choc up your Christmas

Make your holidays extra sweet with a decadent chocolate party

A flourless chocolate cake with almond paste base and a rich gananche center isZach Townsend's signature dessert.
Pure Chocolate Desserts by Zach
Zach Townsend teaches private courses on fine chocolate making.
Pure Chocolate Desserts by Zach
Townsend's tarte maison.
Pure Chocolate Desserts by Zach
All of the components of Townsend's treats are made from scratch.
Pure Chocolate Desserts by Zach

The holiday season is one of the sweetest times of the year. So why not celebrate the full flavor of this saccharine season with a sugar rush just as joyous as the tinsel on the tree?

Whether you are hosting an entire chocolate party or simply adding a chocolate station for guests to enjoy between dinner and dessert, your next holiday party can be a sweet success.

“Food is one of the best ways to bring people together, and the holidays are all about coming together and celebrating,” says Zach Townsend, owner and chocolatier at Pure Chocolate Desserts by Zach.

“Food is one of the best ways to bring people together,” says chocolatier Zach Townsend.

Townsend’s passion for chocolate began early on in his career, long before taking courses in baking and chocolate at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and graduating from the esteemed Ecole Chocolat.

He now dedicates his time to creating decadent made-to-order desserts out of his Dallas-based kitchen, catering local events and teaching private courses on fine chocolate making.

He enjoys educating the public on the intricacies of superior chocolate-making, but ultimately he loves the way chocolate has a way of bringing people together; which is why this cocoa-crazed chef recommends hosting a chocolaty celebration over the Christmas season.

“A party could consist of everyone bringing wine and gathering in the kitchen for chocolate fondue or making simple truffles,” says Townsend, whose desserts have been featured on numerous Dallas restaurant menus and have even been served to President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura.

Key ingredients to create a killer chocolate party:

Two easy recipes with at least two different types of chocolate
Aprons for everyone
Instructions to keep everyone organized and working together smoothly
To-go bags to take samples home
Vino! Pinot Noir is Townsend’s pick to pair with chocolate

“Don’t be afraid to fail,” Townsend advises. “Even if your truffles don’t turn out exactly as planned or as perfect as you’d like, don't fret. You can always gently melt them and use them as a warm chocolate sauce over ice cream!”

Speaking of truffles, we asked Townsend to share his personal recipe:

Dark Chocolate Truffles
Yield: 20 truffles

Ingredients:
8 oz. dark chocolate, such as a good 66% percent cacao
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tbsp. liquor of your choice, such as a single malt whiskey or Grand Marnier

Instructions:
Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a large, heat-proof bowl (preferably stainless steel). Pour the heavy whipping cream into a small saucepan. Place the saucepan onto medium-high heat and heat just until bubbles form under the surface but before it boils.

Immediately pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit undisturbed for 1 minute. Using a silicone spatula, slowly stir the chocolate, starting in the center. When it begins to come together, stir in ever-widening circles until it forms a smooth, glossy mixture. Add the butter and stir gently into the chocolate until no traces of the butter are visible.

Add the 1 tablespoon of the liquor/liqueur and stir until incorporated and the chocolate is smooth again. The mixture should look glossy and perfectly emulsified. If it looks grainy, you may need to take a whisk to bring it together.

Smooth the surface of the chocolate and let sit for an hour then cover with plastic wrap. Let sit out undisturbed overnight if the room is chilly; otherwise place the chocolate in the refrigerator (away from strong odors) until firm.

Using a spoon, scrap up enough of the set chocolate to form a ball. Roll in the palm of your hand until it forms a smooth ball; you will need a wet cloth handy to help keep your hands clean. Roll the formed truffles in cocoa powder to coat lightly. You can also roll it in crushed nuts, such as toasted almonds.

The truffles will keep a few days at room temperature, but you may have to store them in the refrigerator if the room temperature is above 75 degrees.

NOTE: If the percentage of cacao changes too much, the consistency of your truffles will change. If you go with too low a percentage of cacao in this recipe, the truffles will be too soft to roll. For milk chocolate, increase the chocolate in this recipe by 1.5 times and omit the butter.

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Chocolate News

Richardson dessert shop Chocolate Drip lays out eye-catching treats

Chocolate Drip

Chocolate bear with pistachio sauce at Chocolate Drip

A dessert shop in Richardson has become the toast of the sweets world: Called Chocolate Drip, it opened in August at 1057 S. Sherman St., in a center east of US-75 near Spring Valley Road, where it's rolling out some eye-catching chocolate treats.

Chocolate Drip is a passion project from Mohammad Quzmar, a Palestinian-born owner who moved to Dallas four years ago and taught himself to cook through tinkering. That experimentation has translated into a constantly evolving menu, with new creations appearing whenever inspiration strikes — earning him a growing reputation as something of a modern-day Willy Wonka.

"Chocolate is my passion. I just love being in the kitchen and creating,” he says.

The cafe's offerings are extensive, from sweet breakfast staples like pancakes and waffles to off-menu items teased on the café’s Instagram, such as the Dubai Drip platter — an interactive fondue plate with fruit, brownies, waffles, marshmallows, to be dipped into melted chocolate and pistachio cream.

Many of his items have the kind of eye-catching twists and table-side presentations that draw attention on Instagram, such as the cruffle (a waffle made from a croissant) topped with spaghetti-like strands of gelato, which a server extrudes through a potato ricer right before your eyes.

Other signatures include a teddy bear made of chocolate mousse and kanafa, finished with pistachio sauce for $13.30, and crepes filled with a brownie, with pistachio and chocolate sauce for $15.

Prices are not cheap but these are ultra-decadent items with generous portions, often meant for sharing.

The drink list is ambitious, spanning coffee, matcha, smoothies, milkshakes, and nonalcoholic mocktails. It's obvious Quzmar is having fun, rolling out his versions of viral items like the famous s'mores hot chocolate pioneered by New York dessert shop Glace, which features a cap made of marshmallow meringue that’s torched and topped with a chocolate bonbon.

There are also a few savory offerings like egg-and-cheese crepes, a salmon croissant, and a turkey waffle. Those in the know also come to order Middle Eastern treats like salab, a creamy milk drink topped with cinnamon; and Om Ali, a sugary pudding with nuts, dried fruit, and coconut.

Named after the Gen Z slang for “cool” or “stylish,” Drip is meant to be a hangout spot more than a quick dessert stop, Quzmar says — a place to linger over brunch, then return late night to a place that feels buzzy and fun sans alcohol.

“Everyone who works here is either family or treated like family and everything is homemade with love," he says.

desserts openings