Chocolate Cult in St Moritz

If you inquired about staying at Badrutt's Palace Hotel over the Christmas and New Year period but left booking too late, and you couldn't quite make the St Moritz Gourmet Festival in February, the only other time to try the chocolate creations of Stefan Gerber and his team is at the week-long Chocolate Cult in the splendid Grand Hall of the hotel overlooking the mountains and the lake in August.I went there on the first day rather than later in the week in case some chocolate lovers "ate all they could".

I had never seen a chocolate fountain, where liquid chocolate is pumped out of the top of a 3-foot circular pyramid to cascade down to the base - such a feast for the eyes prior to the delight for the taste buds - until I attended my first Chocolate Cult at Badrutt's Palace Hotel a few years ago. All you do is immerse your strawberries, or other fruit, on a stick into the chocolate current and savor the resulting delight. Alas, it is all over in a few seconds, but what seconds they are.

The chocolate at Badrutt's palace is supplied by the Valrhona company from near Lyons, who are renowned for their high quality products, including the vintage Grands Crus of chocolate made from the harvest of a particular year from a specific plantations in South America or the Caribbean.

So with the finest ingredients and a top chocolatier, the occasion is guaranteed to be a success. On offer were caramelized Mandelsplitter (chopped almonds) covered in white, milk or dark chocolate, warm hazelnut chocolate cream and white and milk chocolate Champagne pralinés in the shape of the characteristic tower of the hotel. Regular visitors to the Palace will know these feature as decoration on many cakes in both summer and winter seasons.

Make a short pause from this dégustation, which warrants your complete concentration, and take a look through the huge windows of this splendid Grand Hall of the hotel, built in 1896. Down on the lake a yachting regatta is in progress. Above you can see the last vestiges of the winter's snow - hanging on for a few more days before they are covered again. Indeed, winter starts early in these parts, and a good thing too. Meanwhile, back in the Grand Hall, some excited children who shrieked with delight on seeing the chocolate buffet are now as quiet as mice with pink napiary on hand for mother to ensure clean faces afterwords.

Returning to the chocolate, needless to say the Badrutt's chocolate cake à la maison featured, with sponge and ganache filling, topped with fresh raspberries and blackberries and sprinkled with flaked gold; well, this is St Moritz! Then there were chocolate tartlets with cherries soaked in brandy also strewn with flaked gold and, separately, flakes of dark chocolate flavored with candied oranges which are also hand-made at the hotel by the four-man team of confisiers in summer, ten-man in winter. One particular successful combination was a chocolate mousse with a mango coulis, also available with sliced passion fruit.

Mr Gerber, his apron aptly splattered with authentic-looking chocolate stains, assured me that I could have whatever I wanted, but shouldn't I really call it a day? I had more tea to refresh the palate and finished off with a cherry which had been marinating all winter in cognac and then encased in chocolate. Just perfect. I decided to leave the chili-flavored chocolate till next time and left for a much-needed walk round the lake.

Written by Bob for ZURICH4YOU