Archive for Fine Chocolates
Melting Times For Chocolate
Posted by: | CommentsSo we’ve been talking about melting chocolate the easy way, in your microwave. We covered the basics, including some trouble spots to watch out for.
Here’s another one that is really important. Melting times can vary if you are melting a very small amount, a medium amount, or a really large amount of chocolate. For small amounts, it is alarmingly easy to burn your chocolate – even in a microwave. (This produces that smoky kitchen you do not want!) For medium amounts of chocolate, your basic 2 minutes on HIGH usually works quite well. For very large amounts, it is suggested that you stop after about a minute and a half and stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula. Then, microwave for another minute and repeat. If the chocolate isn’t melted, add more time.
Another thing which affects melting time for chocolate is the cacao content. White chocolate melts the most quickly, followed by milk chocolate. As the percentage of cacao increases, the time needed to melt the chocolate goes up. (How do we know for sure? Our precious offspring just did a big science project about this very thing! Partly out of curiosity, and partly we suspect to be able to eat the experiment afterwards. Both great reasons)
Tags: Artisanal Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate & Fudge Making, Chocolate Fudge, Dark Chocolates, Fudge Recipes, Handmade chocolate fudgeRelated posts
How to Melt Chocolate
Posted by: | CommentsMelting chocolate is a challenge that traditionally can lead to burnt pans and a smokey kitchen! Some home cooks are afraid to try it.
A little secret: you can do it the easy way, no mess and no fuss. Here’s how: Using a microwave safe bowl, put your chocolate into it. It should be in blocks no larger than 1 ounce each. So, if you are not using “baking chocolate” which comes in this size of block, then you will need to chop your chocolate first. Next, put it in the microwave. Microwave power varies but in most, 2 minutes on high will melt your chocolate very nicely.
A couple of things to watch out for with the microwave method for melting chocolate:
-be sure your bowl is microwave-safe
-test a small amount first, for 2 minutes on HIGH. Some microwaves are stronger and will require you to use 70% power or take less time
-after the microwaving time, you might look in and think the chocolate has not melted. When it fact, it might have melted! How can this be? Chocolate in squares or big chunks can retain its shape even when it is melted. So, open the microwave and touch the chocolate with a rubber spatula. Is it softened? That unmelted-looking shape could prove to be melted chocolate after you touch it.
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Payard Chocolate and Truffles Review
Posted by: | CommentsWe went to Las Vegas last week. Gambling isn’t our thing, but FOOD is. As you might already know, Las Vegas has some of the very best restaurants in America. Almost every famous chef (particularly those celebrity chefs) has one or more restaurants in Vegas. It’s foodie heaven.
Aside from trying out good food (we’re not going to review it here), we seeked out world chocolates to try. Since we’re in the chocolate business, we constantly compare ours with all the competitors. Tasting chocolate is a hard job (a little cliche), but somebody has to do it, right?
We toured the local Vegas chocolate factory, Ethel’s Chocolate. Tasted some too. Honestly, we can’t say that we like it very much. Don’t get me wrong, it’s reasonably good chocolate considering the price, but it lacks complexity for our taste buds.
We also had the opportunity to buy some of Francios Payard (regarded as one of the very best chocolatiers in the world). His shop is located in Caesar Palace. We bought a few of his truffles since truffles are closest to our fudge. Now, the quality of the chocolate he used is excellent. Personally, we find it just a tad too sweet in most of the flavors. The raspberry truffle has the most complex taste. It’s tart, sweet, and bitter all at the same time. Very similar to our Razzmanian Devil and our Lemon Shiver. Only ours has a little salt added to bring out the tartness a bit more. The truffles are very smooth and light. The texture is perfect. Overall, we weren’t disappointed. Payard’s chocolate is definitely one of the best we’ve tasted.
Tags: Artisanal Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate & Fudge Making, chocolate review, Chocolate Truffle, Food, food review, Fudge, Gourmet Food, TruffleRelated posts
How to Cut Chocolate – Part 2
Posted by: | CommentsLet’s continue from our previous discussion: how to cut chocolate.
A second great way to cut chocolate is to use a specialized tool. You can look for this in high quality kitchen shops, online, or in baking supply shops. It is called a chocolate chipper and looks almost like a tiny pitchfork.
Again, start with your block of chocolate balance well on a heavy cutting board. Start at one corner or side, and begin chipping away at the block of chocolate. You’ll see pieces coming off quite nicely.
A Third Way to Cut Chocolate: when you need to get very small, fine pieces of chocolate you may need a different technique. In the first method we looked at, using a serrated knife, produces shavings or shards of chocolate. The second method, using a chocolate chipper, gives much the same result. For finer pieces, try grating your chocolate.
What kind of grater should you use? We suggest that a good old-fashioned box-style grater works really well for chocolate. You can choose a finer or a coarser side for grating with, depending on your recipe. Again, start with a heavy duty cutting board. This time, place the grate on the board and hold it firmly with one hand. In the other hand, hold your block of chocolate. Then, simply begin to grate.
Tags: Artisanal Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate & Fudge Making, Chocolate Blog, Chocolate Fudge, Fudge, Gourmet FoodRelated posts
How Long Can You Keep Chocolate?
Posted by: | CommentsThe question of how long your can keep chocolate is a tricky one. It depends on several factors. The biggest question is, what kind of chocolate do you have – something very soft and moister, or something very hard? Does is contain nuts? (This will make it last less time.) Or does it perhaps contain alcohol? (THis can extend the life of your chocolate). Next, what kinds of temperatures has the chocolate been exposed to?
Another question is, does the chocolate contain preservatives or chemicals to extend the shelf life? Or is it natural? Many of the chocolates that you find in most supermarkets contain preservatives. They’re usually low quality chocolates. High quality, natural chocolates will not last as long. But, at Cocopotamus, we definitely think they’re worth it!
Tags: Artisanal Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate & Fudge Making, Chocolate Blog, Chocolate Fudge, Dark Chocolates, Fudge, Gourmet Food, Handmade chocolate fudge, storing chocolateRelated posts
How To Store Chocolate
Posted by: | CommentsOkay, back to our regular topics on learning more about chocolate.
When it comes to chocolate, the basic “do’s” and “don’ts” can make a big difference. One of the first things people wonder about is how to store chocolate. Do you put it in the fridge, or not? What about the freezer? How long can you keep chocolate?
Chocolate should generally be kept in its original wrapper and stored in that old cliche, a “cool, dark, dry place”. But what if you’ve already torn into that gourmet chocolate bar? Hmmm…in that case, we suggest putting it into a heavy quality Ziploc bag.
Should you put your chocolate in the fridge? Only if the weather where you are is notter than 70 degrees F and you don’t have the benefit of air-conditioning. When it comes to the freezer, if you store chocolate this way it should be double wrapped (triple if you count the original wrapper). And, don’t store it in a self-defrosting freezer if you can help it.
Tags: Chocolate, Chocolate & Fudge Making, Chocolate Blog, Chocolate Fudge, Dark Chocolates, Food, Gourmet Food, Handmade chocolate fudge, storing chocolateRelated posts
New Fudge Flavor Tested
Posted by: | CommentsThe last few days we’ve been busy testing out some new flavors. Among them, one called Geisha stood out the most. It is an dark chocolate fudge with catalope melon flavor intensified by a high quality melon liqueur we added. Wow, that’s really got a kick to it.
We also experimented with a brand of European sea salt for our Mr. French fudge. It has a coarser grain. It looks good, but we find the larger grain makes the chocolate too salty. So, that one was axed. We’ll stick with our Fleur-de-sel. It’s finer, more fragrant, and…well…a lot more expensive.
