Dark Chocolate Covered Candied Lemon Peel and Lemon Wine
March 21, 2016
During a recent trip to a local winery, a couple of friends and I participated in a wine tasting.
I was deciding which wines to try when one in particular caught my attention; Lemon Wine. Intrigued, I asked for a tasting sample.
The Wine
This wine, from Pieper Porch Winery & Vineyard, was light, crisp, and tasted like fresh squeezed lemonade but less sweet. My mind immediately pondered, “What chocolate would go with this?”
I must have said that out loud because the owner of the winery, smiled, and told me she enjoyed it with chocolate covered buttercreams.
I’m not fussy for buttercreams but it got me thinking about what I really wanted to pair with the lemon wine. Now I was on a mission with purpose!
I bought the wine, and then I stopped at my favorite chocolates shop to pick up dark chocolate covered candied lemon peel. Oh yes, now that’s more my style!
Lemon wine is not Limoncello.
Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur. It is made from the zest of lemons, steeped in a clear alcoholic spirit until the oil is released. Then simple syrup is added.
The lemon wine I bought is made from fermented lemon juice and fruit wine.
The Chocolate Covered Lemon Peel
Candied lemon peel is a favorite of mine. I especially like it covered in dark chocolate, but it comes in milk chocolate, too.
The process to make candied lemon (or orange) peel is long and involved. This contributes to the high cost. The shop I buy it from (Allo Chocolat), charges $26.00 a pound.
First, the lemons are cut into slices, about 1/4 inch thick, and the fruit pulp removed. Then the rings are cut in half so the peels are in long strips.
The strips are boiled in water, drained, and boiled two more times. Next, the peels are simmered in sugar water until the white pith is translucent.
Finally, the sugared or “candied” peels are left out to dry and either tossed with additional sugar or coated in chocolate. (The photo here shows the chocolate coated lemon peel cut into bite size pieces.)
Dark Chocolate Covered Lemon Peel Paired With Lemon Wine
Yum! Lemon wine paired with dark chocolate covered candied lemon peel is a winning combination!
If you drink the lemon wine by itself, you will want it well chilled, but if you drink it with the chocolate, you should have it just slightly cool so the chocolate can easily melt in mouth.
When pairing, be sure to try it with the wine and chocolate candied peel in your mouth at the same time.
In the beginning, the chocolate, and the lemon and fruit from the wine, mixed together in a pleasant blend without either one overpowering the other.
Toward the middle, the chocolate has melted and stands out quite well. Then near the end, the chewy lemon peel mingles with the last of the melted chocolate and leaves a strong lemon finish.
Want More Chocolate & Wine?
The CUO Chocolate and Wine Tasting Guide will show you how to pair chocolate and wine for amazing experiences of your own. Share the love with a small or large group of friends! Click here.
Top photo: "Lemons" by Mike Mozart is licensed under CC BY 2.0 / cropped from original
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