Maine Chocolate – for Maine Seaweed Week
It’s not as crazy as it sounds. Maine chocolate for Maine Seaweed Week. Imagine a little something sweet combined with the flavor of the ocean, plus a little dash of sea salt. That doesn’t sound so wild, does it? Why shouldn’t Maine Chocolate include something from the sea will live right next to?
We’ve wanted to work kelp into a recipe for years. We even staged a Great Kelp/Chocolate Making Contest in March of 2020. Every employee was given the opportunity to experiment in the kitchen with kelp and chocolate and to compete in the contest. We assembled our team of judges. We had our snacks and bevvies. The winner in this high-stakes battle would have gotten bragging rights for their victory, but sadly, that was all abandoned due to, yes, covid. (Major frowny face here!)
Introducing Lemon Kelp Buttercream
We now have a winner, even if there was no great TV-style competition. Lemon Kelp Buttercream: The lemon is the immediate first flavor – the slightly sour citrus plays perfectly with the sweet and slight bitterness of the dark chocolate. Then if wait for it, you’ll find just a hint of umami, the flavor associated with the ocean. Umami translates from the Japanese as “pleasant savory taste.” It’s delicious and it could be the next big wave (ha ha, get it?) in chocolate. Are you game to try it?
Maine Seaweed Week
The sixth annual Maine Seaweed Week is Friday, April 19 through Sunday, April 28 with over 70 businesses participating. Included in the week’s festivities are restaurants, breweries, distilleries, bakeries, and so much more. Yes, even this chocolatier. You’ll find seaweed to try, kelp especially, in everything from burgers to burritos to bourbon. There are cooking classes, films, and expert advice on how to identify edible seaweed if foraging is your thing.
Kelp in Maine
Kelp is a major growth industry in Maine. You may have heard how healthy it is. It’s rich in vitamins and minerals and has all kinds of natural superfood qualities like fiber and antioxidants. Harvesting kelp is also good for the environment. Farming kelp helps remove excess carbon and reduce ocean acidification. And as the lobster industry continues to change due to environmental disruptions, the kelp industry may be able to soften the transition for some Mainers to a new way of farming the sea.
The kelp ingredient in our lemon kelp buttercream comes from Atlantic Sea Farms. Atlantic Sea Farms is a Good Food Award recipient,* and we are proud to work with the good people there. They have done tireless work to raise Maine’s profile in the world of regenerative ocean farming. They’ve helped to educate us on the importance of kelp as a Maine product and all the ways it can be used in healthy foods, such as chocolate!
What could be more Maine-y?
Our lemon kelp buttercream is a Maine chocolate, for sure. And now it’s available for Maine Seaweed Week. You can find it at our two stores: 475 Fore Street and 54 Cove Street. And also, check out the ten days of events, food, and drinks, and see if maybe you’re inspired to add some wondrous and nutritious sea plants to your next meal. At the very least you can try them for dessert!
*See our Good Food Award products: Maine Sea Salt Caramel Sauce and Hot Fudge Sauce.