Rob Tschudin Lucheme knows his chocolates. That is the first thing you learn when talking with the affable chocolatier of Tschudin Chocolates. If you ask him, he will gladly explain the finer points of cacao percentage, fat content, and their different influences on the taste and texture of chocolate. But his vast understanding of chocolate is most evident in the remarkable quality of his chocolate confections.
Tschudin Chocolates offers classic candies such as dipped fruit, dipped pretzels, chocolate peanut butter cups, and the like, but the store also sells its own creative creations like the award-winning “Night in Tunisia” candy (chocolate filled with pepper and coriander) and the “Cinderella” (milk chocolate honey ganache). In the warmer months, moussicles (frozen mousse popsicles) are extremely popular. There are also certain other sweets about which Tschudin brags, such as marshmallows with white chocolate and pandan leaves (one of Lucheme’s favorite things to make because of the unusual flavor) and vanilla whipped cream for cakes.
The store sometimes offers creative and delicious pastries, such as an inverted chocolate puff pastry with an almond rum filling that’s covered with candied apples. Lucheme walked us through his process for this complicated dessert.
Lucheme makes his own inverted chocolate puff pastry (inverted because it has the butter on the outside) ahead of time. One piece can have as many as 784 layers! Lucheme cuts the pastry into long rectangles and scores the edges—partly for decoration, partly to hold in the filling, and partly to let out steam when baking. He mumbles as he does this, as if talking to himself. (He explains, “It’s important to talk to your pastry.”) Next, he places small strips in the outline of smaller rectangles on top of the large rectangles, making an enclosure for the filling. Lucheme uses egg yolks as glue to seal the layers of pastry together. He then paints an egg wash of eggs and cream onto the outside, which waterproofs the pastry against the filling and also gives it a soft sheen after baking.
The pastry comes out of the oven, and the almond rum filling is poured into the pastry enclosure and spread out evenly. Lucheme dramatically finishes it with a blowtorch. Then he works on the apples. He has a special mix of shaved candy and cinnamon that he calls his “tartan mix.” As he sautés the apples in this blend, the apples sweat off some of their water and the mix gains a thick syrupy texture. The syrup caramelizes onto the surface of the apple pieces, coating them in a thin layer of sweet candy. These apples are then evenly spaced out over the top of the pastry and voilà—it’s finished! The dessert is as delicious as you could possibly imagine it to be.
As he cooks, Lucheme tells us facts about chocolate. The chocolate they use has to be “in temper,” meaning that it must have beta, or form 5 meaning it should dry in five minutes when spread on wax paper—crystals. The tempered chocolate, once placed in a smooth mold and refrigerated, will be shiny. Chocolate with less water in it will have a longer shelf life. Chocolate, like glass, never fully hardens. To make even the simple-looking chocolate buttons, Lucheme has a multi-step process to follow:
1. The chocolate must be in temper.
2. The button molds with beveled edges should be preheated.
3. Paint the surface of the molds with a thin layer of chocolate to ensure an even surface.
4. Fill with tempered chocolate.
5. Let the trays set.
6. Cap with more chocolate until overflowing. Scrape the extra chocolate off.
7. Vibrate molds on a specialized chocolate machine to even out the surface.
8. Cool chocolates in the refrigerator.
9. Bang the chocolates out of the molds when the chocolates are fully hardened.
In addition to all these delicious treats, Tschudin may be best known for its impressive chocolate statues, particularly its chocolate shoes. The shoes are most popular at Christmas and Valentine’s Day. There are white chocolate wedding shoes, red Valentine’s Day shoes that look like they’re made of suede, shoes with dog bone patterns, and many more. The shoes are extremely delicate; it sometimes takes 20 minutes just to take them out of their molds. There are also mini shoes for a mini price.
On the other end of the candy spectrum, Rob has been known over the years to make trick candies, especially for other candy makers. He has, on different occasions, made chocolate-covered dried calamari and chocolate-covered bacon. He was surprised when his chocolate-covered cheese balls and chocolate-covered anchovies were actually very well received. Perhaps chocolate really can make anything taste good.
Lucheme studied candy and chocolate making at the Culinary Institute of America, which he refers to as the CIA, hoping you will do a double take. Then he took a pastry course. He studied under two professional chocolatiers to perfect his craft. Now, he continues to read about techniques online and in books.
He currently has three employees. Presently none of them are Wesleyan students, but he usually has at least one working with him. Many of his past employees are now working in the culinary arts and sciences. He doesn’t expect new employees to come in knowing everything already; he prefers that they have a natural curiosity and strong work ethic. If you’re intrigued (or hungry), go down to Tschudin Chocolates. Have a chat with Lucheme about chocolate, or just go for the amazing desserts. Either way, you’ll be glad you stopped by.