Hi, if you've come here you're just a click away from our brand new blog site with news on our gourmet retreat, Belgian chocolate making classes, sugar-free/fructose-free chocolate recipes and other chocolate chat!
Drop by .. we'd love to see you there ...
Linda
Wild Patch Chocolatier
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Sugar-free chocolate: naked chocolate!
I've been working with 100% raw (or some people call it 'naked') chocolate
this week. Made a FABULOUS chocolate mousse (sugar-free/fructose-free).
Will be putting up the recipe soon - just need to take some pics (we ate
the first batch before getting the camera out!). We've now got a great
range of Callebaut Belgian chocolate from white and milk chocolate
through to 58%, 70% and now 100% dark.
As you know we cater for people with a gluten-intolerance (our product has always been gluten-free because we use only the best ingredients in our fillings, made fresh and without any 'fillers') and make sugar-free chocolate (safe for diabetics, contains Maltitol). Now we're offering fructose-free chocolate, using glucose (great for people on a sugar-free diet) and developing our range, recipes and specialist ingredients (http://www.wildpatch.com.au/chocolates/chocolate-making-supplies). We'll have Frusano fructose-free chocolate available soon and are not sure of the demand, so let us know if you're interested in an advance order.
As you know we cater for people with a gluten-intolerance (our product has always been gluten-free because we use only the best ingredients in our fillings, made fresh and without any 'fillers') and make sugar-free chocolate (safe for diabetics, contains Maltitol). Now we're offering fructose-free chocolate, using glucose (great for people on a sugar-free diet) and developing our range, recipes and specialist ingredients (http://www.wildpatch.com.au/chocolates/chocolate-making-supplies). We'll have Frusano fructose-free chocolate available soon and are not sure of the demand, so let us know if you're interested in an advance order.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Sugar-free chocolate
Sugar-free chocolate has been around for some time now and is a wonderful alternative to regular chocolate for diabetics. However, recent concerns about high-fructose diets have led to another alternative for chocolate lovers who have fructose intolerance (or fructose mal-absorption) - fructose-free chocolate.
The sweetener used in diabetic chocolate is Maltitol, a sugar-alcohol. If you're on a fructose-free diet, you will still want to avoid sugar-alcohols so this is where glucose-sweetened chocolate comes in.
You will get varying results depending on the sugar-alternative you use. For example, our early tests using glucose syrup resulted in a chewy chocolate that was more like toffee - delicious, none the less!
If you want to use fructose-free chocolate in cooking or baking, you need 100% cacao mass buds which are now available from Wild Patch Chocolates. The percentage refers to the amount of cacao mass versus other ingredients (which in regular chocolate is mostly made up of sugar). In Australia, 70% chocolate is popular amongst dark chocolate lovers and 58% is generally used as an 'everyday' dark chocolate (80 or 85% dark chocolate is regularly eaten in Europe). Eaten alone, real chocolate (sometimes referred to as 'naked chocolate' or 'raw chocolate') is very bitter, however it gives a delicious chocolate taste to smoothies, chocolate chip cookies or muffins.
The sweetener used in diabetic chocolate is Maltitol, a sugar-alcohol. If you're on a fructose-free diet, you will still want to avoid sugar-alcohols so this is where glucose-sweetened chocolate comes in.
Frucose-free Chocolate
Fructose-free chocolate is a relatively new product that will soon be available from www.wildpatch.com.au The chocolate contains cacao mass (the healthy part of chocolate), cocoa butter, vanilla and is sweetened with glucose syrup (safe for people who are fructose-intolerant). This chocolate is available in milk and dark and is a great alternative to regular chocolate.Making your own Sugar-Free Chocolates
To make fructose-free chocolate, you need 100% cacao mass and then add your own fructose-free sweetener. This may be glucose syrup or glucose powder (known as Dextrose) or other sugar-free alternatives such as Stevia.You will get varying results depending on the sugar-alternative you use. For example, our early tests using glucose syrup resulted in a chewy chocolate that was more like toffee - delicious, none the less!
