Art

Tempering is basically simply getting the cocoa butter to crystalize properly. Chocolate as we know it is simply cocoa butter, cocoa solids (i.e., basically what you have with cocoa powder), sugar and sometimes an emulsifier. The cocoa solids, sugar, and emulsifier do not play a role in the crystalization of the cocoa butter. (There are some exceptions.) When I purchase cocoa butter in bulk (i.e., by the palate), it comes in tempered form. So, yes, it is possible to temper cocoa butter by itself. -Art

I used to frequent an ice cream store in Ashland Oregon (right there on the corner by the fountain -- I don't remember the name.) Anyway, they had perhaps one of my all time favorite flavors -- "Sweet Cream" which was simply ice cream with no flavoring at all in it. Hagaan Daz's Pistachio is close in flavor since the pistachios don't impart a very strong flavor. It was wonderful since it was a very clean flavor. It is too bad the original owners sold the store -- now they don't make all their own ice creams anymore though they still make their own candy and fudge. French Vanilla -- with lots of vanilla. I've never been a big fan of vanilla ice cream until I made my own. In it, I used lots of tahitian vanilla (extract from: http://www.vanilla.com) and vanilla ice cream went from boring to WOW, THAT'S INCREDIBLE!!! I wish that someone would make a vanilla ice cream that was really flavored with vanilla rather than just the hint of vanilla that seems to infuse most vanilla ice creams. Kulfi -- A traditional Indian ice cream with cardamom and cashews. I did this a few times and it is incredible. Hagaan Daz's Deep Chocolate Fudge. They used to make this. Most chocolate ice creams are wimpy -- esepcially if you are a chocolate lover like I am. They used to have a super dark / rich chocolate ice cream with a chocolate fudge swirl. It's been over 10 years since they made it and when I see Hagaan Daz in the store, I still look for it. Tangerine -- I've done some incredible tangerine ice cream using tangerine oil. It is really good and a lot of fun to give to people. Most people can't figure out what flavor it is. They are usually guessing orange or lemon but know that neither is right. The tangerine gives it a nice floral / citrusy flavor that is hard to beat. -Art

You can get the Amedei from Jerry at Chocosphere (http://www.chocosphere.com). They probably also have the other types you are looking for. For the Amedei, you should definitely try the Chuao as well as their 9 bar. 9 IMHO is one of the best bars out there right now. (It is made from 9 different beans) You should also try the Domori (also available at Chocosphere). Both are made a few hours drive from each other in Italy. While both their flavors are excellent, you can see a wide divergence in their style / approach to chocolate making. Be sure to report back how your chocolate tasting goes! I'm anxious to hear and I suspect others are as well! -Art

Well, no one to my knowledge has yet created a transgenic corn cultivar with blowfly genes, so that evidence couldn't possibly exist. For those transgenic cultivars that do actually exist -- like Bt corn-- there is an enormous amount of literature. ← You're right- and that was meant to be kind of a joke. To me there is a distinction between transgenesis between widely variant species and cross breeding. ← Just as an aside, there seems to be a fair amount of evidence that transgenesis occurs within nature. Not long ago, someone discovered a way to wipe out an entire species though genetic manipulation. It has to do with the fact that there are actually certain portions of the DNA sequence that _always_ get passed on and the whole recessive / dominance issue does not apply. There are places where this might make lots of sense -- in particular the Anopheles mosquito that transmits malaria. Here it would be possible to eliminate only that mosquito and none other -- saving literally millions of lives annually. Why do they not do it? Clearly there are a number of issues involved but perhaps most importantly, there is some evidence that it is possible through natual vectors (such as viruses) that genes actually move between species and in fact the latest research indicates that viruses are perhaps one of the prime motivators of rapid genetic evolution. In my example above, this genetic modification clearly would _not_ be a good thing if it were to make a cross species jump. I'm not arguing here about the ethics of moving genes from one species to another -- simply saying that it appears that it occurs within the natural world without human intervention. Finally, the very latest research is showing that viruses were the original life form on earth -- not bacteria. They have since evolved to the point where most (not all) can not reproduce without a host and are much smaller than their original size. -Art

Domori has a good set of definitions on their website that you can keep in mind when performing a chocolate tasting party. Have the various participants rate the chocolate using these terms. They could perhaps use score cards and then score each chocolate for each attribute. Then they can add up their scores at the end and see which they like the most then you can perform the big reveal .... Here is Domori's guide : http://www.domori.com/index.php?app=domori...r&chapter_id=18 Hope this helps, -Art

