9 Surprising Foods To Pair With Chocolate

You can mimic the techniques of gourmet chefs to make even very simple party food memorable. The main goal is to pair foods that bring a variety of flavors and consistencies together so that the individual foods enhance each other. Consider foods with a flavor that is nearly as strong or a little stronger than the chocolate. You don't want either food to overpower the other. Salty, tart, and spicy foods compliment chocolate well. Also, think of foods that can be described as crunchy or crispy.

These 9 Surprising Foods Compliment Chocolate

#1. Herbs and Spices

• Cinnamon, ginger, and rosemary enhance the flavor of chocolate in unique ways. Flavor chocolate with ground spices, serve other foods seasoned with herbs, or offer whole items such as cinnamon sticks, depending on the type of chocolate being served. It could be fun to serve chocolate candies flavored with or paired with each spice so people can try them out and see which they like best.

#2. Cheese

• the love affair between chocolate and cheese seems to be really hitting it off, according to gourmet specialists on the internet. I haven't personally tried it yet, but I think I need to. Cheeses are tart and have a distinctive taste, so this would pair well with chocolate.
• Want a real shock? If you had asked me which cheese would pair worst with chocolate, I would probably have guessed parmesan cheese, but people are raving about it.
• Again, this would be a great opportunity to lay out a chocolate and cheese bar and let people try out their own combinations. This way guests receive food, fun, and new experiences.

#3. Potato Chips

• Most of us have probably stumbled upon this delight on our own because so many parties include chocolate cake and potato chips. These salty, crunchy and oh-so-lovable snacks make a delicious and fun food to serve with chocolate in all forms. Chocolate fountains, candies, cakes, and ice cream benefit from the taste and shape of potato chips.

#4. Peppers

• Yes, hot peppers will dazzle partygoers. The strong, spicy flavor of the peppers enhances the smooth, sweetness of chocolate. This taste sensation is particularly powerful because your tongue gets a little numb from the peppers and leaves typically unnoticed taste buds ready to fully appreciate the chocolate.

#5. Salt

• It seems to be easy for our mouths to enjoy salty and sweet things at the same time. You actually taste both of the items more.

Did you know that you can put salt in or on chocolate?

#6. Popcorn

• Drizzle chocolate on popcorn or serve them next to each other, and your guests will be delighted. This could be another great food bar opportunity. It would be amazing to serve several types of popcorn, different kinds of chocolate, and toppings of diverse candy and nuts.

#7. Vegetables

• This is another one I haven't tried, but apparently people have been pairing vegetables and chocolate together. You can dip vegetables in a chocolate fountain, serve vegetables covered in chocolate, and pair chocolate and vegetables together in a snack plate.

#8. Bread

• Chocolate tastes delicious with sweet and savory breads. Vegetable based breads such as zucchini, cheesy breads, and nutty breads taste great served with and dipped in chocolate. Also, chocolate spreads make great party sandwiches.

#9. Mushrooms

• Save this one for a party with very adventurous guests. Apparently, mushrooms and chocolate are something we are all missing out on, but you wouldn't want to force the pairing on someone. Cook them together, serve them together, maybe even dip it.
• Pairing unexpected foods at your party will make your party stand out from the crowd, and it will add an extra element of fun when people get to try to new things.
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Quick Double Chocolate Chip Cookies From a Mix

Thousands of recipes are available from the Internet. When it comes to free recipes, however, downloading them is a buyer beware situation. Many recipes are excellent, and some are not so good. As I discovered, these recipes can have missing ingredients, confusing typos, and spotty directions.

I like to customize recipes so I rarely make them as written. Years of cooking experience help me do this. But baking is the exception to my rule. I know I must measure the ingredients carefully, use the recommended pan, and set the oven to the correct temperature. Ovens vary, and sometimes I have baked cookies longer than stated in the recipe.

Fmily members were coming for dinner and I needed a quick dessert. I am my disabled husband's primary caregiver and don't have much time for cooking, so I turned to the Internet for help. Amazingly, I found a recipe for chocolate cookies made with a brownie mix. "Sounds good," I mumbled to myself.

Besides, I had just purchased a brownie mix on sale. A diagram of my thought pattern would look like this: sale brownie mix > pressed for time > quick solution. According to the recipe I downloaded, I only needed a large bowl, a mixing spoon, and measuring spoons to make the cookies.

All of this sounded good, but I realized the directions in the recipe were sparse. If I hadn't been an experienced baker I might have been in trouble. But experience rescued me and the cookies were good. Below is the basic recipe that I downloaded from the Internet.

I changed the recipe in several ways. First, I added some vanilla to bring out the flavor of the chocolate. To compensate for the vanilla I added less water. I also added an eight-ounce package of chocolate chips. Unlike the downloaded recipe, my preparation and baking instructions are detailed. Get ready to bite into a warm, double chocolate, gooey cookie. You're going to like these!

INGREDIENTS

1 box (18.3 ounces) fudge brownie mix

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola.)

