Naturally more bitter and lower in sugar, dark chocolate is a lot more outstanding and bold flavored than milk and white chocolate. Due to being in excess of 80 percent cocoa, it is bitter and sour on its own, which adds complexity to pairing you serve with dark chocolate.
What to eat with dark chocolate? Dark chocolate can be eaten with fruits, nuts, coffee, salty snacks, cheese, crackers, and wine.
Pair with a glass of vintage Port, Zinfandels, Shiraz, Grenache, Merlot, Pinot Noirs, and Chianti. These complement with tannins in dark chocolate to eliminate the bitter taste.
In addition, dark chocolate is the perfect ingredient to make into pudding, hot chocolate, brownies, mousse, cake, baked goods and desserts.
In fact, there are many ways to serve chocolate with various dishes because it adds earthy and nutty flavors from the cocoa.
Answered below are frequently asked questions about pairing dark chocolate with food to better enjoy the outcomes. This article focuses on enhancing your creativity with chocolate pairings to give unique and delicious results every time.
What goes well with dark chocolate?
The boldness and bitterness from tannins in dark chocolate will throw a curve ball when it comes to find the right pairing of ingredients. The basic rule of thumb is to serve dark chocolate with mild and subtle flavor ingredients to complement the richness.
A few ingredients that make popular chocolate pairings include:
- Herbs: lavender, lemongrass, mint
- Spices: cocoa powder, chipotle powder, cinnamon, cardamom, paprika
- Vegetables: carrots, avocado, sweet potato, pumpkin, mushrooms
- Bread: rye bread
- Dairy: cream cheese, yogurt
- Nuts: almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, peanuts
- Cheese: sharp cheddar, blue, goat, sheep
- Wine: Merlot, Pinot Noir
- Beer: brown ale, lager, bocks, hefeweizens, ciders
- Condiments: maple syrup, caramel, honey
What fruit goes well with dark chocolate?
Thanks to its bitter bite, dark chocolate neutralizes any sweet fruit including tropical, berries and stone fruits. Its properties create an excellent blend of citrus fruits with an edgy punch for chocolate connoisseurs.
Fruits that go well with dark chocolate include:
- Tropical: bananas, mango, cantaloup, kiwi, starfruit
- Berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries
- Citrus: lemon, oranges
- Stone fruits: pears, figs, apples, cherries, grapes
- Dried fruits: apricots, raisins
What flavor goes with dark chocolate?
It is no secret that chocolate tastes delicious when paired with another tastiest treat. However, there are specific combination that goes with dark chocolate much better than others.
Here are some of the flavors that make dark chocolate the ultimate treat:
- Black Pepper: Adding black pepper to dark chocolate will aid in highlighting its bitterness with a piercing taste of spice and heat.
- Cardamom: Think about using cardamom when enhancing the slightly sweet notes of dark chocolate. It has a sophisticated mint and lemon taste that really shine through.
- Cinnamon: It is an aromatic and spicy condiment that gives dark chocolate a highlight of bitterness without completely drowning its sweetness.
- Ginger: Fruit and chocolate pair excellently, like peas and a pod. The citrus element in ginger is a great way to lighten up the taste of dark chocolate and give some peppiness.
- Mint: Give it a try; mint and dark chocolate are a worthwhile combination in culinary terms. Mint is the best for giving dark chocolate a bright and refreshing tone.
- Paprika: There are multiple types of paprika, and each of them pairs beautifully with dark chocolate to produce perfect results. However, spicy and smoked paprika are the best to pair with dark chocolate.
- Sea Salt: This is a timed pairing with dark chocolate. It is a perfect salty bite with chocolate. It brings out the crunchy texture when sinking into the teeth.
With these special and unique spices, classic flavor combination with dark chocolate are:
- dark chocolate + cocoa powder + butter + egg + milk
- dark chocolate + heavy cream + whipped cream + egg
- dark chocolate + peanut butter + sugar + sea salt
- dark chocolate + banana + almonds
- dark chocolate + strawberries + pistachios
Eat with Dark Chocolate: Conclusion
When paired with the right ingredients, dark chocolate can be very delicious.
Dark chocolate pairs excellently with various nuts such as pecans, peanuts, almonds, and hazelnuts. All these have distinct flavors that go perfectly with dark chocolate.
Other than nuts, coffee, salty snacks like bacon or pretzels, cheese, crackers, beer and wine are great addition to a rich and delicious dark chocolate.
Use the suggestions in this list to better incorporate dark chocolate into desserts, baked goods, pudding, hot chocolate beverage, brownies, mousse, and cakes. These classic pairing and unique inspirations will elevate your fondness of dark chocolate to the next level.