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Some Frequently Answered Questions on Chocolate by Carol Fenster

by info@gfreecuisine.com 23. June 2009 06:18
What's the difference between cocoa and baking chocolate? Chocolate is made of two things: cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Cocoa powder has very little cocoa butter, so it has more solids (where the flavor comes from). So, ounce for ounce, there is more flavor in cocoa (and less fat) in cocoa powder.

Which brands are gluten-free? Use the best chocolate you can afford because that yields the best flavor. Within the quality-level chocolates, I prefer Scharffen Berger for its full flavor (www.scharffenberger.com) and it's dairy-free, too. For mass market chocolate, I am a big fan of Tropical Source bars that come in a variety of flavors and are also dairy-free as well (www.nspired.com). Dagoba is another good brand, as is Green & Black's (but not all flavors are gluten-free so read the label). I use the software package from Clan Thompson (www.clanthompson.com) to determine which chocolates are gluten-free, but of course,  read labels each time you buy chocolate.

Where can I find more information about chocolate? There are some terrific web sites that focus exclusively on chocolate. Here are just a few: www.worldwidechocolate.com; www.chocosphere.com; www.chocolocate.com; www.chocolat.com; www.chocolatedecadence.com

 Things You Should Know About Baking or Cooking with Chocolate
[1] Cakes made with cocoa powder (instead of baking chocolate) and oil (instead of butter) are tender and intensely flavored. Cakes made with chocolate and butter can become a bit hard when they sit at room temperature because the chocolate just naturally wants to harden up.

[2]  Always use the type of leavening specified in the recipe. We typically use baking powder with alkalized cocoa (called Dutch or European or alkali) and baking soda with natural cocoa (which isn't  alkalized). But there are many other factors that affect this decision, follow the recipe for best results.

[3] In desserts prized for their creaminess... such as puddings, ganache (a type of frosting), or mousse.... use chocolate because it gives that wonderful creamy smoothness. If you want to boost the cocoa flavor, add a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder to these desserts.

[4] You don't need flour to make a wonderfully easy cake. Go to page 7 of this file at http://www.kenw.org/cl/5400fn.pdf  for my Flourless Chocolate Cake, which is based on nuts. I frequently serve this to my guests because it is so simple, yet stunning. You can decorate it any way you want.

[5] If you want chewy brownies, don't bake them too long and use a minimum of flour in relation to the eggs, butter, and sugar. For a more cake-like brownie, use more flour in relation to the eggs, butter, and sugar.

[6] The type of fat you use in brownies affects their texture. If you use butter and cocoa, the brownies will be soft and chewy at room temperature because butter is soft and cocoa doesn't stiffen up. Chocolate and butter firm up at room temperature making the brownies firmer and fudgier.

[7] The higher the cocoa content of chocolate, the less sugar in the chocolate. So, bars that are 60 to 70% cocoa will be stronger in flavor, but not nearly as sweet. Remember that when choosing chocolate bars for baking.

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About the Authors

Ann Bender & Karen Hutcherson
Marketers by profession, both Ann and Karen have a fondness for good food and healthy cooking. They understand the importance of the nightly family dinner and developed Relish! a premier menu-planning service (relishrelish.com). Relish! received hundreds of requests to offer the same type of service but to make it gluten-free. Because of the complexity of the product, they solicited the help of gluten-free cooking expert, Carol Fenster, to provide all of the recipes and many of her famous bread and dessert recipes!