Introduction Of Chocolate

 Introduction Of Chocolate

             Chocolate is a unique and sensitive ingredient . It is extremely important to understand how to work with it. since it is used on many pastries in many forms.

                      You must know how to melt, temper, handle and store chocolate especially if you are interested in entering the field of making chocolate bonbons.

               Chocolate begins with the cacao bean (cocoa bean) extracted from the cacao tree. When the cocoa bean is crushed, it results in cocoa liquor which is simply stated unsweetened chocolate.

                       Cocoa solids refers to cocoa powder, without any cocoa butter. Once the cocoa liquor is pressed, cocoa butter is extracted from the cocoa the chocolate, the richer the quality of the chocolate.

Natural vs Acidic cocoa powder

        Cocoa powder is derived by squeezing out the cocoa butter from the cocoa liquor, although cocoa powder does contain some cocoa butter. Dutch processed cocoa powder is cocoa powder that has been treated with alkaline solution to lower its acidity.

                 Natural cocoa powder is acidic, by nature, while natural cocoa powder that has been Dutch-processed, turns alkaline If using natural cocoa powder (which is acidic) in a chocolate cake recipe, you need to use an a alkaline ingredient, like baking soda, in order to release carbon dioxide gas, to leaven a cake.

CHOCOLATE QUALITY vs PRICE

           To make different types of chocolate, different proportions of cocoa powder and cocoa butter are re-blended There is a direct relationship between chocolate quality and price.

                            The chocolate quality is directly proportional To the amount of cocoa butter added to the chocolate As more cocoa butter is added to the chocolate, the more pricey the chocolate will be.

Temperature and chocolate

       Chocolate is very sensitive to changes in temperature so it must be handled extremely carefully. The chocolate must be reheated slowly either over a bain-marie (hot water bath) or in a proofer, with a thermometer in place You may also use a microwave but you must heat it in 10 second intervals, especially if you are melting small amounts of chocolate.

◆ Things to avoid when working with chocolate

Two things that chocolate does not get along with are,

● Small amount of liquids especially droplets of water

● Direct heat

             Either one can seize the chocolate making it unworkable Due to the fact that chocolate is oil-based ( consists of cocoa butter) it is this reason that a drop of water in the chocolate will seize the chocolate, oil and water don't mix.

               One the other hand, adding large amounts of liquid(5) in the chocolate does not harm it. For example adding cream to chocolate to make Ganache. Adding a relatively large amount of liquid to chocolate moistens all the chocolate simultaneously preventing the chocolate from seizing.

                 One more thing to watch out for Never add cold liquids to warm melted chocolate This will cause the chocolate to seize! Always warm up the liquid before adding it to the chocolate.

◆ Can you add liqueurs to chocolate?

              Directly in chocolate, no Adding liqueurs to a chocolate mixture, yes, eg, ganache

◆ What is chocolate couverture?

                Chocolate couverture is chocolate that contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter in relation to other lower quality chocolates.

◆ How do you know if the chocolate is couverture chocolate?

                  Read the ingredients on the box. If it contains cocoa butter it is couverture chocolate If it contains oil, it is NOT couverture chocolate

◆ How to chop chocolate?

                           Use a chef's knife to cut the chocolate into hazelnut-size pieces Start by chipping off pieces from one comer of the chocolate, working. your way inwards Cutting chocolate in small chunks helps melt the chocolate quickly and evenly all throughout.

◆ Why temper chocolate?

                     Tempering is only necessary if you wish to use the chocolate as a coating on a dessert, or when making individual chocolate candies using molds, like bonbons. In such cases, couverture chocolate must be used. Property tempered couverture chocolate will give the desired glossy chocolate finish. 

             Couverture chocolate that you buy, has already been tempered once. The couverture chocolate's ability to be tempered comes from the fact that couverture chocolate contam cocoa butter, which helps the chocolate achieve the proper crustal formation' (molecule alignment) All fat molecules of the cocoa butter do not melt the same temperature. This is why a specific procedure must be followed to properly temper couverture chocolate. 

If you temper too much chocolate, don't worry, it does not go to waste. It can be re-tempered the next day. 

                 Improperly tempered chocolate will show visible white streaks on the chocolate and the final product will have a dull appearance.

     If the final temperature of the chocolate is exceeded, you must start tempering the chocolate from the beginning.

◆ Equipment needed for tempering chocolate

                All you need to temper chocolate at home is an stainless steel pot, a metal bowl, a thermometer and a rubber spatula Alternatively a proofer would be of great help.

◆ How to temper chocolate

                        If you have a proofer, simply set the temperature to the desired final temperature of the chocolate. For example, if you are melting dark chocolate, set the temperature to about 28 deg. C. 

◆ How to test if chocolate has been properly tempered?

                       Once the temperature of the couverture chocolate has reached the final temperature, you need to test the chocolate to see if the it has been properly tempered, before using it. Cut a 1x2" parchment paper and dip one side of it into the tempered chocolate, and let it sit for about 2 minutes on the worktable If the chocolate sets within 2 minutes, the chocolate has been properly tempered. If the chocolate does not set, even after 5 minutes, the chocolate is either too hot or beginning not been properly tempered you must restart the complete process from the If you see white streaks on the chocolate, once it dries, it has not been tempered properly.

◆ Making decorations using tempered chocolate

Making cigarettes

                      Pour the tempered chocolate (32dey C) over a marble surface, about 1-2-inches wide and about 1 1/2 feet long.

                         Thin the chocolate using an offset spatula Finger of left hand should be pushing down on the end of the offset spatula, while spreading the chocolate Thin the tempered chocolate to about 2mm thickness.

              Wait about 10-20 seconds or until the chocolate begins to set If you lightly rub your index finger on the chocolate without any chocolate sticking to your finger, the chocolate has set enough to immediately begin making cigarettes. If you wait longer than that, the chocolate will set and you will not be able to make cigarettes.

                    If after spreading the chocolate the surface of the chocolate seems dry but the inside of the chocolate looks wet the chocolate has not been tempered properly. You must re-temper the chocolate from the beginning.

              Hold a spatula at about 30 degrees from the working surface, and using your left hand push down on the middle edge of the spatula Quickly scrape off about 2 inches of the chocolate.

                Once a thin cigarette has formed on the spatula, simply roll it off onto the marble surface to give you a tighter cigar Do NOT lift it off the spatula using your fingers, or it may be deformed or even melt.

             If you have no success in making chocolate cigarettes, there is a very good chance that the spatula you are using is no good. Try another spatula. A 4-inch spatula found in hardware stores is best The edge of the spatula should be very thin.

                        Leaving the cigarettes in the fridge for 48 hours will give the cigarettes a harder texture, and a higher melting point

TERMINOLOGY

● Seeding is when you add unmelted couverture chocolate to the melted couverture chocolate in order to bring down the temperature of the couverture chocolate to the proper range.

● Cocoa nibs is the inner part of the cocoa bean when the outer shell is removed

● Cocoa mass = unsweetened chocolate = cocoa liquor

● Bloomed chocolate - Bloomed chocolate is alveolate that has beere stored to improper temperatures causing the chocolate to have a whitish coating on the surface This chocolate can be repaired by re-tempering the chocolate and seeding it with some fresh chocolate Bloomed chocolate is still safe to eat, but may have a dull appearance and texture.