Chocolate Perfection

by Ann Braybrooks and photographs by Jennifer May, January 25, 2007

In Dutchess County, between Rhinebeck and Red Hook on Route 9, lies a new jewel box of a chocolate shop. Oliver Kita opened this chocolatiere in November 2006 to provide handcrafted artisan chocolates to beguile the eye and the palate—and, he hopes, the spirit.

Inside Oliver Kita Fine Confections, the decor is French luxe. A fresh white orchid stands on a pedestal, while a vase containing branches of flowering quince adorns Kita’s desk. The individual chocolates—les caramels, les truffes, les pralines, les ganaches—are displayed in large glass display cases. Dark-brown furniture complements the striking color of the walls.

Kita says that he chose the pink-toned orange as his signature hue because it flatters everything around it. “It’s very evocative,” he says. “It speaks of quality, and it speaks of beauty and richness and longevity.” The shade is also used in his marketing materials and for the ribbon that Kita ties around the shop’s sturdy, custom-designed candy boxes.

Kita lavishes the same obsessive detail on his intensely flavored chocolates. Starting with French Valrhona chocolate (and on occasion, chocolate from a Swiss source), he adds fresh butter, heavy cream, fruit purees, nuts, essences, and spices. Perhaps the most traditional of Kita’s offerings are Caramel au Chocolat, made from bitter chocolate, sweet caramel, fresh butter, and heavy cream, and Espresso Double Shot, composed of dark chocolate, Arabica coffee beans, and crushed cacao nibs.

The latter is a truffe en chardon, or thistle truffle, and is one of a group including the more exotic Cherry Ancho (Morello cherry and ancho chile); Mint and Lemon Balm; and Shiki Matcha Crunch, with green-tea-infused ganache and a croquant exterior. Ganache is the French word for a mixture of chocolate and heavy cream. Croquant means crispy or crunchy.

In the ganache collection, there are Palet d’Opium, with lapsang tea, blood orange puree, and spices; Palet du Figue et Cognac (fig and Liqueur); and Palet d’Olivier, featuring one of Kita’s favorite flavors: black currant. “Black currant has a lot of depth and character to it,” says Kita. “It’s very sensual. I use it a lot when I do sauces for people in the summertime. I love to make cakes that have lemon curd in them with black currant puree as the sauce.”