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Linden Chocolate

Linden Chocolate is a traditional French recipe for a method of converting unripe linden fruit and dried flowers into a chocolate substitute. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic French dish of Linden Chocolate.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

80 minutes

Total Time:

100 minutes

Additional Time:

(+winnowing)

Makes:

125g

Rating:

Tags : Wild FoodFrench Recipes

The original method was developed by the French chemist, Missa during the 18th century, who found that by grinding the toasted immature fruit of linden trees with dried linden flowers he could obtain a product that had an aroma similar to chocolate. The process was tentatively commercialised in Germany, but the large-scale production of 'linden chocolate' was quickly abandoned as it was soon discovered that the product did not keep well. These days, however, you can make linden chocolate and freeze it for later use (though even when frozen it doesn't keep that well). I've re-visited the product myself and after a bit of experimentation, here's a version that you can make at home. The secret here, which was not revealed in Missa's notes is that the immature fruit need ti be toasted until aromatic and ground to a powder. The linden fruit need to be collected whilst still green, but grown to their maximum size (about mid July). Fruit picked from the tree and windfalls work just as well. The linden flowers included in this version of the recipe are optional, and introduce a floral note to the chocolate. You could also substitute 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.

Ingredients:

500ml (2 cups) immature Linden tree fruit (with stalks removed)
4 tbsp dried linden flowers
5 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp sugar (dark brown, palm or maple)
pinch of sea salt

Method:

Begin by winnowing the linden fruit. Rub between your palms to strip the stems from the fruit. Once all the stalks have been removed, you can winnow. The easiest way to do this is to have a fan blowing as you pour the fruit from one bowl into another. The fruit will fall from one bowl to another, but the stems should be blown away.

Now wash the winnowed fruit and drain in a colander. Arrange the linden fruit in a single layer on a baking tray then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 160°C. Toast the linden seeds for 45–75 minutes, or until golden and fragrant, then remove, turn into a bowl and set aside to cool.

If using linden flowers as a flavouring, place in a mortar and grind to a powder then set aside. Now working in batches, grind the seeds to a powder in a spice grinder or mortar then sift, taking the leftover chunks from sifting and re-grinding with the next batch. You should have 125ml (½ cup) of finished ground, sifted powder.

When all the seeds have been ground and sifted, combine in a bowl the sugar, pinch of salt, butter, ground linden flowers (or vanilla extract) and and mash to a paste. This is your linden chocolate. It will keep for several months in the freezer or up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

Rather than linden flowers or vanilla extract you can also flavour with about 2 tsp of ground linden nut coffee