Sarah, you poor, deprived creature!

The good news is that there's a lot of tastiness ahead of you if you just got started on the whole chile/chocolate thing yesterday.

While you're exploring, be sure to flip the chile/chocolate ratio by finding someplace that does a good Mole Negro Oaxacano. It's probably my favorite traditional Mexican creation, and one of the few savory dishes that uses chocolate in a completely non-gratuitous manner.

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Er... Oaxaqueno... not sure how that became Oaxacano. Hopefully I didn't just insult somebody's grandmother.

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Well, that certainly tempts me. I have yet to try the combination too and the mole oaxaque?ounds very tasty indeed. (By the way, hope you don't mind my correcting, but it's 'cOjones' not cajones. Cajones are drawers -- not that kind!)

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Chocolate and chile can be a wonderful combination in a cake, especially when a fruity chile like pasilla is used. Sunset magazine published a recipe a while ago (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_4_213/ai_n6249175). The cake has a nice interplay between the deep notes of the chocolate and chile, and a mildly sharp kick on the finish.

I also once bought some chile-filled chocolates at the Seoul/Incheon airport in South Korea. The chile was quite a bit sharper than pasilla, but it was a still a decent combo.

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Ooo! Nearly forgot!

Got a good one for you if you're interested. No great innovation, but I got bored one night about 5-6 years ago while making cookies, so I raided the pantry and turned them into Ancho-Ca? Chocolate Chip Cookies (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dmnkly/31187.html).

A very happy improvisation. I'm a fan of anchos in this context. They're a little fruity and a little nutty, which I think suits the cookies well.

If you try 'em, post in my blog and let me know how you liked 'em.

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Hopefully I'm not violoting rules on promotion. At Jeni's we've been doing this for a few years in one of our ice creams:
Queen City Cayenne - A chocolate with condensed milk, Mexican cinnamon, and cayenne.

The chocolate is experienced first - a mild heat a few seconds later. Balance is critical, but when done right it's lovely!

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Look for Vosges chocolate bars in your nearby fancy shops. They do some similiar "blends":

Black Pearl: Japanese ginger, wasabi, black sesame seeds and dark chocolate.
Oaxaca: Oaxacan guajillo y pasilla chillies and Tanzanie bittersweet chocolate.
Red Fire: Mexican ancho and chipotle chili peppers, Ceylon cinnamon and dark chocolate.

But my all-time favorite is their Naga, w/ curry! CURRY! Ok, I gotta go run & get some now... now you did it... ;)

Naga: Sweet Indian curry powder, coconut flakes, and milk chocolate.

It's also a neat shop in NYC, where you can try that & more in truffle format.

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Though far more common, it definitely need not be limited to dried red chiles, either. There used to be a Southwestern joint in Chicago (Blue Mesa... now long gone) that did a fantastic dessert... Mexican vanilla ice cream with chocolate fritters and a jalape?hocolate sauce. I've only seen the chocolate and fresh green chile combination a few times, but it definitely has its own character and works really well.

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I get chocolate from a company called "Dolfin". They have excellent chocolate, and have the old standard bars like crushed coffee beans, almond slices, etc. But their best offerings are chocolate bars with mint leaves, early grey tea leaves, pink peppercorns, and stuff like that. They're pretty cheap for the quality, about CDN$3. I'd recommend them if you can get them!

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