Deep Dark Chocolate (2 page)

cacao nibs

Cacao beans are used to make chocolate, and cacao nibs are produced by toasting and crushing the beans. Nibs are unsweetened, crunchy, and intensely flavored. They are not sweet but they make a wonderful addition to the home cook’s repertoire of dark chocolate ingredients. I add them to baked goods whenever I need a little crunch. Caramelized, they make a marvelous snack. Cacao nibs are available in many specialty supermarket baking sections (Scharffen Berger is a popular brand) or online (see Sources).

got milk?

In the 1870s, while Swiss chemist Henri Nestlé was discovering how to evaporate milk into a powder, his neighbor, chocolate-maker Daniel Peter, was experimenting with new chocolate products. Their combined efforts resulted in the world’s first milk chocolate candy bar and propelled this form of cacao into the world’s most widely consumed chocolate.

Take Two Chocolates And Call Me In The Morning

Let’s refill that prescription. Whether you enjoy it by the bar or by the brownie, you’ve probably wondered if the claims that dark chocolate is good for your health have any basis. Here is the wonderful, deep, dark truth.

Cacao beans have a higher percentage of antioxidants than either green tea or red wine. (I’ll toast to that.) The percentage is even higher than that of prunes! Consequently, the higher your chocolate’s cacao content (check the percentage on the label), the better it is for you. Those antioxidants attack the destructive molecules linked to heart disease and other ailments.

Dark chocolate contains plant flavonoids, which help keep cholesterol from gathering in your blood vessels by stimulating the release of nitric oxide, known to dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow, which, in turn, lessens the risk of blood clots and slows down the responses that lead to clogged arteries. Flavonoids also help to lower the risk of lung cancer, prostate cancer, asthma, and type 2 diabetes. (Pass me another chunk of dark chocolate,
please
. I know. I know. Therapeutically, we’re talking about an ounce a day—no more. I can live with that.) Chocolate provides another key to our heart: phenylethylamine or PEA. Related to amphetamines, it’s shown to relieve depression and is present in higher doses in our brains when we fall in love (and during orgasm). No wonder we have a feeling of well-being.

Modern science has identified other organic compounds that explain chocolate’s stimulating and mood-enhancing effects. The most common, caffeine, is a familiar daily drug for coffee and cola drinkers, although the amount of caffeine contained in chocolate is much less than that in coffee—to match the amount of caffeine you would get by drinking an 8-ounce cup of coffee, you’d have to eat a pound of chocolate.

But yes, you can have too much of a good thing. Like many other foods we enjoy as indulgences, chocolate has welcome healthful benefits, but that’s not the whole picture. Chocolate is also loaded with fat and calories (an ounce of dark chocolate has between 11 and 13 grams of fat and between 150 and 170 calories), so here comes
that
word again—moderation.

death by chocolate

While the theobromine in chocolate may elevate your mood, when it comes to your pets, chocolate is one treat to definitely avoid. Dogs, cats (especially kittens), parrots, and other domestic animals metabolize chocolate’s caffeine cousin, theobromine, less effectively than we do, creating toxic or lethal effects. Keep that premium dark chocolate for yourself.

I Crave, You Rave, We All Love Dark Chocolate

Remember the familiar candy slogan “It melts in your mouth, not in your hands”? This helps to explain one of chocolate’s delicious qualities and perhaps one of the main reasons we love it so much. It has to do with body heat.

Cocoa butter stays firm up to temperatures of 92°F, so in most climates, chocolate holds its shape nicely—that is, until you pop it into your mouth. Since the temperature of the human mouth is just a few degrees warmer than the melting point of cocoa butter, chocolate softens slowly, releasing its delectable flavors into—rather than merely
in
—your mouth. Dark chocolate is like a kiss from someone you really love.

Chocolate Terminology

Chocolate is enjoying a renaissance. And along with its resurgence, unfamiliar terms are emerging. Have you noticed the change in chocolate labels? Similar to labels for coffee or fine wine, they give vintages, varietals, and other details. If you find yourself floundering in a sea of percentages, origins, and tasting-note descriptions, this abbreviated list will help you understand some of the more popular terms. For in-depth information and where to buy, see Sources.

black cocoa

Available from King Arthur Flour, it is cocoa that has been highly “Dutched,” or alkalized. Ever wonder what makes an Oreo cookie so dark? Now you know.

bloom

This is a grayish-white film that forms on chocolate and indicates that temperature fluctuations occurred during storage. It should not affect the quality of the chocolate if the chocolate is to be melted and used in a recipe.

cacao

Pronounced “ka-COW.” We love this tropical evergreen tree
(Theobroma cacao)
because it produces large, ten-ribbed fruits, or pods, which hold about forty cacao seeds (also called beans) apiece. The pods grow on the trunks of the chocolate tree as well as on its older branches.

cacao nibs

Roasted, hulled, and broken cacao beans, nibs are the latest chocolate ingredient to enter chocolate lovers’ repertoires. Intensely flavorful, nibs can be crushed, infused, caramelized, or left in their natural state.

cacao seeds or beans

Also known as cocoa beans. They are the source of all forms of chocolate and cocoa.

chocolate liquor

Also known as
cocoa mass
, chocolate liquor is the liquid or paste produced when cacao beans are roasted and ground. It is the pure, roasted, and refined cacao bean with no ingredients added. The chocolate industry uses this intermediate product as the basis for its production of cocoa powder and cocoa butter.

