…and if that isn’t a sign, I don’t know what is.
I was lucky enough to visit the Ghirardelli Manufactory when I was in San Francisco over New Years (a few of you guys specifically recommended the stop – thanks for that!). Let me tell you, if you have never eaten a hot fudge sundae at 9am, outside, in a park, overlooking the waterfront, surrounded by hippies and a dirty old man playing “Moon River” on a cigar box banjo, well, my friend, you need to get on that. It is the second best way to eat chocolate.
What is the #1, ultimate, bestest, most fantastical way to eat chocolate?
Yeah. Let’s talk about this.
For me, the hallmark of good chocolate is that moment you can taste the sweet and the bitter at the same time. Milk, dark, whatever. Doesn’t matter. If it’s good chocolate your palate will seek out two (or more) distinct notes at different ends of the sweetness spectrum. For that reason (and more) chocolate is the ultimate food for pairing purposes. Dark chocolate in particular.We all know people who get deeply invested in the concept of pairing wines with various foods, right? Chocolate is no different. Adding small amounts of chocolate can add an unexpected depth of flavor to any meal.
My favorite combo: extra dark chocolate and avocado.
If I’m feeling lazy, I’ll just slice and salt the avocado, then use pieces of extra dark chocolate to scoop it out sorta like chips and dip. Because I’m classy like that. This is an equally slothful and decadent way to kill an evening. Don’t even ask me how it tastes because the reply will come back in pitch frequencies only rodents can hear. You’ll just have to trust me: it’s good.
If I’m feeling a little more invested in making a “meal” of it, I’ll scoop the avocado out onto buttered bread, add chocolate, then cook in a frying pan on low heat for a few minutes. It’s like a grilled cheese with no cheese (unless you want cheese too, which is pretty rad).
The thing here is that you get the crunch of the bread, the creaminess of the avocado, the bittersweet chocolate awesomeness…and a pinch of salt? Ummm. HELLO. 
Damn.
Look at her. Bet you can’t wait to flop a lip over that one.
And, between us, if you really want to go overboard, it also goes good with havarti cheese. And bacon. Add some sprouts for garnish because we all need to eat our vegetables. Or just skip that part. You have other things to do.
In my not-so-humble opinion, this is *the* ultimate way to each dark chocolate. Make one just perfectly decadent sandwich for yourself, or make a batch then slice into tiny pieces to serve as appetizers at a party. Ghirardelli goes great with all kinds of drinks (click here for specific pairing suggestions). Who is going to look so impressive? Oh yeah, that’s you!
Do you have a favorite way to pair dark chocolate? Let’s talk about it. Better yet, take a picture of it and share on Instagram (#IntenseDark).
I gotta admit, I checked the date on this one. After reading “havarti cheese,” my immediate thought was, Did I miss an April Fools’ post or something? But I didn’t, so…guess I’ll be trying this at some point. (Because I trust you THAT MUCH, Peaches. I only narrowly escaped a purchase the other day because of you, and only then because my kids need food and it looks bad when I blow the grocery money on flamingo wallpaper.)
Katie, girl, I’m telling you; havarti cheese and dark chocolate is going to knock your socks off. I didn’t believe it at first but I got the suggestion from my friend Yasmin who knows this stuff and I tried it. So good. SO GOOD. Melty in a grilled cheese or between crackers and toasted up like smores.
ANOTHER THING: Dark chocolate makes for great Easter smores when paired with graham crackers and marshmallow peeps. For real! The sugar on the outside carmly-crystalizes in the fire. Not as good as flamingo wallpaper, but it’s pretty dang good!
I would never think to put dark chocolate with avocado! But I do like both so maybe I should give it a try!
Salivating! I know what I’m having this weekend! 🙂 Thank you!
brilliant!!!!
lynne
At La Barberie in Quebec City, they have Stout Sundays, you get 4 glasses of different stouts to pair with 4 fancy dark chocolates. Excellent.
Damngit. Canadians get all the cool stuff!
Peaches — don’t be embarrassed about your blog post. It helped me. It gave me lots to think about. I don’t like blogs that are sanitized with perfect lives ad perfect blogs and perfect families with some perfection thrown in. Keep it real. It helps us all.
Chocolate and avocado. Who’d a thunk? I’ll have to try that one!
Thanks Sandy 🙂
what what what and more what… I’m so intrigued!
chelsea at http://nowismagic.blogspot.com
I thought you were going to say “best way to eat chocolate is while reading a book” or something along those lines… avocado you say? Hmm, intriguing, might just go on the wild side with chocolate 🙂 http://madelienerose.com/
A lady I used to work with liked to eat a (different brand of) milk chocolate bar with her beer. I don’t love beer but I LOVE chocolate! And I LOVE avocados. So pairing avocado’s with chocolate does not sound all that crazy to me. Have you ever heard of Avocado Pie? Sometimes called Frog Pie or Jagger Pie? Now think of that with a dark chocolate drizzle or a Black Bottom version of it using the dark chocolate? O M G ! I read an article once that said that in a lot of places around the world the avocado is treated like a fruit and is often used in desserts. Here is a recipe for the Frog Pie: http://pinchmysalt.com/avocado-pie/
At a wine tasting I attended. they served Rosa Regale wine with dark chocolate. The juxtaposition of the slight sweetness of the wine and the bitterness of the chocolate is delicious.This is now my favorite combination. As soon as my avocados get ripe, I have to try the chocolate and avocado.
I think reading this post has changed my life for the better. I know what I’m having for lunch today!
I’ve heard of using avocado and dark chocolate to make vegan chocolate mousse, but a sandwich… Now there’s an idea!
My favourite way to eat dark chocolate is to drink it: Mexican hot chocolate. Grate the chocolate into milk, then add chili/nutmeg/cinnamon/ginger/cardamom/cloves and warm through slowly until the chocolate has melted but the milk hasn’t boiled. Serve in a pretty teacup with a splash of Bailey’s. Delightful.
I just suddenly vaguely remembered this post and thinking that it was something I should try, so I tracked it down. And–lo and behold!–it was written on birthday, so clearly this is a sign: I have no choice, I have to try this.