I looked up the definition of the world sublime: So awe inspiringly beautiful as to seem almost heavenly. Yup, nuff said.
This is the most difficult kind of place for me to review. I am profoundly allergic to chocolate, which I first discovered in my teens. Once I managed to remove Chip’s Ahoy from my diet, my reaction to chocolate became even more intense. In fact while taking the pictures accompanying this article, I had to leave the room, twice.
So in order to give you an idea of the artistic quality of Sublime Chocolates I had to take a designated nibbler with me. My friend Megan followed me across Main Street in Allen out past Greenville to an old strip center where Sublime Chocolates sits nestled between a martial arts studio and an insurance agency. The location is as unimpressive as it is unassuming, but the old rule “if you have a quality product people will find you” is in full effect here.
I first heard of Sublime from some friends of mine, we were sitting in Dodie’s after an Allen Americans hockey game talking about food and my buddy’s wife told me about Sublime. She described bacon infused chocolate truffles in such a way it actually made me uncomfortable to be sitting next to her husband.
Sublime is the creation of Master Chocolatier Troy Easton. Troy is an artist with form and presentation but his palate not only includes dark French chocolate, butter and crème, but also includes the blending of flavors that take your breath away.
“A lot of people come in and say they are not a fan of dark chocolate,” owner Troy Easton says, “Most of those folks are usually not used to a quality chocolate. We use French and other chocolates combined with local organic butter and cream.” The result is a blend that combines the natural bite of the coco in a way that induces a pause of indulgence in my designated nibbler.
With the glowing red translucence of a “Caliente Heart” – a combination of cinnamon, cayenne pepper and chili powder infused inside a chocolate casing – Troy shows off his deft use of contrasting tastes to blend on the tongue. As Megan bites into the edge, her eyes widen and she pauses as the warmth of the peppers blends with the sweet subtle chocolate, “It is really interesting. It reminds me a little of the hot heart candies we used to get.” The cool sweet of the chocolate then permeates her taste buds and she says with a smile, “wow that finishes entirely different in your mouth than it started. That is really cool.”
After working with a variety of high-end restaurants, Troy began looking at Chocolate as a career. He explains he had a bit of encouragement too, “Actually my wife decided I should do this. I did a lot of catering and weddings and things that I always ended up doing a sweet or a chocolate for and I was getting a lot of feedback about it. Thankfully, she has the ‘good job’ that allows me to do this.”
With his wife Bliss’ encouragement and support Troy began apprenticing and taking classes in far flung areas like Connecticut with Fritz Knipschildt and in Vancouver, Canada at CoCoWest. After working with others, Troy and Bliss found a low cost storefront to begin with on the eastern edge of Allen.
“I never really thought I would move to the Dallas area but I met my wife and her job was here so there really was no other option,” explains Troy. The small storefront houses the entire production side of Sublime’s operations, all of which are visible from the front door. A display case with glowing plates full of truffles, wedges of pure milk chocolate and squares of Saint Dominique single origin chocolate from the Caribbean shows off the range and quality of Sublime’s products.
The air is heavy with the aroma of chocolate and I know many women who would tell you that scent could well be the most compelling aroma in the world. Display boxes of prepackaged gift sets line shelves on both sides of the room and directly behind the retail area is rack upon rack of cooling candy molds.
On the shelf, waiting to be put in the display case, is a tray of delicate white chocolate roses infused with Syrian rose petal jam. These roses were originally created for a party Troy catered for perfume and design house legend Chanel. The floral aspect of the Middle Eastern delicacy is toned down with a hint of jasmine tea.
One of the chocolate squares caught Megan’s eye and Troy lifted a sample to her: a Thai ginger spice square. Ginger is one of those things that can easily overwhelm anything it is paired with but again Troy shows his mastery of the palette by gently nudging your taste buds with the ginger and again cooling it of with the sweet chocolate.
“Now this is the most interesting thing I think I have ever tasted,” Said Megan, almost confused by the taste of a golden curry square, “The first bite hits you with a strong sense of curry then is quickly replaced with the flavor of white and milk chocolate followed by hints and textures of coconut.”
The flavors of all of Sublime’s lines are also accented by brilliant visual presentation. Luminous “Luster Dust” catches the sunlight on a dark truffle and gives it a glow of purple. On others golden flecks and iridescent accents identify each by content. Even the signature Sublime “S” is hand brushed with glistening gold color.
Some of the blends and textures have been in Troy’s head for years. For example, the Bacon Truffle was something he remembered from going to I-Hop as a kid, “They used to serve the bacon and everything on the same plate and I remember putting chocolate chip pancakes with syrup and a piece of bacon on the same fork. It kind of came from that memory.” Troy says some of the other signature tastes like the pecan pie came pretty easily. “It is Texas, so I knew I needed to have something with pecan, this one took a half hour to perfect. The Thai Ginger took almost three months.”
In the new year Troy and Bliss will be opening a small café in the Waters Creek development on Central Expressway and Bethany. Though the production will remain over at the Main Street location, the intent is to have a dedicated, decadent indulgence location closer to his customers.
He will continue experimenting and says his wife continues to inspire ideas, “I have been thinking of stuffing a Serrano pepper and dipping it, I don’t know when I will get the time to try and perfect it but it is an idea she tossed at me one night and I like it.”
At the end of the day Megan had a very satisfied look on her face that was the polar opposite of mine. Due to that pesky allergy I looked like I had been beaten with a bushel of ragweed. Remembering how much I once enjoyed the end product of the cocoa plant and knowing how I can never eat it again made me a little sad. But also knowing that I had found a fantastic life saver for the next time I screw up, and I know I will, made me smile.
Sublime Chocolate
1201 E. Main Street
Ste. 230
Allen, TX
(972) 747-0848
