Today, La Belle Assiette, a private chef service operating all over France, shares some sweet and savoury pairing ideas built around our favourite ingredient. Chocolate being one of the most indulgent foods in existence, it would be a shame not to pair it with other ingredients to create inventive, delicious combinations!
We all know chocolate as a dessert, paired with fruit or other sweet flavours like vanilla or caramel. Now it's time to invite it into our savoury dishes! Chocolate lifts flavours without overpowering them and brings a whole new texture to your recipes. Sweet or bitter, refined and delicate, this ingredient opens the door to countless combinations. Here's our pick:
Sweet and savoury pairings
As an aperitif…
– with cheese
Yes, really: the sweet, mellow flavour of chocolate goes perfectly with a tangy one. The best cheeses for the job are Roquefort, blue cheese and sheep's milk tomme. Make a statement by adding melted chocolate to your cheese!
– as crisps
For an original twist on your aperitifs, bring chocolate crisps to the table! Just be careful not to spoil your guests' appetite!
With vegetables…
– beetroot
With its slightly sweet taste, beetroot lends itself beautifully to sweet-and-savoury pairings, especially with chocolate. Go on, treat yourself to a choco-beetroot cake or fondant!
– courgette
These two get along wonderfully in the famous sweet-and-savoury loaf: courgette and chocolate cake. Served as a dessert or alongside a main, it adds an original touch to your menu.
With meat
Against all odds, chocolate goes really well with meat (no, we're not joking), especially meat in sauce such as game. It brings out their flavour and gives them a softer texture that will delight many a palate. Mexican-style chocolate chicken, rabbit or pork tenderloin with chocolate, or even black pudding with chocolate: all well-known, easy-to-make meat dishes that you can season differently for a seriously indulgent result!
Other pairings
With spices…
– cinnamon
Cinnamon pairs perfectly with chocolate and is often added when baking cakes. Don't hesitate to add some to your hot chocolate too, it'll taste even better! Yum 🙂
– tonka bean
Its musky aromas, somewhere between cinnamon and vanilla, really shine in a dark chocolate ganache.
With plants…
– Mint
The most refreshing of plants, mint pairs beautifully with a bitter ingredient. Verrines, fondants, cakes, creams, cupcakes, bites: let your imagination run wild combining these two!
– Tea
Good news for those who like a square of chocolate with their cuppa: you can also make chocolate tea! It contains pieces of cocoa or cocoa husks for an even more indulgent end to your meal. Which reminds us of our wonderful collaboration with Compagnie Coloniale 🙂
So chocolate is now welcome at every stage of the meal, in every shape and form. Make the most of summer to let these pairings surprise you, or share them and wow your guests at your next get-together. To stock up on chocolate, this way: LET ME AT IT!
