Ken Baker, proprietor and executive chef at Pachamama's, is welcoming diners with a winter red wine-mushroom risotto on a plate of coarsely ground cocoa nibs.

Those M&Ms have been lying to you all these years.

“Good chocolate melts in your mouth and hand,” says Ken Baker, proprietor and executive chef at Pachamama’s, 800 N.H.

Baker should know. The creative culinary thinker uses chocolate in preparations as varied as chili, barbecue sauce, chutney and stew. But you don’t have to be a whiz in the kitchen to take advantage of chocolate’s savory side. You, too, can use it in every course leading up to dessert without your own unsavory meltdown.

Ken Baker, proprietor and executive chef at Pachamama's, uses cocoa as a savory element in some of his recipes.

The key, Baker says, is knowing the power of good chocolate.

“Chocolate is very intense, so a little goes a long way. Chocolate adds body and depth through its inherent acidity and bitterness to sauces, stews, braises, fowl and especially game meats,” Baker says. “To a certain degree, chocolate can add richness to the background of a dish, as well as color and appearance. It can also be used in some preparations as a primary ingredient. It is a great flavor to balance dishes with particularly strong flavors.”

Right now, his restaurant’s seasonal menu is welcoming diners with a winter risotto designed to play into chocolate’s high points.

“We are currently using coarsely ground cocoa nibs in a red wine-mushroom risotto. It is dusted on the bottom of the plate and makes all the combined flavors blow up,” Baker says. “I’ve also made a dust out of cocoa, caramelized onions and dehydrated olives, that has a strong anise flavor like licorice.”

Lawrence’s resident chocolatier, Jean Younger of Sleepy Jean’s Confections, says that since delving into the chocolate business, she’s come up with all sorts of ways to incorporate chocolate into her everyday cooking.

“I currently add my 68-percent dark chocolate into chili when I make it — you can really do this with any chili recipe,” she says. “The 68 percent dark is strong enough to taste. I did it as a surprise one time, and my husband caught it right away — so you can taste it.”

She says she’s also gotten a lot of good out-of-the-box ideas from customers.

“One customer melted it into his tea, and another one made crepes,” she says, adding that she’ll use chocolate in waffles for her kids. “I also have people that use my cayenne chocolate in their hot cocoa for a Mexican hot chocolate.”

In their recent cookbook, “The Cook’s Book of Intense Flavors,” Molly Krause says she and husband Robert didn’t skimp on the savory uses of chocolate — and with good reason.

“In our cookbook, we use chocolate, in the form of cocoa powder, in two different savory applications and flavor combinations,” says Krause, who co-owns Esquina and The Burger Stand at the Casbah. “One great combination is cocoa with cumin and cinnamon. The other more unusual combination is cocoa with red wine and mint — sounds weird, but (it) can really work to create a complex and yummy flavor.”

She says that when looking for a cocoa powder to avoid the Dutch-processed kind.

“It will tend to be deeper and richer,” she says of the naturally processed type. “With most chocolate, if you pay a little more, you will get a much better flavor.”

And cost is something that is becoming quite the issue with chocolate. Political unrest in the Ivory Coast may cause the cost of chocolate to go up after the Valentine’s holiday. Why? The West African nation produces a third of the world’s cocoa. Disruptions there helped push the price of cocoa up 12 percent in January alone, and a one-month ban on exports there was announced in late January. That said, the cost could spike again before Easter.

Baker says the situation with the Ivory Coast and supply chain woes highlight the need to know where your chocolate is coming from and if your favorite producers are protecting their land.

“This situation won’t last forever. However, at the same time, cocoa is not a limitless resource,” Baker says. “With that in mind, it is important to try and use cocoa and chocolate products from companies that source from producers using sustainable, eco-friendly and even fair-trade practices.”

If you do get your hands on some good-quality chocolate at a reasonable price, don’t be afraid to use it in the savory side of things, and if you’re unsure, start small, says Baker.

“I try to think of chocolate like anchovies. Unless it is the primary or focal flavor, it is best used sparingly in the background as a building block,” he says. “Would very many people like Caesar salad if it tasted redolent of anchovy? No! But it sure wouldn’t be as popular without them.”

Ken Baker’s Red Wine Mushroom Risotto:

Editor’s note: Serves 20.

Red Wine Mushroom Risotto

Mushroom Stock:

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms

4 cups boiling water

1 1/2 pounds fresh cremini and shiitake mushrooms

Sweat fresh mushrooms. Add dried mushrooms and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft. Reserve for red wine broth below.

Red Wine Risotto Broth

2 tablespoons butter

2 small leeks (white part only), chopped

2 small fennel bulbs, chopped

1 onion, chopped

12 cloves of garlic, halved crosswise

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1.5 pounds Parmesan cheese rinds, broken into 2- to 3-inch squares

4 fresh thyme sprigs

2 fresh Italian parsley sprigs

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, toasted

2 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted (all in sachet)

1 gallon water

Mushroom stock

1 bottle dry red wine

In a heavy-bottomed stockpot, sweat aromatics in butter. Wrap herbs and parmesan rinds in cheesecloth. Add to pot. Add wine, water and reserved mushroom stock. Bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 hours. Remove sachet. Strain, and return sachet to broth. Keep warm to make risotto.

For Risotto:

1 onion minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups carnaroli rice

2 cups dry red wine

Broth from above

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste.

Finish with fresh chives and parsley to order.

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add herb bundle, onion, and garlic. Cook until onion is soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add wine; increase heat to high. Boil until almost dry, about 6 minutes. Add warm broth mixture 1 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next and stirring often until rice is tender but still firm to bite, about 20 minutes.

Plating additions:

Cocoa nibs: Pulse in spice grinder until coarse, like uncooked couscous. Sprinkle on bottom of plate for a little with every bite.

Mushroom Chips: Thinly slice the shiitake caps. Season with salt, and let rest for 10 minutes, to draw out moisture. Toss in rice flour. Shake off excess. Fry until crisp. Place under heat lamp to fully dry. (Or microwave at 15 second intervals.)

Parmesan Cultured Butter: Beat together 1 pound cultured butter, softened (most European brands are cultured) and 1 cup grated Parmesan. Stir the Parmesan Cultured Butter into the finished risotto before service.