The French Pastry School-Week Nine - Chocolate

 L'Art de la Pâtisserie  Week 9

Chef En-Ming demonstrates how Beta V crystals line up in chocolate.

Monday

Labor Day.  No School

Tuesday

Chef En-MIng Hsu

Chocolate Candy Module.

Hazelnut Praline Paste:

Making praline paste from scratch allows the cook to control the flavor of the nuts, caramelization and amount of sucrose.  Nut varieties are different from farm to farm.  Taste to assess the flavor profile.  Classic confectionery recipes include almonds (France) and hazelnuts (Italy).  Provence almonds are very good.  Rounded copper bowls are very good conductors of heat and melt sugar evenly but do not work on a induction burner.  The thicker the copper the better.  The flame rises up the sides of the copper bowl and keeps sugar from cooling and crystallizing.  The induction burner only heats on the bottom so a torch needs to be used to occasionally melt the cooled sugar from the insides of the pot.

Hazelnut Praline:

• Check ingredients.
• Check equipment.
• Review recipe steps.
• Split vanilla bean pods in half.
• Scrape vanilla bean seeds into sucrose and work them around evenly.
• Microwave nuts for one minute.
• Water goes in the pot first.
• Pour sucrose into center of pot.
• Melt out the sugar on low heat.
• Cook to 115º - 119ºc to evaporate the water.
• Dump nuts in pot all at once.
• Move nuts around continuously to encourage crystallization.
• Sucrose will get very dry and sugared.
• Turn down the heat to control the cooking.
• Slowly roast the nuts all the way through.
• Cut nut in half to test for toasted color all the way through.
• When nut is thoroughly roasted, turn heat up for one minute and cook the caramel to desired dark color.
• Pour onto silpat.
• Scrape everything out of the pot including the vanilla bean pod.
• Spread out the nuts.
• Allow to cool.
• When cool, crack up the hazelnuts so they fit into a Robot Coupe.
• Process nuts, scraping sides twice.
• Store in chocolate cooler.

A good ratio for praline paste is 50/50.  Half nut and half sucrose.  Sugar content is high so that the sugar thickly covers the nut.  If a stronger nut taste is desired, 60/40 works.  Taking the skins off of the nuts is up to the chef.  The skins add flavor.  If a cleaner look is desired then the skins may be removed.

Roasting the nuts all the way through develops flavor and pulls out most of the moisture, which causes quality degradation.  Roasting the nuts together with the caramelized sugar develops more flavor than combining roasted nuts to caramel.  The proteins in the nuts go through the mallard reaction as they brown and cook.  Complexity of flavor is nice.

a coeur means, "to the heart" in French.  The nuts should be cooked all the way to the center.

25% of sugar to the weight of water is needed to dissolve sucrose.  Most caramelized nut recipes will be 30% water.  

A granular style paste is, "old style" and a smoother paste is new. 

roasted hazelnuts roasted without sucrose = praline paste

roasted hazelnuts roasted with sucrose = Hazelnut Praline

Mix praline, with dry tools, every time to maintain a consistent texture.  Commercial grinding makes commercial praline smoother.  The sugar does not dissolve in the homemade variety because there is not enough moisture in the mixture and the fat content is too high.

Fats can go rancid and smell funny.  Shelf life depends on storage but 3-6 months is a good guideline.  

Whole Caramelized Almonds:

• Microwave almonds for one minute.
• Dissolve sucrose.
• Boil sucrose.
• Cook to 115º - 119ºc.
• Add the almonds to the sugar.
• Agitate the sucrose to recrystallize the sucrose.  This is called the sanding process.
• Turn down the heat.
• Roast the nuts through to the middle.
• Control the heat.
• Cut open a nut to check for doneness.
• Darken the outside caramel.
• Add cocoa butter. 
• Pour onto a silpat.
• Separate with gloved hands.
• Package almonds immediately to keep dry.

