Fort Point Beer, Neighbor Bakehouse, Tartine Bakery & True Laurel, plus more. And of course, our annual screening of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in a Chocolate Factory – and we encourage you to bring your kids!

We hope you’ll join us as we bring our chocolate and chefs community together for 12 Nights. The dates are December 4th through 15th, and we’ll be hosting all of the nights, unless otherwise noted in a beautiful loft above our 16th Street factory.

As years past, all proceeds benefit the SF-Marin Food Bank, where in 2018 alone Dandelion Chocolate raised funds to provide over 65,000 meals.

Tickets sell out quickly, so click here to get the line-up and book your tickets.

Recipe for Brazilian Brigadeiros

October 25, 2019 by

Brazilian brigadeiro chocolate confections

Kika is one of our product managers, and you might know her as the Kika of Kika’s Treats, the San Francisco company whose chocolate-covered caramelized cookies used to sit on our shelves. Shortly after our Valencia Street café opened its doors in 2010 she did a pop-up in our pastry kitchen, and we’ve been dreaming of the baked goods and confections she made when she was behind the stoves ever since. Her Brazilian cheese bread? Legendary. Her fresh fig and chocolate ganache galette? We’d do anything for a crumb. But every time we’ve thought about her chocolatey, creamy brigadeiros (pronounced bree-guh-DAY-rows) over the years, we’ve gotten more than a little swoony. (Oh, and by the way, Todd once made his own brigadeiros with cocoa powder he made himself instead of nibs. Have a look at his recipe for Black and White Brigadeiros from the vaults.)

Let us explain.. Brigadeiros are an extremely popular truffle-like confection from Kika’s native Brazil that everyone makes at home for parties or special occasions. They’re as popular as chocolate-chip cookies. Usually they’re overwhelmingly dense and sweet from concentrated sweetened condensed milk and sweet chocolate, but we love Kika’s version because the sweetness is really tame, the texture melts in your mouth, and the flavor truly highlights the chocolate. What’s not to love, really? It’s our single-origin chocolate made fudgey and creamy as it’s ever been. Then Kika rolls each brig with nutty cocoa nibs for crunch (and to keep your fingers from getting too chocolatey!). This recipe quite literally puts our chocolate into your hands, so you can make the shape as elegant as you want it, or just free form it with kids in the kitchen.

Oh, and just a word about Chef’s Chocolate. If you’ve never baked with our Chef’s Chocolate before, it’s super easy to use. Chef’s Chocolate is not cocoa powder. It’s the same 70% cocoa-beans-and-sugar-only chocolate we use for making bars, but it’s ground until into lentil-sized pieces and it’s not tempered (meaning it’s not snappy and shiny). And rather than having to stop and chop it like baking chocolate, it’s designed to go anywhere chocolate chips can go, and melt really fast for any drink or pastry that calls for melted chocolate. This is what we use in our own pastry kitchens for our hot chocolate drinks and pastries. Give it a try, and let us know what you think!

Makes: About 50 one-inch candies

Time: About 80 minutes active time

 

Ingredients

 

Method

Lightly butter a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

In a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pot, combine 1 tablespoon of the butter, the condensed milk, the chocolate, the corn syrup, and the salt. Place over low heat and stir it constantly with a rubber spatula to prevent burning and sticking, paying careful attention to scraping the bottom of the pot.

After 10-12 minutes, the mixture will start bubbling and thicken until it streaks across the bottom of the pot. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the mixture into the buttered bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Allow it to cool at room temperature for about 4 hours until it’s cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, lightly chop the cocoa nibs or gently pulse them in a food processor. Reduce them to the size of sprinkles, but be careful not to pulverize them too much. Pour them into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Grease your hands with butter and, using a tablespoon or a melon baller, scoop out rounded balls of the mixture and roll them between your hands. Place 4 or 5 at a time into the large bowl with the nibs. Tilt and shake the bowl until the brigadeiros are fully encrusted in the nibs.

Place each brigadeiro in paper candy cups or onto sheets of parchment paper to keep them from sticking.

Enjoy your brigadeiros right away and keep them away from heat. Store them refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week and let them come to room temperature before eating. Or for longer storage, double-wrap the brigadeiros in an airtight container and freeze them up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and let them come to room temperature before serving.

From Pod to Flight to Plate

October 22, 2019 by

Roman is the sous chef at Bloom, our chocolate salon inside the San Francisco 16th Street Factory.

The most important thing a chef can do to improve is to travel. Luckily, Dandelion Chocolate is founded by people who appreciate and foster these experiences. My journey into menu development for Bloom happened way before our 16th Street Factory was complete. In 2017, Chef Lisa and I had just finished off the last of the pastries for our pop up in New York and we were finding some peace in the quintessential “Christmas in New York” landscape. That’s when Lisa told me that I was chosen to live and work at our Dandelion Chocolate location in Kuramae, Tokyo for five weeks! My perspective and palate were about to change.

The Japan experience was wonderful in so many ways. I met friends with whom I still keep in contact and I learned a bit of Japanese. In our Kuramae café, they have a hot chocolate with hojicha (roasted green tea) . The tea is unsweetened, slightly smoky, and milky with just enough chocolate. Nothing like this existed in any of our San Francisco cafés and it’s purely a product of our Japanese union. I wanted to bring it back to the states as an ode to my time there, and as a familiar flavor for when our Japanese friends visit us. When guests visit Bloom here in San Francisco, they can order a pot of Hojicha Hot Chocolate to enjoy. Our version is lightly sweetened for an American palate, but  the essence of what I loved in Kuramae is present.

Japan lit a fire in me to travel and explore other parts of the world. What flavors, textures, and cultural norms could I introduce with a Dandelion Chocolate twist? This past summer I staged in Copenhagen for a month. Just like in Japan, they value simple food preparations, and seasonality with a comforting and hearty sensibility. The Danes have a word–hygge to describe the concept of peace, comfort, and cozy vibes. I experienced hygge biking on the docks during sunset and starting my day with a bowl of warm porridge.

I wanted to incorporate a porridge like that one as a nutritious option for Bloom. Knowing the flavors of the region and our chocolate, I thought a spiced quinoa-based porridge with cardamom and our Camino Verde, Ecuador single-origin chocolate would pair well together. The aroma from the cardamom is soothing and well-balanced with the chocolate. Finished with fresh fruit, our cocoa nibs, coconut, and dried cranberries, it’s a great dish to start the day. As the temperatures drop in the SF Bay Area, I hope it will be a comforting morning breakfast in Bloom.

I am glad to share some of my experiences and memories from my travels to Japan and Denmark. I have a few trips lined up for the holidays this year, and I plan to return to Japan. I look forward to being inspired by my future travel and contributing to what we are doing at Bloom!