As winter approaches, I feel moved to share one of my secrets
for satisfying winter stews that are not excessively fatty.
You can use the bitter tang and the concentrated flavor and
fattiness of unsweetened chocolate to add a dimension to almost
any stew that will delight ( and mystify ) your guests. For a
two quart stew pot or brasier, add about two ounces of
Bittersweet Scharffen Berger Chocolate and a tiny amount of hot
pepper.
Of course, this is not really a secret-Mole Poblano has used these
ingredients for years. But some prejudiced connection of chocolate
with dessert prevents us from using chocolate as a spice.
Why Scharffen Berger? Here's a story:
My European friends are mildly snooty about some of their
local products-all of which, in their eyes-are infinitely
superior to their American equivalents. A few years ago, I
started carrying Scharffen Berger chocolate bars with me to
Europe-mostly the blue and yellow wrappers.
At one friend's house, I was always asked to make a mousse
au chocolate and so I, naturally, used the Scharffen Berger
even though my host had put out a local (Austrian) brand.
The rave reviews that the mousse got-and continues to get-
are not based on the recipe, which is basic basic, but on
the remarkable complexity of these lovely chocolates and
particularly on their fruity overtones and beguiling winey
finish.
I hear that the company has been sold to Hershey, and so there
is no guarantee that the quality will remain as it is. For the
moment, I have to say that I think this is certainly one of the
three best chocolates in the world and maybe the best.
--Lynn Hoffman, wine writer New Short Course in Wine,The and the rich and velvety bang BANG: A Novel
which has decidedly spicy notes of its own.Get more detail about Scharffen Berger Bittersweet 70% Cacao Chocolate Baking Bar 9.7oz..
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