Best savory ideas for chocolate?

[James Kessler]

I have a huge block of high-quality baking chocolate. I will look tomorrow at exactly what kind it is, because I'm sure you will want to know. My fiancee bought it for a desert dish she never ended up making. Now I am more of a savory cook, and would like to find a dish to incorporate it into. No ideas came from a quick search of the RecipeGullet. Anyone care to share some ideas here? I was thinking maybe a sauce for some kind of meat dish? Or possibly someone might de-mystify mole for me? Well I'm open to any ideas, as long as they are savory. Leave the dessert to my fiancee for now, she's good at it. I'm more interested in a main course idea or perhaps a side dish.

[magnolia]

I have a huge block of high-quality baking chocolate.  I will look tomorrow at exactly what kind it is, because I'm sure you will want to know.  My fiancee bought it for a desert dish she never ended up making.  Now I am more of a savory cook, and would like to find a dish to incorporate it into.  No ideas came from a quick search of the RecipeGullet.  Anyone care to share some ideas here?  I was thinking maybe a sauce for some kind of meat dish?  Or possibly someone might de-mystify mole for me?  Well I'm open to any ideas, as long as they are savory.  Leave the dessert to my fiancee for now, she's good at it.  I'm more interested in a main course idea or perhaps a side dish.

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Kind of the wrong time of year for this if you live in a place where it's about to be summer, but chocolate makes an excellent ingredient in a sauce for pork and venison. Also there's chicken molé, a Mexican dish with unsweetened/minimally sweetened (?) chocolate.

[Malawry]

I add a little chocolate to my chili sometimes. But this is not a use for a big block of chocolate. (Nor is mole, for that matter.)

[fifi]

Check out this recipe for chili. It is probably the best chili I have ever had. I went on a manic search for El Rey chocolate just for this recipe. It was worth it.

[Smithy]

How big is this huge block of chocolate? I've a feeling you'll be using it in bits.

If you're really ambitious, Mole Poblano de Guajalote is another possibility. The link points to a mole cookoff thread going on right now.

Edited June 5, 2005 by Smithy (log)

[James Kessler]

The chocolate is "Valrhona Caraque 56%" imported from France. The block is 0.54lbs. I guess it's not exactly all that huge. I was exaggerating a bit.

[James Kessler]

What about creating a braising liquid using some of the chocolate along with some caramel-colored beer? I had an idea to braise a pork chop or loin in there, and serve along with roasted potatoes and veggies.

[CKatCook]

I posted this here instead of the pastry forum, I thought it would be more appropreate. I got to thinking today about chocolate and all the different uses, and I began to wonder if there was any savory recipes out there other than mexican mole sauce. (which seems to be the only savory recipe I can find) Does anyone have any good recipes that are not sweet, but use chocolate?

Thanks!

(curiousity killing the kat again...hehehe )

(also, sorry for any misspellings, its not my strong point)

[Henry dV]

My Jugged Hare has chocolate in it and makes a real difference.

http://www.rivercottage.net/SeasonalRecipe...rtid=71&cid=150 HFW`s recipe

[gfron1]

Be sure to check out:

99% Cocoa.

Wine with savory chocolate

Similar question to yours in Pastry & Baking

Savory pastries

Pairing chocolate and savory flavors

Starchef report on savory uses of chocolate

A specific dish using Valhrona

One more

anyway...you get the idea.

[Katie Meadow]

I've taken to adding chocolate to any pot of chile with a red chile base. I suppose that's a cousin to mole, although the result is not identifiably chocolate-y as it is with mole. I don't think most people would ever guess, but it definitely does a subtle thing. Works great with black beans. (I also add a short cup of strong black coffee to same; for some reason that's especially good in chile that has pork instead of beef.) When I add chocolate I use unsweetened cocoa, mix it to a slurry with a little water and just enough sugar to make it interesting but not very sweet. Green & Black's organic cocoa is my current favorite.

I also added a small amount to braised short ribs that had tomatoes in the sauce, but I was very timid about it and I couldn't even tell if it made a difference. I considered adding a little bit to a roasted tomato soup but then lost my nerve. That might work really well if you have some kind of spicy garnish on the soup, like maybe floating toasts with smudge of harissa aioli on them? But there it is again-- the chocolate/chile connection.

It's hard to imagine what in the savory world besides tomatoes has a natural affinity for chocolate, but if you look at the Nutella threads people combine that with all kinds of wacky stuff. I like Nutella with salted peanut butter, so there must be a whole world out there that capitalizes on the chocolate/salt relationship; it's just ready to stick its leg out and trip the salted caramels.

[sanrensho]

Some people add it to Japanese curry. I've done it on occasion, too.

[ludja]

Here's another good thread started by Abra regarding an all chocolate Valentine's Day Dinner click

[Tri2Cook]

I just ordered THIS today and I'm looking forward to it. I loved (and still love) the first book but it was all about the sweets, this one is supposed to feature the savory side of chocolate as well.

[The Old Foodie]

Here is a French cookbook idea from 1868 (taken from the 1896 English translation) from "366 menus and 1200 recipes of Baron Brisse.

Black Diver with Chocolate Sauce

Draw the bird, wash it in brandy, and brown over hot cinders; place in an earthenware jar, with white wine, salt, laurel leaves, and fine herbs, simmer over a slow fire, and when done, dish up, covered with chocolate made in the usual manner.

He doesn’t elaborate on ‘the usual manner’, but presumably means the unsweetened basic cacao tablet or ‘cake’ which was scraped and powdered and then laboriously dissolved in water or milk or a mixture of both.

[Abra]

Thanks for the reminder about that all-chocolate day, Ludja. Although it seems impossible, I'd entirely forgotten about it. Does anyone have the Bittersweet book? Willing to post that chicken liver recipe I used in the all-chocolate thread? i don't have the book with me here in France and it would make a great Thanksgiving starter.

In the Basque country a few weeks ago I had wild doves in a deep, dark sauce that included chocolate. If you can get your hands on any doves, look for a salmis de palombes recipe - yum!

Edited November 17, 2007 by Abra (log)

[divina]

Winter is a perfect time to make the Tuscan Wild Boar Stew in Dolceforte

it is also uses with wild hare.

The sauce is really magical and I would try the recipe with beef or pork as well.

I serve it with mashed potatoes.

Now that you mention it will probably make it for my Thanksgiving dinner, ( am tired of turkey!)

[Abra]

Wow, Divina, that looks delicious! I'll be making it soon.

[CKatCook]

Here is a French cookbook idea from 1868 (taken from the 1896 English translation) from "366 menus and 1200 recipes of Baron Brisse.

Black Diver with Chocolate Sauce

Draw the bird, wash it in brandy, and brown over hot cinders; place in an earthenware jar, with white wine, salt, laurel leaves, and fine herbs, simmer over a slow fire, and when done, dish up, covered with chocolate made in the usual manner.

He doesn’t elaborate on ‘the usual manner’, but presumably means the unsweetened basic cacao tablet or ‘cake’ which was scraped and powdered and then laboriously dissolved in water or milk or a mixture of both.

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I love recipes from way back like this!

[CKatCook]

wow, everything looks fanstastic! I cannot wait to get back in the kitchen and cook.....