Add Some Chocolates to Your Wine and Cheese Baskets this Holiday
Sunday, December 19th, 2010Three items are always present in almost all Christmas parties and dinners – chocolate, cheese, and wine. If you are thinking of a unique treat to serve your guests during the holidays, why not combine those three into one dessert that will tickle everyone’s palate?
Aside from being different, this dessert idea is guaranteed to take away the stress of spending an entire day in the kitchen trying to whip up something special for the occasion. And because most wines and cheeses are best served at room temperature, there is no need to prepare several hours before the event.
Wine and cheese baskets are a part of the holidays, but a box of chocolates? It creates a whole new flavor. A chocolate, wine and cheese basket is perfect for the holidays especially if you are expecting guests belonging to a younger generation. No teenager or someone in his early 20’s can resist the taste of chocolate.
To keep you from getting all confused with perfectly pairing each cheese with each chocolate and with every bottle of wine, it is best that you highlight one item and use the other two to help emphasize its unique flavor. And since you are making a dessert, it is but logical to make the chocolates the star of the show. {Pick the kind of chocolate that you want first, then the kind of cheese that goes well with it and the wine that will sum up all the taste. ~ Choose what kind of chocolate you want for the platter, and then pick the right cheese and wine. ~ Choose which chocolate you want and then start from there.
The secret to making an excellent chocolate, wine, and cheese basket is to keep things simple. It is not wise to put together a lavish combination of wines, cheeses, and chocolates. You see, creating a wild mix of wines, cheeses, and chocolates can lead to an overwhelming blend of flavors. In order to end up with the right choices, follow these pairing suggestions and make yourself a tasty chocolate, wine, and cheese basket.
For Dark Chocolate
Since a greater part of dark chocolate is made up of cocoa, it usually comes with strong and complex flavors. Given the strong flavors of dark chocolate, a tasty Brie cheese or a mild blue cheese is great to enhance the undertones of dark chocolate. A full bodied wine like Cabernet Sauvignon is perfect in highlighting the fruity and spicy notes of dark chocolate.
Chocolate Caramels
The options are endless! A buttery caramel chocolate will taste perfectly with a fresh goat cheese and wines like a Demi-Sec Champagne – these wines have a honey and floral flavor, which complements the sweet taste of caramel.
For Chocolate Covered Nuts
Adding nuts on the pairing means going for hard aged cheeses, like an aged cheddar or Gouda. Add a bottle of Pinot Noir in the cheese basket and its toasted and spicy berry hints will bring out the interesting flavor or chocolate and roasted almonds.