Chocolate and Cocoa Powder

There are literally hundreds of chocolates available to the consumer at gourmet stores, supermarkets, and Web sites. Fortunately, you often can tell much about the chocolate by a glance at the label. But, pick a chocolate that is too bitter, and your dessert may not be as sweet as you like. In central Europe, the chocolate choices for cooking are mostly limited to bittersweet chocolate or unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder. (When milk chocolate is used, it is as a garnish, never as an ingredient in a cake batter.)