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You may think your homemade vinaigrette recipe is already as incredible as it can get, but — believe it or not — it can be even better. If you’re wondering where to start, chocolate is the perfect ingredient to take your vinaigrette to gourmet levels. All you need is balsamic vinegar, honey, a little kosher salt, olive oil, and dark chocolate. Avoid buying subpar balsamic vinegar or the red and white wine varieties. Good-quality balsamic vinegar best complements dark chocolate notes. Whole Foods Aged Balsamic Vinegar tastes like the authentic Italian stuff, which is what you need, considering Italians have added chocolate to their savory sauces for hundreds of years.
Pick a chocolate suited to how you plan on using the vinaigrette. If you’re making a sweet salad with fruits and berries, try a 70% cocoa chocolate bar. You can always add more sweetness using honey or maple syrup, but using a lower cocoa percentage bar could dilute the cocoa flavor too much. If you’re using the vinaigrette for a savory salad, reach for a 90% cocoa chocolate bar.
Adding chocolate to vinaigrette starts with melting chocolate, so divide the bar into small pieces, and pick the right bowl for your double boiler for gentle, indirect heating. Alternatively, you can melt it in the microwave in 15-second intervals, or add some oomph by using Julia Child’s boozy method for melting dark chocolate. In all cases, stir the chocolate often for even melting. Once it is a homogeneous liquid, stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and honey. Finally, slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking the mixture to emulsify everything into a smooth vinaigrette.
Elevate salads, savory dishes, and desserts with a chocolate vinaigrette
Between dark chocolate and balsamic vinegar, you have so many complex tasting notes in your vinaigrette that it’s easy to bridge a broad spectrum of ingredients and flavors. Think of ones that go well with chocolate, like berries, fruits, and roasted nuts, and of course, desserts like ice cream. Meanwhile, balsamic vinegar complements leafy greens, roasted vegetables, cheeses, and meats. With such a range of elements to play with, you can literally use a chocolate vinaigrette in every course of your meal.
The easiest is a fruit salad with strawberries, cherries, peaches, and roasted nuts like pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or pistachios. This sweet salad can even be topped with some milk chocolate shavings as a finishing touch. For a more savory salad, use mixed greens, pears, apples, and walnuts, along with a pungent, creamy cheese. Note that blue cheese is one of the best pairings for a chocolate vinaigrette, so give it a shot. Give a twist to your green salad with creamy avocado and a dark chocolate vinaigrette, but skip the arugula since the peppery flavor doesn’t mix so well with bitter cocoa notes.
For a main course side, consider roasted carrots, peppers, and squash drizzled with a chocolate vinaigrette. You can also use it as a marinade or basting liquid to infuse meats and vegetables with rich cocoa notes and tart acidity from the vinegar.
Creamy desserts are also perfectly matched to the combined flavors of chocolate and balsamic vinegar. You can sweeten the vinaigrette by adding more honey if you plan on using it with a lightly sweet dessert like panna cotta or cheesecake. Alternatively, use an intense, dark chocolate vinaigrette to top creamy vanilla or pistachio gelato.
