Make Mine Fine

By Fruition Chocolate

Welcome to the delicious world of chocolate and cheese pairings! If you’re a foodie with a sweet tooth, you’re in for a treat. Chocolate and cheese may seem like an unlikely pairing, but they actually complement each other beautifully. Both are rich, indulgent, and full of complex flavors, making them the perfect match for a decadent snack or dessert. Here are eight chocolate and cheese pairings that you’ll love to try.

By Valentina Bosia

Chuncho cacao is an ancient variety that has been cultivated in the region of Cusco, Peru, for thousands of years. Researchers have identified it as a distinct genetic group and believe it could be the “mother” of all fine cacao.

Chuncho’s small fruits and beans are renowned for their high fat content, which makes them an excellent choice for coating chocolate due to exceptional melt and creaminess.

The farmers’ careful post-harvest processing allows for a very balanced expression of flavor, with woody cognac sweetness, strong cinnamon notes, and sweet fruity wine and toffee flavors. The perfume of vanilla and freshly brewed green tea adds to the flavor experience, making it feel like sipping on a hot cocoa beverage with the Incas.

By Max Gandy

To start, these claims can only be applied to cocoa powders, but only powders with a high proportion of cocoa flavanols. More specifically, cocoa powders so labeled must contain 4 percent or more of ‘naturally conserved’ flavanols, which are a specific type of antioxidant found in high concentrations in cacao.

The FDA’s announcement also states that such claims must be ‘appropriately worded so as not to mislead consumers and that other factors for the use of the claim are met.’ The exact wording allowed to be used on packaging remains quite restrictive. This is because it’s based on only two small studies which looked specifically at the relationship between consuming high flavanol cocoa powder and incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). 

By Michelle Zimmerman

With the permission of my 13-year-old son Clark, I signed up to talk to his 8th grade class for the school’s Career Day. At first, he was hesitant, but when I told him I would be bringing chocolate, he felt a little better about the whole thing. 

It’s not easy getting 13- and 14-year-olds to be engaged in any discussion, let alone one about chocolate. But I had something up my sleeve that I knew would get them involved—a bar of chocolate with ants! 

The morning started with me giving the students a bit of background about me and how I won a scholarship in high school to attend culinary school. Then, I showed them a slideshow with pictures of all the wedding and birthday cakes I’ve made over the past 20 years. They loved the opportunity to talk about their favorites and vote for the cakes they liked best. We talked about finances and how much money is takes to run a business like my company, Curating Taste in Phoenix, and how much money someone can make in this industry. Then came the fun stuff!

Amelie Khachatryan is a young Armenian girl with a passion for chocolates. That passion has led her to where she is today—the founder and CEO of L’Amélie Chocolatier, a chocolate company that specializes in making colorful designer bonbons.

As a child, Khachatryan was fascinated by chocolates, and she  remembers spending hours with working with her mother—her company specialized in making pastry and cakes—experimenting with various ingredients and creating unique chocolate recipes. As she grew up, her passion for chocolates continued to grow. It wasn’t long until she knew she wanted to pursue chocolates as a career. 

“That’s when the idea to start a chocolate company came to me,” Khachatryan says. “I wanted to create chocolates that were not just delicious but also visually appealing.”

When Khachatryan, now 23, started experimenting with different colors and designs, she started to gain a better understanding of what she could create. She spent months perfecting her recipes, and the result was a range of colorful designer bonbons she said looked as good as they tasted. 

In mid-February, two FCIA members, Kathy and Terry Wakefield, hosted a wine & chocolate dinner at the Defiance Ridge Vineyard in Defiance, Missouri. The event featured seven courses that contained some form of chocolate—dark chocolate, natural cocoa, dark chocolate microchips, cacao nibs and white chocolate. The array of dishes highlighted chocolate as a savory spice as well as a sweet confection.  

Guittard 72% Coucher du Soleil dark chocolate was selected as the foundational chocolate for the event since it provides solid chocolate notes without distracting bitterness. Foodies were obviously excited about pairing great wine, chocolate and food—the 120-person event sold out in less than a week. 

Chuck Gillentine, owner of the vineyard, kicked off the evening with an introduction to the wines that would be served during the evening. Then, Chef Chris orchestrated fabulous gastronomic experiences showcasing complex and layered flavors, textures and visual presentations. This inspired several of catathe guests to enthusiastically proclaim that their dining experience was one of the best in their lives.