Ok, I have to ask ... How do you make the extract ? I tried boiling some licorice root one time and the results were less than desireable. I'd like to give it a try again if I can figure out how to get it coming out tasting right. Licorice root can (last I checked) be purchased through San Francisco Herb (http://www.sfherb.com). Thanks, -Art

I'm glad that someone else remembers their licorice ice cream. I remember as a really young kid, we'd go in the evenings to the swimming pool. Afterwards, we'd go to Baskin and Robbins for ice cream. One of my fond memories was getting the licorice ice cream and turning my tongue (sorta) black. Fun stuff. -Art

Well, if it can't be chocolate, I don't think that there is such a thing. Though I think there is a vast difference in this category between what we ate as children and what we eat now as adults. -Art

Well, the Stein Erickson Lodge is excellent. It is a bit tricky to find but it is very well respected. Raymond Lammers is the executive pastry chef and has achieved a number of awards -- including competing in the National Pastry Competition. You might also want to try Chimayo which is a southwestern style restraunt. The food there is excellent. I always chuckle though because I grew up not far from the real Chimayo and I regularly go there to buy my chili. The food at the restraunt is a bit different than that served in the local area. But the food is excellent none-the-less. Right up the street from Chimayo is an Italian place. I forgot the name but it is on the same side of the street and they have a little brick patio in front. The food there is really good. I like their pork tenderloin though I often have to take it home because I get full on their incredible bread. Hope this helps, -Art

Generally, they should last several weeks. This will vary depending on your recipe. Pam Williams who is running Ecole Chocolat online chocolatier school is currently in the process of putting together an online class on determining shelf life. Many of the more technical books on food shelf life tend to be so technical they overlook the practical side of simply how to determine shelf life. While I am not a confectioner, I will probably take her course once it is offered simply to get a variety of questions that I have answered. -Art

I would heavily recommend the Bombay House if you like Indian food. I've eaten at Indian restraunts all around the country and the Bombay House is IMHO the best one I've found. It is actually run by a good friend of mine -- we used to go to school together in Hawai'i. He came here and opened up the Bombay House in Provo (and later SLC). His name is Danny and he is very particular about his quality and service. I'm always amazed at the lengths he will go to to ensure that things are "just right." I didn't go for the longest time not ever quite getting around to it. Finally,l I broke down and went and it was incredible. I've been a very regular customer ever since (for about 15 years now). They get all sorts of awards through Zagats and local / state awards as well. Definitely worth trying. -Art

Well, I think you are waiting for his report. However, I'll go ahead and post a bit of a response since I happen to live not too far away.... (I'm in Provo, which is about 45 minutes south.) The Red Iguana is fantastic. It always has been and always will be. The prices are reasonable. It isn't fancy. But the food is so good that you will often find yourself in a line going out the door. This occurs even in the winter months so they had to install infrared heaters over the sidewalk to keep people warm. (I waited about 45 minutes in line outside last Nov. It wasn't too bad with the heater but without it, it would have been brutal.) This is a local "hang out" place thus is casual dining. They are particularly famous for their moles. They have the best moles I have ever had. Having grown up in New Mexico, I've had some pretty good stuff in and around the Santa Fe area. However, their moles can't IMHO be beat. For years these were the only things I ate their. Why give up a great mole for a "taco" ??? Then two or three years ago, we were coming back home and we decided to get some take-out. I ordered my usual mole for myself and my wife and then ordered some tacos for the kids. Our son being about three thought the taco was "too spicy" so I got it. Man, that was an incredible taco! I don't think I've had another that quite compared. Since then, I've tried a whole variety of their other dishes (though their moles are still my favorite) and they are all incredible. My only regret is that we don't live closer so that we could eat there more frequently. Hope this helps, -Art

LordBalthazar .... Congratulations on a successful event. It sounds like it came off really well. What can be more heavenly than an evening spent eating the "food of the gods" ? Please let me know when you are planning on hosting another one. We are in the process of starting a new chocolate company where we will be making our own chocolate -- all the way from the bean. I suspect we will be up and going by the time you set up another event. If you give me a heads up, perhaps we can assist you in some way (i.e., with chocolate). And yes. there is a distinct possibility that we will have Porcelana (and others) for you to try. -Art

