Chocolate & finishing salt

There is a small ritual in our kitchen. After dinner, two squares of dark chocolate go on a plate. A few flakes of Natural Grain Crystals go on top. That is the whole dessert.

Why it works

Dark chocolate is bitter, slightly fruity, and high in fat. Salt does three things at once: it suppresses the bitterness, lifts the fruit notes, and creates a contrast that keeps your mouth interested.

The pairing rules

• Chocolate: 70% cacao minimum. Single-origin from Madagascar or Ecuador if you can find it.
• Salt: Natural Grain Crystals. A flake salt that crunches and dissolves slowly. Fine salt would just taste salty.
• Ratio: one or two flakes per square. More is too much.

Variations

• A drop of olive oil before the salt.
• A microplane scrape of orange zest over the chocolate.
• The Tasting Set's smoked variant is another door — it makes the chocolate taste like a campfire on a beach.

That's it. Six lines of recipe, ten minutes of nostalgia.