Candy-Filled Witches' Hats

Last night we hosted a small Halloween gathering. In advance of the soiree, we scoured the internet looking for holiday inspiration and flipped through a few party-planning books that I had forgotten I owned until going through boxes as part of my annual new (academic) year clean-up. After much deliberation, we settled on candy-filled witches' hats. 

First we painted the sugar cones with chocolate, dipped them in some sprinkles, and let them set. Then one at a time, we painted the "brim" of the hat (we used digestive cookies) with chocolate, filled the cone with our chosen candy (Reese Pieces of course!), and inverted the cookie brim onto the open end of the cone, holding it there for just a moment before quickly flipping the whole thing back so that it was point up and the chocolate could set. 

Now, once we mastered this manoeuvre, none of the candy fell out and in about 15 minutes they were set and sealed. But our first few attempts required the intervention of a knife to push a few wayward candies back under the cone. 

Making 8 of these, including setting time for the chocolate and clean up, took about an hour. And we did use compound chocolate to make life easier and avoid the additional time required for tempering.

These are certainly a cute option either as a sweet treat on the table display or popped in cellophane bags as a take-away from the party. I also think it would be fun to stuff these with pieces of cake and some frosting. 

Hope everyone has a spooktacular Halloween!

Smashing Pumpkins

I was away in Ottawa this week for a music conference, so my usual Tuesday night chocolate study didn't occur. And while I certainly hit our capital city with the intention of finding and buying new chocolate to try, my conference schedule was so busy that shopping didn't happen. Other than a Fleur de Sel bar from Hummingbird Chocolate that I picked up in the airport, I didn't stumble upon any other chocolate to bring home. Very disappointing!

But I did come upon "smashing pumpkins" at Rocky Mountain Chocolate in the Toronto airport on my second attempt to return to Sydney. These certainly caught my eye, if only for the price tag of $60 which seemed a little steep. (No, I didn't buy one. With the way people drag so much stuff on board flights these days, it would be impossible to safely stow this in an overhead bin and transport it to one's final destination.)

These hollow chocolate pumpkins are filled with popcorn. And as the name implies, you smash them and eat them. I especially liked the variation of the chocolate skull with a gummy worm hanging out of the eye socket. 

Smashing these sorts of chocolate pieces has become popular in the last few years. Perhaps the most common is a large geometric heart on Valentine's Day -- often they are sold with a small mallet. It's a fun concept and a delicious treat if they are made with real chocolate (and not compound chocolate as is often the case). 

I've seen large moulds for these sorts of pieces before -- most recently a brain mold -- but I've never purchased one myself. I have a bit of a mental block because of the volume of chocolate that would be required for some of these molds (perhaps because the chocolate I use is so expensive). A few years ago, I purchased a set of silicone molds for a chocolate gingerbread house. But once I realized how large the finished house would be, I came to the conclusion that it was unlikely I'd ever make it -- unless I was hosting a Christmas party where part of the event was smashing the house and everyone present helped to eat it. Sure, it could be made more cheaply and easily with compound chocolate, but then it wouldn't taste as good. And while I love the look of chocolate show pieces, I hate the idea of wasting ingredients on something that won't be eaten -- even if those ingredients are cheap or fake chocolate. (And if you're wondering, I am one of those people who eat the gingerbread house after Christmas, soaking the hard cookie in a cup of tea. Waste not, want not.) 

So, no chocolate show pieces for me for now -- and no giant chocolate molds. But I have to be honest -- if I found a giant skull mold, I think I'd be very tempted. 

Chocolate Indulgence

This week, a friend brought a bag of low sugar coconut cups to work. She'd bought them at a big box store and was disappointed with them. Naturally, the solution was to put them in the break room where they rapidly disappeared. 

Curious, I grabbed one for analysis. At 80 calories per piece with only 3g of sugar and made of organic dark chocolate, they certainly have their appeal -- for the "health benefits" of chocolate and their keto- and low-carb-diet-friendly composition. I expected to find alternative or artificial sweeteners on the ingredient list, but didn't. 

I bit into one. The chocolate appeared to be in good temper. At 85%, it came across as very bitter and the centre didn't have a particularly strong coconut flavour. My immediate thought was that it entirely lacked balance. There wasn't enough sweetness to balance the brute chocolate, nor was there any salt. Beyond that, the centre had a strange texture. I returned to the ingredient list and was surprised to see white chocolate listed. Instead of combining the coconut with sugar for the filling, they had set it with white chocolate. Nothing wrong with that of course, but the two ingredients have very different crystal structures that result in different textures.

Now if you're someone who prefers less sweet treats or if you have dietary restrictions that require you to track your sugar, these could be a good choice as an "indulgent" snack (as they are marketed). But they won't give you the same experience of, say, a Bounty bar if that's what you were hoping for. And if that's what you were hoping for, I'm not sure you'll be satisfied. It might make more sense to buy the bounty bar and share it with a friend or save half for another day. 

Interestingly, this taste experience aligned incredibly well with my chocolate study this week. I've moved on from Notter's The Art of the Chocolatier and have started reading Chocolates & Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner by Peter Greweling. This beast of a book is a confectioner's bible. In online forums, it's referenced regularly when chocolatiers discuss challenges with particular centres, formulations, etc. Greweling's recipes often are suggested as the starting point for a chocolatier's riffing and experimentation. 

