Sunday, May 31, 2009

A very happy marriage

Everyone knows strawberries were made for champagne. But, who knew that dark chocolate with hazelnuts shares the same fate? Last night, sipping Domaine Chandon blanc de noir sparkling wine, with hints of strawberries, dark chocolate, and hazelnut lingering in my mouth, I knew these three were meant to be. I did not expect the dark chocolate and the hazelnuts to marry with the the sparkler, but oh my did it ever. Somehow the the sweetness from the strawberry, the slight bitterness from the dark chocolate, and the toast of the hazelnut complimented and enhanced the dry, but fruity flavor of the wine. A (surprisingly) perfect combination.

The procedure:
Step 1: take a bite of a strawberry
Step 2: while there is still a touch of strawberry on your palette, take a bite of chocolate
Step 3: with hints of chocolate and hazelnut in your mouth, sip your champagne
Step 4: sit back and let the goodness wash over you

I think it is important to have a dry or dry-fruity sparkler for this. I do not think a lighter, fruity sparkler (Prosecco or Cava come to mind) will be able to stand up to the chocolate.

No comments:

Post a Comment