Recipes with François Pralus

Vanilla-poached pears stand upright beside a scoop of ice cream while a warm, glossy sauce made with François Pralus’s Venezuela 75% Dark Chocolate Bar, bold, complex and aromatic, runs down their sides.

Lined up from the mildest to the most intense, squares from ten countries let a single afternoon travel from Papua New Guinea to Ecuador, and the Tropical Pyramid from François Pralus, the house’s signature creation since 2003, is the ticket.

Bite into a warm cookie and a small pocket of melting chocolate appears, one of the Tropical Chocolate Squares from François Pralus hidden inside, 75% dark chocolate from ten origins, so no two cookies taste quite the same.

Soaked brioche sizzles in butter until the squares hidden inside turn molten, and François Pralus’s Tanzania 75% Dark Chocolate Bar, woody and spicy, from organic cacao grown on volcanic soil, makes this weekend brunch feel generous.

Rolled by hand and dusted in bitter cocoa, each little truffle melts slowly on the tongue, carrying the woody, spicy character of François Pralus’s Tanzania 75% Dark Chocolate Bar, made from organic Forastero cacao.

Every dip becomes a small lesson in cocoa origins when strawberries, pear and brioche plunge into a warm fondue of two François Pralus bars, the bold, complex Venezuela 75%, a rare blend of Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario, alongside the woody, spicy Tanzania 75%.

Warm baguette, crisp outside and soft within, cradles two pieces that slowly soften, a French after-school ritual turned into a small celebration with the Happy Birthday Milk Chocolate Bar from Comptoir du Cacao, a creamy, sweet milk chocolate made with pure cocoa butter, 36% cocoa, beneath its festive decorations.

Folded around golden pears and warm from the skillet, crêpes wait for a silky sauce made with François Pralus’s Mélissa 45% Milk Chocolate Bar, a milk chocolate with real backbone, all honey and caramel, and a scatter of hazelnuts.

Colorful wrappers laid beside each square turn coffee into a guessing game, as guests try to name the origins of the Mini Tropical Pyramid from François Pralus, ten squares of 75% dark chocolate that travel from Papua New Guinea to Ecuador.

A single bar melts into ten thin disks, each studded with almond, pistachio, raisin and candied orange, as François Pralus’s Tanzania 75% Dark Chocolate Bar, made from organic Forastero cacao grown on volcanic soil, brings its woody, spicy character to a small tray of homemade treats.

Fresh raspberries sit on a glossy, set ganache brightened with a little orange zest, made with François Pralus’s Tanzania 75% Dark Chocolate Bar, woody and spicy, from organic Forastero cacao grown on volcanic soil.

After forty-five minutes of slow simmering, the chili gets its secret ingredient, an ounce of François Pralus’s Tanzania 75% Dark Chocolate Bar, woody and spicy, which melts in and deepens the sauce.