Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier

Last night, my boyfriend and I participated in a beer-chocolate pairing seminar led by Unibroue at the Hopleaf. The tasting consisted of three Unibroue dark ales paired with six Gail Ambrosius truffles. I was already familiar with Unibroue, but I had never heard of Gail Ambrosius, a Madison-based chocolatier who started her business three and a half years ago after a career as a state cartographer. (LAZ mentions a summer visit at her shop for sorbet here.) Her chocolate completely blew away. I reckon that her truffles are the best I've ever had by a US chocolatier.

Last night with Unibroue's Trois Pistoles, we had:
*Sour Cherry: Dried Door County cherries with São Tomé chocolate
*Cardamom with Orange Blossom: 70% São Tomé cacao, cardamom, a splash of orange flower water, topped with a candied pistachio

With Unibroue's Terrible:
*Palette d'Or: 75% cacao chocolate from Tanzania with pure Wisconsin cream and butter garnished with gold leaf
*Cognac topped with Candied Ginger: 75% cacao Ecuadorian chocolate with cognac and California ginger

With Unibroue's Quelque Chose:
*Raspberry with Roasted Cacao Nibs: Crunchy bittersweet nibs, raspberry puree and Chambord liqueur
*Cinnamon/Cayenne with Cocoa Powder: 65% cacao chocolate from the Columbian Andes with cream infused with roasted ancho chilies, cinnamon sticks and a touch of cayenne and chipotle

These chocolates are superb. The flavors are brilliantly conceived and incorporated. I was completed awed by the union of the Ecuadorian chocolate with ginger in the cognac truffle. It was as if this truffle were made from naturally gingery cacao. The joining of the São Tomé cacao and cardamom was equally impressive. Ambrosius also takes great care with the texture of her truffles. For example, the bits of dried cherry in the first truffle gave it a distinct personality that so much chocolate (and, in particular, truffles) that I try just doesn't have. The truffle spoke for itself. The Palette d'Or was as smooth as the best butters I've tasted in my lifetime.

I can't say enough about Gail Ambrosius. I also loved hearing a former cartographer talk about all of her sources for cacao and her experiences and plans to meet the farmers who tend to the cacao she uses. I left the pairing seminar last night with a box of 12 truffles, only because Gail sold out of her 24-piece boxes. In Chicago, her truffles are only available at Eno. I really hope that Chicago grocers start to carry her chocolates. In the meantime, I guess I should be grateful that Madison is only a (relatively) short drive away.

Finally, I've also been meaning to plug Unibroue's pairing seminars. These are fantastic, informative events. Moreover, the value is incredible. I've been to two now. Last night at the Hopleaf, we easily consumed 5-6 glasses of beer each with the six truffles. The cost of the seminar was $25 per person all inclusive. Last month, I attended Unibroue's seminar at Custom House. In taste and overall experience, it was the best meal I had ever had there. It was 13 courses with six beers for $35 all inclusive. I can't recommend Unibroue's seminars highly enough. Sure, they're trying to sell beer--good beer--but they're also making magic with these partners, Custom House, Gail Ambrosius... Wow. Jim Javenkoski, Unibroue Culinary Attaché, has posted on LTH (screen name: Javenkoski). I'm guessing PM him to get on the mailing list.

Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier
2086 Atwood Ave
Madison, WI 53704
608-249-3500

ENO at the InterContinental Chicago
505 North Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
312-944-4100

Many thanks for your kind comments and detailed review of the pairing seminar, Happy. =) I'm glad you enjoyed the Hopleaf (and Custom House) events and your first taste of Gail's delicious hand-crafted truffles. Gail and I began collaborating in late 2005, when our (then) uncommon product pairing was documented in a Capital Times feature entitled, "Strong, Dark Beers Harmonize With Chocolates." Our next event will be a private pairing in late March for the UW Food Science Club in Madison, but I'm confident we'll join forces again later this year in Chicago... especially if Gail's truffles become available at more specialty/gourmet retailers here. For more details on Gail's remarkable career as a chocolatier, I encourage you to read this recent Isthmus cover story entitled, "Consumed with Passion."

Oh, if other LTHers are interested in receiving advance notice of upcoming Unibroue events here in Chicago, please PM me with your email address. Merci. =)

happy_stomach wrote:I can't say enough about Gail Ambrosius. I also loved hearing a former cartographer talk about all of her sources for cacao and her experiences and plans to meet the farmers who tend to the cacao she uses. I left the pairing seminar last night with a box of 12 truffles, only because Gail sold out of her 24-piece boxes. In Chicago, her truffles are only available at Eno. I really hope that Chicago grocers start to carry her chocolates. In the meantime, I guess I should be grateful that Madison is only a (relatively) short drive away.

Ambrosius' truffles are seriously perishable and made only in small batches, so it's unlikely they'll ever be widely distributed. However, she does do mail order from her shop.

http://www.gailambrosius.com

I'm still a big fan of Gail Ambrosius chocolate, and I was pleased to learn yesterday that Marion Street Cheese Market now carries three of her bar varieties--the Nib, Cherry Almond and 3 Hot Nuts. The last is my favorite of her bars, an unusual take on spicy chocolate with pistachios, pine nuts and pepitas roasted with chipotle and cayenne pepper.

Marion Street Cheese Market
100 S Marion St
Oak Park IL 60302-2809
708-725-7200