Wine often is paired with complementary flavors of chocolate, but how about chocolate paired with tomatoes, grilled beef, oysters or cheddar cheese? Belcolade, a Belgian chocolate manufacturer owned by Puratos Group, plans to present a concept called Chocolate Foodpairing early this fall.

Chocolate Foodpairing, which combines flavor profiles of Belcolade’s origin chocolates with a variety of different foods, already has been successful in Europe and Japan. It will be introduced to the United States on Sept. 20 at the StarChefs International Chefs Congress in New York City.

The flavor profiles of Belcolade’s chocolates have been analyzed at a molecular level. Each profile then is compared to a database of several hundred foods and beverages, and matched with those that share the same major flavor components. Designed for chocolatiers, bakers, patissiers and chefs, this tool is meant to inspire creativity for development of original recipes that exceed consumer expectations. The analysis is presented in easy-to-follow graphs called food pairing trees at www.chocolatefoodpairing.com.

“Foodpairing takes a long history of gastronomy and combines it with a modern twist, developed by a new generation who are at the cutting edge of today’s new concept creations,” says Heston Blumenthal, chef and owner of The Fat Duck, a world-renowned restaurant.

For more information on Belcolade visit www.belcolade.com.