As health benefits of chocolate make headlines, chocoholics are only happier to sink their teeth into their favourite bars. Here's how to do it better!
Mayans considered cocoa a cure-all. The Aztecs used it as money. And Jeanne Louise Calment —the oldest human to have ever lived — who lived for 122 years and 164 days, put her good health down to her regular chocolate consumption. A food that’s always in the news, there’s no way you can ignore chocolate, or its cravings. So why not pack away that guilt, and embark on a ride that makes the chocolate eating experience more fulfilling.
The ‘dark’ side of chocolate
For chocolate lovers, broadly there’s three types of chocolate — white, milk and dark. According to The Cocoa Trees’ Singapore based chef Kevin Zhang though, biting into dark chocolate is the way to experience cocoa and its subtle aroma and flavours. And he says he’s glad that bitter chocolate is getting more popular, as studies regarding its health benefits emerge. The average commercial dark chocolate contains about 60 per cent cocoa and has been found to contain 536 milligrams of flavonoids per 1.4-ounce serving. Research has shown that as few as 80 milligrams of flavonoids a day can lower blood pressure.
Dipped delights
Chef Kevin was recently in the city to conduct a workshop on chocolate dipping treats. For the dip, chef used two kinds of chocolate, “Sixty per cent cocoa bar (dark chocolate), and 40 per cent cocoa bar (milk chocolate). When you blend the two, you get a balanced bitter-sweet taste,” he told us.
The chocolate master prefers a dry dip over a chocolate fondue. “You see, dry dips can be carried with you and eaten later.”
So how do you prepare the perfect dry chocolate dip. Chef Kevin says you have to temper the chocolate just right. “Keep stirring as you melt the chocolate to incorporate air bubbles.” To know if your dip is ready, dip your spoon in the chocolate. “If the chocolate on the spoon dries in a minute, then you can start dipping your fruits and nuts.”
The choice of fruits is important. “The sour taste of strawberries go well with the bitter-sweet chocolate dip, and so do dry apricots and cherries.” He tells us that only whole fruit pieces work with a dry dip. “While you can use anything in a chocolate fondue, in case of chocolate dipping, something like mango pieces can release water in the chocolate and spoil it.” Always wipe the fruits dry before dipping.
And avoid using compound chocolate. “Compound chocolate do not have cocoa butter, but vegetable oil. Always go for plain chocolate bars of your choice.”
Dishing up a chocolate platter
When serving chocolate with wine, chef Savio suggests keeping the platter simple. “Steer clear of chocolates with fillings. You’d not want flavours of passion fruit, mango and mint to come in the way of enjoying the wine.” He suggests you go for the basic dark, white and milk chocolates. You can keep the innovative, flavourful ones for a platter to be served after meals at a party, he says.
Bettering the experience
Chef Kevin says temperature and humidity play an important role as to how you enjoy the original taste of a chocolate bar. “Never bite into a chocolate straight out of the fridge or especially, the freezer.” He recommends that you let it sit at room temperature (25°C to 28°C) for half an hour before you consume it. The chef from Singapore also insists that when you try a new chocolate, don’t chew. “Let it melt in your mouth. You will be able to discover the aroma, and its subtle flavours as it melts.”
And for the best experience, go looking for a grand cru, suggests chef Savio. “They are made of highly selected beans coming from a soil specially conditioned for chocolate.”
This is similar to the GI (geographical indication) tag, a certification that the product possesses certain qualities, or enjoys a certain reputation, due to its geographical origin.
Chef Savio also suggests that you don’t smoke or have any beverage two hours prior to trying a new chocolate. On a chocolate tour to Switzerland, chef Savio says, “I was told that you need complete peace of mind to savour a chocolate.”
Smooth, melt-in-your-mouth savouries
The salted caramel food trend of 2011 opened doors to the idea of savoury chocolates. Chef Kevin, a self-confessed “original” (unflavoured) chocolate fan, says on a trip to Korea he discovered the Kimchi chocolate. “And surprisingly, this unexpected pairing was very acceptable in taste.” Another ‘unusual’ pair is the seaweed chocolate. Savoury chocolates are being attempted in India too, like Chilli Almond Chocolate by chef Savio Fernandes of the Bombay Baking Company (BBC), JW Marriott. “After the popularity of the chilli chocolate mousse, we wanted to make chilli chocolates. After some unsuccessful trials with chilli flakes and chilli oil, chef Savio came across roasted almonds with salt and chilli powder. “I took a bite of chocolate along with the chilli-and-salt-roasted almonds, and I knew we had a winner.”
Recipe
Chilli Almond Chocolate
Ingredients
Almonds: 200 gms
Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Salt: ½ tsp
Tempered white chocolate: 400 gms
Fleur de sel / sea salt: ¼ tsp
Method
Lightly moisten the almonds with water and toss it with chilly powder and the salt. Bake in oven till the almonds are toasted. Cool the almonds completely.
Spread a part of the tempered chocolate on a parchment paper about 3 mm thick. Scatter the almonds on the chocolate before it sets. In a piping bag fill in the remaining chocolate and pipe it all over the nuts in long strands at random till the nuts are almost covered.
Sprinkle very little of the sea salt (optional). Allow the chocolate to set and store it in an air tight jar.
— Courtesy Chef Savio Fernandes
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