NEW ENGLAND BEAN-TO-BAR MAKERS

Blue Bandana

This subsidiary of Burlington, Vermont’s Lake Champlain Chocolates produces meticulously sourced and crafted singleorigin dark chocolate bars developed by Eric Lampman, son of Lake Champlain founder Jim Lampman. recommended: Madagascar 82% Wild Pepper bar. lakechamplainchocolates.com

Chequessett Chocolate

This café-workshop in North Truro on Cape Cod makes delicious chocolates, mostly dark, with some milk chocolate and single-origin bars in the mix, as well as confections like barks, brittles, and toffees. recommended: Wellfleet Sea Salt bar. chequessettchocolate.com

Enna Chocolate

Enna Grazier produces exquisite singleorigin chocolates out of her small “factory” in Epping, New Hampshire, and her tasting notes (“toasted sweet biscuits, tobacco, milk, and a tantalizingly subtle tannin”) read like a chocophile’s dream. recommended: Madagascar 70% bar. ennachocolate.com

Goodnow Farms Chocolates

At their headquarters in Sudbury, Massachusetts, Tom and Monica Rogan make dark chocolate bars, some blended with local maple syrup or ground almonds, as well as hot cocoa mixes, from beans sourced from individual fair-trade farms. recommended: Asochivite bar with maple syrup. goodnowfarms.com

ROGUE CHOCOLATIER*

Located in Three Rivers, Massachusetts, 10-year-old Rogue remains a tiny operation, but founder Colin Gasko has earned enough national attention for the intensity of his single-origin bars that customers now preorder each batch.

It’s worth the trouble. recommended: Whatever you can get your hands on. roguechocolatier.com

Somerville Chocolate

In addition to selling his small-batch bars to the general public, owner Eric Parkes runs a chocolate CSA, whose members pay in advance for a delivery of multiple bars, mostly dark but also some tasty blends, such as white chocolate with chilies and chai-spiced cacao nibs. recommended: Dark chocolate bar with orange peel and cardamom. somervillechocolate.com

TAZA CHOCOLATE*

Known for its gritty stone-ground style, Taza produces a vast line of bars, Mexican-style hot chocolate disks, barks, and chocolate-covered nuts at its Somerville, Massachusetts, factory. recommended: Chocolate-covered hazelnuts. tazachocolate.com

VICUÑA CHOCOLATE*

Founded in Peterborough, New Hampshire, by Neely Cohen, winner of the Food Network’s Sweet Genius baking competition, Vicuña makes richly flavored organic bars under the guidance of Cohen’s successors, Nate Morison and Casey Goodrich. recommended: Bolivia bar. vicunachocolate.com

Vivra Chocolate

Bob and Paige Leavitt began their first chocolate company in 1984, then returned to the business 10 years ago to produce both exotic blends (Chili Crunch, English Garden) and bean-to-bar, single-origin dark chocolate at their Boston facility. recommended: Dominican Republic Oko Caribe bar. vivrachocolate.com

* Yankee Editors’ Choice Food Award winner

SALTED CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE (recipe, p. 54)

They want the story behind the goods. It’s a sweet extension of the farm-totable movement—albeit more global than local—and Monica Rogan sees it as a valuable teaching opportunity. “Chocolate has the ability to make a meaningful difference,” she says. “It can raise our awareness of where our food comes from, who grows it, and how to produce it sustainably.”

The following are recipes both sweet and savory that showcase chocolate in all its glory.

HOT CHOCOLATE STEEL-CUT OATMEAL

To Tal T ime : 45 minu T es

H ands- on T ime : 15 minu T es

Perfect for snow days, this oatmeal cooks up much faster and even creamier if you soak the oats in cold water overnight.

1 cup steel-cut oats

4 cups plus ¼ cup whole milk

½ cup water

1 cinnamon stick

3 t ablespoons dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon table salt

2 ½ ounces dark chocolate, f inely chopped

Toppings (toasted coconut flakes, toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped toasted hazelnuts, etc.)

Rinse the oats under cold water or, preferably, soak them overnight. Set a medium saucepan over high heat and add oats, 4 cups milk, water, and cinnamon. Stir, then bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook oats, uncovered, until tender, about 40 minutes (or 10 minutes, if you soaked them overnight), stirring frequently. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon stick. Add brown sugar, vanilla, and salt, then add chocolate and stir until melted.

