The bittersweet treat of dark chocolate is getting a briny boost with a groundbreaking new oyster-flavored bonbon release. Paris-based La Maison du Chocolat’s Insolite by Nicolas Cloiseau infuses rich black ganache with a hint of oyster extract in a bid to elevate the cream and mascarpone filling with undersea salinity, resulting in what the brand says is the first-ever oyster-flavored chocolate line.
While you may need to possess the taste buds of a trained chef or sommelier to detect the candy’s fleeting oyster energy, the mere promise of such a sweet is likely to pique the interest of oyster-slurping chocoholics. After all, these aren’t the cloying confections sometimes called “chocolate oysters” that boast a creamy vanilla or chocolate center dipped in chocolate and rolled in crushed peanuts, resembling the shape of an oyster shell, but rather high-end chocolates blended with extract derived from the real thing.
Dreamed up by master chocolatier Nicolas Cloiseau, the 66 percent dark chocolates are crafted to balance deep cocoa flavor with salty oyster notes. Much like Cloiseau’s previous Alchimie release, which produced chocolates aged in whiskey barrels, it’s yet another limited-edition bite that’s meant to garner buzz among the sweet-tooth set. But the Insolite drop isn’t anything nearly as divisive as oyster-dipped chocolates or sweets oozing with oyster liquid. “It’s actually oysters that are boiled down and reduced, like when you do a bisque,” said Pietro Guerrera, U.S. Manager at La Maison du Chocolat. “It’s the same concept, but in cream. Then everything gets filtered and put together with our secret ganache recipe.”
The bivalve-inspired chocolates, which launched in Paris before debuting in the U.S. last month, are meant to be something of a luxury totem blending two classic ingredients, as well as a riff on the coveted salty/sweet combo that’s familiar to anyone who has happily scarfed a pint of salted caramel ice cream. “I think it’s an evolution of that,” Guerrera said of the infused delectables. “The idea was to take the oyster infused in the mascarpone cream to give marine salinity as a finishing taste. The oyster recalls this idea of the sea, giving a freshness to the ganache.”
La Maison du Chocolat has previously supplied sweets to upscale brands including Cartier, the Four Seasons, Raffles and Mandarin Oriental hotels, and at open houses hosted by New York City real estate powerhouse The Corcoran Group, so an Insolite gift box may indeed be a welcome gift for the adventurous chocolate lover in your life. To sample Insolite, visit their boutiques in Manhattan and Paris or check out lamaisonduchocolat.com.
