chocolateAlmost everyone loves Chocolate.  It is a favorite ‘bitter’ flavor option for many individuals.  Do you think they realize that the bitter aspect is what they love about it?  Possibly not!

Dark Chocolate is a wonderful ingredient to integrate into numerous savory dishes.  You may be familiar with it in Puebla Mole recipes.  It is an incredible ‘secret ingredient’ in chili and it makes a subtle component, when included in rubs for beef and pork dishes.

Chocolate is only grown in a narrow band of latitude around the globe.  Like good wine, it is available from single plantations.  If you get the opportunity, don’t pass up the chance to taste test a variety of chocolates.  You will find them to be amazingly different from one another.  Savor it on your palate.  Close your eyes and delve deeper into the flavor profile.  What do you taste?  The essence of the earth it was grown in?  Spice? Berries?  Coffee notes?  Approach chocolate tasting the same way you would seek to choose a wine.  I will warn you, once you have experienced this level of culinary ecstasy, it’s rather like flying first class…coach will never be adequate again.

You want to buy a product that is high in cocoa; 60% is sweet enough for most people’s eating pleasure, while 80% is best for cooking with.  The difference is the sugar content.  Once again, taste!  Be bold!  Think about those flavors, not the sugar.  What excites your taste buds?

Divine Organics Cacao Nibs

Another great treat to work with are cocoa nibs.  This is chocolate in its non-processed form.  No, it has no sugar, but it’s a more balanced bitter flavor then unsweetened, processed chocolate.  Try adding nibs to risotto that will accompany beef or pork!  You will want to add them at the end of preparation time.  They are wonderful sneaky ingredient to integrate into a dish.  Experiment!

Remember, dark chocolate is high in anti-oxidants, too!  Enjoy!

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