1/4 cup regular flour

1 package (8 ounces) chocolate chips (regular or sugar-free)

METHOD

Heat oven to 350 degrees.Coat baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. Dump brownie mix into a large bowl. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Add water, and vanilla extract, and beat well with fork. Pour this mixture over baking mix. Stir in chocolate chips with spoon. Make sure the chips are distributed evenly in the dough and there is no dry mix in the bottom of the bowl. Drop teaspoons of dough onto prepared baking pan, leaving two inches of space between each cookie. Set pan on middle oven rack. Bake 10 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and cool for 30 seconds before removing from pan. Transfer to wax paper to finish cooling. (Cookies will set as they cool.) Store cookies in air-tight container. For a delicious dessert, fold broken cookies into vanilla or coffee ice cream or make ice cream sandwiches with cookies. Yield: About 3 dozen.

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Dark Chocolate - A Boon

Chocolates, as we have perceived so far, are known for their awful reputation. Deemed as detrimental to our health, bad for our pearly whites, crammed with high calories and saturated fats, chocolates have typically been undervalued. But you know what? The fine little secret is that they are not actually that bad as they are believed to be. If truth be told, regardless of some unfavorable effects, it is packed with plentiful health benefits. So don't stop craving for chocolates, instead, indulge and spoil yourself in some.

Given that chocolates, in general, are in some ways, beneficial for us, the one which aces the list is the Dark chocolate. This one certainly has double wholesome value than the others. Look into its recesses; you are bound to dig up its healthful edge:

• A mood enhancer:

Devouring a Dark chocolate, which is rich in cocoa, makes you feel relaxed, as it generates endorphins in the brain, a type of chemical which is known to uplift your mood and energy levels.

• A heart healer:

It contains Flavanols, the antioxidants which help improve blood flow to the heart, thus putting off the threat of a heart ailment. They bring down the blood pressure by increasing the suppleness of your nervous system.

• Skin guard:

The flavonoids present in dark chocolates soak up the UV rays coming from the sun, thus, shielding your skin from damage. It also improves blood circulation, giving you a better complexion.

• Tooth health:

Can a chocolate really maintain the health of your teeth? Hard to believe but it's true that dark chocolate, which is rich in cocoa content, is good for your teeth. Cocoa acts as an antibacterial agent which holds back the growth of plague- causing bacteria from damaging your teeth.

• Reduces weight:

Chocolates are usually known for putting on weight on your body, but, dark chocolates perform the contrary function. Eating these makes you feel full. Their bitter-sweet taste will minimize your appetite for other foods. So, in addition to hitting the gym, you can grab a bar of dark chocolate to keep your weight in check.

• Control diabetes:

Being low in sugar and high in cocoa content, the bitter flavor of dark chocolates on your tastebuds will scale down the blood sugar level instead of intensifying it.

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What in Chocolate Makes It an Aphrodisiac?

As far as we know, the first European to be served with a hot chocolate drink was the Spanish explorer, Hernando Cortez (1485 - 1547). When he first tasted this spicy drink, he was in the court of the Aztec emperor, Montezuma II. This drink was a far cry from the ubiquitous hot drinking chocolate we have today. It was made with ground cocoa beans, chilli peppers, vanilla, cinnamon, and black pepper. As there was no sugar cane at that time in Central America, it may have been sweetened, (if it was), with honey. Sugar cane was not introduced into the South American continent until the mid-16th century.

Montezuma is reputed to have had a prodigious sexual appetite, and it is thought that the Aztecs believed that this could be attributed to the cacao bean and the drink. It is said that the emperor drank many goblets of hot chocolate, thus fueling the belief that it was an aphrodisiac. The evidence for the link between chocolate and enhanced sexual performance is therefore purely anecdotal.

So, that's where the belief that chocolate is an aphrodisiac has its origins. But is there any scientific proof for this claim?

Scientists say that there are two substances in chocolate and the cocoa bean which may increase sexual desire; one is tryptophan, a precursor to the feel-good chemical serotonin. The second substance is phenylethylamine, which is a stimulant akin to amphetamine. The latter substance, phenylethylamine is released into the brain when people fall in love.

These substances are present in chocolate of all kinds in small doses, so it is very unlikely that chocolate actually has any aphrodisiac qualities. Dark chocolate has marginally more of them that milk and white chocolate, apparently. Scientists have investigated the claims, but have found no evidence to substantiate them.

That being said, though, most people wouldn't deny that eating chocolate, and letting it melt in your mouth, is a very pleasurable sensation. When we feel good, and are cozy and comfortable, we are probably open to the possibilities of arousal. If you are not comfortable and warm, you probably aren't in the mood for any kind of dalliance. Think about all the films you have seen when a couple lie in front of a log fire on a sheepskin rug and end up in each other's embrace.

Chocolate is not an aphrodisiac according scientists, but as it makes us feel good and relaxed, there is some circumstantial evidence to suggest, however erroneously, that chocolate is an aphrodisiac.

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