Yes…I already have a post dedicated to chocolate and how it soothes the soul. And yep…still swearing by the adage “Chocolate, coffee,men, richer the better.” This sudden interest in blogging about chocolate, rather the rekindling of it ,has been fueled by five bars of Lindt and umpteen bottles of Riesling in the past month. This post is strictly about two of my favorite things, chocolates and wine. Before taking the plunge, let me establish the fact that I am not a subject matter expert. All I am doing here is talking about my preferences which might go down well with you or not. So read on with an open mind and a pinch of salt if you will.
I am pretty much a white wine enthusiast. They say real wine lovers drink red but then I am a novice and the sweetness of white wine lends itself better to my fledgling palate. Among whites, my gastronomic affections are towards Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer. The flavor profile of Riesling ranges from fruity( apple, pear,apricot) all the way to floral and down to musky. So it can be effortlessly paired with so many different kinds of food. Not a surprise then that it is gaining immense popularity in culinary circles around the world. Savignon Blanc, also called Fume’ Blanc finds its origins in the Loire Valley and Bordeaux of France. These days, the grape is cultivated in California, New Zealand and Australia as well and is anything but ersatz given that some really splendid wine is known to come from these regions. Sauvignon Blanc is quite aromatic and quite like Riesling, it boasts of versatility too when it comes to food pairings. It goes well with salads, fish, poultry et al and you can never go wrong with it. Finally we come to the not so popular Gewurztraminer which is a rich wine, sweeter than Riesling and quite the dessert wine. It works great with spicy foods, so it is quite Asian and Indian cuisine friendly.
That was a quick synopsis of the basics. So in my opinion, if wine interests you and you are quite uninitiated, white is the way to go. As you train and tame your palate, hone your wine tasting skills and start appreciating the nuances that go into the drama that wine tasting is all about, you can graduate to red. We will then be ready to discuss Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet!
Lets talk about my other love interest now, chocolate!Its sinfully delightful in all forms,be it dark, milk,white, bitter or any other type that you can fathom. Now wonder they say its the food of Gods. I mean what else could heaven be made of if not chocolate. I grew up on a staple diet of Dairy Milks, Five Stars and Milky Bars and I maintain that Dairy Milk is still one of the better chocolates around. Over the years I have sampled Lindt, Ghirardelli, Hershey’s, gourmet chocolates like the ones at Recchiuti in San Francisco, liquor chocolates from Switzerland etc etc. Digressing a bit…damn I am lucky to be in San Francisco…a haven of good wine and fine chocolates!…burn my dear friends, burn in the agony of jealousy
Chocolate I feel is best enjoyed when your mouth and the chocolate are in complete agreement with each other. Your teeth need to take a backseat and in return, the chocolate needs to oblige you by melting at the right rate and time. What you are looking for is a symphony of sorts with the chocolate melting and running down your tongue ,taste bud by taste bud, an all encompassing richness filling your mouth and the sensation finding its way up to your brain making you forget everything but that moment of sheer bliss. If the picture that I just painted is making you salivate and crave, I recommend making a quick trip and getting that bar of Lindt which reads classic milk chocolate. You will thank me for many eons to come! It is smooth as silk, has just the right touch of richness, it is sweet but not cloyingly so and it tastes like nothing you have ever tasted. The Swiss know their chocolate! I suggest a quick test to tell the difference between awesome and average when it comes to chocolates. There is no such thing as bad chocolate so we are not venturing in that direction. Its a myth, it does not exist and chocolate as deemed by God is average or better.Period! Coming back to the test. So get a square of Hershey’ s milk chocolate and place it on your tongue. Wait for it to melt. Well it wont! It will feel grainy and tough just like you would expect of a mass produced chocolate. It will force you to bite into it since the melting is a painfully slow process and not really worth it. Go on and bite into it and get done with it! Now reach out for a cube of Lindt and put it in your mouth. The test is over dearies. The chocolate itself will do the rest. It will melt and flow and dance and fill your senses just like it should. Delightful!
Phewwwww….one long post which has left me thirsty and hungry. I am off to get my fill of Riesling and some Lindt. More later!
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If there were to be an effortless yet powerful narrative of the profundity of human emotions, this is it. Lahiri weaves magic. No bells and whistles, no fuss, straight from the heart. Her story telling is so honest and simple, and yet so poignant and vivid.