Take the Easter taste challenge
CAN A DAIRY, GLUTEN AND SOY-FREE CHOCOLATE ‘TREAT’ CUT THE MUSTARD AT EASTER? VEGAN CHOCOLATIER PANA BARBOUNIS CERTAINLY THINKS SO
HAVE a cursory glance at the Easter treats available in the supermarkets and online and you might be surprised by what’s on offer.
Where once creme-filled eggs, sugar-shelled treats and hollow chocolate bunnies were the norm, nowadays you’re just as likely to have your head turned by chocolate ‘Scotch’ eggs, cheese flavoured hot cross buns and savoury ‘cheester’ eggs.
Adding to this alternative trend is chocolatier-with-a-difference Pana Barbounis.
The Melbourne-based entrepreneur founded Pana Chocolate three years ago, creating dairyfree, soy-free, gluten-free luxury chocolate bars containing no refined sugar. Including enticing flavours like ginger and pineapple, fig and orange and coconut and goji, the bars are now sold worldwide and stocked in more than 20 countries.
And with his first book out, Pana Chocolate The Recipes, Pana is keen to show that despite the untraditional ingredients, his raw vegan offerings certainly aren’t taste and fun-free.
Truthfully, they do require a bit more welly to make – as well as some more involved searches for ingredients and, in some cases, equipment – but if you’re after a different kind of Easter showstopper, this could be a good place to get cracking.
Tempted to tackle the challenge?
Here are two recipes from Pana Chocolate to give a whirl...