Formaggio recently shared with us several spices and flavors that are new to our chocolate palate.  Turkish based for the most part, our preliminary research revealed that a few of them including Urfa pepper and Maras pepper are used commonly like we would use salt and pepper, to be sprinkled on meat or used in cooking with savory type dishes.  One other curious ingredient is Sahlep – a fine white powder that is from the ground tubers of orchids.  It can be served as a hot drink or an ice cream which has almost a chewy or taffy like nature (so I’m told :)  ).  

Always up for a challenge, Catharine started with the Baharat infused in a 67% ganache and we’ve started to play with adding pistachio and honey to balance the savoriness of the spice blend.  It’s interesting and sometimes perplexing when working with a spice or flavor that we’re not familiar with and may not naturally to be drawn to.  I find when this happens, that I almost have to put away or subordinate my own personal tastes and try to imagine how someone who has a much more familiar appreciation of these flavors would want to experience them.