cocoa beans

This is another term for cacao seeds. They are the source of all forms of chocolate and cocoa.

cocoa butter

The naturally occurring, yellowish-white fat present in cacao seeds. Like all fats, it carries flavor (in this case, chocolate) to our taste buds. It is the main ingredient of white chocolate and is also used as an ingredient in cosmetics, tanning oils, and soap.

couverture

Also known as
coating chocolate
, this is dark chocolate with a high cocoa-butter content. Professional confectioners or candy makers use it for dipping and enrobing.

criollo

Native to Central America, the Caribbean islands, and South America,
criollo
is one of the three main varieties of the cultivated cacao tree. While it is the most finicky to grow, its beans are considered the finest and most aromatic, and they contribute unique secondary notes from a broad palette of flavors.

forastero

Another of the three main varieties of the cultivated cacao tree,
forastero
is the workhorse. Believed to be native to the Amazon basin, it is hardy and high-yielding, producing more than 80– percent of the world’s production of cacao beans. While the beans have a big chocolate flavor, they lack the subtle nuances associated with premium chocolate.

ganache

A versatile blend of chocolate and cream (or any water-based liquid). Depending upon the temperature and the proportion of cream to chocolate, ganache can be a velvety sauce to serve over ice cream. It can also cover a cake in a shiny glaze or fluffy frosting or become as firm and toothsome as fudge.

milk chocolate

While this type of chocolate may be America’s candy-bar star, it should not be used as a substitute for dark chocolate. It needs to contain only 10–percent chocolate liquor, which is why it does not have a pronounced chocolate flavor and why it plays a minor role in baking. (It also contains cocoa butter, vanilla, milk solids, and lecithin, a natural emulsifier.)
percentage

This is a useful label for gauging sweetness (or bitterness). It represents the
combined
amount, by weight, of ground cacao beans and cocoa butter in the solid chocolate, versus sugar and other ingredients. In premium chocolates, that fraction is made up solely from ground cacao beans, but some chocolate makers may add more cocoa butter than is naturally present in the beans. When that happens the flavor is not as intense, although the percentage remains the same.

single-origin, vintage, and plantation or estate chocolate

These terms are used for chocolate made from the cacao beans of a single country, region, year, or plantation. While most chocolates are a blend of beans from different regions, these chocolates are like fine wines, with distinct flavors characteristic of a particular soil and climate.

tasting terminology

In the world of premium chocolate, terms are as elaborate as the descriptive words used for wine and fine-quality coffee. Flavor and aroma profiles exist. If you’re interested in learning more, see Sources.

tempering

This is the process of alternately cooling and reheating melted chocolate to form fat crystals and stabilize them within the cocoa butter, so that the solid chocolate retains its glossy sheen, snap, and melting properties.

theobroma cacao

The Latin name for the spindly tree that grows in equatorial regions of the world. Its common name is
cacao
, or simply the chocolate tree.
Theobroma
means “food of the gods,” a name bestowed by botanist Carolus Linnaeus in 1753.

trinitario

One of three main varieties of the cultivated cacao tree,
trinitario
is a hybrid of
criollo
and
forastero
. It exhibits properties of both, such as high yield and aromatic beans.

white chocolate

This isn’t really chocolate at all, because it contains no chocolate liquor or solids. It does contain cocoa butter with sugar, milk solids, and vanilla added. Premium-quality white chocolate, such as Green & Black’s, Valrhona, Callebaut, or El Rey, has a creamy, custard like flavor .

a word about the bean

Cocoa content—the percentages—does not guarantee a quality chocolate. It’s all about the bean. An inferior bean will not make a superior chocolate no matter how high the cocoa content.

Baking Tips
And Deep, Dark Chocolate
Secrets

(Read this first, before the recipes)

Buying, Storing, Chopping, Measuring, And Melting Dark Chocolate: The Basic How-To Guide

Buying Dark Chocolate

I hope this book encourages you to begin experimenting in the kitchen with fine-quality, premium chocolates you enjoy eating instead of using semisweet and bittersweet chocolates from the supermarket’s baking aisle.

Any solid, dark chocolate can be used as a baking chocolate. Remember, when a recipe highlights chocolate, the better the chocolate, the better the recipe will turn out. Begin by trying celebrated brands such as Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, Callebaut, El Rey, Michel Cluizel, Pralus, and Dagoba to find out which chocolates you enjoy eating, then branch out. You’ll soon discover that no two chocolates taste alike, and a universe of new stars is waiting to be discovered.

Here’s an idea: The next time you try your favorite brownie recipe, take a tiny taste of the chocolate first; it won’t be missed. Then, taste the brownie. See if you can detect the same characteristics that made that premium chocolate bar so good. Was it altered? Was it improved?

Storing Dark Chocolate

Properly stored, dark chocolate will keep for up to a year. Store it in a cool (60° to 70°F), dry place, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to protect it. The worst enemies of a fine chocolate are air, moisture, and odors (which chocolate easily absorbs). If you refrigerate it, you’re inviting condensation and any number of unwanted aromas to invade.

If you notice a grayish-white film on your stored chocolate, temperature fluctuations have occurred during storage, and the cocoa butter has melted. The film is known as
bloom
. It should not affect the quality of the chocolate if it is to be melted and used in a recipe.