Linden Chocolate

5 from 19 votes

"Chocolate" made from the seeds of the Linden tree. Makes a little over 4 oz. It can be used in fillings, custards and dairy-based desserts.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Linden chocolate recipe, Linden tree chocolate

Servings: servings

Calories: 148kcal

Cost: 5

Gather linden seeds in july when they're bright green, plump and round, either from the tree, or the ground.

Using a box fan or a similar set up, pour the linden seeds and stems from one bowl to the other. Please refer to the video here. Make sure to start with the fan setting on low, moving up higher until it blows the stems away, but not the seeds.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Wash the linden seeds shake them dry and put into a cast iron pan or on a baking sheet. Bake the linden seeds for 45 minutes -1 hour and 15 minutes, or until golden and fragrant, then remove and cool.
Take a palm full of seeds at a time and rub them in your hand to remove any small clinging pieces of stem. This may not be necessary if your seeds didn't have much stem. If needed, winnow again.

Working in batches, grind the seeds to a powder in a spice grinder or vitamix, then sift, taking the leftover chunks from sifting and re-grinding with the next batch. You should have ½ cup of finished ground, sifted powder.
When all the seeds have been ground and sifted, combine the sugar, pinch of salt, butter, vanilla extract and linden seed flour and mash to a paste in a bowl. From here the “chocolate” can be frozen, or held in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Linden Chocolate Pot du Crème

Makes six 4 oz custards

Ingredients

Method

Warm the cream and sugar until melted, then combine in a blender with the remaining ingredients. Puree the mixture until smooth, then strain through a chinois or other strainer.
Divide the custard mixture evenly between 6 4 oz ramekins and bake in a water bath for 35-40 minutes or until just set. Remove the custards from the water bath, allow to cool and refrigerate until needed.
To serve, top the custards with whipped cream scented with a dash of wild vanilla extract and a few toasted nuts, such as butternuts or black walnuts.