The first chapter, titled "Confectionary Ingredients and Equipment" devotes 5 pages of very small font to sweeteners, their properties, and their applications. For the confectioner, sweeteners aren't just about flavour, they are about function and form. And, as Greweling points out, understanding sugar's "tendency [to crystallize] and knowing how to control it are two of the most fundamental concepts in confectionary" (p.2). Crystal structure is what gives good fudge its characteristic texture. 

And that's also what gives a Bounty bar is form and mouthfeel -- the characteristics that were missing in the low-sugar coconut cup.

Compound vs Real Chocolate

Much of the commercial chocolate that we consume isn't actually chocolate. In many cases, it's compound chocolate -- a product that generally contains cocoa, but does not contain cocoa butter. If you don't see cocoa butter listed as an ingredient, then it's not "real" chocolate. Of course, there are also confectionary coatings that don't have any component of chocolate in them -- candy melts fall into this category.  

There are some good reasons for swapping out the cocoa butter for an alternative fat (like palm kernel oil). For one thing, cocoa butter is polymorphic, which means that it can take on different structures and thus display different characteristics. Chocolate's ideal structure is beta-5, which is its most stable form. It is achieved through the tempering process and results in the smooth, glossy surface and snappy solid form that we seek in well-made chocolate. When chocolate is not in perfect temper and takes on one of the other structures, the texture, appearance, and mouthfeel are affected. It may be soft or crumbly, or have a dull, grey, or mottled appearance. Compound chocolate, however, doesn't require tempering. It also has a higher melting point than real chocolate, which means it is less likely to melt with handling and can remain stable in warmer conditions. Coating "chocolate" can also be purchased readily in a variety of colours, whereas real chocolate usually has to be coloured by the user (who may add oil-based food colouring or laminate chocolate to a coloured cocoa butter layer). And, finally, compound chocolate is cheaper because it doesn't include cocoa butter. 

Consequently, compound chocolate (or confectionary coating or candy coating or candy melts) is a good option for beginners, for food crafting with children, for large batch/mass production of treats, etc. 

So why am I thinking about this right now as a professional chocolatier when normally I would emphasize the need for only the best couverture chocolate? 

I have an idea for a Christmas present to give to friends this year. It's more about the form (a cute piece molded and assembled from chocolate) and less about the formula (it won't be a layered bonbon or a carefully crafted truffle or other elaborate flavour experiment). Nevertheless, at the end of the day, the item is still meant to be eaten. It would be easier to use compound chocolate to avoid the tempering process, improve ease of storage, and create colourful, displayable, Instagram-worthy treats. But the chocolate won't taste as good as Callebaut. 

The question is, Does that matter?

I know a few people who don't mind candy melts, either as a colourful bark or as coating for cookies. They like the sweeter profile. They likely realize it isn't "real" chocolate, but they appreciate it in various applications despite that. (Personally, I don't mind candy melts, but I definitely notice the difference...) But we've also all had the experience of buying (or receiving) cheap chocolate from a dollar, discount, or grocery store, with its waxy texture or dull flavour -- and it can be very disappointing when the expectation and the reality don't match. 

Does food crafting make the use of "fake" chocolate more acceptable? Or should we be striving to emulate the chocolate genius of Amaury Guichon? Vote and comment below! 

Thanks for voting!

Curry Spice Chocolate

While home in Newfoundland this summer, I purchased a number of chocolate bars by Jacobean Craft Chocolate, a bean-to-bar chocolate maker located in Mount Pearl. Recently, I tried one of their white chocolate creations -- a Curry Spice bar. 

I have to say that I find the packaging of Jacobean Craft Chocolate to be very appealing. I love the colours and the graphic design.

I will admit that when I purchased this bar, I didn't realize it was white chocolate, despite the fact that it says "golden white" on the label. You see, when I arrived in Woody Point, the only store on the west coast selling Jacobean had four bars left. So I did what any self-respecting chocolatier would do -- I bought them all without giving it a second thought!

Opening the wrapper, I was surprised first by the scent of the bar. I could smell curry. Not something similar to or reminiscent of curry, but actual curry. And then I saw the colour of the bar. It almost looked like one of the curry roux preparations that I buy in the local Asian grocery store. It had the characteristic yellow colour with flecks of spice throughout. It was unusual and unexpected. 

The packaging describes the bar as follows: "The bar has BOLD flavours, a very pronounced beginning and end, the cumin | ginger | turmeric provide the base profile while the chili flakes and black peppercorn add the tingle." These tasting notes are accurate.

The earthy flavour of the cumin and the warmth of the ginger come through first. Then the peppercorn and chili flakes take the lead, providing more than a little tingle on the tongue. Finally, that tingle fades and what remains is, once again, the warmth of the ginger. And it lingers.

This is an incredible flavour experience.

Now, let me be clear: this isn't your everyday bar. You aren't going to snack on this while watching a movie or even mindfully enjoy it while sipping a coffee. I don't think it's possible to eat more than a single square at once (which perhaps makes it the ideal chocolate bar for anyone who is counting calories...). But it's entirely worth trying for the flavour profile and sensation on the tongue. It's perfect for a chocolate tasting experience or as fun chocolate course at a themed dinner party. (The chocolate course is a thing, right?)

For someone studying chocolate, this is a masterclass.