One thing people know about Houston chefs is that they are collaborative. Burger Bodega’s well-documented pop-ups with a range of chefs to Neo Hosting As one of the rising stars of Mexican gastronomy, Houston restaurants are always looking for opportunities to join forces.
In Houston’s latest culinary collaboration, one of the city’s most respected fine-dining restaurants teams up with a local chocolate shop to create a unique sweet and spicy treat. Mainly chocolate And Bluthorn recently released a new chocolate called Spicy Cinnamon Roll, which gets its kick from Bludorn’s signature hot sauce.
Now available at the Mostly Chocolate shop near Spring Branch or onlineSpicy Cinnamon Roll contains a cream cheese and cinnamon ganache, enriched with spicy Bludorn sauce and served on a biscuit base.
Chocolatier Dany Kamkhagi tells CultureMap that the idea of using Bludorn’s hot sauce in a chocolate first came to him while dining at a restaurant. He liked the balanced pepper flavor, which is spicy but not too hot. He thought it would fit well with the company’s monthly subscription box, which always includes two new chocolates.
“Most hot sauces have garlic, onions and all these spices that wouldn’t taste good with chocolate. It’s rare to find a brand that only uses peppers,” says Kamkhagi. “The heat and the flavor, those two things are so well balanced in Aaron’s hot sauce.”
The secret is the cream cheese ganache. Kamkhagi mixes it with cinnamon sticks before adding the hot Bludorn sauce. “First you taste cinnamon, then a little sweetness from the crust and finally the hot sauce. I think it all goes very well together,” he says.
Aaron Bludorn, chef and co-owner of Count Bludorn, is a fan of Kamkhagi’s creation. He has hosted guest dinners with talent from Houston and beyond and tells CultureMap he’s excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Mostly Chocolate.
“When Dany asked me if I wanted to use our hot sauce in a chocolate, I was excited. His chocolates are so inventive and delicious,” he says. “After tasting them, I was really impressed that the flavor really comes through and blends beautifully with the chocolate and cinnamon without being too overpowering.”
The Spicy Cinnamon chocolates are now available in any of Mostly Chocolates’ own curated boxes or as a single box of four with a bottle of Bludorn hot sauce for $25. Originally intended as a limited-time offer, Kamkhagi now plans to keep them on the menu permanently. More flavors may even be added over time.
“There are more ways to use your sauce in different ways. I think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” he says. “There are a lot of spice lovers. I think there is a way to incorporate this into different desserts.”
