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spice

move over, wonka!

If life is like a box of chocolates, then life is unexpected, unusual and delicious.
At least, it is for chocolatier Michael Antonorsi, who keeps those three words in mind while making his sweets at Chuao Chocolatier.
“You can always do hazelnuts and butter cream—that’s always good, but it’s boring,” says the Venezuelan-born Antonorsi, whose checklist of fresh ingredients includes goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, green tea and cabernet.
Antonorsi’s knack for mixing unusual ingredients results in a decadent assortment of bonbons, truffles, chocolate bars, hot chocolate, frappés and other chocolate desserts. Each of the chocolatier’s creations has an individual taste—from the award-winning Picante bonbon made with
pasilla chiles to the Sambuca bonbons.
“I like pushing the limits on extreme flavor combinations,” Antonorsi says.
Named after the Venezuelan region internationally renowned for its quality cacao, Chuao is one of Southern California’s only chocolate artisan shops. That is, all of its confections are handcrafted, not mass-produced. Unlike a kid’s candy store, Chuao’s five chocolate shops are
elegantly decorated with sleek modern lines and earth tones, more like a wine bar or an art gallery. Chocolate-lovers outside Southern California can get their fix at
www.chuaochocolatier.com.
Though it has always been his passion, cooking wasn’t Antonorsi’s first career. After earning a biomedical engineering degree at the University of California, San Diego, he moved back home to Caracas, Venezuela. There, he worked in telecommunications and computer networking with his brother, Richard. After 14 years, he burned out and turned his energy toward his lifelong passion. That passion led him to France to study the culinary arts. He spent one year studying and another in Paris working as a chef.
“I was 38,” he recalls. “I got up at 8 a.m. and worked until 1 a.m. I was on my feet the whole time. It’s an interesting life, but very demanding.”
He took more classes and honed in on pastry and chocolate making.
“Chocolate and pastries are something you can do by batches during office hours,” the 42-year-old says. “I can still have fun trying daring combinations, and at my stage in life, the hours are better.”
In 2001, Antonorsi moved back to San Diego, where his brother Richard already settled down. The two brothers once again went into business together, opening the first Chuao shop in Encinitas, California, a year later.
Coming from a country known for its cacao (and thus, its chocolate), it was only natural for Antonorsi to use only Venezuelan cacao combined with his learned European chocolate-making techniques. With all-natural ingredients and no preservatives or flavor enhancers, the results have rewarded Chuao with nationwide attention and awards.
But Antonorsi isn’t sitting on his laurels. He continues to challenge himself in the kitchen. Each month, he debuts a new chocolate bonbon under his Dare to Be Different program. Among those creations are the Cinco de Mayo, a dark chocolate bonbon with tequila, and the Cherry Blossom with cherry caramel.
“We try to be ever-changing and fresh,” he says. “I want Chuao to become part of everyone’s weekly diet."

WiLD TRUFFLE

Ingredients:
Filling:
2.5 cups fresh heavy cream
4 ozs. corn syrup or honey
1.5 lbs. of dark chocolate (approximately 58 percent cocoa content)
1 oz. softened butter
Dip:
4 cups melted dark chocolate
4 cups cocoa powder

PROCESs:
Boil the cream together with the corn syrup. Chop the chocolate and put into a separate bowl. Add the hot cream to the chopped chocolate and mix into a smooth chocolate ganache. When the mixture is cooled down to approximately 90 degrees, add the softened butter and mix well. Leave the mixture to cool down until it becomes thick. With a piping bag and a round tip, dollop small buttons of the mix over a baking sheet with parchment paper. Let the buttons set over night. Using cocoa powder as a nonstick agent in your hands and roll the buttons into small balls. Temper four cups of melted dark chocolate. Dip the balls halfway into the chocolate and roll them in your hand to have an even and thin coating. Place the dipped balls on the parchment paper again and let them crystallize. Dip the balls a second time and this time roll over the cocoa powder and let set for a few minutes. Store the finished product in an airtight container.

Yield: Approximately 70 truffles
Shelf life: 3 weeks maximum.