chocolate education
Chocolate Tasting Interview
February 10, 2011
A few weeks ago I was interviewed for an article with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper. That article appeared in the print version yesterday and online the day before.
There's some great information about tasting chocolate as well as pairing chocolate and wine. Click this link for the full chocolate and wine article.
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Chocolate and Cocoa Substitutes
January 28, 2011
Have you ever discovered you were out of an ingredient? Of course that always seems to happen right in the middle of making something!
When the recipe calls for chocolate, cocoa powder, or unsweetened baking chocolate, using the correct substitution can mean your crisis is avoided. And no emergency trip to the grocery store!
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Wax in Your Chocolate?
January 13, 2011
No, do not add wax to your chocolate!
It seems like I give tempering advice all the time. And I know why. Tempering chocolate should be easy, but it isn’t. And when struggling, people do one of two things: seek advice or look for ways to cheat.
Tempering is just one of those things that takes a lot of practice, and you have to be willing to learn from your mistakes.
If you are making chocolate-dipped candies and have trouble with the tempering process, you may be tempted to put paraffin or baker's wax into your coating to help it set.
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Chocolate Dipped Spoons
December 18, 2010
If you are creative and crafty (as in talented in making crafts, not as in clever with intent to do evil) this may be the project for you. Spoons dipped in chocolate can make an impressive gift!
Before I get into the project, I would like to define some terminology for you.
couverture coating - this is a professional-quality chocolate coating that contains a high percentage of cocoa butter, allowing the chocolate to form a thinner coating shell than other chocolate.
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Chocolate in the Freezer?
December 17, 2010
A question I hear somewhat frequently is, "Should I store chocolate in the freezer?"
A friend once told me that the best place to store chocolate is in your mouth. 🙂
Now for a more serious answer, the best place to store chocolate is in an odor-free, air-tight container surrounded by a 65 to 68 F air temperature with no more than 50% relative humidity. How’s that for precise?
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Chocolate to Clear Your Head
December 16, 2010
'Tis the season – to be tired!
I know the holidays can be stressful and exhausting. Even if you aren’t in charge of preparing for the parties and family gatherings, you may find yourself having to do something unexpected that requires a tremendous amount of your time and energy.
One of two things usually happens to me in times of stress as it pertains to food; overeat or forget to eat. Neither extreme is healthy, and neither condition will do anything to keep a body going.
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Roasting Cocoa Beans
December 2, 2010
Here is a dose of chocolate science. You know you need it from time to time!
Roasting cocoa beans serve two purposes. First, it dries the beans, and second, it develops flavor.
Driving off as much moisture in the bean is important from a food safety perspective. The lower the water content, the more difficult it is for bacteria to grow and pose a health threat.
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The Fineness of Grind
November 18, 2010
Why does one brand of chocolate bar feel so velvety smooth in your mouth but the next one feel so rough?
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty, shall we? (pun intended!) It all depends on particle size, or the fineness of grind.
When cocoa beans are shelled and roasted, the nibs are ground up and heated to form fluid chocolate called chocolate liquor, cocoa mass, or unsweetened chocolate. When chocolate liquor is then blended with other ingredients like sugar and milk powder, the resulting paste is ground up even further. This process is called “refining.”
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Mint Chocolate and Chocolate Mint
November 8, 2010
You say tah-may-toe, I say tah-mah-toe. Some say mint chocolate, and some say chocolate mint. Although often used interchangeably, there is a difference, technically speaking.
Mint chocolate is a variety of flavored chocolate, in this case, infused with mint flavoring. It can be used as a coating or as a stand alone chocolate bar. Since mint is added to dark, milk, and white chocolate, mint chocolate does not denote just one type of coating. Mint can be peppermint or spearmint or crème de menthe.
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Terrific Tannins, Terrible Tannins
November 4, 2010
Tannins are astringent, bitter compounds found in plants. Tannins cause your mouth to feel dry and pucker up. The manipulation of tannin concentration plays an important role in aging of wine and ripening fruit.
Tannins are also important to the flavor development and health benefits in chocolate...
Chocolate liquor contains about 6% tannins, significantly contributing to the bitterness of chocolate. “Bitter” as a flavor descriptor is not always a bad thing. It is true that sometimes bitter can refer to negative characteristic coming from improper fermenting or roasting. But normal amounts of tannins intensify chocolate flavor, especially at the finish.
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