Sinful concoction

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We’ve all heard of chocolate with cream, nuts, vanilla ice cream and even fruits but this sinful concoction made using cocoa beans is not just about indulging one’s sweet tooth any more. “That’s true especially when we have things like chocolate soups and dishes like lamb chops with chocolate and rosemary, it just goes to prove that chocolate isn’t only a dessert but is now a more versatile ingredient,” says Natasha Karmakar, who runs a chocolate boutique in Mumbai and also conducts workshops on the same.
According to experts, the use of chocolate in savoury dishes isn’t a new development. “Chocolate was popularly used by the Aztecs as a flavouring agent, in fact even today in some parts of Mexico you are likely to find dishes like chicken mole that use a hint of chocolate. We aren’t talking about the sweetened version here but more like cocoa beans in one of its purest forms which is a little bitter and very smoky, this helps to bring out spicy flavours,” explains chef Sundar Narayan, a pastry chef who has developed desserts using chocolate with Indian spices. So what does one need to keep in mind while pairing chocolate with different flavours? “Just remember that you need to keep the sweetness in mind, for something like white chocolate use delicate flavours like rose or even citrus which helps to cut through the sugar. Others like dark chocolate can easily be paired with more intense ones like chilli,” he says.

Chocolate chilli soup
Serve this drink as an appetizer or even as dessert along with some warm biscotti

Ingredients
½ cup of dark chocolate,
grated
1 cup of milk
½ cup of fresh cream
1 dried red chilli
2 tbsp of sugar
One stick of cinnamon to garnish

Method
Boil the milk and cream over low heat and as the mixture begins to simmer add in the chocolate and chilli. Allow this to simmer for at least five minutes, add the sugar and keep stirring to avoid it from burning. Remove from the heat, strain and pour the liquid into small glasses. Garnish with a stick of cinnamon and serve hot.