These are a base for chocolate covered almond dragees.  They should have a nice, thin, even coating of caramel.  This recipe should only have enough sucrose to lightly sweeten the almonds.  The caramel should be glossy for décor.  Worry first about the inside of the nut and then worry about the outside of the nut.  The focus should be on roasting the almonds evenly.

Chocolate Overview:

Each jar holds 70% cocoa solids in varying ratios.  70% dark chocolate can have different ratios of cocoa fats and cocoa solids.  This is why the same percentage chocolates all taste and act so differently. 

• Up to the point of fermentation = cacao
• After fermentation - cocoa
• When cocoa nibs are ground, cocoa liquor (paste) is formed.  The has a strong, acrid smell and gets separated into cocoa powder and cocoa butter.
• Most cocoa butter goes into manufacturing skin lotions.
• Pâte de cacoa is baker's chocolate.
• cocoa paste + lecithin + sugar + vanilla = dark chocolate
• cocoa paste + lecithin + sugar + vanilla + milk = milk chocolate
• Swiss chocolate has a lot of milk in it.
• milk + sucrose + vanilla + cocoa butter = white chocolate
• 31% cocoa butter + cocoa mass + sucrose + vanilla = couverture 
• Up to 5% of other fats are allowed.
• Couverture means a covering or blanket.
• Couverture is made to enrobe fillings with a thin, protective coating.
• Cocoa butter is the most complicated ingredient.
• If you control the cocoa butter you control the chocolate.
• There is no way to read a chocolate box or wrapper label and know the exact breakdown of fats and cocoa solids.  

Table Tempering (marbling):

• Every chef has their preferred method of tempering.
• Use the chocolate tempering curve.
• We will always be using or talking about dark chocolate.
• French Pastry School used Cocoa Berry - Callebaut chocolate.
• Crystallization depends on the environment.
• Chocolate bloom is a collection of unstable crystals.
• Chocolate has 5 kinds of crystals.
• 1-3 are unstable crystals.
• 4 and 5 are stable.
• The star of the show is 5.
• When chocolate is heated to 45ºc no crystals exist.
• Crystals must be developed or grown.
• Cold granite table will cool the chocolate.
• Take 75% or less and pour it onto the marble table.
• Quickly cool the chocolate but not too fast.
• We do not use thermometers.  Tempering is done by feel and sight.
• Using a long offset spatula and a speckling tool; spread out chocolate and then scrape around the chocolate, pulling it inward, scrape the top and bottom of speckling tool and repeat.
• Chant: one up, scrape the front, scrape the back, spread the chocolate out, repeat.
• When it thickens, get it off the table.
• Channel chocolate evenly into bowl containing remaining 25% of 45ºc chocolate.
• Stir, stir.
• Do a test parchment strip.  
• Wait 3-4 minutes.
• If chocolate sets in 1 minute, it is tempered but too cold.
• If chocolate sets in 2 minutes, it is tempered but still too cold.
• If chocolate sets in 3 minutes it is right on.
• Test strip should be shiny and free of streaks.
• Streaks mean the chocolate should be stirred more (but only if it is in temper).
• Dull means it is not ready.
• Bubbles on the surface means the chocolate has been used too many times.
• If chocolate is too cold, microwave gently for 5 seconds.
• A heat gun can also be used to gently warm chocolate that is in temper but too cold.

Wednesday

Pralinette (for Rocher):

• In a small pot; trimoline, sucrose and water.
• Bring to a boil.
• Dump in all  of the almonds.
• Turn down to medium heat.
• Thoroughly coat the almonds with the sugar mixture.
• Take almonds off of the heat after they are completely covered.
• Pour onto a silpat.
• Press into a rectangle.
• Put into 275ºf convection oven.
• Check every five minutes.
• Using an offset spatula, stir nuts and push them back together.

Pralinette are caramelized almonds that are on the outside of the Susiss Rocher.  Can use slivered almonds or almond bits.  Trimoline protects the almonds, keeps them dryer and helps them to brown a little.  The goal is crunchy almonds.  Almonds must be baked until they are roasted all the way through.  The key to a good Rocher is crunchy almonds.

