Compartes Chocolatier

Actual Email we just received, we love all of you Compartes Fans xoxox! Shout out to the wonderful lady that wrote this to us!

Dear Compartes Chocolatiers-

Help! This is an emergency! My wonderful friend house-sat for me over the holidays and left her hand-picked box of Compartes chocolates in my refrigerator when she left. My husband, who is a devourer of all things sweet, immediately gravitated towards them, but I knew to save them for my dear friend as I could see how very beautiful and special they were, so put a prohibition upon touching them. However, late last night, at home alone, in a self-induced green haze, I reached for your chocolates with the intention of trying just one. Just one! But then, in a frenzied whirlwind of no self-control, I ate every last one!

This morning, my husband took a particular joy in recounting a conversation he’d had only a few days earlier, in which our friend was waxing poetically about the sheer physical beauty of your chocolates, and how they were so lovely, she’d had a hard time bringing herself to eat them. She went on to describe in detail their exotic and boutique nature, being hand-picked, and hand-delivered from your shop in L.A. Of course, he didn’t relate this story to me until AFTER the damage was done. I must replace these beautiful chocolates ASAP!

I looked on your website and saw the different box choices you sell, but I didn’t see a mixed box. Fortunately, however, I do remember each delicious chocolate that I ate in my hour of weakness. Is it possible to select the particular chocolates that are included in a box (a mix of truffles, Mexican hots, caramels, and peanut butter) so that I can replace the exact chocolates that I so foolishly devoured?

Thank you so much-

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COMPARTES CHOCOLATIER

Another family business that has evolved generation-to-generation is Brentwood-based Compartes, where chocolatier and heir Jonathan Grahm has transformed his family’s store from a “mom-and-pop candy shop to a gourmet chocolate boutique.”

Grahm draws his inspiration from childhood exposure to the food biz, a winemaker uncle (Bonny Doon founder Randall Grahm), culinary travels both near and far, and his now grown-up style of using patterns, prints, chandeliers and skulls in his designs. His exotic truffles have attracted the attention of everyone from celebrities like super couple David and Victoria Beckham to R&B star Faith Evans and the “Desperate Housewives.” Even Oprah is onboard, with Jonathan serving as the official chocolate expert for Oprah.com. He’s big in Japan, too. Literally. Plans are underway for an outpost in Tokyo, Japan.

So what are these flavors causing all the fuss? Compartes boasts an ever-evolving roster of literally 100 different chocolates, with infused truffles as the main attraction. Big sellers right now are the honey peanut butter and a smoked sea salt. Chocolate-dipped fruits are big, too. Kumquat and candied figs are among the newest. The balance of sweet and savory is key to Grahm, who is quick to point out he’s “not a cupcake person.”

Seasonality, the locavore movement and a love for discovery propel Jonathan forward. Constantly searching for new ingredients, he’s known to pull over at various ethnic markets to find things he’s never smelled or tasted before, and then it goes straight into his “experimentation box.” Fruits are based on seasonal availability at area farmers’ markets.

Another popular line are the Love Nuts, which are hand-roasted, caramelized with Tahitian vanilla, sprinkled in sea salt, coated in 14 layers of chocolate, and finished with cocoa powder. The Love Nuts were actually his first creation, even before the truffles, and hold a special place in Grahm’s heart. One has to wonder if another body part didn’t provide inspiration, but he insists it’s because “when people eat them, they fall in love.”

PARTY PICS ARE UP:

http://www.facebook.com/compartes — check em out here!

stay tuned to the blog – we’ll be posting party pics from last nights event shortly! <3 <3 <3 – the compartes crew

COCOA FRUIT — pink glitter (the actual fruit the chocolate grows in!)

SANCHO PEPPER — teal/green/gold glitter (japanese pepper, citrusy)

HONEYDEW — green wavy design (farmers market fresh organic delish)

ROSEWATER — pink speckles (highest quality wonderful flavor from Iran)

CARAMELIZED PINEAPPLE — green/yellow stripes (from the island of kauai)

I have very exciting news to share with all of you out there, I just wrapped shooting a brand new Food Network series called “Chefs vs City”.  It is basically the Amazing Race meets food, including many many tasting challenges where the contestants have to shove their face full of various foods and identify them.  So I got the call to do this show based on the fact that we are well known for making exotic truffles and obscure flavor combinations in our treats.  I came up with some special truffle flavors for this show in particular as well, which I will begin selling when it airs as a special collection, but more on that later.  So anyway, I came up with some super interesting flavors like guiness stout beer + smoked salt, goat cheese + honey, olive oil + rosemary and many more for them to try and figure out.  I had such a fun time just playing with different out of the ordinary ingredients, I don’t know that I would’ve ever done a goat cheese truffle had it not been for this tv show asking me for even weirder stuff than I usually do.

So the whole process of it was really fun and exciting, I have been on the Food Network about 3 or 4 other times, but this time it was something more special, I was a judge too!!  I got to be all Project Runway Top Model style – Hello Tyra baby, whats up? And say “correct” or “incorrect” super seriously to the camera.  I definitely hammed up my role as the judge, spinoff anyone?  It was so fun being so serious and trying to look all judge-like, haha! I got a real kick out of it.

