I Am Not a Chocolate Snob

Contrary to what some people may think, I am not a chocolate snob. Oh I know that there are true chocolate aficionados who will only consume, bittersweet chocolate with at least 78% cacao content. Others swear that the velvety smooth texture of Belgium chocolate is the true essence of great chocolate. Still others are able to pick out the different nuances in single origin chocolates from around the world. And although I do have my preferences when it comes to which chocolate I use when making certain dishes, truth is I pretty much like all chocolate.

When I’m baking, I select specific chocolates for to match my recipes. Scharffenberger’s unsweetened chocolate is an essential ingredient in the mocha brownies we serve at Allyson’s, giving the bars both their fudgy texture and deep mocha flavor. For a bittersweet chocolate soufflé recipe that we teach in our Confident Cooking class, I like to use Valrhona’s Guanaja (70% cocoa) Grand Cru bittersweet. And for the wine infused truffles that I like to give as gifts for the holidays, I turn to Callebaut’s Peru Dark Origine Chocolate. For an unusual chocolate fudge sauce, I melt chopped up bars of Dagoba’s Superfruit with hot cream, whisking until smooth – simply delicious over vanilla ice cream.

Today, some people savor chocolate, the same way they savor fine wines. And just like wine, the earth in which the cocoa plants are grown impart truly unique flavors into the cocoa beans. Cocoa plants grow best in tropical climates and the majority are grown in South Africa and South America. Young cocoa plants actually need to be “mothered,” grown under shady trees to protect their tender leaves from the hot sun.

There are several varieties of cocoa trees, including the Criollo, Forastero, as well as several hybrids. Cocoa trees can grow up to sixty feet tall but are usually pruned to a more manageable size. The trees bear fruit at about two years of age. Cocoa pods or the fruit of these trees are found at the trunk take about six months to ripen. The pods are oval in shape and may be green, yellow, orange, brown, and sometimes purple. As the pod ripens, it turns dark brown or dark purple.

After ripening, pods are sliced open to reveal the sweet white or yellow pulp, which is also edible. Embedded in this creamy pulp are the beans or seeds. The cocoa beans are brown in color and very bitter at this stage. At this point, pulp and the beans are fermented and dried, a process that releases the heady aroma of chocolate into the air. Finally, the dried beans (or chocolate nibs) are roasted and ready to begin the process of chocolate making process. The chocolate nibs are ground to extract some of the cocoa butter (a natural vegetable fat), leaving a thick paste – called chocolate liquor. The chocolate liquor is further refined and other ingredients such as sugar and milk powder are added. The final step for most chocolate is conching, a process that involves machines specifically equipped with rotating blades that slowly blend the heated chocolate liquor, eliminating residual moisture and volatile acids. Conching continues for 12 to 72 hours, depending on the type and quality of the chocolate, while small amounts of cocoa butter are added in to give the chocolate its smooth texture.

The Aztecs and Mayan people are thought to be the true pioneers in making chocolate. The earliest documented use of chocolate is around 1100 BC. The Mayan and Aztecs roasted the cocoa beans and ground them into a paste. The paste was then mixed with water, maize and chilies and offered to their warriors and noblemen. Even then, chocolate was thought to have nutritional properties that increased the stamina, mental abilities and courage of those who drank the bitter brew. The Aztecs named this healthy concoction, “xocoatl”, pronounced as “shoco-latle.” It is a Nahuatl word that means “bitter water.” Spanish Conquistadors brought back the beans and the technique back to Europe, where they added sugar to make the taste more pleasing to European palates. Shoco-latle became known as chocolate.

A good majority of the chocolate that people consume today is made into bars that combine cocoa solids, fats like cocoa butter, and sugar. Chocolate has become one of the most popular flavors in the world. Gifts of foiled wrapped chocolate molded into different shapes has become traditional on certain holidays: chocolate bunnies and eggs are popular on Easter, coins on Hanukkah, Santa Claus and other holiday symbols on Christmas, and hearts on Valentine's Day. Chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, to produce chocolate milk and cocoa.

Chocolate’s healthful properties are still being celebrated by all of us who look for an excuse to indulge. Chocolate contains alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine, which have physiological effects on the body. It has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Research scientist claim that chocolate, eaten in moderation, can lower blood pressure, yet chocolate contains theobromine, which makes it toxic to some animals.

The passion for chocolate is shared universally, and is especially evident in the incredibly talented artisan chocolate producers in the Rogue Valley. From Dagoba’s organic line of decadent chocolate bars to Lillie Belle’s unique Blue Cheese Truffles, from Silly Rabbit’s organic chocolates filled with exotic ingredients and sweetened with honey to Creekhouse Patisserie’s delicately molded white chocolate swans, and from Pete’s Confections gourmet chocolate dipped marshmallows, to Harry and David’s signature chocolate collections – we have so many chocolate choices in the Rogue Valley. You can purchase artisan chocolates at many locations, including Lillie Belle’s Chocolate Factory in Central Point and Silly Rabbit’s Chocolate Shop in Ashland. You can also purchase many of these gourmet chocolates at the Ashland Food Co-op, Market of Choice and Allyson’s Kitchen in Ashland, and Harry & David’s Country Store in Medford. And, if you have the desire to make your own chocolate confections at home, you can also purchase the world’s finest chocolates in specialty and gourmet shops.

The United States Federal Drug Agency regulates the production of chocolate and the standards that need to be maintained. Unsweetened chocolate (also called baking chocolate) contains 50% to 58% of cocoa butter. Bittersweet chocolate must contain at least 35% chocolate liquor. Semisweet chocolate can contain 15% to 35% of chocolate liquor. Adding dry milk to sweetened chocolate makes milk chocolate, which contains at least 12% of milk solids and 10% of chocolate liquor. Although you can usually substitute semi-sweet for bittersweet chocolate and vice versa, when a recipe calls for milk chocolate. Because of the milk solids in milk chocolate, substituting bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate could potentially alter the texture of the dish (with the exception of chocolate chip cookies – which keeps the chocolate pieces whole, instead of melting them and incorporating into the other ingredients). White chocolate is actually not chocolate at all, because it does not contain chocolate liquor, and therefore, very little chocolate flavor. It’s usually a mixture of sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, lecithin and vanilla.

Selecting the right chocolate for your recipes and for snacking starts with knowing your own chocolate personality. Do you prefer your chocolate sweet and creamy, or are you looking for that dark, slightly bitter deep chocolate taste? If you lean toward sweet and creamy, choose milk and semi-sweet, or better yet a combination of the two. If you prefer darker chocolate but not too dark, stick semi-sweet. And if you consider yourself a chocolate snob – you’ll probably want to select the darkest bittersweet with the highest chocolate liquor content possible.

For my own chocolate personality, I believe I am an equal opportunity chocolate lover. As long as it’s chocolate, I will indulge. Yet, when I’m truly craving something deep, dark and satisfying, I bake up a batch of these truly Outrageous Brownies. They’re rich, and deeply chocolaty with a hint of espresso – the perfect afternoon pick-me-up with a cold glass of milk! It makes a big batch – a full sheet pan, so there’s always enough to share!

Outrageous Brownies - Recipe at AllysonsKitchen.com