Week 42 -- Chocolate

Chocolate is one of the most popular flavoring for candies, cookies, cakes and pastries. Chocolate is also served as a beverage and is an ingredient in the traditional Mexican Mole sauce or rub. Chocolate is not always sweet. Cocoa powder can be used as a seasoning or flavoring for chicken, beef, pork and seafood.

Where Chocolate Comes From

  • Chocolate begins as yellow fruit pods hanging from the trunk and main branches of cacao trees
  • Each pod contains about 40 almond sized cocoa beans
  • After the pods ripen, the beans are placed in the sun for several days to dry and ferment
  • They are then cleaned, dried, cured and roasted to develop flavor and reduce bitterness, similar to coffee
  • The beans are then crushed to remove their shells, yielding the prized chocolate or cacoa "nibs"
  • The nibs are crushed into a thick paste known as chocolate liquor or chocolate mass
  • Chocolate mass contains about 53% fat, known as cocoa butter
  • If cocoa powder is to be produced, all the cocoa butter is removed
  • Most producers use the Swiss technique of conching to increase smoothness
    • Conching involves stirring large vats of blended chocolate with a heavy roller or paddle to smooth out sugar crystals and mellow the flavor
    • The conching process may last several days

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Forms of Chocolate

  • Unsweetened
    • Pure chocolate liquor without added sugar or milk solids
    • 53% Cocoa butter and 47% cocoa solids
  • Bittersweet or Semi-Sweet
    • 35% Chocolate liquor
    • Sugar and flavorings
  • Sweet: Government Standards, not less than 15% chocolate liquor
  • Milk
    • Most popular in the US
    • Milk solids added
    • Good chocolate candy, but not suitable for baking, because milk solids burn
  • Cocoa Powder
    • The brown powder left over after the cocoa butter is removed
    • Used primarily in baking
  • Cocoa Butter
    • Chocolate liquor is 53% cocoa butter
    • Sometimes used cosmetically
  • White
    • Not chocolate at all
    • Generally, vegetable oils, sugar and milk solids, maybe some vanilla extract

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Storing Chocolate

  • Keep in cool consistent temperature environment, away from strong odors and moisture
  • "Bloom": grayish white spots that form on the surface, caused by the migration of cocoa butter crystals to the surface upon temperature change, due to improper storage, inconsistent temperature

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Tempering (Melting) Chocolate

  • Cocoa Butter melts at body temperature
  • Tempering is melting chocolate within 100F to 110F
    • This allows the crystals within the chocolate to take on a structure that allows it to form a hard, crispy coating for cookies, candy, other desserts at room temperature
    • Must never exceed 120F, for the crystals are then ruined and will not come back together
  • Chocolate should be melted gently in microwave or double-boiler without steam touching the surface of the top pan
    • Chocolate must never touch water, including steam
      • "Seizing" occurs when chocolate touches water, becomes lumpy
      • Add fat, vegetable oil to cure
    • Bring bottom pan to soft simmer, small bubbles
    • Add a cup of chocolate chips to top bowl, and reserve another 1/3 cup on the side (you could use chocolate bars broken into same size pieces)
    • As chips begin to melt stir continuously with rubber spatula
    • Control heat by removing bowl from bottom pan occasionally
    • At first the chocolate will appear muddy and grainy, keep stirring, heating gently
    • What we're looking for is shiny and smooth
    • Chocolate will next become spreadable, but not pourable, keep heating gently and stirring, being careful not to exceed 112F-115F, preferably 110F
    • When it becomes a spreadable paste, check temperature
    • If the temperature is too high, 113F-116F, remove from heat, then seed the chocolate by adding some of the reserved 1/3 cup chocolate chips
      • These reserved cold chips will help drop the temperature of the melted chocolate
      • This also ensures the proper crystal structure
      • Allow the cold chips to melt via residual heat
      • Take temperature again, seeking close to 100F for tempering
    • Look for shiny surface on the chocolate, not runniness
  • Now, use this tempered chocolate to make peanut butter cups, cream filled eggs, chocolate topped cookies, whatever, cover cherries, nuts

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Ganache

  • Chocolate coating or frosting for cakes and cupcakes, make truffles or candies
  • Two ingredients: Chocolate and heavy cream
  • How Much Chocolate/Cream?
    • 50/50 chocolate to cream is medium consistency
    • For stiffer ganache, use more chocolate, try 20% more (60/40)
    • For thinner ganache, use more cream, try 20% more (40/60)
  • Bring 1 cup heavy cream to boil in a pan
    • Look for full, hot, rolling boil
    • When cream begins to rise up the side of the pan, turn heat off and add the chocolate chips
  • Stir to make consistent mixture
  • Pour into bowl, cover, and put in the refrigerator overnight to set up
  • Next day, scoop out truffle like candies, roll in powdered sugar, or nuts or cocoa powder
  • Or, put into mixer with paddle to make it creamy, getting some air in it for frosting
  • Or, put in double boiler to get liquid state again, use to pour over pound cake, or puff pastry rondels, ice cream, peanuts, walnuts, use imagination -- what would liquidy chocolate coating be good on? Everything? Okay.

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Chocolate Fondue

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