What exactly is Bittersweet?Many desserts call for Bittersweet chocolate,"What exactly is Bittersweet?" Harry asked me this morning as we discussed experimenting with a Chocolate Souffle recipe from Alice Medrich's Cookbook Bittersweet.
I first learned about the differences in chocolate from working in restaurants, bakeries and of course in culinary school at The Academy of Culinary Arts. Pastry chef Ann Marie Chelius taught me a lot about chocolate and how to work with it.
Semisweet and bittersweet are types of sweetened dark chocolate. According to Alice Medrich, "The chocolate industry makes no distinction between bittersweet and semisweet chocolate." Bittersweet must contain a minimum of 35% percent of unsweetened chocolate liquor (cocoa butter and nonfat dry cocoa solids). Higher quality bitttersweet chocolate usually contains at least 50-55% more chocolate liquor making it a good choice for baking.
Bittersweet chocolate is not just for professionals anymore. You can readily find baking chocolates with various percentages and blends of cocoa beans and other ingredients at chocolate shops, supermarkets and online. Most companies clearly label their bittersweet chocolates. Alice notes in her book that by the late 1980's more and more recipes called for bittersweet chocolate. The higher the percentage, the less sugar and the stronger the flavor.
Bittersweet chocolate is not just for professionals anymore. You can readily find baking chocolates with various percentages and blends of cocoa beans and other ingredients at chocolate shops, supermarkets and online. Most companies clearly label their bittersweet chocolates. Alice notes in her book that by the late 1980's more and more recipes called for bittersweet chocolate. The higher the percentage, the less sugar and the stronger the flavor.
Unless you need smooth chocolate for making something specific like chocolate curls, truffles or ganache - Harry and I are sold on Sicilian chocolates! Sicilian chocolate is similar to Mexican chocolate. The mouth-feel and texture tastes granular from the sugar, but still melts in your mouth. Once you try Sicilian or Mexican chocolates you'll never go back to the waxy taste of smooth chocolate.
Today, we're going to try baking with Mexican chocolate (made in America) for an all American Labor Day dessert. We plan to buy some today if we can find it at Wholefoods. I will let you know and post the recipe if our chocolate souffles turn out.
Allow yourself to enjoy and savor the flavor of quality chocolate. You can still maintain a healthy body and body weight if you occasionally enjoy a food made with chocolate.
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