Farm To Fork: Taza Chocolate

With “Farm To Fork,” our occasional food series, we take you out into the farms, fields and factories to search for the best ingredients New England has to offer — and then head into the kitchen to cook up a dish.

In this installment, we headed to the Taza Chocolate factory in Somerville. There, we cooked up some indulgent molten chocolate cakes and a cinnamon-chai hot chocolate.

Andy Husbands, chef and owner of Tremont 647 and Sister Sorel

Alex Whitmore, co-owner of Taza chocolate

Suhayl Ramirez, Taza chocolate guide

Taza Cinnamon-Chai Hot Chocolate 
By Andy Husbands
Chef/Owner Tremont 647

Serves 4

12 ounces whole milk
12 ounces heavy cream
2 tea bags of Chai
1 vanilla bean husk, or half a vanilla bean, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
6 ounces TAZA Cinnamon Chocolate or your favorite TAZA chocolate cut into chunks
½ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp Sea or Kosher salt

Place the milk, heavy cream, tea bags, and vanilla in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium low heat. Stir occasionally and let the tea steep for 10 minutes, add the TAZA chocolate, sugar, and salt for continue to stir and cook until all of the chocolate is melted.

Remove from heat and strain, serve immediately. A dollop of whipped cream would be nice.

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Molten Taza Chocolate Cake
By Andy Husbands
Chef/Owner Tremont 647

2 teaspoons granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
¼ pound unsalted butter, diced
6 ounces 87% dark Taza Chocolate, chopped into small chunks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
½ vanilla bean, fleck only, save husk for tea or another use such as home made vanilla extract
Pinch Sea salt
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray 4 (6-ounce) aluminum cups with vegetable oil spay and dust with 2 teaspoons+, granulated sugar.

Melt the butter, chocolate, and heavy cream, and confectioners sugar over a double boiler stirring occasionally, until most of the chunks are gone, remove from heat and continue to stir until all chunks are gone.

In a stand mixer with a whip add eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla fleck, and sea salt, whisk on high until ribbony and light colored, about 3 minutes.

Sift the flour and with a rubber spatula fold in flour. Fold in melted chocolate, then separate into prepared baking cups, place on cookie sheet

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the top is puffed, remove from oven and let rest for 2 minutes, then turn out on plates and serve with whipped cream. EAT. YUM!