Alex, I can't get back to your posting re the Chocolate Death cake, so I
will piggy-back this message to ask you:

When you say to "thoroughly grease and flour a 9" cake pan," I'm wondering
if you would consider using butter instead of shortening -- I don't use
shortening. Or what you might use instead of shortening? I don't have any
more spectrum. I usually put a teeny-weeny bit of oil (olive oil -- don't
scold!) on the bottom of a pan -- not enough to really taste. If I use Pam,
I will wipe the majority of it off, as well.

#2 question:
What do you think of the suggestion that many cooks make: to use "cocoa"
instead of flour when greasing and flouring the pan. I'm not sure what the
top limits of degrees -- say 375? would be for using cocoa.
Any comments on this appreciated!

Dee




"Alex Rast" > wrote in message
...
> at Thu, 04 Dec 2003 21:10:23 GMT in >,
> (Me) wrote :
>
> >Thanks for all of the chocolate info. I'm afraid I don't get out enough
> >and by "good" chocolate (not that I buy bad chocolate instead).
> >
> >Anyway, since I don't know much about this subject, can you give me your
> >opinion of chocolates such as Valrohna?
> >
>
> Well, there really isn't such a thing as "such as Valrhona". It's either
> Valrhona or not. What I mean by this is, you can't "lump" chocolates into
> categories by associating them with a particular brand. Nor can you do so
> by country. So it's equally misleading to talk about "French" or "Swiss"
or
> "American" chocolate as it is about chocolates "such as" Valrhona, or
> Lindt, or Guittard. Even price isn't a particularly reliable guide: there
> are world-class chocolates available at pittances, and chocolates that
cost
> a bomb that aren't any better than Nestle. Typically each quality
chocolate
> manufacturer has a "signature" taste - it's then up to you to decide which
> type of taste you tend to like best.
>
> As for Valrhona themselves, they make generally excellent chocolate. The
> flavour of their chocolates usually leans strongly towards the fruity
side.
> But unlike Scharffen Berger, I've found that they usually don't go
> overboard, so, yes, it's fruity, no, it's not overbearingly fruity. The
> other thing Valrhona is well-known for is impeccable texture. Valrhona
> chocolates are always ultra-smooth and creamy, usually better than similar
> competitors. While this is valuable when you're eating it straight, it has
> less of a direct impact if you're using it in baking. There are a few big
> "winners" from Valrhona : chocolates that are worth your time to track
down
> and try.
>
> Caraibe: Displays the characteristics of Trinitario cocoas. Pungent,
> molasses flavour.
> Le Noir Amer: A good reference for a general-purpose 70% bittersweet.
> Nicely powerful, redolent of currants.
> Araguani: A refreshingly new direction for them. It's roasted a little
> longer, resulting in a beautiful, floral taste.
> Gran Couva: The last 2 I'm listing are definitely a notch better than the
> others. This one is very complex, with piney and blueberry notes. It
varies
> from year to year. A grand semisweet chocolate.
> Guanaja: This is the chocolate that started it all: the one that created
> the revival of interest in ultra-quality chocolate. Lives up to its
> reputation beyond your imagination. Amazingly intense, tropical flavour,
> and even the texture somehow seems a little better than other Valrhonas.
> When it first came out, this chocolate pretty much redefined people's
> concepts of what good chocolate could be. One of the world's great
> chocolates.
>
> --
> Alex Rast
>
> (remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)