Food Network films Eat the Clock at Compartes

Food Network films Eat the Clock at Compartes

Anyway, I have uploaded some photos of us filming for you to check out.  They blocked off the whole street and put Food Network signs and flags up and down it, which was really cool too since everyone who drove by can see them.  I am not at liberty to tell you all who won, but I will say that it was two chefs vs. two foodies, so it was really interesting for me to watch them eating the chocolate and the methods they used to determine the flavors.  I will also say that they had it pretty easy since there were 20 signs with flavors on them and they had to match up what they were eating with the flavors on the signs, I could’ve beat both teams blindfolded! Ha! All in all, it was a great experience and I’m super excited to see it when it airs in January, I will update everyone of the airtimes and check your local listings for “Eat the Clock”, it looks like a fun show to watch and be on the lookout for the special flavors I made exclusively for Food Network to premiere on our site in January.  That’s all for now lovelies, off to make some ganache!

This Thursday 9/10 join us @Compartes Brentwood boutique @ 912 S. Barrington Avenue for a fun Summer lunch as @nomnomtruck swings by and sets up right in front of the chocolate store to dish out their banh mi sandwiches! It’s all going down from 12 – 2 pm THIS THURSDAY, we’ll be slangin chocolates + ice creams + coffee + iced coffee and fresh chocolate dipped fruit goodies to go with the awesome sandwiches. Sit and relaxxxx on our newly renovated patio lounge and listen to music by our fountain, munch on delectable treats – the perfect way to spend a Summer afternoon. So join us — THIS THURSDAY as Compartes throws a summer lunch!

912 S. Barrington Ave 12 – 2pm this Thursday 9/10!

MEET A MASTER CHOCOLATIER

There’s no better way to enjoy chocolate than by hosting a chocolate tasting for you and some of your favorite friends. Jonathan Grahm of Compartes Chocolatier in Los Angeles offers his four tips for choosing chocolates for a tasting party.

TASTE ALL KINDS AND COLORS OF CHOCOLATE

At Compartes, we do mostly dark chocolate, so I suggest choosing different flavors or brands of dark chocolates for your tasting at home. Traditionalists may want to add in a bit of good milk chocolate or even some white chocolate (although it is not a chocolate at all) to the mix of the chocolate tasting.

When tasting different types of chocolate such as dark, milk and white, I suggest breaking them up into sections since the dark chocolate is going to be the strongest in flavor profile, while the white would be the weakest. 

CHOCOLATE FROM VARIOUS REGIONS

Chocolates from around the globe are all the rage these days. You can find chocolates from all different regions in the Americas such as Trinidad, Ecuador, Venezuela (which is one of my personal favorites and one I use a lot at Compartes), Columbia and Costa Rica, to name a few.

Regional single-origin chocolates from places in Africa such as Ghana, Madagascar, Tanzania, Nigeria and the Congo region are also very popular. While chocolates from regions in Asia such as Papua New Guinea may be harder to find, they are available as well. You can pick up these “single-origin” chocolates in good health food stores, a local Whole Foods market or online for a fun way to compare the flavors based on where the chocolate is grown and cultivated.

TRY CHOCOLATES BASED ON CACAO PERCENTAGE (Compartes are mostly made with 65 and 75% darks)

You can get a bunch of different dark chocolates that have different percentages of cacao in them for an interesting tasting experience. I suggest starting with the lowest percentage of cacao and making your way up to the highest. 

Did you know that 100 percent cacao, with no sugar at all, has a taste that is more bitter than coffee and some may compare it to burnt coal? My favorite chocolates are always around the 75 to 78 percent cacao range. With this kind of tasting, you can also pair several wines to match the strength of the cacao in the chocolate.

EXPLORE EXOTIC CHOCOLATE FLAVORS

This is my favorite type of chocolate tasting and one I partake in the most often. At Compartes, we do tons of different ganaches or truffles with different all-natural flavor infusions, and I always think this is the most fun way to do a chocolate tasting since you get so many different and unique flavors and flavor profiles while tasting.

There is a broad range of chocolates that can be used in tastings based on flavor. Examples of interesting choices would be chocolates flavored with pepper (like a Mexican hot chocolate truffle or raspberry pink pepper), salt (such as our smoked salt or fleur de sel caramels), exotic fruits (such as kaffir lime or umeboshi plum), teas (like jasmine tea or earl grey) or a multitude of different flavor variations. Truffles or ganaches are my favorite to try for a flavor-based chocolate tasting, but chocolate bars (with exotic ingredients) are also a great way to go.

Overall, have fun and choose interesting combinations and varieties that have distinct flavor profiles that stand out and you are guaranteed a great afternoon or evening with friends and a whole lot of chocolate. Enjoy and happy eating!

By Jonathan Grahm for OPRAH.COM

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/food/partyplanning/20090603-orig-chocolate-tasting-jonathan-grahm/5