chocolate pairings

An Excellent Wine and Chocolate Pairing

My mom came for dinner last week and she (as any properly trained mother should do) brought with her a bottle of wine.  We enjoyed a remarkably delicious Green Truck Organic Sauvignon Blanc.

After dinner, I (as any properly trained daughter should do) brought out chocolate for dessert.  I was in the mood for a Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate bar.  As I took a bite, I noticed I had a swallow of wine left in my glass and drank it.  The chocolate was still in my mouth, and the result of this accidental pairing was, well, it was meant to be! 
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Like Coffee for Chocolate

==> www.chocolateuniversityonline.com/goto/northstar.html

North Star Fine Coffees is introducing a new coffee that is designed for students of Chocolate University Online and chocolate lovers with a keen sense of taste. 

"Simply Decadent" is not a chocolate flavored coffee, but rather is a coffee designed to pair well with chocolates and chocolate desserts.
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Chocolate and Beer Pairing – Pale Ales

In the opening post of this series I mentioned that there are three categories of beer that pair well with chocolates.

The third group of beers include pale, bitter beers, such as India Pale Ales.  These also tend to do well when paired with chocolate…

India Pale Ale was created in the 1820’s for the voyages between England and India.  The three month voyage would have to cross the equator twice.  So not only was the journey long, but it was also quite warm.  Since time and high temperatures are bad for beer preservation, typical beers sent to India arrived in very poor condition.
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Chocolate and Beer Pairing – Belgian Ales

In the opening post of this series I mentioned that there are three categories of beer that pair well with chocolates.

A second group of beers are the Belgian-style ales... 

These beers are typically amber to brown in color, with high alcohol content (often greater than 8%) and are usually quite fruity in their aroma.  Candy sugar (like a hard rock candy) may be added to the barley malt to increase the alcohol level without darkening the color or making it too malty.
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Chocolate and Beer Pairing – Stouts

In the opening post of this series I mentioned that there are three categories of beer that pair well with chocolates.

The first group for pairing includes dark beers such as porters and stouts...

These beers are made using a good deal of roasted or burnt barley malt.  In fact, one of the burnt barley malts is even called “chocolate malt.”  It doesn't really have any chocolate in it, but rather the malt has been roasted or kilned until it acquires more of a chocolaty color.
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Chocolate and Beer Pairing

When most people think about pairing chocolate with an alcoholic beverage the product they usually consider is wine.  However, there are components in wine which can make these pairings difficult and often unpredictable.

Tannins in red wine can make dark chocolates seem more bitter, and the acidity in wines often does not  balance well with the chocolate.  Because of the variation in wine styles, even within varietals, it’s often difficult to generalize about ideal wine and chocolate pairings.

This is not the case for beer!
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Spectacular Chocolate and Coffee Pairing

I was recently introduced to of Seattle Reign a coffee from North Star Fine Coffees.  This morning I sipped a delicious brew of the coffee and quietly ate my chocolate donut, trying to get some work done.

At one point I was rolling the two around my mouth at the same time, coffee and chocolate, chocolate and coffee...  Then I experienced a new flavor emerge as I swallowed. 

This got me thinking about chocolate and coffee pairings!
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The Olympics and Cheesecake!

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games begin February 12, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada.  But what, you may ask, does this have to do with cheesecake?

Well, thanks for asking.  Cheesecake is believed to have originated in ancient Greece and was served to the athletes during the first Olympic Games held in 776 B.C.

In 1872, America dairyman William Lawrence, is credited with inventing modern day cream cheese.  He accidentally created it when he tried to reproduce a French cheese called Neufchatel.
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