... As with wine, Perez advises, never cook with a chocolate you wouldn't want to eat. Use unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate or cocoa powder in savory dishes. After all, you don't really want your plate of meat or vegetables to taste like a box of chocolates. And don't be afraid to experiment with a few white or dark chocolate curls as a garnish. Perez likes to crown a dish with a thin cylinder of white chocolate to hint at what's in store.

Medrich is a fan of cacao nibs, tiny nuggets of roasted, shelled and cracked cocoa beans. Berkeley's Scharffen Berger is one manufacturer of the unsweetened nibs, which are dry and crunchy. While chocolatiers use nibs to add texture to fine chocolate bars, Medrich likes them simply sprinkled on a warm, buttered corn tortilla. She also likes them in soups, sauces, and dishes with nuts, raisins, blackberries, brown sugar or cream.

``People should just experiment,'' she says. ``Chocolate is very compelling in the first place. And anything new you can do with it always generates interest.'' ...

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