Bogey and Bacall. Salt and pepper. Wine and chocolate. Some things were just meant to be together.
While working in the tasting room of Winterport Winery, Rebecca Potter heard many tasters say, “Ah, that raspberry wine would be perfect with a piece of chocolate cake.” Or a handful of chocolate chips. So when the winery’s owners, Joan and Michael Anderson, approached her about creating a product that would complement their offerings, she knew just what to do.
In September, she launched her own company, B. Potter Chocolates, which makes dark and milk chocolate truffles with a rich ganache center flavored with Raspberry Rain wine.
It’s a match made in chocolate lovers’ heaven, but Potter hasn’t always loved chocolate.
While working on her bachelor’s degree in nutrition at the University of New Hampshire, the North Berwick native worked at a small candy shop, where everything was made by hand.
“They used very high quality chocolate,” Potter, 28, said in the kitchen of her Bangor home. “I didn’t really know I liked chocolate before that. I think you have to taste good chocolate in order to really appreciate it.”
Potter moved to the Bangor area while pursuing her master’s in food science and nutrition at the University of Maine, which she completed in 2004. Her background helped as she tried to find the right – and legal – amount of wine to use in her recipe. Her first attempt had a higher alcohol content than federal laws allow – 0.5 percent by volume.
After a bit of trial and error, she achieved the perfect balance between creamy chocolate and fruity wine. And though many chocolatiers make large truffles, Potter has proved that good things come in small packages.
“A truffle is a small, perfect way to end a meal if you want a sweet something, a sweet ending – not a big piece of cake, but something rich,” she said.
A course at the Maine Centers for Women, Work and Community helped her refine her ideas and develop a solid plan. But she didn’t need any cooking classes.
That has always come naturally to Potter, who grew up at her mother’s side in the kitchen. As a girl, Potter had a hard time with math, and her mom helped her learn fractions through baking.
“I have this connection with food, especially sweet food,” she said. “It helps me make sense of the world.”
The sweets are $3.95 for four, available at The Grasshopper Shop, Bangor Wine & Cheese and Winterport Winery. For information, visit www.bpwinechocolates.com
– Kristen Andresen
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