We’ve all been there. You’ve invited some mates over for a mid week dinner. The
plan was to slip away from work early. Home by five. Plenty of time to knock up
three courses. Right? If only.
Rather than give up mid week entertaining, I’ve decided to be more realistic with
my planning. One of the secret weapons I’ve developed is to host a chocolate
tasting for dessert. I used to sample chocolate and biscuits (cookies) on a regular
basis for a living. And had the inspiration that tastings could be fun to do with your
friends.
1. Choose three different chocolates.
It’s up to you what type of chocolate you offer for tasting. You could choose
three different brands of say 70% cocoa solids chocolate and have a bit of a
comparison. You’ll be surprised just how different they will be.
Another option is to go for a white, milk and dark from the same producer so
you can get everyone to explore which is their favourite type. Or you could try
three different dark chocolates with different levels of cocoa solids. Or a cheap
cooking chocolate, a mid range and a more expensive… the possibilities are
endless really.
2. Plonk them in the middle of the table.
For an added level of complexity, you could serve them unlabelled or ‘blind’ as
we professional tasters like to say. But this can make it a little intimidating for
some people. Maybe save this for a follow up session.
3. Explore, discuss and enjoy.
You can make it as in depth or as casual as you like. I like to keep it very
conversational and fun. Just let everyone taste and talk about what they are
experiencing – their likes and dislikes.
If your guests want to get a bit more serious about their chocolate appreciation,
you could give them a few pointers as to what the professionals look for. I’ve
pulled together a bit of a guide on stonesoup.
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