Marzipan:

• Put blanched almonds in Robot Coupe.
• In a pot; water, sucrose and trimoline.
• Bring to a boil.
• Zip almonds to pulverize them.
• Pour sugar syrup over ground nuts.
• Process nut/sugar mixture.  
• Keep the turn paddle moving.
• Add a little Amaretti oil.
• Process until nut mixture reaches 85ºc.
• Pack into a neat square.
• Wrap in plastic.
• Place in cooler.

The key to really good marzipan is using nice almonds.  Aldrich Almonds have an intense flavor.  Using a 70/30, 60/40 or 50/50 nut to sugar ratio are all acceptable.  The higher ratio may result in the fat splitting from the nut.  60/40 ratio is the best ratio for a good nut flavor.  The friction from the Robot Coupe and the hot syrup pasteurize the nuts which is required by law.  Trimoline helps prevent the marzipan from drying out.  Marzipan will stay fresh in a low humidity cooler for up to a month.

Nougatine:

• Roast almonds in oven until cooked all the way through.
• Set up; cutting board, half sheet pan, 2 silpats, parchment and rolling pin.
• In larger pot; glucose and sorbitol.  
• Add small amount of sucrose avoiding sides of pan.
• Add the rest of the sucrose and melt completely on medium heat.
• Increase heat.
• Bring sugar mixture to a light to medium caramel.
• Leave sugar alone while it comes to color.
• Add the roasted almonds.
• On low heat, stir.
• Add the butter.
• Blend very well.
• Pour onto silpat.
• Cover with another silpat.
• Using a lot of pressure, roll out mixture as thin as you can.
• Peel off silpat.
• Place parchment on nougatine.
• Flip over.
• Peel off other silpat.
• Place parchment/nougatine sheet on cutting board.
• Roll nougatine cutter firmly in both directions.
• Use a kitchen knife to cut scores.
• Break squares apart.
• Cool completely.
• Pack in air tight container immediately.

Caramel and almond mixture is typical in the south of France.  Adding extra nuts to the recipe cuts its sweetness.  Heating up the cutting board and silpats in the oven helps to  keep nougtine warm while rolling it out.  Making nougatine is all about speed.  2 - 1 sucrose to sugar or 1-1 sucrose to nuts for a more pronounced nut flavor.  Glucose gives the nougatine pliability and helps with preventing crystallization during the caramelizing process.  Sorbitol protects against humidity and helps it to dry. Caramel should be strong enough to not be sticky but not too dark.  Butter softens the whole recipe.  How thin you roll out nougatine is dictated by the thickness of the almonds.  Breaking pieces off in opposite directions makes a cleaner break.

Normandy Cream Filling:

• Melt chocolate to 60%.
• Stir in chopped gianduja.
• In a small pot; salt and cream
• Ina small bowl; soft butter and trimoline.
• In a medium size bowl; dark chocolate.  Place onto cake board to keep bowl from cold table.
• Blend butter and trimoline well so there are no lumps.
• Bring cream and salt just up to a boil.
• Pour hot cream over chocolate.  Let it sit for 1 minute.
• Whisk the chocolate and cream mixture from the inside.  Do not incorporate air.
• Whisk continuously moving toward the outside of the bowl.
• Whisk a little chocolate mixture into butter/trimoline mixture.  
• Add butter/trimoline mixture into main bowl of chocolate.
• Whisk until smooth.
• Work quickly at this point to pour chocolate mixture into frame.

Frame Set-up:

• Place plexiglass on table.
• Spray plexiglass with a little water or vegetable oil.
• Place half sheet of acetate over plexiglass.
• Use squeegee to attach acetate and remove water.
• Move squeegee from middle to top corners and then middle to bottom corners.
• Remove any residual water from surface.
• Spread a thin layer of tempered or untempered chocolate onto acetate with offset spatula.
• Press side and bottom bars into chocolate.
• Leave the top bar free.

