Ever wondered how chocolate is made and whether you could
make it yourself? It is probably the dream of many a
chocolate lover to be able to churn out trays of
personalized chocolate delights at will. Well, if you are
the adventurous type and are patient with a little time on
your hands and you have a few choice pieces of equipment,
then you too could learn the much coveted art of chocolate
making.
Before we get into the domesticated version of chocolate
making, it would be beneficial to understand the tried and
tested processes that the industry uses to make large
volumes of our favorite treat.
It all begins with the raw material 'cacoa'. The cacoa
tree produces a pod containing a number of seeds or beans
(as they are commonly known) in its center surrounded by a
pulp all enclosed in a thick fleshy skin. The pods are a
picked, opened and the contents put into large wooden bins
which are covered and left to ferment for a few days. Once
they are adequately fermented, they are laid out to dry in
the sun for a week or so. When the beans are sufficiently
dried they are sorted, separated by category and roasted in
large ovens for up to half an hour where they darken and
the flavor of the bean is enhanced.
The beans are then broken and separated from their shell by
a process known as cracking and winnowing, which uses
compressed air to blow the shells away from the seeds. The
resulting fragmented pieces are known as cocoa nibs.
Now the nibs are finely ground. The grinding process
releases the fat content which combines with the grounded
solids to form a thick paste called liquor. The liquor
gives rise to two other substances, cocoa butter obtained
by pressing the fat from the liquor and the remaining dried
cocoa which is most commonly use to make drinking chocolate.
Solid chocolate is made by further refining the liquor
using a process known as conching, which smooths and
aerates it and then combining it with cocoa butter sugar,
milk or milk powder (for milk chocolate), an emulsifier
such as soy lecithin and (or) vanilla. The combined
solution is then tempered by a process of carefully
heating, cooling and allowing it to set several times,
becoming more refined with each cycle. And basically,
that is how chocolate is made.
Now, it would be unrealistic to expect you to find your own
cacoa pods to pick and ferment (let alone sun dry in the
middle of winter), so you can skip the earlier phases as
raw cacoa is now commonly available to buy.
Roast the cacoa in your oven for up to half an hour at a
temperature not more than 325F, you may want to experiment
with this as roasting times may vary considerably depending
on the type of bean you are using and the intensity of your
oven however, ensure that you don't burn them as it will
seriously affect the taste.
After roasting, allow the cacoa to cool, crack the beans in
a mill, this will allow the husk to come away from the
bean. The light husk can then be separated from the
crushed bean using a small fan, hair drier or any other
practical device that blows cool air.
When the separation process is complete, the beans must be
finely ground using a good quality juicer which will
produce the cocoa liquor. Add cocoa butter, sugar,
lecithin and milk (if you're making milk chocolate) plus
any other flavoring you require. At this stage the solution
although chocolaty is still in need of refinement and
conching which is accomplished using a conching machine.
Conching can take anything between 12 hours and 2 days
depending on the quality of chocolate being made but if you
don't have a conching machine you can use a wet grinder to
remove any remaining solid particles.
Finally the chocolate must be tempered. Tempering will give
the chocolate its glossy sheen and crisp snap. This is
done by gently heating it to about 115F, pour some of the
liquid onto a marble slab and gently work it around for
around 10 minutes, as it cools to about 85F and begins to
set, add more of the simmering liquid now being maintained
at about 95F, and continue to work it back and fourth on
the slab. Now return it to the rest of heated liquid and
repeat the process. The extent of refinement will depend
on how many times you repeat this process. Pour the liquid
into a mold, allow it to set and finally...Enjoy.
Hopefully from this basic overview, you will appreciate the
skill, time and care that goes into making good quality
chocolate. There is no substitute for experience in this
art, as subtle variations to the process can dramatically
affect the taste and texture of the finished product. So
you may just wish to continue enjoying your favorite treat
already professionally prepared for you by the hands of the
masters.
----------------------------------------------------
Lloyd Gordon markets quality products online. To see his
luxury chocolate presentations visit
http://www.chocolatetray.com
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