Last week, we reviewed the process of making chocolate from pods to nibs. Today, we will describe the steps involved in refining nibs into chocolate candy.
These steps vary among chocolate makers, but to accomplish the basics, you will need several pieces of equipment, including a juicer, a melanger or stone grinder, some tempering tools and forms to mold the chocolate. Most of these can be purchased online. Some local farmers may lend or rent time on their equipment, and most of the process can be accomplished in a food processing kitchen that has the proper equipment. For information on finding local equipment for sale or to rent, check Craigslist or contact Captain Cook Trading Co. or Tropical Edibles Nursery.
Once the nibs are fermented, dried and roasted, they are ready for grinding into cacao liquor. A Champion-brand juicer works well for this process. Nibs are fed into the top of the juicer one handful at a time. Cacao liquor drains out through the screen below the grinder and a mixture of husks and liquor emerges from the spout in the front. This mixture is fed through the juicer repeatedly until all of the liquor drains off.
The next stage, called conching, is where sweeteners, flavors and emulsifiers are added to enhance the resulting product. At this point, chocolatiers are able to create unique textures, flavors and aromas. This refining takes place in a stone grinder called a melanger.
The melanger is a large container with two granite rollers motorized to rotate at about 140 rpms on a granite slab. This grinding reduces the ingredients to the smoothness we expect in chocolate (in the 1 to 30 micron range).
Instructions that accompany a Spectra 10 melanger include starting with chocolate liquor at about 102 degrees. Optional ingredients like superfine sugar, lecithin, cocoa butter, vanilla and powdered milk can be introduced at this point to flavor and enhance the end product.
To begin conching, pour the chocolate mixture into the grinder, being sure to keep the mixture warm and melted for the first hour or so, until the friction of the grinder keeps it liquefied. The refining can take more than 10 hours before the chocolate becomes smooth and balanced. It can even take longer, up to 36 hours, but care should be taken not to over-refine, which will result in a gummy product. If you take breaks in the process, the chocolate should not be allowed to solidify. Keeping it in a warm oven preheated to 150 degrees then turned off will probably achieve this during your break. If the chocolate does solidify, melt it in the oven and continue conching.
The next step is called tempering and may be the trickiest step in the process. This step ensures the gloss on the finished chocolate and hardens it to the point it does not melt in your hands. This part of the process becomes easier with experience but for beginners can be redone until you get it right. A tempering machine can help guarantee success, but they are expensive and not really necessary. The most important thing at this point is to be sure to keep all moisture out of the chocolate. Any water or steam will taint the chocolate and arrest the process.
For the best results, start tempering with at least 1 1⁄2 pounds of chocolate. Melt the chocolate slowly, in an oven or a large double broiler to about 115 degrees. on a candy thermometer. Once it has reached this temperature, transfer the liquid to a dry, cool bowl to reduce the temperature to about 100 degrees.
Pour a third of the chocolate onto a hard surface, like granite or marble. Spread it out with a spatula and recombine. Continue doing this for about 10 or 15 minutes until the chocolate is about 85 degrees and a thick, gooey mass.
Add some of the hotter chocolate from the bowl to get the chocolate workable again and gently continue working. Return all of the chocolate to the bowl and stir gently until it is at 90 degrees but not over 92 degrees. At this point, you can put the chocolate into molds and let it cool. Once it is cool and hardened, it is ready to eat or package for storage. Chocolate is best stored at around 70 degrees in a dry environment.
To learn more and have hands-on experience making chocolate, watch for upcoming local classes this month or visit ecolechocolat.com for online instructions.
Tropical
gardening helpline
Momi asks: What is this odd looking critter that I found on a bird of paradise leaf in my garden in Ocean View. It is small, less than ¼ inch across.
Answer: University of Hawaii plant pathologist Scot Nelson was able to identify your critter. He said it is an armored scale. These are hard to control with insecticidal soaps and oils, but they can be effective if applied when the insect is in its crawler stage, early in the season.
If the infestation is small, removal with a soapy glove is quite effective. Be sure you kill those you remove to diminish chances of them or their progeny returning.
If you need a quick kill, armored scales can be killed by systemic pesticides and some fungi that are registered against them on ornamentals. Caution is advised, however, since these pesticides will also kill the predators who might already be keeping them under control. Do not use these chemicals on edible plants, unless they are listed on the label.
Prevention is always the best cure. Inspect new plants carefully so you don’t import a pest. Avoid overfertilizing, since too much nitrogen can cause succulent leaf growth that is very attractive to insects. Get rid of this round of scale and keep your plants healthy to avoid a larger infestation.
A University of Florida publication that includes scale and has an insecticide chart as well is available at edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg005.
Email plant questions to konamg@ctahr.hawaii.edu for answers by certified master gardeners. Some questions will be chosen for inclusion in this column.
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant with an organic farm in Captain Cook.
