little bar o' brown gold

[Chris Amirault]

I bought my partner one of these 99% Scharffen Berger babies at Sur Le Table last month. Having never had utterly unsweetened chocolate before, and having rarely the chance to cook with such great stuff, she immediately asked out loud what the heck to do with the thing that would do it justice.

Just the sort of question that belongs on eGullet! So I ask those of you with experience: how do you treat the 99% stuff? What adjustments do you make? Any particular recipes that benefit from such wonderment?

In advance, thanks!

[bloviatrix]

This might be a cop out answer, but get yourself a copy of Alice Medrich's Bittersweet. All the recipes in the book are for chocolate based savories and desserts. And what makes it unique is that she gives adjustments for the high-percentage chocolates.

Edited December 23, 2004 by bloviatrix (log)

[skyflyer3]

I only use unsweetend in brownies and brownie cookies. Try it in the Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, or Best Brownies, featured in "Baking with Julia".

[Chris Amirault]

I only use unsweetend in brownies and brownie cookies.  Try it in the Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, or Best Brownies, featured in "Baking with Julia".

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Does that book, or any other, have a rough guide to equivalences? Can you substitute based solely on percentage?

[skyflyer3]

Hm, I'm confused. Do you mean weight/quantity equivalences, or as a sub for semi- or bittersweet chocolate? Because both the recipes listed above require unsweetened - I just weigh out the portion I need with my home scale.

[cdh]

Make a ganache based mostly with another quality chocolate and throw your little bit of special unsweetened chocolate into the mix. It will almost certainly affect the flavor of the ganache in a positive way. Then do what you will with a fine ganache... Ice something, or turn it into a flourless cake, or dip balls of it in enrobing chocolate and have truffles, etc. That is how I have treated the Cluizel 100% bars I've come across, and they really do wonders to a Ghirardelli chip based ganache.

[highchef]

It's really good in 'upscale' brownies. I made mexican brownies (www.epicuirous.com) that have a hint of cinnamon in them and a ganache topping...so good. A quality chocolate makes a huge difference in the quality of the brownies...I've made these before w/Giaradelli (sp) and while they were great, the one's with the 99% unsweetened choc. were far superior.