Cocoa & Chile: Trendy Flavor Pair

Cocoa Chile Pork Ribs Recipe Shows Off 2008's Hippest Taste Combo

Jan 8, 2008

When the rich bitterness of cocoa meets the lively heat of a chile pepper, the result is a depth of flavor reminiscent of old Mexico.

Sweet or savory, the pairing of cocoa with chile peppers works beautifully. Of course, we know the ancient Aztecs and Mayans discovered this taste sensation eons ago! With our fascination for authentic Mexican cuisine on the rise, and the ease in which cocoa and chile blend together, this dynamic duo is just one of the flavor pairings predicted to be “hot” by the McCormick® Flavor Forecast 2008 report.

Just what is cocoa? It’s the culinary ingredient remaining once the cacao bean has been roasted, then liquored and hardened to become unsweetened chocolate, pressed again to remove even more cocoa butter and, finally, ground to a fine powder. What’s left is a rich, dense, low-acid, unsweetened form of chocolate we use in numerous pastries, baked goods, confections and beverages today.

Many chile peppers blend well with cocoa including the lively Red Chili Pepper or perhaps a tamer, fruity Ancho chile. The smoky flavor profile of the Chipotle chile (a roasted jalapeno) is especially rich when blended with cocoa. Each of these chile peppers has a depth-of-flavor brawny enough to break through cocoa’s intensity while providing a nice after-heat.

The velvety bitterness of a rich cocoa balanced with a peppery chile lends itself equally as well to meat dishes as it does to a wintry hot beverage. Try these smoky-sweet Cocoa Chile Pork Ribs or Texas Style Cocoa Chili, a hearty chili with an old-world flair.

Cocoa Chile Pork Ribs

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons McCormick® Gourmet Collection® Garlic Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Gourmet Collection® Chile Pepper, Chipotle
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection® Cinnamon, Saigon
3 pounds pork baby back ribs
1/4 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Mix sugar, cocoa powder, garlic salt, chipotle chile pepper and cinnamon in small bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon of spice mixture for basting sauce. Rub remaining spice mixture on ribs until well coated.
Place ribs in single layer on foil-lined roasting pan. Cover with foil.
Bake 1 hour or until meat starts to pull away from the bones.
Meanwhile for the basting sauce, mix apple juice, tomato paste and reserved 1 tablespoon spice mixture in small bowl.
Grill ribs over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes per side or until heated through and evenly browned, brushing with basting sauce. Serves 6.

Texas Style Cocoa Chili

Cocoa Chile Spice Blend:

2 tablespoons McCormick® Gourmet Collection® Cocoa Chile Blend
1 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection® Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection® Oregano Leaves, Mexican
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection® Cumin, Ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons oil, divided
2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup water
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) beef broth
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

For the Spice Blend, mix all ingredients in small bowl; set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add 1/2 of the beef; brown on all sides. Repeat with remaining beef, adding additional 1 tablespoon oil as needed. Remove beef; set aside.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet on medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add water; stir to loosen browned bits in bottom of skillet.
Stir in beef, beef broth, tomato paste and Spice Blend. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice with shredded cheese and sliced green onions, if desired. Makes (5) 1 cup servings.

Above recipes are courtesy of McCormick.

Baby, it's cold outside! Get doubly warm - try my recipe for Spicy Hot Cocoa today!

Spicy Hot Cocoa

2 1/2 cups nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
1 - 5 cinnamon sticks
5 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 dried small, whole Red Chile Peppers

Mix dry milk, cocoa powder and sugar in a large saucepan. Stir in water and vanilla; mix until smooth. Add 1 cinnamon stick and dried red peppers; stir gently being careful not to break the peppers.
Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes; stirring occasionally.
Remove the cinnamon stick and peppers before serving. Garnish mugs with remaining cinnamon sticks (if desired) and serve steaming hot. Serves 4.

Are you confused about which chile pepper to choose for your recipe? Here are a few guidelines for gauging the flavor and heat. Typically, the smaller the chile, the more fire in the flavor. Don’t be fooled, a bright green chile can pack as much punch as its red counterpart. (A green chile is simply a red chile that hasn’t been allowed to fully ripen.) Long, skinny chiles have more heat than a round chile, e.g. a bell pepper. Lastly, when testing a chile for heat, keep in mind it will be hotter near the stem than it is at the tip.

The copyright of the article Cocoa & Chile: Trendy Flavor Pair in Food Trends is owned by Michele Meehl. Permission to republish Cocoa & Chile: Trendy Flavor Pair in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Cocoa and Chile

Texas Style Cocoa Chili

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