Room for Dessert?

By Marni Elyse Katz
November 25, 2011

Chocolate Brunch

The Lagham Hotel in Boston is the home of the famous Chocolate Bar.

You may be stuffed silly from Thanksgiving dinner, but if you're anything like me, you still have room for dessert. If you'll be in the Boston area this weekend (or anytime in the coming months) and are looking for something unforgettable to do with the fam, we recommend hitting up the Langham Hotel for the famous Chocolate Bar, a 23-year-old tradition hosted in the hotel's Café Fleuri from September through June.

Each year the hotel’s resident pastry chef dreams up a menu more decadent than the last. I know, because I’ve been three years in a row. It’s that good. (Or rather, I’m that bad.) Two years ago the theme was “Boston’s Chocolate Trail,” with tables arranged by Boston neighborhood. (Chocolate and mango sushi in Chinatown; chocolate covered peanuts at Fenway.) Last year, the theme was the “Five Elements,” with outrageous showings (in chocolate, of course) for sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savory.

Chocolate Brunch

Chocolate sculpture and cotton candy at the Langham Hotel Chocolate Bar

Chocolate Brunch

Made to order crepes, this one with Grand Marnier; Pastry Chef Jed Hackney

This year’s theme is “Chocolate Intensity.” Pastry chef Jed Hackney, who recently joined the hotel’s culinary team, created five dessert stations; each featuring varied chocolate content ranges. Temptations include: mango white chocolate chili mousse parfait (0% cocoa), spiced pumpkin and milk chocolate cake (40% cocoa), dark chocolate brulee (50% cocoa), manjari chocolate and gruyere tart (60% cocoa) and Guanaja cremeaux with olive oil and sea salt (70-80% cocoa).

Hackney came out to say hi while I daintily tasted (i.e., stuffed my face with) his confections, and was kind enough to answer our questions:

The Inside Source: What was your earliest baking moment?

Jed Hackney: The earliest moment I remember baking was with my grandmother. My grandparents owned an apple and cherry orchard in upstate New York and we would use the produce for pies and for preserving.

The Inside Source: Are there any cookbooks you love, or do you create everything from scratch?

Jed Hackney: Right now I’m a big fan of The Notebooks of Michel Bras. It’s not a flashy photo-filled coffee table type book that is popular these days. It’s very simple in its approach and presentation, but the ideas behind all of the recipes are solid and instructional.

Chocolate Brunch

Café Fleuri in the Langham Hotel, the main seating area for the Chocolate Bar

The Inside Source: What are the must-have tools for a pastry chef?

Jed Hackney: For me, an offset serrated knife and a really good hi temperature rubber spatula.

The Inside Source: This year's Chocolate Bar theme is "Chocolate Intensity" What are the rules of thumb for using different intensities?

Jed Hackney: The most important rule would be to use the different chocolates, keeping their strengths in mind. Some desserts that may call for 500 grams of 64 percent chocolate need a lot less of an 85 percent chocolate.

Chocolate Brunch