Dark chocolate (Recipe: chocolate-mango-kiwi wontons)

Ted and I agree on many things, but not on everything.

He likes books about King Arthur, a certain Montreal hockey team, watching Spanish-language broadcasts of soccer matches even though he doesn't speak Spanish, white-out snowstorms, and opera.

I don't.

He also likes cilantro, cauliflower, tropical fruits, ham-and-cheese sandwiches, sweetened condensed milk, rutabaga, and fish served with the head on.

I don't.

In fact, until it was too late, until I was years into our marriage, I didn't realize that we differ in another important way:

I am a milk chocolate girl married to a dark chocolate guy.

Dark chocolate is a bit difficult to define, starting with its name; it's also called bittersweet or semi-sweet or sometimes sweet-dark chocolate, which can be confusing.

Then there's the content: A cocoa pod contains cocoa butter and chocolate liquor (solids). Dark chocolate is the liquor, to which sweeteners and some amount of cocoa butter (but no milk solids) have been added.

According to US government standards, dark chocolate must contain at least 35% chocolate liquor. The best chocolates contain 60% or more chocolate solids, often 70% or more. The higher the percentage, the more deep the flavor, but the texture also becomes more dry and chalky. Taste a 90% dark chocolate, and you'll know right away that there's almost no cocoa butter in it.

Many studies have shown that dark chocolate is good for you. Eating two ounces (50 grams) a day of dark chocolate with a minimum content of 70% chocolate solids may help protect against heart disease and high blood pressure, though that protection comes at a high calorie cost.

Dark chocolate has a place in my pantry because it's the chocolate of choice for cooking and baking sweet and savory dishes such as dark chocolate brownies, borlotti bean mole, dark chocolate cherry chews, chocolate cheesecake, and Guinness beef stew.

Yes, it tastes wonderful, but is chocolate really the food of love?

Take a cue from Casanova, the most famous lover of all -- before every assignation, he drank a cup of hot cocoa. I don't know if he shared it with his lady-friends, but all the serotonin in the chocolate no doubt helped to elevate his mood!

Chocolate-mango-kiwi wontons

Adapted from Gale Gand and the Food Network, these wontons are quick and easy to make, especially if you let your friends help with assembly. Fill them with dark, milk or sugar-free chocolate, and fruit of your choice (we used kiwi and mango, but you can try bananas, pears, apples -- or more chocolate). Make sure the wontons are well sealed, or the chocolate will ooze out while you're frying them. Figure on two wontons per person; make as many as you wish.

Ingredients

2 chocolate bars, broken into small squares or rectangles
4 wonton skins per person
1 mango or 2 kiwi fruits, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
4 cups vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (cinnamon and granulated sugar mixed together), optional
1 pint vanilla frozen yogurt, optional

Directions

Leave the chocolate in a warm place to make it slightly pliable, or warm between your hands. Cut each bar into small chunks and, with your hands, try to form each chunk into a disk the size of a quarter with no sharp edges. Lay half the wonton skins out on a surface and, one at a time, paint the edges with water. In the center of the wonton skin, place a disk of chocolate and a fruit slice on top of the chocolate. Place another wonton on top, and press to seal tightly. Each wonton package should look like a ravioli. Cover with plastic wrap and store chilled until ready to fry and serve, up to 10 hours ahead.

Heat the oil in a wok or deep pot to 350°F. Drop the wontons into the oil, being careful not to crowd them (you may have to work in batches) and fry, turning often, until golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile, place the cinnamon sugar in a bowl. Remove the wontons with a slotted spoon and immediately sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar to coat heavily. Serve right away with scoops of vanilla frozen yogurt.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Ice cream chocolate chip cookies
Mole colorado
Chocolate truffles
Outrageous brownies
Ted's famous chocolate chip cookies

Comments

See's chocolate lollipops are the best. They take forever to finish and taste amazing. Yum.

And Brussels sprouts. Fortunately, the things we both like makes a huge list. As usual, I am charmed to be mentioned in The Perfect Pantry.
Ted

Katrina: The Mists of Avalon is wonderful: published in 1982 and still popular.

I too am a milk chocolate girl, but love dark for cooking. Love the idea of using wontons
to fill with chocolate and fruit.

We love See's candies! They make such great products. Have you ever tried their lollipops? I'm a milk chocolate girl, too.

I love See's Candies.... I always want to go whenever I'm on the West Coast.
I love dark chocolate!

Hubby is a dark chocolate kind of guy, Me? I'm more of a mashed potato with butter kind of girl and can take or leave chocolate with one exception. Anytime I eat something that has a strong onion or garlic flavor - I crave a small bit of chocolate - I guess to cleanse my pallate.

Thanks again for the fun cookbook I won in your give away - how fun! I'll have to try out some of the tecniques this weekend if my knives are sharp enough!

I'm a dark chocolate girl dating a milk chocolate boy.

those wontons look incredible!!!

i am a dark chocolate girl all the way :)

Dark chocolate is fine for cooking but give us both See's milk chocolate—with soft centers, please—for eating.

Here in New Mexico chocolate and chilies are a favored flavor combination.

I'm all about the dark chocolate.

I'm a new lurker and I'm definitely an all-chocolate girl - both dark and milk have their merits.

