What is it?

All real chocolate comes from the cacao bean, the fruit of a tropical tree, Theobroma cacao. Chocolate is made from roasted, pulverized cacao beans, which are then combined with sugar, and in some cases vanilla and lecithin. Much of the quality of the chocolate will depend on the origin and quality of the beans. Chocolate is labeled unsweetened, bittersweet, or semisweet depending on the percentage of cacao the chocolate contains. Here’s a rundown of the various types of chocolate:

• 半甜&苦乐参半chocolate – Traditionally, these can be used interchangeably, with semisweet giving a slightly sweeter result. Bittersweet generally contains less sugar than semisweet, but the distinction between the two types becomes hazy between brands.
• Unsweetened chocolate- 未加糖的巧克力不含糖，因此约99％的巧克力酒。它非常苦，不能与半甜或苦甜巧克力互换使用。
• Milk chocolate– Although popular to eat out of hand, milk chocolate is used less widely in baking than semi- or bittersweet chocolate. In the U.S., milk chocolate must contain a minimum of 10% chocolate liquor and 12% milk solids.
• White chocolate- 从技术上讲，这根本不是巧克力，因为它不含可可固体，只有可可脂与糖，牛奶固体和调味料混合。

没有吗？

由于大多数需要苦乐参半或半甜巧克力的食谱是使用可可百分比约为35％的巧克力开发的，用来代替越来越多的超高百分比巧克力，这些巧克力越来越多，越来越多的巧克力可能会导致蛋糕干燥或甘那ach酱。如果您想尝试使用这些更高的可可产品，巧克力大师爱丽丝·梅里希（Chocolate Guru Alice Medrich）建议使用食谱中要求的巧克力少25％至35％，并且每盎司的巧克力中加起来多达1-1/2茶匙的糖糖多颗粒糖。最初要求。

How to choose:

用于烘烤的巧克力是用正方形，薄棒和厚厚的块制成的。薄棒可容易存放，并且比块更容易切碎，块需要一点肘部润滑（但更适合制作装饰性剃须和卷发）。

一些优质的巧克力只有巨大的块，这对专业人士来说非常有用，但对于家庭厨师来说可能太大了。幸运的是，特色商店经常出售包裹在塑料中的这些块中的较小块。Lindt，Guittard，Scharffen Berger，Valrhona和Trader Joe's是一些可以保留的品牌。

If a recipe specifies a cacao percentage, stick to it. If not, don’t choose one higher than 75 percent cacao; otherwise, there may not be enough sugar in the recipe to produce the ideal finished texture.

如何存储：

Store chocolate in a cool, dry place. A warm or humid kitchen can cause the fat or sugar or both to rise to the chocolate’s surface, resulting in a grayish-white coating called bloom. Either way, though the chocolate may not have the same texture eaten straight, it will work just fine in baking.

Chocolate will keep for a year at room temperature, if kept below 70°F. Wrap it in a few layers of plastic wrap to keep it as airtight as possible and put it in a dark cupboard, away from strong-smelling foods. (Chocolate, like butter, will absorb strong aromas.)

You can store chocolate in the refrigerator or freezer, but a moist environment isn’t ideal. If you do chill your chocolate, bring it to room temperature while still wrapped to prevent condensation from forming, as any water on the chocolate can interfere with its ability to melt smoothly.

Stored in a cool, dry cupboard, dark bar chocolate will last a year (six months for milk chocolate).

食谱

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  Recipe

  Mudslide Cookies

  这些耐嚼的粘饼饼干包装了两剂巧克力和一丝咖啡。巧克力的质量越好，饼干就会越好。

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  Recipe

  巧克力树皮，干芒果，椰子和智利

  热带风味使这个树皮变亮。一点热使事情变得有趣。

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  Recipe

  带腰果，葡萄干和粉红色胡椒的巧克力树皮

  Pink peppercorns add a not–too–hot fruity flavor to this nutty chocolate bark.

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  黑巧克力树皮，杏子和蜜饯生姜

  A bit of ginger adds tingly warmth to this bark.

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  Recipe

  Dark Chocolate Bark with Figs, Almonds, and Candied Oranges

  Can something taste like Christmas? Embedded with candied oranges, almonds, and gingerbread-spiced figs, this chocolate bark embodies the season.

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  Recipe

  Eggnog-White Chocolate Mousse

  The delicate sweetness of white chocolate perfectly complements the traditional eggnog flavors of this dreamy, cloud-like mousse.

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  Recipe

  Hot Chocolate Eggnog with Eggnog Whipped Cream

  您会喜欢这种节日饮料：一块丰富的自制蛋酒都融入了热巧克力和鲜奶油中。它是奶油，美味和独特的！

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  Recipe

  Espresso-Chocolate Marble Chiffon Cake

  Use your choice of chocolate for the glaze—milk chocolate will contrast the coffee flavor and sweeten the cake, while dark chocolate will add a rich, pleasantly bitter edge.

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  Recipe

  Chocolate Stout Macaroons

  您可能会惊讶于黑暗，像烈性黑啤酒的苦啤酒相得益彰。融化的黑巧克力有助于嫁给对比的口味。

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  Recipe

  Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

  Bitterswweet dark chocolate is the perfect foil for sweet coconut, but if milk chocolate is your thing, that’s delicious, too.