Just the thought of these decadent nibbles is enough to shift one’s mood. Be it in a nutty bar, crunchy candy, indulgent cake or velvety liquid form, there is something about chocolate that makes it universally loved by all age groups. But with so many options and forms of the sweet relish out there how do you decide? Here, we have various renowned chefs who spill the beans on different types of chocolate…
Milk Chocolate
Loved by all, it is hard not to lose oneself to the rich and creamy texture of milk chocolate. The delicate balance of sweetness, as well as ingredients, set the right mood and taste.
Quality and taste:
As per Executive Sous Chef Yash Mathur at Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, the quality of the milk chocolate can be gauged by the smoothness of its appearance and a chocolatey aroma. This delight should also have that shiny sheen and be devoid of any hint of artificial chemicals or greasy residue. The Chef further elaborates, “One of the world’s favourite confectionery, milk chocolate is chocolate with milk powder or added condensed milk. It must have a minimum of 25% cocoa solids present. However, in the United States, this type only needs to have a 10% concentration of chocolate liquor to be classified as milk chocolate.”
How best to have:
This velvety goodness is best enjoyed as it is in a bar or candy form or can be whipped into several desserts. Milk chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, to produce chocolate milk and hot chocolate. If you prefer the texture of this chocolate over others, you can even temper use it as a topping for fruits, marshmallows and the likes.
Desserts/dishes that can be made out of it:
Sous Chef Yash Mathur at Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel reveals that the desserts that can be made from this type of chocolate are innumerable. Some of them as per him include soft-centered chocolate cake, milk chocolate salted caramel fudge brownie, baked milk chocolate tart, milk chocolate cream pie as well as milk chocolate and hazelnut truffles.
Dark Chocolate
Sinfully delicious with a luxurious appeal, the dark chocolate has its own fan following. Such is the nature of this relish that it can be quite expensive. And research is on our side too, verifying its health benefits and antioxidant properties.
Taste and quality:
Unlike milk or white chocolate, this version has a bitter taste due to the high quantity of cocoa as well as less amount of sugar. It is mainly prepared from cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar. The quality of superior dark chocolate can be judged by its sheen and the fact that it should snap when you break it.
How best to have it:
You can savour this delight in its block or bar form. Other options include using it as coatings, fillings and flavouring. Enjoy the decadent dark chocolate as a hot chocolate drink, sprinkle its shavings on desserts, temper it and add it as a topping on pancake or dosas, the list of things you can do with it is endless.
Desserts/dishes that can be made out of it:
Think a wide of range of desserts that can catch your fancy. Some of which include gooey chocolate tarts, dark chocolate mousse, almond and chocolate bars, chocolate and hazelnut whirls, orange chocolate marzipan, dark chocolate brownies, dark chocolate fudge cake and similar.
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Compound Chocolate
Lower in cost compared to its other chocolate counterparts, this is another version that you will find flooded in the market. It is ideal for those who are price conscious but still want to bite into the goodness of chocolates.
Taste and quality:
Chef Prakash Kumar, Executive Chef, The Woodrose explains, “Compound chocolate is made with cocoa and vegetable oil / non-cocoa fats along with sugar this gives the chocolate both sweet and bitter notes.” In this way, it is different from couverture chocolates that use cocoa butter instead of vegetable oils. Don’t get alarmed though, many cannot make out the difference unless they have it one after the other.
How best to have it:
You can relish this form just like your other chocolates as a bar or candy, topping, filling or the main flavour of your dessert. Go ahead and add it to your oats or porridge for those special occasions! As per Chef Prakash, the best way to cook compound chocolate is to double boil the chocolate or microwave it with regular timing.
Desserts/dishes that can be made out of it:
Chef Prakash suggests, “There are quite a few that comes to my mind, however, some of the best desserts that could be made using compound chocolates are cakes, pastries, mousse, cheesecake, mousse cake, soufflés and moulded chocolates.”
Cocoa Powder
A God’s gift to dessert heaven, cocoa powder is that game-changer ingredient when it comes to your sweet delicacies. It is the robust roasted cacao beans in a powdered form.
Taste and quality:
Sourav Giri, Sous Chef, Gokulam Grand Hotel and Spa shares, “Cocoa powder is the unsweetened powder produced by grinding the cocoa seeds. They have a very sharp and bitter taste to it.” He further explains, “Good cocoa powder will have a good aroma of cocoa and the bitter taste.” They are usually unsweetened and truer to its original form.
How best to have it:
Since the powder is in its raw form, it cannot be had as it is. “You can make any chocolate dish out of good cocoa powder by adding the right amount of sugar and fats into it, recommends Sous Chef Sourav Giri.
Desserts/dishes that can be made out of it:
Sous Chef, Sourav Giri recommends chocolate muffins, chocolate brownies, chocolate cake, chocolate fondue, chocolate pie, chocolate cookies, chocolate fudge, chocolate truffles, etc.
Raw chocolate
Enwrapping you in its natural taste, raw chocolate has an appeal of its own. Plus, it’s been touted as a healthy option being rich in antioxidants and a good source of magnesium. Chef Manumon, Pastry Chef, JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru says, “The real chocolate lover only chooses raw chocolate if they know the quality of it.”
Taste and quality:
Chef Manumon elaborates, “These wonders have a bittersweet taste and heavenly mouthfeel. Usually, raw chocolates are vegan. Produced from unroasted cocoa beans and cold-pressed cocoa butter, its nutritional value is mostly retained.” Due to minimal processing, the natural characteristics of the cocoa bean is retained.
How best to have it:
As per the expert, one can add the raw chocolate to nuts, seeds or spices to the raw chocolate and make a bar. For that extra dose of health and taste, you can include them in your smoothies and energy bars. Else, use them to flavour your sweet recipes.
Desserts/dishes that can be made out of it:
Use your creativity and whip up some delectable desserts. Some of them include raw chocolate and mint cheesecake, raw chocolate chip cookies, raw chocolate and avocado mousse tart, raw chocolate wholegrain rice cakes and the likes.
So go ahead and take your pick. After all, there is a chocolate for every mood!
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