How Perfectly Bittersweet It Is
Sep 11, 2007 | From the kitchen of Rose
I have fallen in love with a new chocolate--perhaps the best I've ever tasted and because it will be in short supply I even hesitate to promote it!
When I arrived at the ValRhona tasting, the tables were set with 2 small chocolate bars and a small plastic container holding 4 squares of unwrapped chocolate. Once the presentation started, and Vanessa Lemoine, Valrhona's Sensorial Analysis Manager and Pierre Costet, Chief Cacao Sourcer, indoctrinated us into the growing, producing, and tasting of chocolate, I started hungering for a taste (the very word chocolate always does this to me). And very quickly I went through all 4 pieces in the little container (usually I can restrain myself far better than this) and started eyeing my neighbor's sample. (Arlyn Blake, a darling friend eventually offered me 3 of them!) Somehow this chocolate, instead of satisfying chocolate craving, induced more.
THE PORCELAINA BEAN
We were taught about odor perceived through the nose versus aroma perceived through the mouth and about acidity perceived on the sides of the tongue versus bitterness perceived in the back of the tongue and throat. And when finally we were given the green light to taste the squares of chocolate and were asked whether we thought it was acidic or bitter my unhesitating answer was delicious. Vanessa agreed saying it was both acidic and bitter and indeed it was perfectly balanced, with creamy texture and just the right amount of sugar which was 64%.
CLOSE UP OF THE PORCELAINA BEAN
This chocolate comes from the "criollo bean, poetically named Porcelaina and grown only in Venezuela in very small quantitites. The chocolate Valrhona has produced from it is called Palmira. It has been available in France since 1991 and is soon arriving in the U.S. Look for it on the Valrhona website or in specialty stores and try a bar. It will be more expensive than other Valrhona chocolates but see if you agree with me that it is an experience not to be missed. As Arlyn said when she ate the one piece she didn't hand over to me: "Now this is chocolate as it ought to be!
MY SWEET FRIENDS: CHOCOLATIER JEAN FRANÇOIS BONNET OF TUMBADOR IN BKLYN AND HIS WIFE PASTRY CHEF DINA BONNET
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Rose
07/22/2008 03:33 PM
i've been told that it is kosher certified.
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sparky
06/11/2008 10:38 PM
It is a myth that the tongue is "mapped" with different regions for each taste. So the bitter flavors are not solely perceived in one region of the mouth nor are the sweet,sour or umami flavor receptors limited to specific regions of the tongue. I am surprised that this old information is still being taught.
Sparky
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KRISTY
06/11/2008 08:56 PM
I need to know if Vahlrona cocoa powder is kosher certified. There are chocolatiers in Israel that use it and say it is. Can anyone help please?
Thanks
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Hector
05/29/2008 01:17 PM
Thanks Annie, and indeed it did detach. And I like the look of dull chocolate!
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Annie
05/29/2008 09:05 AM
Hector, yes, chocolate will detach perfectly from parchment paper, but will have a much duller finish. Tempered chocolate will take up the shine of the surface on to which it is put. The best thing to use is acetate sheets if you can get them - they are very shiny and this is what the pros use. I'm sure www.sugarcraft.com will have them.
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Hector
05/28/2008 11:39 PM
S.O.S. from Hector, the baker that build towers and bridges...
I am making a chocolate lattice, but I am using parchment instead of wax paper. Will it detach?
By the way, this lattice is done with Valrhona, and let me tell you my take on chocolates:
1- use the best you can afford if it is eaten as actual chocolate, like on lattice, shells, bands, etc.
2- use an average one if you are baking or mixing it, like in cake, frosting, etc.
The Valrhona Caraibe I am using, has such nice flavor and shiny luster, compared to any chocolate I've ever used before! I think Valrhona chocolate shines when presented as chocolate. This is not an advertisement for Valrhona, just a point to start because I know there are many other chocolates out there of this caliber if not higher. Check out Amedei for example which makes me confirm that in Italy the best is never exported!
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Hector
03/26/2008 11:25 PM
Dave, best if you contact Valrhona directly. Good luck and do let us know.
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dave Cohn
03/26/2008 11:17 PM
you say Valrhona is kosher certified, I have been told it is not. Who certifies that it is kosher and how do I find this information in writing?
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Rose
09/25/2007 06:45 PM
thank you but which recipe?
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RITA ROLTER
09/25/2007 06:43 PM
I am a very experienced baker. Lately, I have been baking with chocolate that contains 60% or higher cocoa. It is usually bittersweet or unsweetened Schaffenberger.The texture of the finished product is almost truffle like and most difficult to remove from the pan. I also find that I have to increase the baking time. Should I be making any adjustments to the recipe when using this high cocoa chocolate?
I have a copy of your original CAKE BIBLE which I adore, and has been a gift I have given to my 6 grandchildren who all enjoy baking.
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Mandy
09/23/2007 10:33 PM
I absolutely can't resist good chocolate. Thanks for the heads up.
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Rose
09/18/2007 10:30 PM
great news! all Valrhona products are kosher certified!
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Rose
09/18/2007 03:40 PM
i'll check with VR. by the way, the honey bee cake is really fabulous and you don't have to make the bees OR look at the honey comb chiffon pie in the pastry bible which has easy to make bees. actually that would be fun for new years too!
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S.H.
09/18/2007 03:35 PM
Would you know if this brand is kosher certified ? If not, could you inquire from your contacts at Valrhona if they would consider it - this is torture for me (and others I'm sure, although I'm holding up well with the Sharfenberger). Thanks.
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Elicia
09/13/2007 09:44 PM
I already love existing Varlhona varieties as it is! Really educational - thks Rose!
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Hector
09/12/2007 07:42 PM
now, THAT is chocolate! Thanks for sharing this and such educational tips. Wonderful pictures.
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Lola LB
09/12/2007 05:35 AM
The chocolate looks very interesting! I'm not sure that I'm going to get it, though, as long as Chavez is still in charge of Venezuela . . .
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Patrincia
09/11/2007 04:42 PM
Oh my... I think we're all in trouble :).
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Cathy
09/11/2007 04:30 PM
Wow! I can't wait to taste this. Thanks for passing this info along!
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Happy New Year!
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