Thursday, February 01, 2007

Champagne & Chocolate


I can't help but grimace whenever I read about people eating champagne with chocolate.

Actually, I have loved chocolate and champagne, but just once. It was at Trianon, Moet et Chandon's hospitality house in Epernay, France. The chef there paired a very subtle milk chocolate mousse with Nectar Imperial.

The rule is that the wine needs to be at least as sweet as the dessert for the pairing to work. Otherwise, the wine tastes sour and it doesn't do much for the food either.

But when the champagne is mixed with the chocolate in a truffle, it's a whole different story. I'm mad about anything San Francisco pastry chef turned chocolatier Michael Recchiuti makes, and his Champagne Truffles are no exception. The milk chocolate ganache truffles are blended with Schramsberg's Blanc de Noirs and dusted with powdered sugar.

For a busy woman, eating fine chocolate and champagne at the same time is the ultimate in multi-tasking.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Recchiuti Chocolates aren't the only heavenly thing to come out of San Francisco. Crushpad is an urban winery located in SF where you can custom create your very own wine. They make great stuff, and plenty of experience and knowledge, with 4 in house winemakers on staff full time. Check them out at www.crushpadwine.com or www.crushnet.com