Ek.Chuah chocolate discs are decorated with strawberries and violet petals.
THE SEDUCTIVE AROMA of roastingcacao beans draws me to Chokolá, a jewel of a bean-to-bar chocolate shop just off Taos Plaza. Inside the intimate space, eager chocolate connoisseurs and novices alike patiently wait their turn to order unique treats: Earl Grey caramels, goat cheese truffles, passion fruit bars, and other organic bonbons glistening from a glass case—or the heavenly offerings from Chokolá’s European-style mousse bar.
Chokolá’s owner and chocolatier, Debi Vincent, fashions the small-batch single-origin chocolates that burst with rich, complex flavors. She grew up in Venezuela, where much of the shop’s cacao originates. “Our bean-to-bars can be 85 percent Venezuela or Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, or Ecuador,” says shop manager Brandon Shepard. “We also use cacao from Uganda, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Vietnam. Origin is everything.”
As I bite into a New Mexico Spicy bonbon—a tongue-tickling mix of dark ganache with cayenne and jalapeño—I’m reminded of chocolate’s Mesoamerican historical origins, and just why it has beguiled wus for more than 5,000 years. New Mexico’s creative chocolatiers are honoring that legacy while pushing the ancient treat to new and romantic heights.
Chokolá’s owner and chocolatier, Debi Vincent creates bean-to-bar delights.
For most of its history, chocolate was served as a beverage. The earliest known evidence of cacao—beans from the pods of the tropical Theobroma tree—dates to the Upper Amazon (in what is now Ecuador), where some 5,300 years ago, the Mayo-Chinchipe culture cultivated and consumed it. Some 2,000 years later, the Mayans and Aztecs were calling cacao the “food of the gods.”
Chocolate is also deeply rooted in New Mexico. In 2009, archaeologist Patricia Crown and Hershey Company chemist W. Jeffrey Hurst identified cacao remnants on shards of ceramic vessels that had been found at Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, an Ancestral Puebloan cultural center from about AD 900 to 1150. “I sent the chemist samples from five broken pieces of what I thought were probably cylinder jars,” Crown says. “When the results came, I was stunned. Three out of five samples were positive for cacao.”
While not native to the Southwest, it wasn’t unfathomable that chocolate had made its way north of Mesoamerica’s cacao-growing regions to Chaco. “Since I knew that they were bringing live parrots up from the tropics of Mesoamerica, it would be easy to bring up cacao,” says Crown, a University of New Mexico professor emeritus of anthropology and author of The House of the Cylinder Jars: Room 28 in Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon.
Find Ek.Chuah truffles at Vivác Winery.
“We’ll probably never know what the role of cacao was in the drinking rituals at Chaco Canyon, but chocolate seems to have properties that attract people wherever it is available,” she says, noting its unusual flavor and small amounts of stimulating caffeine. “It melds so well with many different flavors so that you could drink different varieties of elixirs probably every day of the year.”
Although we can only guess what spices and other flavors were added to the Chaco drinking chocolate, it’s tempting to think that in Taos, Chokolá’s sipping chocolate varieties might come close. The Maya, a bold blend of anise, cloves, and cinnamon, is redolent of something mystical and ancient. The Aztec, Chokolá’s most popular sipping chocolate, is similarly a luscious concoction of caramelized cinnamon and oat milk.
“Chocolate is romantic. The richness of the flavor, how it feels smooth and velvety … it’s engaging.”
—Liliana Zavala Padberg, chocolatier
In modern times, chocolate reigns not only as one of the most popular sweets in the world but also as a versatile art form. At Vivác Winery, in Dixon, for example, winery cofounder Liliana Zavala Padberg brings her sommelier expertise—and special local ingredients—to her beautifully crafted truffles. In the tasting room, she pairs each unique chocolate with one of her family’s award-winning wines. I sample a decadent pumpkin spice truffle and a chocolate disc decorated with strawberries and violet petals, accompanied by a glass of Vivác Sangiovese. The intense flavors of the dark chocolate and the sweetness of the strawberries and violets tease out the red berry and floral notes of this medium-bodied red wine.