Filling Frame with Normandy Cream:

• Pour Normandy Cream into closed end of frame.
• Spread toward corners.
• Do not agitate.
• Use ruler to tap while spreading and smoothing toward loose bar.
• Pull top bar toward Normandy Cream.
• Glance at eye level to see that filling is level.
• Hold bars while shaking and tapping frame.
• Pop only the largest bubbles.
• Place in chocolate cooler.
• Needs 24 hours to set before it can be disturbed.

Creamy from Normandy is common in the northwest region of France.  This is a dairy production region.  Gianduja is a tempered chocolate product what developed in Italy during a time when chocolate was very expensive.  Italians grow hazelnuts so they cut the chocolate with sucrose and hazelnuts to make it last longer.  Trimoline helps retain moisture and stabilizes the mixture.  Keeping the top bar unattached is useful for recipes that are not specifically calculated to a specific size frame.

Understanding crystallization of chocolate:

• Understand the principles.
• Practice.
• Polymorphic = the ability to crystallize in different forms.
• 45ºc chocolate contains no crystals.
• Pour 75% of 45ºc dark chocolate onto table.
• Must cool down chocolate to 27ºc to grown crystals.
• At 27ºc there are many types of crystals forming.
• Must build good crystals and get rid of bad crystals by increasing the temperature back to 32ºc.
• By adding back 25% of 45ºc chocolate good crystals grow and the bad crystals melt.
• Good crystals stack neatly, like chairs. 
• Crystals 1, 2 and 3 cannot take a higher heat and they melt out.
• Crystals 1, 2 and 3 bad.  Crystals 4 and 5 good.  Crystal 5 is the best.
• By process of elimination, you learn the signs of temperature.
• Using test strips, small squares of parchment paper, is the only way to know if chocolate is properly tempered.
• Look at the texture of chocolate while moving it around on the table.
• Lumps on the table means that the chocolate is being move around too slowly.
• Microwave chocolate for 3-5 seconds to knock out the lumps.  
• The offset spatula needs to be longer than the spackle tool.
• Using a the right size bowl is important.  If the bowl is too big, the edges will cool too quickly.

Thursday

Understanding Chocolate (continued).

• Gelafied liquors make ganache too elastic.
• Hibiscus is good with chocolate because of its acidity.
• All chocolate solids sold are in temper.
• Packaged chocolate may have a rough exterior appearance due to packaging, handling and shipping.
• Store chocolate away from moisture and odor.
• Cocoa bloom is migrating fat that forms unstable crystals.
• Sugar bloom is sucrose that migrates out of chocolate due to humidity.  Once the water evaporates the sucrose is left on the surface.
• Touching bloom tells what caused it.
• If you touch cocoa bloom with finger it will melt.
• If you touch sugar bloom with finger it will not melt.
• Ideal room temperature for chocolate is 65-68ºf.
• If you set chocolate in a cooler, 43-47ºf, it will crack.

Emulsion:

• Fat + Liquid
• A mix of two ingredients that do not normally bind together.  
• An evenly dispersed emulsion is a strong emulsion.
• Butter (82% fat) + milk solids + water = water in fat emulsion.
• A water in fat emulsion is when fine particle of water are evenly disposed in fat.
• Cream = fat in water emulsion.
• Butter is a water dispersed in fat emulsion.
• Ganache is a fat dispersed in water emulsion.
• Fats are lighter than water.
• Fats float on water.
• The emulsifier helps bring, and keep, the mixture together.
• Egg yolks have lecithin, which is a natural emulsifier.
• A minute amount of lecithin in chocolate only helps with viscosity.
• What emulsifies a ganache?  The lecithin in the chocolate, some of the dairy substances in the cream and the dry particles in the chocolate.
• What makes a ganache separate?  Fat particles bind on to one another and grow bigger and bigger.  They collide and the fat goes to the surface.
• Using too large of a bowl can break a ganache because the cold particles do not like to be agitated.  Or the chocolate has been allowed to fall below 34ºc.
• 38ºc is the perfect time to add butter.
• Caste a ganache filling before it gets down to 34ºc.
• Cooking the liquids (cream) too long (even 10 seconds) can evaporate too many liquids and throw off the ratio.  This can cause the ganache to separate as there is now now enough liquids and too much fat.
• Too much acid in the recipe can cause a ganache to separate.  Check the acidity level in the chocolate to ensure that the acids do not curdle the dairy products.

