Tried pairing dark chocolate with sharp cheddar on my snack plate last weekend

The combo was way more bitter than I expected and totally overwhelmed the crackers I had out, so now I'm wondering what kind of cheese actually works with dark chocolate without ruining the whole board.

2 comments

2 Comments

paige5141mo ago

Honestly that brie tip tracks with what I read in a food science blog a while back. They said the fat in soft cheeses like brie or camembert actually coats your tongue and helps balance out the bitter notes from high-percentage dark chocolate. The article mentioned that the creamy texture is key because it spreads the chocolate flavor around instead of letting it hit you all at once like sharp cheddar does. Brie is mild enough that it doesn't fight the chocolate either, it just kind of smooths everything out. Tbh I'd skip the crackers altogether too, since they just add crunch without helping the taste balance. It's worth trying with a 70% dark bar instead of anything super bitter like 85% or higher.

rose_young1mo ago

Heard from my friend Jen who tried this exact thing at a cheese tasting event last fall. She said the brie with dark chocolate was Actually good because the soft creaminess cut through the bitterness. She ended up ditching the crackers entirely and just ate the pair plain, which worked way better.