Vivác Winery cofounder Liliana Zavala Padberg.
“I’m open to anything that challenges people to have a palate adventure,” says Padberg, a master chocolatier who grew up in Mexico. She named her boutique chocolate line Ek.Chuah Chocolates, after the Mayan god of chocolate and the spark of divinity infused in her truffles. She starts with 73.5 percent Venezuelan cacao—“It’s the best chocolate in the world,” she says—and builds on its flavor profile. “Chocolate is romantic. The richness of the flavor, how it feels smooth and velvety in your mouth when you take a bite—it’s engaging,” Padberg says.
Her pomegranate dark chocolate discs and red chile pyramids, spiced with a kick of Chimayó chile, are popular Valentine’s Day gifts. “People are passionate about chocolate because it makes them feel happy,” she says. “It has those endorphins.”
The Chocolate Lady, Linda Jackson.
At the Chocolate Lady, located in Old Mesilla, owner and chocolatier Linda Jackson has lovingly handcrafted her irresistible confections for 26 years—often using prized local pecans. Step into her tiny shop and smell the sweet scents of decadent red chile pecan bark, pecan turtles, creamy fudge studded with pecans, and countless other treats. “There isn’t anybody who comes into my store who isn’t smiling,” Jackson says. Her signature Valentine’s Day gifts include classic chocolate-dipped strawberries, chocolate-covered cherries, and chocolate hearts.
“Chocolate is something that you share with somebody because it makes you feel wonderful,” Jackson says.
Lynn Cline says she has rarely had a more mouthwatering assignment than this.
The sweet and smoky spice of Chimayó red chile powder adds a unique and delicious kick to these luxurious chocolate truffles.
8 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Pinch of salt
Chimayó red chile powder (for coating, adjust to taste)
Makes 18–22 truffles
Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Melt it using a double boiler, stirring often until smooth and completely melted, careful not to heat above 105﹉ (when touched with your finger, it should feel about the same temperature as your body). Alternatively, microwave the chocolate in 30-second increments, stirring between each,until melted.
In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Do not let it boil.
Pour the hot cream into the melted chocolate while stirring continuously until smooth and glossy. Add vanilla extract and salt, stir again.
Let the ganache cool to room temperature, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours or overnight. The ganache should be firm but scoopable.
Scoop out 1-inch portions of the ganache with a melon baller or small spoon, and roll them quickly between your hands to form smooth balls. Work fast to prevent the ganache from softening too much.
Roll each ganache ball in Chimayó red chile powder for a slightly spicy coating. Adjust the amount to your liking.
Place coated truffles on a parchment-lined tray and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to firm before serving. Store the truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Pecans thrive in southern New Mexico, thanks to an abundance of sunshine and fertile soil. More than 51,000 acres of pecan trees are cultivated by numerous family-owned operations, making New Mexico one of the country’s top pecan-producing states. These sweet local nuts are a tasty addition to the Chocolate Lady’s fudge, along with her other chocolate confections.
Butter and vegetable oil, for pan
2 sticks butter
⅛ teaspoon lecithin
2 pounds sugar
1 cup corn syrup
½ pint heavy whipping cream
½ can evaporated milk
½ pound semisweet chocolate, melted
½ pound chocolate chips
16 ounces marshmallow cream or fluff
1½ cups pecan pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Makes about 2 dozen squares
Grease a 12-by-16-inch pan that’s 3-inches deep with butter. Line with plastic wrap and lightly spray with vegetable oil.
Slowly melt butter and lecithin in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in sugar and corn syrup and cook slowly until dissolved. Slowly add cream and milk. Raise heat and cook to 234﹉. Remove from heat and cool to 220﹉ degrees.
Add semisweet chocolate and chocolate chips. Stir and let melt.
Add marshmallow cream and mix. Then stir in pecans and vanilla.
Pour mixture into pan and let cool for 2 to 3 hours. Turn pan upside down so the fudge falls out and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
