|
|
"It is dark as the AlChemist walks along the corridor, rough stone under his feet, air warmed from well smoldering hearth fires stirring his cowl. He opens a hewn timber door, worn smooth at the threshold over years of use. He breaths deeply the comforting smells of this laboratory. Hints of wood and smoke linger in the air from the last time he roasted raw materials for his elixirs. Another smell, heady and almost intoxicating, brings a smile to his face as he remembers the smell wafting up as he was last grinding his pastes and powders. He looks about. Everything is in place. The roasting drum is cool in the hearth. The mortars and pestles are laid out neat and tidy, only a small amount of deep brown paste marring their finish. The cracking mill is sitting ready, waiting for the next batch to be crushed fresh out of the roaster. It is time to begin his magic, his devotion, his passion, his Alchemy, yet again. He prepares himself for the work ahead. The roasting, the cracking, the winnowing, the grinding, the mixing. The transformation of base materials into something more than they were. The transformation of cocoa beans to chocolate, the work of Chocolate Alchemy."
2456568 visits and counting.
It has been some time since I have done one of these, but it oddly enough struck a note.
“Oh how sweet it is to hear one’s own convictions from another’s lips.” - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Filed under: What's new & Updates
Your quote is very good, and one I seldom hear. Not many people quote Goethe, or any of the other great philosophers. Thank you so much.
You are quite welcome. With the winter months coming in, and hopefully a little breathing room, I hope to get back to these.
Hello,
I’m in Florence, Italy studying chocolate and here is the tempering rules for doing it by hand.
Melt over double boiler until 50 degrees Celcius/ (122 degrees Fahrenheit). this is for all three classes, dark, milk, white.
Next:
DARK CHOCOLATE:
Pour half of mixture on table, start tempering it,
• Take temperature to 27-28 degrees C./80.6-82.5F.
• Put back in bowl with other melted chocolate
• The mixture should be about 30 degrees C,(86F) if not keep stirring until the chocolate reaches 30-31 degrees C. (86-88F).
WHITE CHOCOLATE & MILK CHOCOLATE:
Pour half of mixture on table, start tempering it,
• Take temperature to 24-25 degrees C./75-77F
• Put back in bowl with melted chocolate
• The mixture should be about 27 degrees C, (80.5F) if not keep stirring until the chocolate reaches 27-29 degrees C. (80.5-84F).
There are tiny margins for error for the temperatures of the dark and the milk/white and these temperatures are critical.
This method is very simple and not messy.
I’m learning a lot about chocolate making commercially. I find it very exciting that there are folks that want to do it at home and that the equipment to do it is available too.
Check out the school I’m at: www.apicius.it
Also about my chocolate instructor:
http://www.jamesbeard.org/events/2005/11/005.shtml
http://www.bottegadelcioccolato.it/flash/bottega.html
ciao,
DonnaMarie