My Chocolate Fantasy

Dave Owen asked:


While many people spend lots of money on fine wines, until recently you generally couldn’t say the same about chocolate –not even gourmet chocolate. However, with the advent of high-end Chocolatiers like Amadei, you can now find chocolates to which terms like terroir are now applied (a term from the wine-world that is used to describe the unique flavors and tones imparted by a specific region).

Amadei is an Italian company established in the 1990s whose gourmet chocolate is now in high demand by chocolate connoisseurs. They offer specially grown varieties of chocolate like Porcelana and Chuao that can sell for over $100 a pound!

For the true gourmet chocoholic, money is no object, and Amadei is definitely one of the ultimate gourmet chocolates around, bar none.

But What if I Don’t Want to Spend That Much?

For those who blanch at such prices, a less expensive gourmet chocolate option is Godiva of course. In comparison, for approximately $70 you can get a bit over two pounds of dark chocolate. You also might want to explore other options such as Valrhona, Scharffen Berger, and possibly small local producers if you’re concerned mainly with using chocolate in baking. For example, in Hawaii there is plantation on the Big Island called the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory that grows its chocolate locally and produces it within the state!

I’m Lazy – Give Me Truffles!

Maybe baking isn’t quite up your alley, and you just want to enjoy your gourmet chocolate in the form of truffles or other confections. Again, the aforementioned Amadei is probably one of the top companies to check out. Suffice it to say that their truffles are far cheaper than their pure chocolate squares. Otherwise, go with a standby like Godiva to satisfy your chocolate tooth.

With chocolate however, there’s almost no way to go wrong no matter what brand you choose. Do a Google search for gourmet chocolates and you’ll find interesting sites such as chocosphere.com that put you to the road to achieving chocolate nirvana. Just make certain to keep an eye on your pocketbook when your chocolate addiction kicks in!

Julie Spear asked:


Chocolate has its timeless charm which hooks many a person with a sweet tooth. Then again, some of the chocolates are really expensive. In reality, given a few tips and tricks, you can actually create your own chocolate and save yourself money and increase your delight because of your self-creation.

Essentially, making chocolate begins with the conversion of cacao beans into the bars of chocolate we see in the supermarket shelves. Some other people enjoy eating the cacao beans in its raw form, since it has the basic component that we crave for in the processed chocolates.

A chocolate maker must have persistent attention to detail and dedication to constant practicing. This guide will not ensure to make a chocolate factory out of your kitchen, but it will surely give you the basic idea– just enough for you to enjoy a bar or two of chocolate at any time you wish without hurting your budget. Moreover, since you are directly involved in making your chocolate, you get to know the materials and amount of calories you are placing in every bar.

It begins with Cocoa Beans If you are familiar with brewing coffee, it is similar to the beginning of the chocolate-making process. You need to roast the beans. But then, do not roast it too much. Initially, place it in a high temperature, then slowly diminishing the temperature afterwards. Turn the heat off right before the moment the beans hit their cracking or breaking point. You can do this either on your oven.

Or if you are planning to feed many people with your chocolate, have a larger container to accommodate the huge number of beans. From time to time, test the taste of your chocolate. The moment you start tasting chocolate from the cocoa, it is also an indicator to turn off the heat.

After roasting, the beans must be cracked open, removing the hard husks. You can do this by hand or with use of a small hammer. Depending on the size of your beans, you can use other tools for cracking, since the husks are not that useful for eating. Once the husks are removed, you can now grind the remaining portions until it liquefies. You must thoroughly liquefy the said concoction in order to help you become a home chocolatier.

Coco gets refined over time. The process of conching involves the refinement of chocolate. It may require you to have certain equipment such as the Sancha refiner, which is a common favorite among home chocolatiers. This is where you start adding sugar and milk as part of the delicious chocolate mixture.

You will need to refine and conch for a long time, approximately 10 to 30 hours in length, until you achieve the balance of the ingredients. Excessive refining will turn your chocolate into gum, so be very careful. At this point, even when you let the mixture rest, it must not solidify yet.

Packaging Chocolates: Tempered after refinement. When you are finished refining your chocolate, you need to make sure that it is under the right temperature before you place it in the mold. Not doing this meticulous tempering process will make your chocolate lumpy and unbalanced.

The rich, creamy quality of most chocolate bars in the market come from effective tempering of the chocolate after refinement.