Chocolate

Chocolate is basically processed by cocoa and is used for making

garnishes, showpieces for restaurants, buffets and pastry shop.

Processing of chocolate
Cocoa beans, sugar, and vanilla are the three most essential ingredients for
making chocolate. The cocoa beans are best cultivated from Africa around
the regions of Ivory Coast and Ghana. Processing of chocolate involves
eight steps which are as follow:
1. Harvesting
2. Ripening and fermentation
3. Drying in sun
4. Selection and blending
5. Roasting and crushing the beans
6. Grinding
7. Conching
8. Tempering

Harvesting – The cocoa pods on the trees resemble a green oval shaped
melon and whey ripen they change their colour from green to maroon to
orange to yellow which indicates that the plant is ready for harvesting. The
pods are harvested very carefully so that branches do not get damaged.
Ripening and fermentation – After the beans are harvested, the beans are
split opens and the seed which sticky are collected in large containers and
left to ferment for a specific period for about six days.
Drying in Sun – After seeds are obtained they are further dried in the sun.
Selection and Blending - The cocoa seeds are inspected as per quality and
clean as per standard and blend.
Roasting and Crushing the Beans – At this stage seeds are roasted very
carefully and the crushing is completed.
Grinding - At this stage the crushed beans are grounded in very fine
powder form. From the heat from rollers the cocoa butter is melt and
whole mass become thick liquid known as cocoa liquor.
Conching – It is a process that is used for development of flavours in
chocolate. The cocoa liquor is put in large mixing machine. During this
process, chocolate obtains a smooth and velvety texture.
Tempering - In this process, the conched chocolate is carefully brought
to low temperature by being stirred constantly. If we do not temper the
chocolate and allow to set it will become hard and have a grayish colour
on its crust called bloom.
a) Fat bloom – The fat bloom occurs when the chocolate is
heated so much that the butter separates out from mixture.
b) Sugar Bloom – The sugar bloom occurs when the
chocolate is allowed to cool too quickly or rapidly.
The tempering can thus also be defined as the process in which the
chocolate is melted to 40 deg.C and then cooled to 27 deg.C and the
slowly back to working temperature.

There are 4 following method of Tempering the chocolate

1) Tabling Method - In this method chocolate is melted to 40 deg.C
until smooth. And 2/3rd chocolate is poured at marble table and
scraped. and the mix the chocolate with remaining which at 40 deg.C
and mix.
2) Injection Method - In this method 75% of chocolate melted to 40
deg.C and brought down to 2 deg.C more than working temperature
and remaining 25% is grated and mix.
3) Microwave Method - In this method chocolate is heated for 15-20
sec and mix in every interval till the chocolate completely melt.
 4) Machine Method – In markets there are many machine are available
of different capacities which work automatically by temperature
setting.

Uses of Chocolate
➢ It can be piped in different designs directly onto sweets, cakes.
➢ Coating is another commonly used feature whilst with chocolate.
➢ Moulding is a technique where the chocolate is poured into various
shape.
➢ Use for plating and presentation.
➢ Used to give taste and flavour.

Types of chocolate
There are two types of chocolate used in pastry kitchen.
a) Couverture – It is a French term for covering chocolate. It is a high
quality chocolate preferred by pastry chefs. A chocolate should have
minimum 32% of cocoa butter and at least 22% cocoa solids to be
labeled as Couverture. It is available in milk, dark, and white can be
used for dipping, moulding, coating and garnish.
b) Compound – This is less expensive than Couverture as it is
combination of vegetable fats and oils. It does not require tempering
as it contains very little or no cocoa butter. It is also available in milk,
dark, and white can be used for dipping, moulding, coating and
garnish.

Different forms in which coco and chocolate are available

1. Chocolate Liquor - Chocolate liquor, sometimes referred to as

unsweetened chocolate, is the base of all types of chocolate. This
thick, dark brown paste is created from cacao nibs, the inside of the
 cocoa bean. The nibs are finely ground to a smooth texture. When
heated, this paste turns to a liquid that can be formed into bars or
chips. Chocolate liquor is 100% cocoa, with no added ingredients.

2. White chocolate - is easy to identify because of its cream or ivory

color. It is made by combining sugar, cocoa butter, milk, vanilla, and
lecithin (an emulsifier that helps the ingredients blend together).
These ingredients give white chocolate its sweet vanilla aroma. White
chocolate often has a flavor profile that can be described as
predominately sweet, with bold notes of sweetened condensed milk
and vanilla. Good quality white chocolate will have a rich, soft, and
creamy texture — a characteristic that comes from its cocoa butter
base and high sugar and milk content. According to their definition,
in order for something to be considered white chocolate it must
contain at least 20% cocoa butter and 14% milk, and no more than
55% sugar.

3. Milk chocolate - is a classic that we all know and love from

childhood. With its light brown color, creamy texture, and sweet
flavor, milk chocolate is widely regarded as the most popular type of
chocolate. It is made by combining chocolate liquor (cocoa solids and
cocoa butter) with sugar, and milk. Sometimes an emulsifier, such as
soy lecithin, is added to enhance its smoothness. According to the
definition, milk chocolate must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor
and 12% milk. Milk chocolate is considered to be a good middle of
the road chocolate. It is characteristically sweeter, with a softer
texture than dark chocolate, but not quite as sweet and soft as white
chocolate.
4. Dark chocolate - with its notable deep brown color, is the second
most popular type of chocolate. It is sometimes referred to as black or
semisweet chocolate and is noticeably less sweet than milk chocolate.
Dark chocolate is fairly simple in composition. It is typically made
from two ingredients — chocolate liquor and sugar. Sometimes small
amounts of vanilla and soy lecithin (an emulsifier) are added.
According to a definition, dark chocolate must contain at least 15%
chocolate liquor but usually contains closer to about 50%. Most high-
quality, dark chocolate does not contain added dairy and can be a
great vegan-friendly chocolate. The lack of dairy and less sugar gives
dark chocolate firmer texture than milk chocolate or white chocolate.

5. Bittersweet Chocolate - This kind of chocolate, sometimes referred to

as extra-dark chocolate, rose to popularity when people began
claiming that you should eat dark chocolate with a cocoa content of
70% or more, in order to get the most health benefits. Semisweet and
bittersweet chocolate share the same definition, and must contain
more than 35% chocolate liquor, although they generally contain at
least 50% cocoa liquor. Bittersweet chocolate is typically 66% cocoa
content or higher.

6. Cocoa Powder - Cocoa powder is created when chocolate liquor is

separated under high pressure, and the resulting cocoa solids are
crushed into a powder. Unsweetened cocoa powder is essentially
100% cocoa.