Grana Padano PDO 9-16 months
Grana Padano PDO 9-16 months and White chocolate with liquorice crystals (and micro salt crystals)
White chocolate is made by combining three simple ingredients: cocoa butter not less than 20%, sugar and milk not less than 14%.
Its name originates from the fact that, being devoid of cocoa paste, the mixture lacks the ‘brown’ component that gives chocolate bars their typical colour. It is referred to as ‘white’ but note that its colour varies from pale to ivory, displaying shades that range from yellowish to sandy.
The suggested chocolate has a delicate aroma of milk and butter with a hint of liquorice. Aromatically and taste-wise, you will perceive a delicate hint of milk cream and a non-invasive sweetness that blends perfectly with the almost imperceptible aroma of the liquorice; the latter will return to the nose and mouth as a taste and olfactory note or when swallowed.
When trying this combination, our advice is to first savour the chocolate by gently melting it in your mouth, thus releasing the aromas of the milk cream and butter, and then chew a shaving of Grana Padano PDO 9-16 months. Thanks to its characteristic sweetness, the cheese will blend with and complement the white chocolate.
During the tasting, you will appreciate the crunchiness and aroma of the liquorice crystals that stand out and surprise, adding a touch of ‘verve’ to the overall taste experience; furthermore, the aromas in the mouth are enhanced by the very small salt crystals with a structure similar to that of Grana Padano PDO 9-16 months, a young cheese, but one already characterised by a certain graininess.
The suggested pairing might seem an impossible challenge but it reveals how this type of Grana Padano PDO can actually become one with white chocolate, creating a harmony of delicate scents ranging from notes of cooked milk to cream and slightly melted butter.
Curious facts:
- The history of white chocolate began in the 1930s in Switzerland just after the First World War. At that time, the problem of disposing of the cocoa butter left after cocoa processing arose . This led to the idea of mixing cocoa butter with powdered milk and sugar, thus ‘inventing’ what has become the basic recipe for white chocolate, the first bar of which was sold in 1967 (under the name ‘Alpine chocolate bar’).
- ‘Liquorice’, an unusual ingredient, can be considered the heart and soul of Calabria’s Ionian coast. The plant, which originates in the Mediterranean area, grows wild along the Calabrian coastline where 80% of the national production is concentrated and where it acquires its very special flavour and characteristics. There are several varieties of liquorice, but the most popular one is ‘glabra’. The title ‘Liquirizia di Calabria PDO’ was recognised in 2011 and is reserved exclusively for fresh, dehydrated liquorice and its extract.
Grana Padano PDO 9-16 months and Dark chocolate with mint cream filling
Black, bitter or dark, are all synonyms to indicate a chocolate that contains at least 45% cocoa; if the packaging is labelled ‘extra dark’ or ‘dark’, the percentage certainly increases to 70% and more, up to 100%.
So, to meet your own personal needs, which chocolate should you choose?
Obviously, in the first place, the consumer should favour a high quality chocolate, but the final choice depends on personal taste: if you find a high cocoa percentage a little too bitter on the palate, we recommend starting with a minimum cocoa percentage and perhaps moving towards a chocolate with an ‘unusual’ ingredient that can soften the bitter note.
We therefore propose a very fresh mint filling wrapped in a crunchy, very fine layer of dark chocolate that is sure to bring a ‘breath of fresh air’ to the mouth; the softness of the mint ganache is released in the bite and blends with the thin chocolate coating, which gently crumbles to create a whole new blend of aromas, leaving a refreshing peppermint sensation in the mouth.
When trying this combination, our advice is to first taste the chocolate, biting a small piece of the bar (called ‘square’) to let the filling out, and then the Grana Padano PDO shaving: in this way, a combination of sensations arises from the very delicate cocoa, due to the thinness of the coating, and the mint cream, which is never intrusive, and which enhances the characteristics of the Grana Padano PDO 9-16 months.
In addition, the initial structure of the chocolate, supported by the softness of the filling, gradually envelops and accompanies the cheese, whose hints of milk and melted butter slowly emerge, accompanied, at the end, by the vegetal notes that can characterise this type of young Grana Padano PDO.
- Peppermint is a herbaceous plant widespread in temperate regions, found in both lowlands and mountains, near river courses or in wetlands. It is a plant known since antiquity for its medicinal properties: in the past it was used as a muscle relaxant.
- The active ingredient extracted from peppermint is called ‘menthol’.