Chocolate: sweet and savory
Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
CHOCOLATE IS GOOD. This is a universal truth. While it is good when eaten alone, chocolate may be even better when paired with something else: chocolate and fruits, chocolate and caramel, even chocolate and chilli flakes. Thanks to its versatility, chocolate has become a favored ingredient in food experimentation.
“It was challenging to come up with a [savory] dish with chocolate,” he told BusinessWorld on April 28, at the sidelines of the event that launched Magnum ice cream’s two newest flavors: caramel and raspberry. He said the local palate isn’t used to chocolate-infused dishes yet, but the international culinary scene is more experimental. “There’s a chocolate pasta available abroad,” he pointed out as an example.
Mr. Navarra made a name for himself when he handled the kitchen of Black Sheep Manila, which CNN dubbed as one of the world’s hottest restaurants in 2014. He was also the first Filipino chef to work with world renowned British celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck kitchen, the three-Michelin starred restaurant in Britain.
The first dish on the table that day was the chocolate vegetable flan. Chef Navarra said before a hungry audience that he was hesitant to make the dish. “I played on the bitterness of the chocolate to bring out the sweetness of the vegetables,” he said.
While this writer is no food critic, I could taste his reluctance in the dish. The flan did not seem to go well with chocolate. But the rest of my tablemates said they liked it. Taste is personal, after all.
What came next was a hands down, crowd favorite: tender Wagyu beef cubes on a bed of squid-inked creamy mashed potato, drizzled with 85% dark chocolate syrup and chocolate nibbles.
“I used the texture of the mashed potatoes and the mouth-feel of the chocolate,” said the chef when explaining the dish.
The dish was good, but not good-looking, appearing unappetizing and bleak because of the color, but as the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover. We sliced the tender wagyu beef cubes, dunked them in the mashed potatoes and chocolate syrup, and enjoyed ourselves.
Unfortunately, because the lunch was specially commissioned by Magnum, the dishes the media enjoyed were one-offs. While Mr. Navarra said he is open to creating chocolate-infused dishes in Toyo Eatery, he said he’s currently satisfied with using chocolate as a dessert. “I find it challenging,” he said when asked of what he thought of the special menu.
While the two dishes are not available in the market (yet), what is Magnum’s two newest flavors: Chocolate and caramel with sea salt swirl, and Chocolate and raspberry swirl. The two new flavors, dubbed as “Magnum Infinity,” are made from Belgian chocolate mixed with Tanzania cocoa nibs for texture and extra flavor.
According to senior brand manager Diane Tan, the newest ice cream treats are dipped in Belgian chocolate twice and showered with a hefty serving of Tanzanian nibs making them chocolatier, thicker, and more flavorful.
The two new limited edition flavors are available in leading supermarkets, but not at the Magnum pop-up DIY store at the Mall of Asia. -- Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
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