Chocolate and cider

[from Heather]

I went out to a winery this weekend, and it got me thinking about the up coming wine and chocolate weekend that all the Clark County, WA wineries (9, I think) have at Valentines. My mind has been on starting my own licensed cider house recently, and so that got me thinking - What kinds of chocolate would I pair with cider? Answer: I have absolutely no idea, so it sounds like I'm going to have to buy some chocolate and experiment! (I would have an answer if it was cheese)

But I thought it might be a good discussion topic. Do you ever pair chocolate and cider?

Around here, we tend to have 4 types of cider: dry English style that is balanced, dry and very acidic, something sweeter, and then usually a special one like one kind of dessert apple, or flavored with a bit of local berry juice. Any recommendations on categories?

Heather

[MARK SHIRLEY]

For my taste, I wouldn't partner chocolate with cider full-stop. There are not that many wines which work that well with chocoalte, and I can't think of a single cider I've had that would enhance my enjoyment of good chocolate. I've just partnered Calvados with chocolate if that's any help: http://tinyurl.com/65mg5nj

 

Mark

---

From: from Heather <for_h...@hotmail.com>
To: cider-w...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, 18 January, 2011 6:55:59
Subject: [Cider Workshop] Chocolate and cider

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[Ray Blockley]

The only things apart from brandy and rum which go well with chocolate are rich, heavy, dark red wines or ports IMO. 

 

Ray.

 

http://hucknallciderco.blogspot.com/
http://torkardcider.moonfruit.com/

[from Heather]

You all have been saying what I was kind of afraid off, but I've be struck by the idea that maybe fudge would work, especially if it had nuts or caramel in it. I'll have to try it.

---

From: raybl...@ntlworld.com
To: cider-w...@googlegroups.com

Subject: Re: [Cider Workshop] Chocolate and cider

Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2011 10:53:18 +0000

[Jez Howat]

Heather,

 

I can make cider work with chocolate... or pretty much anything really. This evening I am making cider work with Haggis.

 

Delicious

 

Jez:-)

[Wilf]

Heather - I have known people who swear by tangerines or oranges after
a lot of scottish tablet (same as fudge) as the acid cuts through the
sugar so you might be right. You could try anything that is super
sweet with a higher acidity cider? You might need a cider with some
residual sugar in it though as the contrast might be too great with a
dry cider (maybe?)

Wilf

On Jan 19, 9:12 pm, from Heather <for_heat...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> You all have been saying what I was kind of afraid off, but I've be struck by the idea that maybe fudge would work, especially if it had nuts or caramel in it. I'll have to try it.
>

> From: rayblock...@ntlworld.com
> To: cider-w...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Cider Workshop] Chocolate and cider
> Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2011 10:53:18 +0000
>
> The only things apart from brandy and rum which go
> well with chocolate are rich, heavy, dark red wines or
> ports IMO.
>
> Ray.
>

> http://hucknallciderco.blogspot.com/http://torkardcider.moonfruit.com/

>
>
>
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From:
>
>   MARK SHIRLEY
>   To: cider-w...@googlegroups.com
>
>   Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 8:52
>   AM
>   Subject: Re: [Cider Workshop] Chocolate
>   and cider
>
>   For my taste, I wouldn't partner chocolate with cider full-stop. There
>   are not that many wines which work that well with chocoalte, and I can't think
>   of a single cider I've had that would enhance my enjoyment of good chocolate.
>   I've just partnered Calvados with chocolate if that's any help:http://tinyurl.com/65mg5nj
>
>   Mark
>

>   this group athttp://groups.google.com/group/cider-workshop?hl=en.

>
> --
>
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cider Workshop" group.
>
> To post to this group, send email to cider-w...@googlegroups.com.
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> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cider-worksho...@googlegroups.com.
>

> For more options, visit this group athttp://groups.google.com/group/cider-workshop?hl=en.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[from Heather]

Admittedly, chocolate and cider don't sound too great together, only chocolate and RED wine. But I got to thinking that you can control the amount/type of chocolate in fudge and maybe have some success.

As for sugar, I think you either need a cider with sugar to not fight the fudge, or a really dry cider to cleanse the sugar from your mouth after eating the fudge. It's probably when you get into a semi-dry that there would be problems, I think. I once made a cheese fondue with a semi-dry cider and then tried to drink the remaining cider with the fondue, but it just was wrong for that reason. It needed to be a sweeter or drier cider.




> Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:27:05 -0800
> Subject: [Cider Workshop] Re: Chocolate and cider
> From: wilf...@yahoo.com
> To: cider-w...@googlegroups.com

[Dries Muylaert]

Just some ideas:

 

- first drink the cider, than take a bite of the chocolate, and than clean your mouth with water or bread. if the other way round, the bitterness of the chocolate will blow away the tender flavours of the cider

- when drinking cider with tannins, go for a mild cholcolate, not to much bitterness

- when drinking continental style cider (no bittersweets, Germany, Austria and further east) go for a bitter chocolate, that will marry very well as it brings an additional taste component

2011/1/19 from Heather <for_h...@hotmail.com>

[Claude Jolicoeur]

Personnally, I love chocolate and cider. And I think they go pretty
well together.
Chocolate I like is black and bitter, 75%.
Preferred cider to go with it is champagne like, light, slightly acid,
fresh.
Claude