Divina Cucina

Your Best Friend in Italy

Chocolate and Chili

by

Get ready for Eurochocolate and Ottobre Rosso!
This year Chocolate and Chili are making a big splash!

HOT CHOCOLATE takes on a new meaning!

At the Peperoncino festival, Eurochocolate presented Paul DeBondt’s newest chocolate’s , with a smoked jalepeno and a habernero,as well as many other producers. For the first time, Chili is being featured in Perugia,much closer than Diamante!

I first enjoyed Chocolate and Chili in Mexican Mole, then from Sicily’s fabulous chocolate maestro, Bonajuto in Modica, and can’t walk by Vestri in Florence without getting some of their hot chocolate or chocolates with chili or chocolate chili ice cream,
Now everyone is excited about this fabulous flavor combination!

Even Dario is having Panzano Piccante…October 2, inviting the Peperoncino group from Diamante to join in the market/fair the first Sunday.
I am planning on presenting my own little surprise..
See you there?

Comments

  1. Judith in Umbria says

    I will take our little train down as usual to buy my year’s supply of chocolate for cooking. If we can coordinate, that would be super. My chocomaniac friend Tina will be coming, so that means a Saturday.
    Sorry I cannot do October 2, but I have signed onto a Perugia gtg with some pals from expats in Italy. I still want to know how to do figs in chili, as the figs are coming on strong!

  2. Diva says

    I won’t be going to Eurochocolate as I will be chocolated out!
    I am running a chocolate tour for the week before and am taking people to the best.. to study and taste directly at the source. I am working with my friend Pam of Ecole chocolate and her students!

  3. SharonZ says

    Diva,
    I just came back from dinner at a new Italian restaurant in touwn. The chef must have read your chocolate & chili posting. His dessert special was a small glass with a bottom layer of chocolate and jalenpo pepper in a crunchy crust, a layer of hazelnut creamy custard, topped with whipped cream. It was sublime. Not too sweet and a hint of heat. I am going to try to get the recipe…
    Sharon

  5. Diva says

    I am going to try to recreate a cake they made… with orange jam, chili jam, then an almond crumble crust..

    not a pie.. not a cake…
    but good!
    had it in Calabria at the chili festival.

    I think chili is fabulous… sweet or savory.
    In florence they use chili pepper instead of black pepper almost always!

  7. SharonZ says

    What town? Little Ferry, NJ, which hasn’t been known for its restaurants, but in the past year, a few excellent ones have opened their doors.

    “with orange jam, chili jam, then an almond crumble crust..” I’ll be looking forward to your recipe for that!

  8. Marc says

    Chocolate and chile can be a wonderful combination in a cake, especially when a fruity chile like ancho or pasilla is used. California-based Sunset magazine published a recipe for Pasilla Chile Chocolate Cake a while ago. I made it once for a party, and it was a big hit. There is a nice interplay between the deep notes of the chocolate and chile, and a mildly sharp kick at the end.