In article >, Alex Rast wrote:
>> I finally had the opportunity to try Amedei's Chuao chocolate a
>> couple months ago, and discovered what an amazing thing it is.
>
> Unbelievable stuff isn't it? Amedei really hit the chocolate bulls-eye
> with this one. Bonnat's and Valrhona's Chuaos are but pale imitations.

To the point (at least with Valrhona's) where it's hard to believe that
they're made from the same beans. But that's a separate discussion...

>> I could see making a pure Chuao truffle, but anything more complex
>> than that would be detracting from perfection.
>
> Actually, Chuao is a superb chocolate for baking because its power,
> very rare for a Criollo chocolate which tend to be far more delicate,
> will withstand considerable dilution without suffering from intensity
> loss.

Good to know. So it sounds like a pure Chuao cake or brownie would work
too. But it still seems to me that deliberately adding other flavors to
it, in any form, would only cause the result to be worse.

> The cocoa powder has another, critical function - it takes up the milk
> and the water. Chocolate won't emulsify in water or milk [...]

Interesting, I don't think I've tried this. Why doesn't it emulsify?
Is the non-fat part of the cocoa powder hydrophilic?

> If you want the ultimate, simply melt the chocolate itself and then
> use a molinillo - a wooden whisk you can find in Mexican stores - to
> froth it up.

Personally I find that to be too thick. Steingarten/Herme's recipe is
very rich, but not so sticky that it coats the mouth. And I prefer a
immersion blender to a molinillo - it might not be as authentic, but it
gets the job done in a hurry and it's easier to clean. Plus it's
powerful enough that it can help convince the hot chocolate to emulsify,
whether it wants to or not.

>> But if I were to use Amedei for the chocolate, I'd want a cocoa
>> powder which would complement, or at least not get in the way of, the
>> chocolate itself.
>
> Chuao is sufficiently powerful that very few cocoas will actually get
> in the way of it. It will overwhelm most cocoas completely, so that's
> less of a problem than it might initially seem. Having said that,
> since your quest is for the ultimate, there really can be only one
> choice - Michel Cluizel's "Dark" cocoa - the best on the market.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have some from Patisfrance right now
which is pretty good, but I'll look into getting some Cluizel the next
time I need more.

If, as you say, the Chuao will overwhelm most cocoa powders, my question
about a Criollo cocoa powder is somewhat academic. But "for academia's
sake", do you know what type of beans Cluizel (or Valrhona, or others)
make their cocoa powder from? And, again just out of curiosity, are
there any part- or pure-Criollo cocoa powders on the market?

Blake

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