Cocoa is a source of Calcium, Vitamin D and phosphates, and also contains the stimulant,Theobromine which is similar to caffeine. Be advised that cocoa also contains other properties which are believed to be harmful, so moderation is recommended in the consumption of this product.
The temperated chocolate then has many uses. It is most often used to coat items which will then harden upon cooling. Coating may be done by dipping the item into the melted chocolate or puring this melted chocolate over the item, which is customarily placed on a rack to recapture the extra chocolate and allow for a more professionally coated item. Tempered chocolated can also be made into various shapes for decorating cakes. Another very important use for the tempered chocolate is making "ganache". When combined with cream and flavorings we have a very all-purpose item, useful for chocolate fillings, toppings, coatings, petit fours and more.
INGREDIENTS continued
Chocolate comes from the Cocoa beans which grow on the Cacao tree.
Without a doubt one of the most important and critical ingredients in the pastry shop, and unfortunately, probably the least understood by most pastry cooks. There are many specialists who spend their whole lives studying and researching chocolate. It is necessary that any pastry cook be very familiar with all the characteristics and types of chocolates and understand the physical properties of this agent.
Chocolate or cocoa was introduced to Europe after the discovery of America. This new world plant, actually a tree Theobroma cacao was cultivated in Mexico for unknown centuries, where the Aztecs used the cocoa seeds or chocolate beans as money. The tree yields flowers and fruit at the same time. The colorful fruit, called" pods" contains rows of seeds called beans embedded in a gelatinous material. When ripe the fruit has yellow spots. Today, the cacao tree is cultivated in Africa, Malaysia, Central and South America. with Africa normally producing more cacao than any other area. There are many different varieties with climate, soil and genetics affecting the quality greatly. In the United States, the first chocolate factory was founded in 1870 by Mr. James Baker, and thus began the fame of "Baker's Chocolate".
Cocoa is considered a food source, with the approximate following nutrient composition;
Because of it's high fat content, all forms of cocoa and chocolate need to be carefully stored. Below are more storage details,
It should be stored in a tightly sealed container in a dry well ventilated area. Under normal circumstances, if properly stored, cocoa powder has a very long "shelf life", hence one of the reasons for it's popularity.
This cocoa product presents a more complex storage problem. Moisture causes damage to chocolate so this means that refrigeration is not recommended becuase of the surface condensation it will produce. The optimal storage conditions are cool, dry and well ventilated and well wrapped. Notice that these precautions are the standard ones for any high fat content material. On the other hand, if the temperature is too high, this will flavor to be lost, so in that case refrigeration must be considered, but make sure that the chocolate is very well wrapped. Chocolate will often display a phenomena referred to as "Bloom", which is the white clouding sometimes seen on the outside of a piece of older chocolate. This bloom indicates that at some point the surface cocoa butter (fat) had reached too high of a temperature, had melted and then was exposed to a cooler tmeperature and the melted fat had rehardend, or recrystalized. Properly stored chocolate can expect to have a 3-4 months shelf life.
In the pastry shop, the blocks of chocolate must be softened, melted, or what is termed "Tempering".
A quick refresher course on what we have learnedWHAT IS THE MELTING POINT FOR SUGAR?
STORAGE
The storage of both the raw materials, ingredients, and the finished pastry products are concerns that need to be understood. In genral they are very similar to that of the previous Bakery section.
THE PASTRY PROCESS
In the following the preparation of the various pastries is not as easy to approach as it is in the bakery. For this section we will examine the language of the pastry shop, the various "terms" used as this will give a good foundation upon which to build the various fundamental pastry processes.
TERM DESCRIPTION ABAISSER Rolling out pastry dough ABRICOTER The applying of apricot or other glazes BLANCHING The strong whisking together of egg yolks and sugar until they are light and foamy. BLIND BAKE When a pie or tart shell is baked empty in order to "pre or partially" the dough. CARAMELIZE The cooking of sugar until it has turned the proper amber to brown color. CHEMISER The lining or coating of the inside a mold with a thick layer of mixture. CREAMING The vigorous beating together of fat and sugar until they are light and fluffy, before incorporating the other ingredients. Is a form of using the physical leavener called "air". CRUMB A kind of texture that is used to describe baked products. DOCKING Using the rooler dicer to perforate a dough. This will allow steam / air to escape and thus not leaven or rise up. DORER (to glaze) To bush gentle with and eggwash and milk mixture, which will cause the product to brown more when baking. FOLDING A technique that involves the gentle mixing together of ingredients. usually one of these has been beaten or creamed and therefore is full of air which we want to retain by very gentle mixing. there is a very definite movement involved in this. FONCER To line a form or mold with pastry dough MARBRER Fondant icing decorated with lines (chocolate) to lokk like marble. NAPPER To cook until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. or to coat using a glaze. TABLER To cool cooked, melted coating chocolate by working with a spatula on a marble slab. This prevents it from getting lumpy. ZEST To grate or finely dice the skin of a lemon, lime or orange. Flesh only, no white pith.