Rum Truffles:

• Keep lid on scaled rum to keep it from evaporating.
• Melt chocolate half way.
• In small pot; cream and vanilla.
• In small bowl; mix butter and trimoline.
• In medium bowl; egg yolks.
• Bring cream up to a boil.
• Using a whisk, temper ⅓ of hot cream into yolks.
• Pour yolk mixture back into pot of cream.
• On low heat, stir cream and scrape sides of pan.
• Bring cream/yolk mixture to 70ºc.
• Must have a small whisk to get into corners of pan, if not, use rubber spatula.
• Strain cream over chocolate.
• Let sit for 15 seconds.
• Blend with whisk (this is the emulsifying process).
• Whisk evenly from center to outside.  Do not make bubbles.
• Do not overaggitate.
• Using a whisk, temper a small amount of chocolate (38-40ºc) into butter.  Do not aerate.
• Whisk butter mixture into chocolate.
• Blend evenly.
• Add rum.
• Finish by scraping sides with spatula.
• There should not be any streaks.
• Store in bowl, with plastic to touch surface, in chocolate cooler for 30 minutes.
• Consistency should be firm to touch, all the way around, and much like pâte a choux.
• Do not refrigerate.

Growing stable crystals gives a filling that is firmer and easier to handle.  Alcohol is always added last.

The Columbian:

• Build frame for two different fillings.
• Use bars that are 1cm thick.
• Spritz water to stick acetate to plexiglass.
• Squeegy water and dry excess with papery towel.
• Melt chocolate half way.
• In small bowl; blend butter and trimoline well.
• In small pot; bring cream and coffee grounds to a quick boil.
• Strain cream over chocolate onto scale.
• Let it sit for 15 seconds.
• Whisk from center toward the outside of bowl.
• Scrape sides and bottom.
• Temper some of the chocolate/cream mix into butter.
• Whisk butter mixture into chocolate mixture.
• Finish with a rubber spatula.
• Pour into frame.
• Tap and spread mixture with ruler.
• Look at eye level to ensure filling is even.
• Clean sides of bars.
• Holding bars, shake and tap frame.
• Pop only large bubbles.
• Store in chocolate cooler.

Earl Gray Ganache:

• Bring cream to a boil.
• Turn off heat.
• Add loose Earl Gray tea.
• Keep covered with plastic wrap.
• Let six approximately 5 minutes.
• In small bowl; mix butter and trimoline. 
• Melt chocolate to 60%.
• Pour cream over chocolate on a scale.
• Let sit for 15 seconds. 
• Shake hand blender in chocolate to remove air bubbles.
• Hand blend for 10 seconds in 1 spot.
• Work slowly around.
• Do not overmix.  
• Do not lift above mixture or too much air gets incorporated.
• Temper a little chocolate into butter mixture.
• Put butter mixture into chocolate mixture.
• Hand blend for 5 seconds.
• Scrape sides and bottom with rubber spatula to make sure everything is incorporated.
• Pour evenly into frame containing Columbian ganache.
• Put free bar into place.
• Should be fluid enough to spread evenly with a rubblier spatula.

Trimoline helps with moisture retention, stabilization and elasticity.  It helps limit the water activity for a longer shelf life.