Just yesterday, I found a very interesting concept for a chocolate shop. In Honolulu, there is a shop called "Chocolate Sushi" where they sell both chocolate confections and sushi. http://starbulletin.com/columnist/column.p...=4645&col_id=23 Then when I was finding this article again for you, I found these : http://www.kookisushi.com/ http://www.chocolatesushi.com/ where they make what looks like sushi out of chocolate. You may want to consider selling real hot chocolate -- not hot cocoa masquerading as "hot chocolate". Use a good high quality chocolate that has been properly mixed with milk and a tad of cream or a little half and half. (Mix slowly like you are making a mayonaise.) When on the stove, heat until the first bubble appears then remove. You can serve it immediately or, it is even better if you let it rest 24 hours then reheat. This would be a nice match on your menu since you're planning on serving espresso. The closest thing the general public has to real hot chocolate is Starbuck's drink Chantico which really doesn't do it justice. It does take more time to prepare properly than espresso does and chocolate is more expensive than coffee but it would make a nice luxury treat. I suspect that if more real hot chocolate was served, it would be a better competitor to coffee now -- as it was around the turn of the century. -Art

Thanks. I try to participate as I can find time. We are in the process of starting a new chocolate factory (i.e., making chocolate all the way from the bean) and so much of my time is spent refurbishing vintage chocolate equipment, building new equipment (I am right in the middle of building our winnowing machine right now), or making test batches. I wish there were more time to spend in the forums but I often am reduced to poking in from time to time. Thanks for your positive comments. Hope to see you around. -Art

Oh, I just saw your response where you said the molds were the "cheap bendy kind". Somehow I missed that. Those are thermoformed molds which means that a hot thin film of plastic is placed over a "negative" mold and the film of plastic is sucked down into the mold using a vacuum. DO NOT hit the mold with a hair dryer. It will melt and/or change shape. -Art

Please be aware that not all fats are compatible with cocoa butter. Using non-compatible fats in / along with products that contain cococa butter (such as chocolate) may lead to bloom or a whole host of other problems. One problem that may occur, for instance, is that the non-compatible fat will eventually migrate through the chocolate to the outside. Luckily, milk fat (i.e., butter) is a compatible fat and that is why you can use cream succesfully in making ganache and butter / cream based confections. I'm not a confectioner so I'd be just guessing but what I would perhaps try is to refridgerate / freeze the eggs then to demold, hit the mold with a hair dryer to "melt" the outside causing it to release -- also, I'd think the difference in rates of thermal expansion between the mold and the ganache would help it to release. As I said, I'm not a confectioner and so I'm sure there is someone here that knows about this better than I. The most important point is that I suspect that whatever oil is in cooking spray is probably not compatible with cocoa butter. -Art

Well, it is the cocoa butter that has absorbed the smell. Since it is a fat, it is prone to absorbing oders. I think the best solution is for you to take the bag back and exchange it for some of the spices that now permeate your chocolate. There are techniques that you can use to descent cocoa butter but that of course has your cocoa solids (as in the parts of the cocoa bean that are not cocoa butter) removed. While I haven't experimented with descenting cocoa butter, I suspect that if you did you would lose a lot of your flavor components of your chocolate. Futhermore, you would lose your chocolate's temper somewhere along the way, no doubt. All in all, while I suspect it may be possible to achieve, it is probably more work than the bag is worth and the results may not be to your liking. However, I suspect if there is a way to de-scent ice-cream and other fat containing foods, then it may work. And perhaps there is a technique I'm not familiar with however, I still think your best bet is to go trade in your bag and perhaps it will help communicate to the store that chocolate along with other fat containing foods should not be stored near items that have strong odors. -Art

