You can take your flavor profile game up another level when you add culinary herbs to the equation.  Even in simple recipes– hot chocolate, for example – adding different herbs completely changes the experience.  The Lavender and Roses Hot Chocolate in There are Herbs in My Chocolate brings a floral sweetness to a thick drinking chocolate, while the Thyme and Orange Hot Chocolate has a fresher, lighter feel to it.

Exploring new culinary herbs can take you to different places in the global kitchen, where you can learn how flavors are used in different parts of the world.  It can also take you into the past, where you can learn the traditions behind the ways food is made.  For instance, in this book, you will find Rose and Pistachio Chocolate Bark, which is inspired by common dessert flavorings in India.  And you will learn that certain herbal liqueurs were invented in a quest to find the elixir of life. In this book, you will learn how to make herbal syrups, sauces, pastes and candied herbs, and to infuse herbs into ice cream, confections, breads and pastries.  Most importantly, you will learn how to choose herbs to pair with different types of chocolate to create balanced flavor profiles. The herbs involved may be fresh from the garden, dried, or infused into herbal liqueurs.   Many herbs lend themselves to chocolate desserts, alone or in combination with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.  Here’s a list of a few favorites.