This is my first entry in the foodblogging event "They Go Really Well Together," originally proposed by Martin Lersch of Kyhmos.org.

The theory goes that if two ingredients share key odorant compounds, they ought to pair well together. Laboratory testing discovers the aromatic compounds released by a particular ingredient. The twenty or so most prevalent odorants are then compared to the most prevalent odorants for other ingredients. Often, the matches are pretty odd stuff. Nevertheless, in theory, they'll go well together.

Past events have paired caramelized cauliflower and cocoa, white chocolate and caviar, and garlic and chocolate. This time the proposed pairing is parmesan and dark chocolate. Why most of the pairings involve chocolate is not for me to know. In any case, one can see why I jumped in at this point; chocolate and parmesan are each universally loved, unlike, say, cauliflower. The issue then becomes how to combine the two without ruining two good things. I decided to do a number of preparations, to test the pairing in several contexts.

• Parmeggiano and Cocoa Crisp Mille-feuille (Napoleon), layered with Chocolate-Parmeggiano Chantilly
• Chocolate-Parmeggiano Chantilly with Parmeggiano Pebbles
• Chocolate Truffle "Planets," rolled in Parmeggiano

I describe how I created the dish in the previous post.

So... did they go really well together? Well... reviews are mixed. I loved the saltiness and sharp earthiness of the raw parm on the truffles, and everyone generally agreed that they were pretty good. The parm pebbles in the chantilly were a great textural contrast--rich and creamy mousse with hard, chewy cheese, and the flavors were definitely pleasant here. But the mille-feuille was another matter.

I was worried about the flavor of the mille-feuille from the start. Even if we accept the theory that key odorants in common indicate a good flavor pairing, and that parmesan and chocolate should therefore go well together, it doesn't necessarily mean that toasted parmesan will go well with chocolate. Nevertheless, I gave it a go. The texture was amazing, with shatteringly crisp layers held together (and therefore easily eaten without mess) by the creamy chantilly. But the verdict on flavor? Not so good. One roommate said her initial impression was that it tasted like something had gone bad. Another said it smelled like cat food. There's nothing objectively wrong with cat food smell, but he certainly didn't mean it in a good way. I found the two flavors to clash entirely here. The smell was, to me, not a problem. It just smelled like cocoa and toasted parmesan, two pleasant aromas that clashed. Neither was improved by the other. The taste didn't really do anything either. The salty calcic flavor of the parmesan does good things for the chocolate, but the earthy mineral flavors don't. On the other hand, yet another roommate loved the mille-feuille, describing it as a "perfect combination of salty and sweet." It's worth noting that by the time any of my roommates tried it, it was the next morning, and no longer crispy.

So two out of three tasted pretty darn good. Not bad. And it isn't surprising that the two we liked were the ones with raw parmesan. Now we know. And I think that the toasted parmesan and chocolate might also be a good pairing if it had a bit of acid to cut it. My next try would be chocolate-parmesan-passionfruit.

Posted by Barzelay on 2008/02/29 @ 5:36 | Comments (3) | Desserts, Science, Technology

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