Pairing chocolate: ideas and suggestions

Describing all the possible chocolate pairings can be a real challenge: chocolate is made with infinite variables of combinations and flavours. Imagine how many types of chocolate can be made based on its preparation: the amount of sugar, the fermentation and the variety of cocoa beans, spices, the percentage of cocoa used, vanilla, hazelnuts, milk and creams. These are just some of the variables that can make one type of chocolate completely different from the next. For this reason, in this short guide to chocolate pairings, we will suggest how to best enjoy it based on its preparations. What can we pair with dark chocolate? Which variety of chocolate pairs well with fruit? What is the recommended chocolate for savoury recipes?

Dark chocolate pairings

Lovers of dark chocolate, this short introduction is for you. We are used to thinking that dark chocolate is perfect when paired with grappa, rum, and scotch. Yet to date dark chocolate has been used for recipes of all kinds and for pairings that originated for staple dishes all over the world:

• dark chocolate and peanuts: Chocolate, peanuts, caramel, and marshmallows are the ingredients of one of the most famous bars in the history of the United States since the 1920s. Yet this combination was not entirely new, since the flavour of peanuts was often paired with that of cocoa. Despite appearances, the combination of chocolate and peanuts can be used in many recipes, even for the simplest. Try a pie with salted peanuts and dark chocolate, or combine these two ingredients to prepare cookies and chocolate bars.
• dark chocolate and mint: two flavours that blend perfectly. Dark chocolate bitterness and fresh mint sweetness make a perfect match for cakes or a quick and simple dessert such as shot glasses with mint cream and dark chocolate, to be served cold. The combination of mint and dark chocolate is reminiscent of very famous English sweets, on the market since 1962, often eaten after dinner.
• dark chocolate and orange: a combination known since the seventeenth century. A mix of intense flavours that blend perfectly, ideal for cakes, creams, bars, cheesecakes, and mousses. The bitter taste of dark chocolate enhances the flavour of orange, creating an irresistible contrast;
• dark chocolate and bacon: don’t be scandalized, please! The pairing of dark chocolate and bacon has literally made history, becoming a must for lovers of savoury chocolate recipes. One very popular bacon and chocolate American snack on the market, includes the addition of maple syrup. This combination was invented by chocolatier Katrina Markoff, who proposed it for the first time in her American chocolate shop with the French name Vosges Haut-Chocolat;
• dark chocolate and ginger: two foods with exceptional healing properties blended in one flavour. Dark chocolate and ginger is a well-known combination with a complex flavour, somewhat reminiscent of mint: the bitter taste of dark chocolate gives way to the freshness of the ginger with its mentholated, sweet, and sometimes spicy notes. Try hot cocoa with dark chocolate and a sprinkle of ginger. Try the combination for cakes, aromatic mousses, muffins, and biscuits. Or, for a savoury recipe, try pairing dark chocolate and ginger with veal.

Dark chocolate is also excellent when paired with fruit, in particular with red fruits and berries.

Pairing chocolate and fruit: the mix that everyone likes

It could be said that the par excellence pairing of chocolate and fruit is the Sacher Torte, a very famous cake (probably the most famous in the world!) with sponge cake, chocolate, and apricot invented in Vienna by pastry chef Franz Sacher in 1832. Green light for the combination of chocolate and apricot: it surprised everyone. Pairing chocolate with fruit is a must in pastry shops, which over the years have baked cakes, muffins, pies, doughnuts, cheesecakes, but also simple desserts such as chocolate-covered fruit, strawberry and chocolate skewers, and chocolate ice cream with fresh fruit cups. Here is a list of suggestions and combinations with chocolate and fruit:

• chocolate and strawberries: a classic fruit and chocolate combination. Why not try a perfect, easy to make, delicious dessert like strawberry and chocolate skewers? Or simply dip strawberries in a chocolate cream. We prefer it dark, but also pairs well with white chocolate;
• chocolate and watermelon: directly from Sicily, the traditional "gelo d'anguria" (watermelon frost: a typical soft-serve dessert popular in Palermo during the Santa Rosalia festival), inspires a powerful and tasty combination. Chocolate and watermelon go perfectly together. Seeing is believing;
• chocolate and coconut: perhaps one of the most sought-after and praised chocolate and fruit pairings, made famous thanks to popular snacks available in stores. There is a wide selection of chocolate and coconut cake recipes. We prefer to taste these two cold ingredients on an ice cream cone, or within a cheesecake;
• chocolate and pear: the best way to emphasize the sweetness of a pear is to add a little chocolate, preferably bitter. A combination that satisfies everyone, perfect for making desserts such as vegan cakes, donuts, and plum cakes.

Savoury pairings with chocolate: only for the tenacious

If we have not already surprised you with the chocolate - bacon pairing, let's step it up a notch. It should come as no surprise that in the past, cocoa was combined with savoury ingredients such as chili pepper and bread.But here's a more detailed list:

• chocolate and cheese: it may seem a risky combination, yet some aromatic notes of chocolate go perfectly with cheese. If you think of cream and chocolate or the combination of chocolate and milk, it will seem less of an odd pairing. In Australia, for instance, an (Italian) company produces blue cheese with chocolate. Chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo paired gorgonzola cheese with chocolate, while pastry chef Ernst Knam proposed a chocolate, pears, and gorgonzola cake;
• eggplant and chocolate is not a futuristic combination, quite the contrary! This savoury combination with chocolate comes from the Campania region and, in particular, from the Amalfi coast, and it is one of many traditional recipes. Aubergines and chocolate are a very simple summer holiday dessert, whose diffusion seems to be attributed to the nuns of Santa Maria della Misericordia;
• chocolate and fresh pasta: some types of Italian fresh pasta are made with chocolate, for example, the Venetian tortelli or the Cremaschi tortelli which contain amaretti with cocoa.