A Winter Chocolate Making Session

We had a lot of fun! Amid the wafting aroma of exotic spices and turkey mole roasting in the oven my four students worked at the grinding of the cocoa nibs till we made a fabulous paste.  At each stage we tasted; first to savor the vanilla, the annatto, and the chili on our taste buds.  We added a big spoonful to the mole sauce for our turkey lunch; turkey with mole, fresh salsa and tortillas.

Then we returned to the grinding adding the Old World spices.  The smells escalated and the flavor was made even more complex; orange rind, nutmeg, black pepper, and, of course, the sugar!