The chocolate skills you need to know as a chef

Which chocolate is best for what

Dark

Dark chocolate contains little or no fat so has a stronger cocoa flavour, giving an intense taste. It has 65% cocoa solids or higher. For a more bitter taste, go for a higher percentage.

Pair with… Sharp flavours such as passion fruit and citrus fruit like lime. Dark chocolate also complements coffee, alcohol such as brandy and rum, and nuts – think hazelnut praline.

Milk

This chocolate has 35-55% cocoa solids. It contains dairy fat which gives a creamier and richer texture. For less sweetness, go for a higher percentage.

Pair with… Salted caramel or teas. We’ve made a great milk chocolate and Earl Grey tiramisu. Chai and Oolong tea also work well with milk chocolate.

White

With the lowest cocoa solids, white is much sweeter and has a creamier texture. When using it, we reduce the amount of sugar in other elements of a dish so the chocolate can be the star.

Pair with… Citrus like yuzu (a tart fruit similar to grapefruit) or berries. Salty flavours also work well with white chocolate – try salted macadamias, pistachios and cashews.

Top tips on tempering chocolate

What is it?

Tempering means to heat and cool chocolate to stabilise it which creates a shiny and crisp finish once set.

What can you use it for?

It’s essential for making chocolates such as truffles or moulded chocolate desserts, basically anything that you want to look shiny and have a good snap.

How to temper chocolate

There are several methods but the most accessible is called seeding.

1. Chop your chocolate finely or use high quality chocolate such as Callebaut or Valhrona which you can buy in callets (small buttons or chips).

2. Melt three-quarters of the chocolate slowly in the microwave or in a bain marie. You want the temperature to be around 50C for dark chocolate or 45C for milk or white.

3. Add in the remaining quarter of chocolate off the heat. Stir well until the temperature drops to 28C for dark chocolate or 26-27C for white or milk.

4. Reheat on a low heat until it reaches a working temperature – 31-32C for dark and 28-29C for milk and white.

Do this to extend the time you can use tempered chocolate…

If we want tempered chocolate to keep its temperature for longer, we add Mycryo™, a cocoa butter powder. Weigh your chocolate and add 1% of that weight in Mycryo™ to your melted chocolate.

How to make perfect chocolate ganache

This chocolate and cream mix is great for spreading on cakes and adding a decadent layer to mousses or other desserts.

1. Boil double cream then pour over your finely chopped chocolate.

2. Leave to infuse for five minutes.

3. Blend with a stick blender to emulsify the fat content together and make a smooth, velvety texture.

4. Use immediately or leave to thicken.

Try this secret to make a more versatile ganache…

To create a more stable ganache that can be whipped up like a mousse or Chantilly cream, we mix UHT cream, glucose and Trimoline (sugar syrup). Heat together and pour over the chocolate, add cold cream, then chill.

Ben says...

QUALITY MATTERS

In our fine dining and à la carte restaurants, we use higher quality chocolate to get better flavour. For the more commercial outlets here, we go for lower cost options. Look at your establishment and budget to decide what’s best for you.

VEGAN

I think the key with creating vegan desserts is not to just try to replicate dairy-based dishes. Sometimes you can’t get the same quality. I’d rather think up something new than make a sub-par alternative.