Ironically I was ALLERGIC to chocolate from birth until about 13 years old. Hives, throat-closings...the whole bit! I blamed it on my mother who over-indulged while pregnant with me. After puberty the allergy left and now I am a DARK CHOCOLATE GIRL married to a MILK CHOCOLATE GUY!
but I never really met a chocolate I didn't like! (except maybe sugar free - I am not into the chemical sugars - just the real thing in moderation)

PS my brother was the "strawberry baby"

I'm an all-chocolate kinda gal and I adore See's candies. What a great thing that they are giving away this chocolate for baking! Thanks for offering this!

Milk chocolate!! Milk chocolate!! And, like you, married to a dark chocolate man! But I'm willing to try, and winning these bars would be a good start!

Dark chocolate is my weekness. I love to cook with it and eat it straight out of a box. Love this stuff, thanks for sharing.

Oh my gosh, those wontons look so good!

all chocolate is good, but my preference is for dark at around 70%. 90% chocolate is too dry for my taste. thanks for sharing the recipe. interesting twist on the wonton.

Yum! Those wontons sound delish!
More dark chocolate, please :)

Yum! How do people think of/create these delectable things?!
Former milk chocolate gal who has gone over to the dark side. ;)

I'll give See's a try so please count me in!

I love dark chocolate and eat some every day, usually 70% or greater.
See's chocolates are great. I love their lollipops (chocolate, vanilla, cafe latte and butterscotch) They have the nicest texture.
They also have a candy bar called the Awesome Nut and Chew Bar. IT is insanely good - dark chocolate, almonds and nougat and honey - OMG - Yum! I might need to go order some right now!!! (I'm in Boston, and I have seen them @ dept stores around holiday time, but not any other time of the year)...

I used to be only milk chocolate, but recently my husband encouraged me to try the very dark chocolate. I have come to love the dark chocolate 70% - 85% and the milk chocolate turns my stomach.

I am a milk chocolate-type too, but am willing to give dark chocolate a try again. Thanks so much for the book from the last drawing, I am enjoying it!

These look delicious...what a great mix of sweet and savoury. I'm a milk chocolate girl married to a no sweets guy!!!

It's fried and it's chocolate. A win-win situation! ;)

I love Dark Choc and my Hubby likes he milk choc <3

Meeta, chocolate and chile is such an amazing combination. Without it, we wouldn't have the wonderful Mexican moles.

Bridget, chocolate and cherries? Oh, yes!

Jenny, great questions. This sugar-free chocolate has great "mouth feel", quite rich, so I wouldn't add any sugar for taste. For more info about baking adjustments, check the King Arthur Flour blog or cookbooks.

Leslie, thanks so much for sharing this good information.

Sandie, white chocolate is so sweet that it doesn't sit well with me either, but in combination with dark chocolate it can be delicious.

I am so into See's. You HAVE to try their maple-filled dark chocolates. Wow. Hope this post is considered an entry to win. Let me know if it isn't, thanks.

That *is* a big marriage problem!!! ;) I don't think Jim and I would survive. But really, I love all of your flavor combinations, so interesting and enticing.

Happy Valentine's Day!

i love all chocolate but white chocolate is my absolute favorite!

Love that you're letting your valentine choose the winner! :) Your wontons look amazing! Chocolate, mango and kiwi? Sound likes tropical paradise.

I used to prefer milk chocolate, but as an adult I've started liking dark chocolate more and more.

The recipe looks great, I can't have mango though [due to an actinidain allergy].

I love dark chcoclate. But sometimes I crave milk chcoclate.

I need to try this recipe because it looks delish

ooh, yum.
I am dark chocolate (as is the guy I'm gonna marry, so that's good.)

I love chocolate!

Dark chocolate with orange is my munching chocolate of choice. I buy more expensive chocolate because a little goes a long way.

Oh, I know it always seems to be the wrong answer, but I love milk chocolate. I like dark chocolate, but I really do love milk chocolate.

Definitely dark chocolate. Mmmm, one bite can provide an hour of calm, relaxing pleasure.

The best thing about being a dark chocolate fan is when people bring gifts of chocolate, there are always fewer of us going for the dark. More for us...yum!

Mango, kiwi, and chocolate? That sounds like a really delicious combination.

Yum- this recipe looks fantastic! I love any type of chocolate really, I'm an equal opportunity chocoholic :o)

I came for the wontons (saw them on Foodgawker), and stayed for the chocolate. Whoa! I have to try this!

dark! woot!

I have to say I've always had a life-long weakness for milk chocolate. I respect dark chocolate, since ALL chocolate is good chocolate, but if put in front of a bowl of each - I will give in and go for milk chocolate - everytime.

Those look crazy tasty! As a California girl... See's will always have a place in my heart. *sigh*

I've recently branched out into dark chocolate but my fiancee is pretty much a milk chocolate guy. I figure it just means more dark chocolate for me.

The wontons look delicious and seem like a fun dessert.

I am an any chocolate any time girl. But if I am eating a candy bar unless it has caramel or nuts or something, I don't want dark chocolate.

Good to know these can be made in advance...I am very surprised that the fruit does not get too soft or liquidy. Obviously I will have to do extensive experiments to see how they work. ;) I have made similar desserts using chocolate chips, but using wafers as you describe will work much better - and not punch holes in the wonton skins as the chips were inclined to do.

As far as chocolate goes - it really depends on the day and my mood and how I am planning on eating or using it. Out of hand milk usually wins and for cooking and baking dark almost always wins.

I like almost any kind of chocolate, from Hershey's milk through fancy dark. I really like chocolate.