Piping Rum Truffles:

• Take rum truffle filling out of chocolate cooler after 40 minutes.
• Using #11 tip, fill pastry bag.
• Fill bag carefully so as not to incorporate air bubbles.
• Attach parchment paper, with dots of ganache, at corners with ganache.
• This ganache is at room temperature and its fat molecules do not like to be disturbed.
• Hold piping bag perpendicular to table.
• Pipe round balls. 
• Let rest in chocolate cooler for 24 hours.

Cutting the Normandy Cream on guitar cutter:

• Have ready; paper towels, gloves and a deli cup for scraps.
• Use small offset spatula to scrape ganache from bars.
• Spread thin layer of chocolate on ganache.
• Allow chocolate to set.
• Peel acetate from back of ganache.
• Center ganache on cutter.
• Hold ganache in place with metal bar.
• Push guitar strings down and through ganache.
• Take trimmings away.
• Pick up ganache, from the corner, with thin metal tray.
• Wipe guitar strings with paper towel.
• Place ganache in other direction.
• Push guitar strings down and through ganache.
• Remove and trim edges.
• Scoop up with metal tray.
• If very firm, separate ganache squares on clean parment.
• Place in chocolate cooler.
• Allow ganache to rest for 24 hours.
• Enrobe after ganache has rested.

The confectionary guitar is helpful in production, is clean and portions evenly.

Friday

Caramelized Hazelnuts:

• Temper hazelnuts in microwave.
• In medium pan; sucrose, water and vanilla bean.
• Cook sugar to 115ºc.
• Dump hazelnuts in and crystallize.
• Roast all the way through.
• Caramelize to a good color.
• Add cocoa butter to protect nuts from humidity.
• Turn hazelnuts onto a silpat in a pile.
• Sort the hazelnuts in groups of three.
• Place in chocolate cooler.

Setting the hazelnuts in groups of three allows for faster finishing.  These nuts will be placed on chocolate circles and later enrobed.  

Peanut Butter Ganache:

• Build a set up with 1cm bars.
• In a small bowl, combine trimoline and peanut butter.
• Melt chocolate half way.
• Temper the chocolate.
• Pour peanut butter mixture into the chocolate.
• Mix peanut butter and chocolate until it is 22ºc.
• Pour into frame.
• Place in chocolate cooler.

Cointreau Caramel:

• Place glucose in small pot.
• Microwave cream close to a boil.
• Add sucrose, on low/medium heat, to glucose.
• Melt the sucrose slowly.
• Melt the chocolate 75% of the way.
• Take sugar to medium caramel.
• Add boiling cream very slowly.
• Scrape the sides of cream and caramel.
• Pour over a strainer into chocolate.
• Whisk from the center to create an emulsion.
• Add cointreau.
• Whisk.
• Cover with plastic wrap to touch.
• Place in chocolate cooler.

Hazelnut Trios:

• Wear gloves.
• On a silpat, pour melted chocolate (does not need to be tempered) on one end of circular template.
• Drag square cake ring over chocolate and filling in circles.
• Lift up the mat.
• Place one hazelnut trio onto each chocolate circle.
• Place in chocolate cooler.

Hazelnut trios may be enrobe or used as decor.

Molding Chocolate Poly Molds:

• Line half sheet tray with parchment.
• Fold some of the parchment over one end of the sheet tray.
• The goal is to evenly coat the mold with chocolate.
• Warm mold with a heat gun or blow dryer.
• Fill each cavity with tempered chocolate.
• Move quickly.
• Gently tap mold against table 10 times.
• Invert mold over parchment lined half sheet pan.
• Tap side of mold.
• Slide spatula across bottom of mold.
• Turn mold upright.
• Clean mold with rubber scraper.
• Place in chocolate cooler.

Verbal Evalutaion:

I received the highest score since beginning the program.  Chef En Ming said that I was attentive and thoughtful.

Chocolate is very messy and labor intensive.  It is also very complex and confusing.  Chef's use of visual aids and detailed explanations of how chocolate and emulsions work were very useful.

My husband Dave visited this weekend.  We went to Eatily, Au Cheval,  and Sunny Side up.