The Secret of Garlic and Desert
Skeptics of garlic-infused chocolate are always pleasantly surprised when they try festival favorites such as Le Dolci’s Garlic and Chocolate Ice Cream or Dark Chocolate Skulls filled with Black Garlic infused Salted Caramel (aka Lestat Truffles) by Chocolate Artist Laura Slack. The Secret? Use roasted or fermented garlic. And always use Ontario garlic, which has a more robust flavour and a higher sugar (Brix) content.
Roasted garlic has a caramel taste, while fermented (black) garlic has hints of coffee, molasses and chocolate. According to the Nordic Food Lab, the process of creating black garlic is not, strictly speaking, fermenting – the transformation is due not to microbial metabolism, but in part to enzymatic breakdown (the heat denatures alliinase, the enzyme that converts non-volatile alliin into volatile allicin, the compound responsible for fresh garlic’s pungency). The process is also due to the Maillard Reaction – a cascade of chemical reactions that produce the dark colour and complex, carmelised flavour with notes of coffee, licorice, molasses and tamarind.
Whether it’s roasted or fermented, it’s no wonder that garlic and chocolate and other dessert ingredients are a perfect marriage. Toronto Garlic Festival has featured many innovative and delicious garlic themed desserts including chocolatier Laura Slack’s Lestat chocolate skull, voted one of “50 Crazy Good Things To Eat and Drink<span” by Toronto Life; Roots of Health’s Roasted Garlic Almond Brittle; Le Dolci’s Garlic-Infused Macarons; Chef Ron Raymer’s (Smoked & Cracked) Butter Tarts with Chocolate Roasted Black Garlic Praline (see recipe);
Major Craig’s Black Garlic Raspberry Whiskey Jam; Magic Oven’s Garlic Infused Bread Pudding with Fruit and Garlic Compote; and Chef and Chopped Canada Winner Anne Sorrenti’s (Morgans on the Danforth) Black Garlic and Beer Lollipops (shown in photo above), or Brownies with Black Garlic (see recipe); and Just A Cup’s Garlic Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Dark Chocolate and Roast Garlic Ice Cream (Le Dolci)
Special ice cream flavours available only at the festival include Dark Chocolate & Golden Roasted Garlic Ice Cream (see recipe), Garlic Popcorn (by chocolatier Tim English), and; Bourbon, Butterscotch & Black Garlic (Le Dolci). Featured coffees include Warm Garlic Infused Spiced Coffee with Maple Cream and Pumpkin Vanilla Dust from the Spice Chef’s Creations. But the story of unusual but delicious food combinations with garlic doesn’t end with desserts.