Dark, milk and white chocolate, what to pair it with?

Anyone who does not like chocolate should not continue reading this article! In our new chocolate article we will meet again the dark, milk and white chocolate and we will see with which ingredients each one pairs. In the end we will make a delicious tart with a pairing of chocolate with peanut butter!

In our earlier chocolate article entitled “Black, milk or white?” we saw the different types of chocolate and where we use them. Now we will go one step further and see which ingredients suit them best, to get inspired by delicious combinations for our creations. Of course the combinations we will suggest are not binding, they are just ideas to inspire your creations … So lets go for another trip to the world of chocolate!

Our tart with peanut butter cream and chocolate ganache

Dark chocolate, as we saw in our previous article, contains at least 35% cocoa mass and rarely reaches up to 80%. Usually it contains 65% -70%. Milk chocolate contains at least 12% milk and 25% cocoa mass. White chocolate is made with cocoa butter, sugar and milk. Therefore each one has its own characteristics in both composition and taste. So what can we combine them with?

Read more about the types of chocolate in our older article “Black, milk or white?“!

Fruit

One of our favorite combinations is chocolate with fruit, either by simply dipping fruit in melted chocolate or in more complex preparations with custard, ganache or chocolate mousse along with sauces, jellies or fruit curds. In P magazine we found a table with the combinations collected and we transfer from it all the fruits we are used to consuming in our country:

Fruit	Dark	Milk	White
Kiwi	✓	✓
Pears	✓	✓
Apricots	✓	✓	✓
Plums			✓
Coconat	✓	✓	✓
Cherries	✓	✓	✓
Lime			✓
Lemons	✓	✓	✓
Mango	✓		✓
Apples		✓
Berries			✓
Bananas	✓	✓	✓
Oranges	✓	✓	✓
Peaches			✓
Pomegranates			✓
Raisins	✓	✓
Grapes	✓	✓	✓
Figs			✓
Strawberries	✓	✓	✓
Dates			✓

Dark chocolate with orange, pear and banana.

Coconut with white chocolate, a suitable pairing!

Tart with puffed white chocolate and compote apple-berries.

Coffee

In addition to the fruits we have already analyzed, chocolate can be combined with coffee, tea and wine. We read that when you choose to accompany a chocolate with a drink, the most important thing is balance. Chocolate and coffee have a lot in common, from their delicious nature to their complex flavors. Their flavors reflect the origin, the roasting, the processing and much more. In the combinations it is better to use dark chocolate, since sugar and milk can overshadow the flavors.

Decomposed tiramisu by chef Antonio Bachour (source)

Tea

We probably did not expect the tea to pair with the chocolate. However, the aromas of tea tend to intensify the taste of chocolate. Chocolate on the other hand enhances the taste characteristics of tea. According to chef Jacques Poulain, milk chocolate goes well with teas such as Earl Gray, Matcha and green, while white chocolate goes well with fine-flavored teas such as green and Jasmine tea.

Vegan cheesecake with white chocolate, milk chocolate, peanut butter and Matcha tea (source)

Dessert with a ganache infused with Earl Gray tea by chef Paul A. Young (source)

Wine

We learn that chocolate can be combined with wine, following the general rule -as well as with food- the darker the chocolate the darker the wine.

Cheese

Yes, chocolate goes well with cheese! To pair, the cheese needs to have a fairly strong taste, such as an aged cheddar or parmesan. In fact, it is recommended to try it with a bread spread with chocolate and sprinkled with parmesan.

Nuts

As we learn, dark chocolate goes perfectly with nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts and macadamia, since chocolate enhances their taste without losing its own taste profile. Milk chocolate goes well with most nuts, such as almonds and peanuts. It goes perfectly with the peanut butter that we will use later in our recipe!

Brownies with milk chocolate, berries and almonds.

Salt and peppers

The taste of chocolate is enhanced by salt and pepper. We do not say to season our sweets, but just a small dose will bring out the delicious notes of our chocolate just as it should.

Chocolate dessert with pink pepper, banana and passion fruit by two star Michelin Emanuel Scarello (source)

Caviar!

Do not be impressed at all! In an article in the Independent magazine we read that the pairing of ingredients may be considered art, but the chemical composition of the ingredients plays its role. According to research aimed at investigating the chemical rules that may be behind the combinations of ingredients that “match” each other, the combination of white chocolate and caviar, no matter how out of place, was studied. There is a part of chefs who claim that what makes the ingredients match is their similar chemical composition. We have to try it!

Nerd alert!

Interactive table from research that studied the argument that the similar chemical composition of the ingredients makes them fit together. The blue dots are the ingredients, the larger the dot the more popular the ingredient, and the vertical columns are the general categories. The red lines joining two dots indicate that these materials have at least one common chemical component. What do you say, do they fit together? (source)

After studying the delicious combinations we can make with our favorite chocolates, we will avoid caviar and pair classically dark chocolate and peanut butter! A tart with peanut butter cream and chocolate ganache, the perfect combination!

Our recipe

Tart with peanut butter cream and chocolate ganache

Ingredients

Base:
Rusks (shredded)	150 gr
Couverture	50 gr
Butter	100 gr
Peanut butter cream:
Peanut butter	100 gr
Cream cheese	200 gr
Sugar	2 tbs
Vanilla
Chocolate ganache:
Couverture	150 gr
Heavy cream	200 gr

Method

To make the base, blend the rusks in the blender to become a powder. Melt the couverture and add it. Melt the butter and add it as well. Mix well until the mixture has the texture of wet sand. Place it in a tart mould and press it well to make it firm with a spatula. Put your base in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up.

Press with a spatula to make a solid base and put it in the fridge.

To make the peanut butter cream, put the peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat with the mixer until fluffy for two minutes. Then put it on top of your base, flatten the surface and put it in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up.

Beat the ingredients for the peanut butter cream in the mixer and add the cream over your base.

Flatten the surface of the peanut butter cream well because you will place the chocolate ganache on top.

To make the chocolate ganache, cut the couverture into small pieces. At the same time, heat the cream. Once it starts to boil, pour it over the chocolate. Cover the bowl with cling film for a minute and then mix well with an egg beater until smooth. Take your tart out of the fridge and add the ganache on top. Place the tart in the fridge for several hours to freeze.

Pour the hot cream, wait a minute and homogenize with an egg beater.

Add the ganache over the peanut butter cream.

For decoration, sprinkle the surface of the ganache with white chocolate sprinkles.

Enjoy everyone!

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