If you want to use fructose-free chocolate in cooking or baking, you need 100% cacao mass buds which are now available from Wild Patch Chocolates. The percentage refers to the amount of cacao mass versus other ingredients (which in regular chocolate is mostly made up of sugar). In Australia, 70% chocolate is popular amongst dark chocolate lovers and 58% is generally used as an 'everyday' dark chocolate (80 or 85% dark chocolate is regularly eaten in Europe). Eaten alone, real chocolate (sometimes referred to as 'naked chocolate' or 'raw chocolate') is very bitter, however it gives a delicious chocolate taste to smoothies, chocolate chip cookies or muffins.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
How to Temper Chocolate
Tempering chocolate is the process of stabilizing the molecules in chocolate so that it has has good 'snap', smooth mouth feel, shine, and shrinks so that it can be easily removed from a mould. The process is also known as 'pre-crystallization' which is a more accurate term as it is all the process of producing sufficient beta-crystals.
Chocolate can be tempered using a number of methods. When you buy chocolate, it is already tempered but when you melt the chocolate (so you can mould it into your own shapes), the crystals are melted out and you need to temper it again before setting it.
Any method of tempering involves three key elemens: time, temperature and movement.
The chocolate is melted, cooled and brought up to the right working temperature (using one of a number of different methods) to ensure there are sufficient stable crystals to give the finished product its hardness, shrinkage and gloss. If chocolate is melted and allowed to set without going through the tempering process, the result would not be glossy, the texture would not be smooth and the lack of shrinkage would make it difficult to remove the finished chocolate from the mould.
Methods for Tempering Chocolate
Choosing the method to temper or ’pre-crystallise’ your chocolate will depend on your equipment and personal preference. You don't need industrial equipment to use the following methods: 'tabliering' (from the French 'to table') the chocolate on a stone surface or seeding with chocolate buds. In our chocolate classes, we always start with 'tabliering' as it's the most traditional and hands-on of the processes. We then move on to the seeding methods.
To temper chocolate by seeding, you'll need to melt most of the chocolate, but remember to keep back about 20-25% of the unmelted chocolate buds to be used for seeding.
Chocolate can be tempered using a number of methods. When you buy chocolate, it is already tempered but when you melt the chocolate (so you can mould it into your own shapes), the crystals are melted out and you need to temper it again before setting it.
Any method of tempering involves three key elemens: time, temperature and movement.
The chocolate is melted, cooled and brought up to the right working temperature (using one of a number of different methods) to ensure there are sufficient stable crystals to give the finished product its hardness, shrinkage and gloss. If chocolate is melted and allowed to set without going through the tempering process, the result would not be glossy, the texture would not be smooth and the lack of shrinkage would make it difficult to remove the finished chocolate from the mould.
Methods for Tempering Chocolate
Choosing the method to temper or ’pre-crystallise’ your chocolate will depend on your equipment and personal preference. You don't need industrial equipment to use the following methods: 'tabliering' (from the French 'to table') the chocolate on a stone surface or seeding with chocolate buds. In our chocolate classes, we always start with 'tabliering' as it's the most traditional and hands-on of the processes. We then move on to the seeding methods.Method 1: 'Tabliering' Chocolate
You'll need some way of melting the chocolate and cooling it on a marble, granite or Caeser stone bread board or benchtop. Two metal spatulas and a large spoon (plastic is best) are needed to move the chocolate around.- Melt a quantity of chocolate to 40-45°C (for milk or white chocolate) or 45-50°C (for dark chocolate).
- Pour 2/3 of the melted chocolate onto a cool surface (marble, granite or Caesar stone). Keep the chocolate constantly moving by using a scraper and spatula so that is cools evenly.
- When it has reached approximately about 24 degrees, return it to the bowl of remaining warmer chocolate and stir well.
Method 2: Seeding Chocolate
To temper chocolate by seeding, you'll need to melt most of the chocolate, but remember to keep back about 20-25% of the unmelted chocolate buds to be used for seeding.
- Melt a quantity of chocolate to 40-45°C (for milk or white chocolate) or 45-50°C (for dark chocolate).
- Slowly add 15-20% of the unmelted buds to the melted chocolate, stirring until all the buds have melted.
Testing the Chocolate
Whichever method you use, always test that sufficient beta crystals have been developed (either by 'tabling' or 'seeding') and, if necessary, boost the number of crystals by adding more chocolate buds (see our other posts on testing that chocolate is well tempered).Thursday, May 17, 2012
We're back blogging!
It's time to get our Blog going again .. after a couple of false starts, here we are again ready to talk about chocolate, post great recipes and get your comments on your favorite tastes and experiences with food. What have we been up to? Well, we launched Wild Patch Retreat last year and that's keeping us busy .. so, we'll tell you all about our exotic Bantam chooks, their wonderful eggs and what's going on in the Dandenongs. Can't wait to get started, so please join us!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)