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<pre>TOASTS WITH CHOCOLATE, OLIVE OIL AND SEA SALT

http://www.nytimes.com/library/dinin...emptation.html

The New York Times, October 13, 1999

Temptation: A Child's Treat, Grown Up

By AMANDA HESSER

As the curtain began to fall on a long evening of tapas in Barcelona a few
weeks ago, dessert arrived.

The woman behind the bar at a crowded spot near the Gothic Quarter set down a
small plate, then said: "This is not our normal dessert. Our pastry chef is
on vacation."

What was on the plate did not look amateurish. Just odd.

There were two squares of chocolate weeping on top of two slices of baguette.
They were studded with clear crystals and drizzled with a yellow oil.

I bit into one. No, it wasn't familiar. And no, I wasn't sorry the pastry
chef was on vacation.

The bread was toasted on the edges and warmed until the chocolate was as soft
as cream.

The olive oil, like liquor, lingered with each bite, and the crystals -- sea
salt -- cracked under my teeth, an echo to the crisp bread.

The dish was coarse and masculine. And it had decadence, yet it wasn't
dripping with it.

Bread and chocolate is never a bad idea. In France, the original pain au
chocolat is said to have been a baguette wrapped around a bar of chocolate, a
treat bakers made for children.

The story could be more myth than truth, but the buttery pastry now paired
with chocolate is not an improvement on the simple treat.

Good dark chocolate has bitter and acidic elements, as does good bread.

Putting them together makes sense, and couldn't be easier -- especially at
home, where most people are the cook and the pastry chef.

The four ingredients -- bread, chocolate, olive oil and sea salt -- are left
in their raw state, with just a dash of heat to encourage them to mingle.

And when you serve it, there is certainly no apology necessary.
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TOASTS WITH CHOCOLATE, OLIVE OIL AND SEA SALT

Time: 10 minutes

8 1/4-inch baguette slices

8 thin 1-inch squares of best-quality bittersweet chocolate (Valrhona would
be good, or any of the first-rate chocolate bars)

Extra virgin olive oil, for sprinkling

Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lay bread slices on a baking sheet.

Lay a chocolate square on top of each.

Sprinkle with a little olive oil and sea salt.

Bake until chocolate is molten but not seeping through bread, about 3 to 5
minutes.

Bread should crisp slightly but not toast.

Sprinkle with a little more olive oil and salt, and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.
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