Chocolate Pairing Ideas You Need To Try

Chocolate goes well with just about anything, but did you know it’s possible to enhance chocolate’s flavour with a perfect pairing? At Cococo, we strive to provide our customers with products and information to improve their chocolate experience.

One thing to remember is that not all types of chocolate tastes the same; therefore, different pairings are required to maximize flavour and overall satisfaction. Chocolate pairings are designed to push you out of your comfort zone, expanding upon what you thought was possible! The following article will discuss a few chocolate pairings you need to try. So, what goes well with chocolate? Keep reading!

White Chocolate Pairings

White chocolate boasts a distinct and unique creamy flavour. Do you know why white chocolate isn’t brown? It’s because it’s made from a cocoa butter, sugar, powdered milk, and vanilla but not cocoa mass. Not only is white chocolate creamy, delicate, and rich, but it is also sweet, which allows it to pair perfectly with fruits.

When you first bite into white chocolate, you’ll notice a vanilla scent on the nose and a sweet and milky flavour on the tongue. This sweetness helps it blend perfectly with tangy fruits, salty snacks, and spicy options!

Here are a few pairings to try with white chocolate: pickles and gherkins or our award-winning Dill Fusion bar; tangy berries like strawberries and blueberries; citric fruits like lemons, limes, and oranges; nuts like pistachios and cashews; mellow cheeses like Swiss, Emmental, Goat cheese, and Gouda; sweet meats like honey ham and candied salmon; and wasabi and pink peppercorns if you’re looking for a little kick! White chocolate is also excellent with Chai, Matcha green tea, and ice wines, late harvest Rieslings, Moscato, and cream sherry.

Milk Chocolate Pairings

Options are limitless with milk chocolate, which is good because milk chocolate is the most popular type of chocolate in the world!  Milk chocolate is deliciously creamy with flavour characteristics of cocoa, cream, vanilla, and caramel, and a balanced sweetness with every bite.

Milk chocolate pairs up wonderfully with several different food items, like these:

Peanut butter, bacon, beef chilli, coffees (Colombia, Turkish), honey, coconut, even beef chilli! Milk chocolate is incredible on a charcuterie plate, pairing beautifully with cured meats like Prosciutto and mild sausage; mild creamy cheeses like Brie, Gouda, Camembert; nuts like Cashews, Macadamia, Brazil nuts. Match milk chocolate with slightly sweet wines like Pinot Noir, oaked Chardonnay, Madeira, Port, and other sweet fortified wines.

Dark Chocolate Pairings

Did you know that dark chocolate possesses the highest percentage of cocoa compared to white or milk chocolate? Dark chocolate is also considered the healthiest chocolate option available; research suggests it may decrease your heart disease risk and increase your cognitive function. High concentrations of cocoa result in bittersweet flavours, but it’s not hard to find a pairing for dark chocolate.

Here are a few items to pair your dark chocolate:

Fresh pineapple, strawberries, and bananas; dried fruits like cherries, blueberries, cranberries, candied ginger, cinnamon; different kinds of cheese (parmesan, blue cheese, chèvre); olives (kalamata) and olive oil, poultry (chicken and turkey), beef, beef jerky and beef chilli; dark roast coffees and a number of teas, including Earl Grey and Matcha. Dark chocolate can be delicious with red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, as well as Port, Rum, and Whisky.

Many pairing options will enhance the taste of your white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate. If you have any questions about chocolate pairings, please contact the chocolate professionals at Cococo Chocolatiers at CustomerService@Cococoinc.com. Tell us what you like!