I got to savor a delicious chocolate almond torte made with extra virgin olive oil during our recent Harvest Retreat. Famed chocolatier Alice Medrich developed the cake for us using our extra virgin olive oil. And there’s a bit of history behind this dessert.
Alice, who’s an award-winning cookbook author, says the torte is a variation of one she’s prepared for decades. The recipe is based on the “Queen of Sheba” cake featured in Julia Childs’ Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
“It’s an iconic cake. It practically made my entire career,” Alice says of the torte. She baked it for the gourmet dessert shop she once owned: Cocolat, in Berkeley, Calif. “Variations of this torte became the chocolate cake of the eighties and nineties. I’m still working it!”
In adapting the torte for olive oil, Alice found the EVOO adds a new flavor dimension.
“There’s a little more complexity and interest with the olive oil,” she says. “The olive oil tastes really delicious with the dark chocolate.”
Alice also says the EVOO, chocolate and almonds produce a special “synergy.” “Chocolate and almonds are a legendary combination. We also know that olive oil goes with almonds,” says Alice. “And the three of them together are magnificent.”
For an added flavor kick, Alice recommends topping each slice with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of good quality sea salt – a pairing she picked up from cookbook author Fran Gage.
The torte is one of three recipes Alice developed for us to serve at our Harvest Retreat, which we held for chefs and culinary professionals in October at one of our Northern California olive ranches. She also prepared a walnut and pear biscotti – which I’ve written about – and a chocolate ripple pound cake.
Joanne, the head of our informal test kitchen, made the chocolate almond torte over the weekend using our Arbequina. Her kids, Jane and John, raved about the cake. I’m guessing you will, too.
Bon appétit,
Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch
