Semisweet and Bittersweet Chocolate

These sweetened dark chocolates are the chocolates most often called for in Cocolat. Today these range in cacao percentage from 55% to well over 80%—but in 1990, bittersweet and semisweet chocolate available to home cooks did not exceed 60% cacao and “were so similar to each other as to be interchangeable in recipes! Today you should always shop for chocolate by percentage and ignore the terms “semisweet” and “bittersweet”! Before making any recipe in this book, consult The Chocolate Chart. It will tell you “when to stick with a maximum of 60% cacao and when you can use a higher percentage chocolate. Higher percentage chocolate (even if it is labeled bittersweet or semisweet) can result in dry cakes, curdled ganache, or grainy mousses. The Chocolate Chart is your new best friend!