About a week ago or so, I hosted an informal chocolate themed party with a few of my closest facebook friends to get their insight on a few of my ideas, to practice my poor public speaking skills, and just to have an excuse to come together and have fun. For the affair, I made a few sweet and savory foods with chocolate.
A few of the chocolate items on the menu included:
- Spring Mixed greens tossed in extra virgin olive oil, champagne pear balsamic vinaigrette with fresh mangoes and toasted cocoa nibs.
- Coconut-chocolate soup with caramelized bananas.
- Nibby Asparagus with proscuitto.
- Chocolate Krispies.
- Fran Bigelow’s Deep Chocolate Torte.
I’ll be posting a few of these recipes in the coming posts.
I also paired a few wines with my chocolate bars. In the tasting arena, I introduced a sparkling wine from Italy called Prosecco. Clay Gordon, author of Discover Chocolate, says that Prosecco is an all around wine that generally pairs with most chocolates due to it’s lower acidity (than Champagnes) and it’s creaminess. There was also a Sauvignon Blanc and a Syrah. I also included a bottle of Domaine de Taste’s Cabernet Sauvignon which was voted as the first wine to be paired specifically with chocolates at the first annual Chocolate Seizure event, as well as a Mucato and Merlot by Alejos Cellars.
The wines were paired complementary. The Genmai bar was paired with the Sauvignon Blanc while the other wines were paired with the bittersweet bars. Everyone enjoyed the pairings and for many who gathered that day, it was their first time to taste chocolate and wine together.
I also gave a sampling of my two soon-to-be-released bars, Terracotta Warrior and Paradise. These bars are still in the research and development phase and the feedback from all was priceless. Bottom line, the Terracotta bar is ready. The Paradise bar needs some work.
To the right is a photo of three gals I went to high school with. I attribute their wide smiles from the delicious chocolates……and the wines.
Stay tuned for the following posts for recipes and more about Tondi Bolkan, owner of Alejos Cellars.
