Chocolate Passion, the new guide to chocolate
by Tish Boyle
and Timothy Moriarty
editors of Chocolatier
magazine.
|
|
Making Chocolate
A Wiley Online Culinary Seminar with Timothy Moriarty
Despite the advances in technology since the days of the Aztecs, many aspects of chocolate production remain the same. The beans are still fermented in the traditional way, and carefully selected for the best flavor and aroma, the same way that farmers have for centuries, before they go off to the factory to be made into chocolate.
1. You mention at one point that there are different variations in the
fermentation process; do cacao beans really acquire a different flavor if
fermented differently? How?
Plantations do vary in the way they ferment: traditionally, the cacao pods are
split open with machetes, then the pulp and the beans are scooped out and placed
on banana leaves on the ground, and covered with more leaves. In addition to
banana leaves, beans can be placed in baskets, buried in pits, arranged on trays
or in crates, but the final step of covering them with banana leaves is
universal.
It is the sugar content of the pulpy flesh that ignites fermentation. The pulp turns into acetic acid which ferments the cocoa (formerly cacao) beans before it evaporates. The seed's embryo is destroyed, preventing germination, but in the process it generates the chemical precursors to the bean's chocolaty aroma. In general, quality beans undergo more rapid fermentation. Criollos need some two days; forasteros and trinitarios take a week or more. But the timing is crucial; the beans must not be allowed to ferment too long, or to be pulled from the pulp too quickly, or the maximum flavor from a cocoa bean will not be evoked.
The seeds, which were bitter, are now sweet, and they have changed color; criollos turn yellow-brown, forasteros are darker, almost violet.
2. It sounds like being a Chocolatier would be a dream come true. How would
one actually get into a job like that?
A Chocolatier can be a person who makes chocolates by hand in small batches,
either working for him- or herself for corporate or individual clients. This is
rigorous work, and the rewards are in the pride of craft. Unless you can grow
your company aggressively (and sacrifice quality), you will probably not get
rich being a Chocolatier. A dream job? Your call.
A Chocolatier is also a person who works for a large chocolate company, whose primary job is to evaluate beans and supervise the blending and roasting of the beans. In large companies, the Chocolatiers -- as few as one, as many as twenty -- will evaluate the imported beans. Having evaluated the beans, the Chocolatiers will create various blends. Chocolatiers will generally adjust blends and roasting times and other factors to create a final product that is consistent with the product before, and the product made two years ago. A dream job? Maybe...
In either case, the best way to get started is to take classes in chocolate and candy-making, and perhaps in food science. Work hard, develop your palate, and decide which way you want to go: corporate or craftsman.
3. What sorts of characteristics should you look for when inspecting cacao
beans?
When a Chocolatier inspects beans, he or she is looking for proper fermentation
(color and aroma will tell). Many of the characteristics of cacao beans depend
on the country of origin. Brazilian beans are said to be slightly smoky but
robust, Guyaquil beans are sweet, Sumatra beans are acid, and Indian Ocean
cacaos are pungent and sourish but not bitter. Madagascar are strong in flavor
and aroma. Venezuelan cacaos, primarily criollos, are considered by many Chocolatiers
to be the finest. But these terms used can be deceiving; since
chocolates are the result of a blend of cacao beans, a slightly acrid bean, such
as the variety grown in Trinidad, might be an excellent element in a certain
blend.
4. I've heard the term "conching" used in reference to chocolate
production; what does that involve?
Prior to conching, the beans have been roasted and pulverized, and other
ingredients (sugar, lecithin, vanilla, and milk solids, if applicable) have been
added. It is then refined in large rollers. Now in a pastry-liquid form, it is
poured into huge vats and subjected to a rolling process called conching; the
early paddles resembled conch shells, thus the name. The late stage of conching
is a splendid sight, like something out of a chocolate lover's fever dream: huge
paddles rolling slowly through great vats of chocolate, smooth and creamy and
thick.
Conching develops flavor, eliminating any remaining bitterness by aerating the chocolate and expelling volatile acids; it gives the chocolate a smooth texture by encouraging cocoa butter to coat sugar and cocoa particles, which reduces grittiness. The paddling is continuous for a period of time. Swiss and Belgian chocolates, known for their smoothness, are conched as much as 96 hours. Some chocolates are not conched at all, or for only 4 to 12 hours. There *is* an upper limit to conching; because contemporary technology allows the chocolate particles to be ground extremely fine, conching times can be reduced.
5. Would you recommend buying beans directly from the plantation, or is it
generally better to go through a dealer?
Only professionals can actually buy beans. You have to have an exporters license
(I believe) in order to bring them into this country. In general, only the
"exclusive" high budget chocolate companies buy beans at the
plantation. The way it works is: after the beans are fermented, dried and
cleaned, they are placed in sacks (at the plantation). Government inspectors
visit the plantation and take a large sample from the sacks. They split the
beans lengthwise and classify them by grades -- "fine grade,"
"second grade," and "third grade" are determined by the
color of the beans. The beans are then taken by truck to a sea port. More
inspections will take place at this port of departure, and a final one just
before loading. In general, cocoa beans are purchased at the country of origin
by private import- export traders or international brokerages or exchanges; the
beans are then sold to negotiators, who supply various chocolate manufacturers.
Buy
Chocolate Passion
Copyright: Tish Boyle, Timothy Moriarty, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
All rights reserved
back to Chocolate the food of the gods
|
|
Measurement Help & Conversions |
|
Featured |