Divide among four bowls and finish with a bit of warm milk and toppings, if desired. Yields 4 servings.

Smoky Chocolate Lentilstuffed Acorn Squash

To Tal T ime : 1 Hour , 15 minu T es

H ands- on T ime : 40 minu T es

This vegetarian main dish combines chocolate with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices in a way that brings to mind a Oaxacan mole sauce, only streamlined for everyday eating.

1 cup small green lentils

4 acorn squash, halved lengthwise

2 t ablespoons plus 3 tablespoons olive oil

S alt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 t ablespoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 medium carrots, diced

1 medium red pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups water

14 ounces crushed tomatoes

5 ounces dark chocolate (preferably infused with chilies)

Greek yogurt and chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400° and set a rack to the middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Rinse the lentils and pick through for any stones. Set aside.

Scoop the seeds out of the squash halves, then cut a thin slice off the bottom of each so that they lie flat on the baking sheet. Drizzle each with a teaspoon of olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Transfer squash to oven and roast until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Push the onion to the sides of the pan, clearing a space at the center. Add paprika and cumin to the center of the pan and lightly toast until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the diced carrots and red pepper and cook, stirring, until carrots have begun to soften, about 7 minutes (add a bit of water to the pan if things begin to brown too quickly). Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then add the lentils and stir to coat. Add the 3 cups water and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. Most of the liquid should be absorbed but lentils should not be dry (add a few tablespoons of water if this is the case).

Break up the chocolate into small pieces and stir into the lentils until all pieces have melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fill the squash halves with the lentil mixture. Drizzle each lightly with olive oil and return to oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and garnish with a dollop of yogurt and some chopped fresh cilantro if desired. Yields 8 servings.

Rosemary Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

To Tal T ime : 50 minu T es

H ands- on T ime : 25 minu T es

Minced fresh rosemary gives these classic cookies a grown-up twist.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

2½ teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

6 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate chips (we like Blue Bandana

75% dark) or chopped-up bar

¼ cup chopped walnuts

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (or grease with butter) and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light in color and texture, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula at least once during ing by hand with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, adding the chocolate chips and walnuts, until everything just comes together. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 20 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350° and set a rack to the middle position. Scoop golf ball–size balls of dough and arrange them in rows down the baking sheets. Flatten each ball slightly just before baking. Bake until the cookies are lightly golden brown on the outside edges but still soft and gooey in the center, about 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Yields 18 to 24 cookies.

Chocolate, whiskey, salt, and a hint of smoke come together in perfect harmony. These sophisticated cakes have a liquid tures—especially when served with the optional whiskey cream.

FOR THE CAKES

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing ramekins

3½ ounces dark chocolate

¼ cup whiskey

¼ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 medium eggs, at room temperature

2 medium yolks, at room temperature

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt (preferably smoked)

FOR THE WHISKEY CREAM (OPTIONAL)

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons Irish whiskey

Pinch of salt

Grease four small (4-ounce) ramekins generously with butter, then set on a tray in the refrigerator while making the cakes.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate with 6 tablespoons butter over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring often. Stir in the whiskey, then set aside to cool.

Using an electric or stand mixer, beat the sugars, eggs, and yolks together in a large bowl until the mixture is quite thick, 5 to 7 minutes. Sift the flour very gently into the egg mixture, then carefully fold it in with a spatula. Once the flour is just incorporated, gradually fold in the chocolate mixture to form a slack batter.

Remove ramekins from the refrigerator and divide the batter equally among them. Fill ramekins about two-thirds full, but stop at the halfway point to sprinkle a layer of salt in each before filling with remaining batter. Return the ramekins to the refrigerator for 30 more minutes (at this stage, you can also place them in the freezer, then bake them when ready, adding 5 minutes to the total cooking time). Preheat oven to 400°.

Remove ramekins from the refrigerator and transfer immediately to the oven. Bake until the cakes form a crust on top and pull away from the edges just a little, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, then invert each ramekin onto a serving plate. The cakes should drop out. If they don’t drop after a few minutes, carefully run a butter knife along the edges.

To make the (optional) whiskey cream: In a large bowl, beat the cream until very soft peaks form, then add the confectioners’ sugar, whiskey, and salt. Beat again until medium peaks form. Serve the cakes immediately with a dollop of whiskey cream. Yields 4 servings.