valrhona chocolate is confusing

[JohnRichardson]

I'm looking at my new copy of the Herme chocolate book, and am a bit confused about the chocolate.

Most of the recipes either call for bittersweet, specified as valrhona guanaja, or milk specified as valrhona jivara.

The jivara and guanaja are hard to find, and super expensive. Le noir amer 71% is much easier to find and much more reasonable, and there is a 40% milk that seems to be the same packaging as le noir amer that is in the same price range and packaging.

What is the difference? Can I sub 71% noir amer for 70% guanaja and the 40% milk for 40% jivara?

The only way to buy the jivara/guanaja at a reasonable price is to spend about $75 for a 3 kg block, which is nuts for a home cook. I found the cocoa for about $10 a pound which seems like a reasonable price and plan to order that immediately.

[Lior]

The difference is not in percentages but tastes. guanaja and jivara are origin chocolates with deep and complex taste profiles. The recipes that use them chose them because of their flavor profile and perhaps because of the % of cocoa butter, in order to make a balanced recipe. I am quite sure you can substitute.

[cmling]

I am sure using the suggested chocolates will make a difference, but it will probably be subtle.

[Truc]

HEY! ahah i just did an little taste testing of some of valrhona chocolate on my page, the link is below on my signature. But yes Guanaja and the sorts are single origin and have every distinct flavour profiles. In all Valrhona is a very well balanced chocolate.

ps; Merry Christmas everyone!

http://truc604.wordpress.com/

[paulraphael]

There are also lots of detailed reviews on seventypercent.com

click.

I like the valrhona chocolates also, and typically combine them ... Guanaja for depth, manjari for brightness and aroma. And their 100% when it's called for.

In the high end chocolates, the flavor profiles are typically more important than the cocoa percentages, at least when they're in the same range. The difference between 66% and 72% cocoa matters a lot less than the overall quality and character.

One of the most important qualities in any chocolate is your familiarity with it. If you work with two or three chocolates for a long time, you'll learn how their flavors behave in finished products, and you'll produce better results than someone who's playing with them for the first time.

The best chocolate I've ever tasted (as a bar) was by Michel Cluizel. Amazing. But I don't bake with it. Partly because Valrhona is expensive enough; partly because it would take a lot of work to become sufficiently familiar with the Cluizel.

[tan319]

In PH''s "Macaron" book he always says something along the lines of ""substituting another chocolate of equal %"" ( especially the white chocolate) but in PH10 I think he really wants people to use the chocolate called for since you're tasting his "Ouvre" of the last 10 or 12 years .

Have you tried Chocophile .com for Valrhona?

I believe they'll break down quanities bought so it's a bit more affordable.

I know that a few members on the "Baking from Pierre Hermes Chocolate Desserts" book were.

It is a fantastic chocolate , the cru's and such especially, that makes them, IMO, one of the few things worth their money!

Good Luck!

Edited December 29, 2008 by tan319 (log)