The Fresh Herbs That Pair Perfectly With Chocolate Dishes

One of the loveliest culinary crossovers in all creation is the intersection of chocolate and fresh herbs. Beautiful botanicals not only imbue your homemade baked goods, sauces, and comfort foods with a touch of glamor, they give your own signature spin to an otherwise everyday recipe. Chocolate, too, can introduce previously obscured realms of flavor (and not just sweetness, either) to plenty of unexpected items. And, when they collide just right, chocolate and fresh herbs make home cooking seem more like alchemy. You just need to know how to mingle the two so you don't end up with a lovely medallion of gianduja flecked with bits of Italian seasoning.

Fresh herbs and chocolate require a taste, texture, and aromatic balance. That means skipping something bitter like fenugreek leaf when a similarly situated dark chocolate is on the menu. You might also need to put in a bit of advance work. Individual pantries will vary, but many of these fresh herbs may require a trip to the farmers' market before you can assemble a confectionary collage to rival the finest cheese and charcuterie boards in creation.

Speaking of gianduja, this is an excellent entree to herb merging, as you can source a nice, soft variety and press your fennel flower right in like an amber inclusion. It also mingles both elements at their (almost) most basic.

The Italian treat is made by blending hazelnut paste and chocolate, and you can even whip some up at home. You can also grow your own dang hazelnut tree, hand grind its fruits and go harvest the cacao, but you know what, you've already done enough, so go ahead and just swing by the chocolaterie for this one. Gianduja's built-in nuttiness is a marvelous canvas for the fennel's sensual anise notes that put manufactured licorice candy to shame.

A classic of the genre, mint goes with more or less every kind of chocolate, but we like the way it coolly mellows some of milk chocolate's sweetness. This one is also only about 1% more of a "recipe" than the above. Being that chocolate bark is often made with candy canes, you can either double the mintiness, or use fresh mint exclusively, instead.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stopping to stir and check for progress in intervals of 30 seconds or less, remove a thick layer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, shower with your fresh mint and other ingredients like almonds or pistachios, and chill to set. You can also arrange the mix-ins with a spatula, but rustic aesthetic is also desirable in this case.

We know: White chocolate is not chocolate! Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster! There is no such thing as a speakeasy in modern times as long as alcohol is legal! But shorthand just makes life a little easier, and white "chocolate," its silken, buttery quality notwithstanding, is a perfectly blank slate for a particularly pretty herb like lavender. Its taste is obviously quite floral, but fresh is notably milder than dried. And, while every part of the plant is edible, you're going to want to pluck those dainty buds for maximum visual appeal.

Like life itself, some tasters will detect more sweetness, while others will identify some bitterness. Your favorite white chocolate chip cookie recipe's sugar content should slake the latter, but be aware of those added notes in any case. Also be sure not to exceed the standard batch 2-cup mix-in max.

Inspired by the decadent chocolate grilled cheese at Chocobar Cortés in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, this new-classic sandwich puts a sweet spin on a comforting favorite. First, slather the exteriors of a couple of slices of brioche or something sturdy like a sourdough with your preferred mayo or butter. Thinly lawyer one half with sharp cheddar to approximate the original, or get nuts with gruyère or provolone.

If you can't get your hands on the chocolate butter that the restaurant adds inside, you can melt a bit of the solid stuff in the microwave instead. Add it to one half like you'd do with any old spread, fix your fragrant basil leaves betwixt, and grill it low and slow for maximum crispiness.

Surely, you didn't think we'd forget the soothing, savory icon of the chocolate-herb genre, did you? There are many, many more possible mole poblano preparations (including plenty of moles absent chocolate) than there are individual or combined possible chocolate and cheese categories. So, a lot.

Like ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice blend with precise proportions and even ingredients that can vary depending on who put it together, proprietary recipes may be known only to intimate numbers of people across a few generations. And, while you'll see long, hand-written and published ingredient lists alike largely calling for the dried stuff, a little fresh pápalo (an earthy, almost peppery herb that sort of resembles spinach)  on top can bring a sprig of freshness and a verdant swipe to the velveteen sauce.