Well, when I did it, I did it mostly to taste. I had a 3x5 card around that I wrote the recipe on but quite frankly, it has since disappeared. But what I did was to make a batch of chocolate in my melangeur, then using a spare batch of hazelnuts, I preground them into a paste (ala hazelnut butter) then added them to the chocolate along with extra sugar until it tasted right and then I reground everything in the melangeur. So, I'd guess you are going to need something along the lines of : * Chocolate * Hazelnut butter (ground hazelnuts) * Sugar * Oil (Butter, peanut oil, hazelnut oil, other oil etc.) * Possibly soy lecithin I'd mix the chocolate and the hazelnut butter and sugar until it tastes right.. When I did it, I was a bit heavy on the hazelnuts which worked out just fine. At least 1/3 by weight was hazelnut butter. My chocolate was a 65% chocolate that I made from Arriba beans and I found that I had to add sugar to get the taste right. The amount of sugar will vary depending on the type of chocolate that you use since different chocolates have different blends of beans and differing amounts of sugar already in them as I am sure you are aware. Once you have it tasting right, you will need to add some sort of an oil into the mix to bring the melting temperature down. I used butter with excellent results. Nutella uses peanut oil. I'd like to try hazelnut oil and some other oils and see how they work out. You might want to try adding soy lecithin to help it blend better and smooth things out a bit. You can buy soy lecithin at any good health food store. Be sure to use the liquid kind since that will blend better than the lecithin in powder form. I haven't tried this step yet but, I suspect it will improve things. Be sure if you add some, to use it already in _very_ small amounts. (As in few drops) Odds are that the chocolate that you use already has some in it and if you add too much, rather than making it "thinner", it will make it thicker. With regular chocolate, you don't want to have more than .3%. Above this point -- especially after .5%, it starts to thicken. This changes with the addition of the hazelnut paste and other oils so, I'm sure you can add more but I don't know how much. The point here is that if you do this only add a very tiny amount. A litttle bit will do ya. The recipe doesn't have to be exact -- just do it to taste. I'm sure you will be happy with the results. And even if you don't get it perfectly smooth, it will still taste delicious! -Art

This all reminds me of the discussion in the movie "Apocalypse Now" where one of the men on the boat is chef and he is determined that after the war, he would return to New Orleans and becomes a "Sauce-eay". (A chef specializing in sauces.) For me, this whole discussion is one of the more memorable moments of the movie. Too bad he didn't last until the end.... I guess chocolatier is pronounced similar... Interestingly enough, I groan everytime I see Apocalypse Now and Chef tells the story about how the military got these beautiful ribeye steaks and then proceeded to boil them and they all came up grey.... -Art

Well, in order to make it as creamy as the commercial stuff, you will have to be able to grind the hazelnut particles so that they are less than 20 microns in size. For the average home grinder, this is almost impossible to achive (at least on a uniform basis). Stirring for a REALLY long time will not help much either. Commercially, it has to be run through the same equipment which is used to make chocolate in the first place since that equipment is designed to be able to get the cocoa bean, sugar, and other ingredients ground to a fineness of less than 20 microns. (15 microns are about optimum 10 microns is too fine.) I made my own not too long ago using an antique melangeur and it turned out pretty good. My neighbors were pretty happy when I gave them samples as early Christmas presents! -Art

It must be pointed out that the Pam who wrote this book is the same Pam who runs the Ecole Chocolat (online chocolatier school) which was mentioned in a seperate thread. -Art

I have spoken with Pam who runs Ecole Chocolat a number of times. She is quite knowledgeable and I believe her course would be quite solid. She has a background in online education as she helps develop online courses for her local university. Thus, her university feels that her courses are well put together (otherwise they'd have someone else do it.) She isn't just some schmoe who put an online course together, she has quite a bit of experience along these lines. If I were to take a chocolate confections course, Pam's would probably top my list. Why? Because I could take it in my own time at my own pace and fit it in my already hectic (and chocolate filled) schedule. There are always additional courses you can take if you feel that you need / want more but I'd start out with Pam's and see how you like it then perhaps select the next course as your needs dictate. -Art

Van Leer was purchased several years ago by Callebaut. I found a press release a month ago or so (it was earlier than that) where they were liquidating many of their assets. Too bad, they had great cocoa. (And I treasure my last remaining bit.) -Art

While I was in Europe this summer studying chocolate manufacturing, I had the privilege of getting to know someone who works for the largest cocoa powder producer in Spain. Since she was clearly an expert on all things cocoa-powdered, I asked her about black cocoa powder since I had never used it myself. She told me that there is nothing special, it is simply treated to make it black. In fact, she went on to say that much of the black cocoa is not of the same quality as that which has been left in its natural color state. I did a quick check just now in E.H. Meursing's book Cocoa Powders for Industrial Processing and he states "Depending on the reaction conditions, it is possible to influence the color strength and hue. Very dark colors, up to an almost black, can be obtained an red tints can also be made." However, Beckett's book "Industrial Chocolate : Manufacture and Use" seems to imply that the color is simply a byproduct of the alkalization process (p. 111). Not being a black cocoa powder expert, I'd say from all this that some good cocoa powder is black and some bad cocoa powder is black. If I were you, I would simply use it in recipes where you feel that color is an important criteria or if the taste is particularly well matched for what you are trying to make. In other words, I'd treat it just like any other cocoa but it just happens in this case to be black. So, all that being said, I'm not sure that I've answered your question or shed much light on black cocoa powder but I hope it helps a bit. -Art