It is important that chocolate is handled correctly because it plays such a major role in dessert making. For best results, always use good-quality chocolate that has a cocoa butter content of at least 32 per cent.
Types of Chocolate
Professional pastry chefs use different kinds of chocolate from the home cook. This is because they often need a chocolate that is not only malleable for intricate shaping but also able to hold its shape. The cocoa butter content of chocolate determines its ability to cut and shape, and it also gives the chocolate its flavour.
Baker’s chocolate: Also called baker’s covering and pâte à glacer, this has had all the cocoa butter removed and replaced by hydrogenated vegetable oil, resulting in a chocolate that is very easy to use, with good setting and cutting properties, but a fatty flavour and a matt finish. It is best for making flexible decorations, such as the ribbons , and can be used without tempering. For stockists .
Couverture chocolate: The pastry chef’s favourite for any recipe that calls for chocolate, couverture contains a high percentage of cocoa butter (at least 32%) and so has a high gloss and a fine flavour. It is more difficult to work with than baker’s chocolate - it must always be tempered before use - but it looks and tastes much better. If you are unable to get couverture (see stockists ), substitute an unsweetened or semisweet (also called bittersweet and plain) chocolate with the highest cocoa butter content you can find, and temper it before use.
