Howdy. I first wanted to entitle this post “the perfect chocolate mousse”, but that seemed to claim a little too much, right? Modest as I am, I consider it possible that some people might make even better (or at least equally good) chocolate mousse. But “quite good chocolate mousse” is simply not such a catchy title…

Systematic test of slightly different chocolate mousse recipes. From left to right: 0.5% iota-carrageenan (filled in canister at 80-90°C) | 1% iota-carrageenan (filled at 80-90°C) | 1.5% iota-carrageenan (filled at 80-90°C) | 1% iota-carrageenan (filled at 65°C). Each beaker contains 70g of chocolate mousse.

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I wrote about some of Amsterdam’s most known chocolatier such as Puccini or Unlimited delicious. There is a far less known –but not less interesting- place in Oost: Van Velze’s.

Chocolatier and Patissier “Van Velze’s” in Amsterdam Oost

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Some call it molten chocolate cake, some moelleux au chocolat, or fondant au chocolat, or coulant au chocolat… Some claim that they invented it, others deny it.

Moelleux au chocolat fresh out of the oven… eat…

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Sometimes I like making things dramatic, saving the best until last. In food as well. I save the asparagus heads until the end and finish my favorite side dish last, if you know what I mean.

‘Exploring your dark side’ chocolate tasting at Chocolatl in Amsterdam

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To the technical stuff. What did we do/learn in the course?
I told you that I recently enjoyed a ‘Beyond the basics” course at the chocolate academy in Wieze, Belgium. Here are some more details and pictures for those of you interested in what we technically did in the course.

Precoating different ganache fillings made at the Chocolate Academy course ‘Chocolate beyond the basics’

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Coming from science I do not find it very difficult to understand the science behind chocolate tempering, ganache emulsions, caramelization or Maillard reactions. Yet the practical work with those things is another story. I had to start as a full beginner.

Releasing chocolates from molds (molds were airbrushed with colored cacao butter)

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When entering the world of high-quality chocolates you immediately get confronted with a number of categories in order to understand or classify a chocolate. There is the technical aspect of the chocolate manufacturer: roasting, conching, adding cocoa butter. But all of this can only enhance or suppress the flavors that come from the cacao bean itself. The bean flavors are strongly influenced by the process of fermentation and drying. Finally, beyond that come two major labels: geographical origin and cacao variety. At first this all seemed to make sense to me, but the more I think (and read) about it, the less I buy it.

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Now, how was the HarvardX course?

Screenshot from HarvardX online course on “Science and Cooking”

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Today I tried the “71% Cacao with Ginger & Andean Salt” chocolate from Kallari, a Ecuadorian chocolate maker with a good story. Actually it is one of the very few chocolate makers that produces in the region where the beans grow

Very pleasant ginger taste that teams up very well with the chocolate. The ginger flavor is intense but not harsh or hot, and it stays around for quite a while. Good, interesting chocolate.
However, the chocolate flavor itself is too mild in my opinion (too much cocoa butter?). As it is, the chocolate in this bar is only the support that transports the ginger. A stronger chocolate and a little more salt would probably be better to balance the dominant ginger taste.

The chocolates form “Chocolate Naïve” are quite particular in many respects. There is their beautiful and uncommon packaging as well as chocolate bar design itself. It further comes from a place in Lithuania I have never heard of: Giedraičiai. That’s by the way a small town about 40km from Vilnius, but maybe you guys all knew that already? Whatever, the place at least has one gigantic chocolate maker.

Intense milk chocolate from “Chocolate Naive” comes in a pretty design

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