Chocolate

WE OFTEN FORGET that chocolate at its core is a fermented product. The cocoa beans are fermented before being roasted and crushed into a paste, then processed into chocolate after adding cocoa butter, sugar and often vanilla.

Because the fermentation helps develop the flavours, picking a chocolate high in cocoa solids and low in sugar is important. Too much sugar, and the flavours are flat and the overall finish in the mouth is just sweetness.

Sugary chocolate is easier to work with when whipping into a mousse or ganache, as the sugar helps with fluidity and elasticity, but its flavour can lack depth. Chocolates with a higher cocoa solid percentage (such as those labeled 65% and higher) have much deeper, richer and more refined flavours, but are sometimes difficult to work with, lacking fluidity and texture. Finding the right balance can be frustrating.