Chorizo con Chocolate sobre Pan Tostado
Chorizo con Chocolate sobre Pan Tostado·(cho-REE-tho con cho-co-LAH-te so-bre pan tos-TAH-do)
Chapter 1: Foundations & the Bar Snacks
Tell an uninitiated friend you're serving them pork sausage and dark chocolate, and they will look at you sideways. But mention chorizo con chocolate to any chef from Madrid, and their eyes light up. This is Spain's ultimate "guarrindongada"—a transgressive, beloved guilty pleasure born from childhood snacks and refined by legendary American tapas bars like Tía Pol. The science actually backs it up: the aromatic compounds in the fat of acorn-fed Iberian pork are a perfect chemical match for cocoa. Assemble the whole tray hours before your guests arrive, and when the first bottle of Albariño pops, blast them in a hot oven for sixty seconds. The chocolate slumps into a glossy sheen, the smoky pimentón oil begins to sweat, and you get an unforgettable, umami-rich bite that sets the exact right tone for a long, wine-soaked evening.
Before you start
Toast the canvas.
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Arrange the baguette slices on a rimmed baking sheet, brush lightly with olive oil, and bake for 6 to 8 minutes until crisp and golden. Let them cool completely—if you skip this, the bread will steam under the meat later and turn to mush.
Build the bites.
Layer two to three slightly overlapping, paper-thin slices of chorizo onto each cooled toast. Generously scatter the dark chocolate shards over the top.
Hold for service.
Cover the sheet pan loosely with a clean kitchen towel and leave at room temperature for up to two hours.
Ingredients
- French baguette1 med
- extra-virgin Spanish olive oil2 tbsp
- dry-cured Spanish chorizo8 oz
- dark chocolate2 1/2 oz
- flaky sea salt1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Fire the oven.
Right before you are ready to serve, preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) or set your broiler to high with the rack in the middle position.
- 02
Sweat the fat and melt the chocolate.
Place the pre-assembled tray in the oven and do not walk away. You are watching for the exact moment the chocolate slumps into a glossy glaze and the edges of the chorizo glisten with orange pimentón oil, which takes about 45 to 90 seconds.
- 03
Garnish and hit the table.
Pull the tray immediately so the chocolate does not scorch, hit each toast with a pinch of flaky sea salt, and rush them out to your guests while they are hot.
Notes
Cured Spanish chorizo is strictly non-negotiable.
If you substitute raw, fresh Mexican chorizo, you will serve your guests uncooked pork and a pool of grease. Look for dry-cured Spanish links like Palacios or Fermín, specifically the picante variety, to cut the richness of the chocolate.
Skip the chocolate chips.
American baking chips are coated in stabilizers designed to hold their shape under high heat. Buy a high-quality dark chocolate bar (70% to 75% cacao) and chop it yourself so it melts effortlessly into the crevices of the hot pork fat.