Everyday Raw Chocolate

by Kenny, Matthew; Baird

• ISBN13: 9781423621058
• ISBN10: 1423621050
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-02-05
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith

Summary

Now you can enjoy one of the great tastes and textures in raw-raw chocolate. Raw chocolate can be made without a lot of fuss and with great results. This book features truffles, fudge, buttercups, fruit, smoothies, bonbons, and more. With cacao beans and health-promoting ingredients like goji berries and maca, raw chocolate is even healthy for you!

Excerpts

Lavender, Gray Salt

Our base has salt, although in certain instances, additional salt is part of the actual flavor of a recipe. In this case, along with the lavender, the salt creates a bar that, while still sweet, also has a bit of savory personality.

1 melted, tempered batch of Chocolate Base (page 11)

2 tablespoons dried lavender

1 tablespoon gray salt

Pour chocolate into a bar mold in the style of your choice. Before chocolate is solid, sprinkle with lavender and salt. Place in the refrigerator to firm.

Makes approximately 1 dozen bars

Chocolate Base Recipe

2 1/2 cups cacao liquor (paste)*

2 cups cacao butter**

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup liquid sweetener

Salt

Finely chop cacao paste and cacao butter. Place in a metal bowl. Dehydrate at 115 degrees F for approximately 1 hour until two-thirds of the chocolate is melted. Stir occasionally to increase the speed of the melting process. Once two-thirds is melted, remove bowl from dehydrator and stir until all chocolate is completely melted. Add vanilla, liquid sweetener, and salt. Continue to stir until well combined. (If mixture starts to thicken, place immediately back in the dehydrator.) Once all ingredients are combined, place back in the dehydrator and warm mixture for approximately 5 minutes. You don't want the chocolate to exceed 88 degrees F at this point. Remove from dehydrator. Your chocolate should now be tempered and ready to pour into molds. In order to test if your chocolate is tempered, pour a drop on wax paper and allow it to cool. If it becomes firm and shiny then it is properly and correctly tempered.

To properly make chocolate, it is essential that every utensil you use be very dry. Moisture will cause the chocolate to seize, which means the oil will separate from the other ingredients. If this does happen you can blend the chocolate with a touch of warm water in a high-speed blender to bring it back together. Although the chocolate is not ruined if this happens, it will no longer be possible to properly temper it, so it must be stored in the refrigerator in order to stay firm.

* Substitute 21.2 cups cacao oil for a white chocolate base.

** Substitute 2 cups sifted coconut flour for a white chocolate base.

Makes enough for approximately 1 dozen chocolate bars