Archive for ‘Chocabulary’

Cacao Nib

By , 24 January, 2011, No Comment

A cocoa nib is the part of the cocoa bean used in the manufacture of chocolate. The cocoa nibs are the the dried and roasted kernel of the cocoa bean that remains after the husk has been removed.

The cocoa nibs have a slightly bitter, and smokey flavour too them and you can use them in lots of different recipes, from cookies, cakes and ice creams.  The bitterness really compliments so many sweet treats that you’ll find yourself adding them to so many of your favourite recipes, and somehow they add a touch of class. why?… I don’t know but if you want to bake someone some cookies as a gift, sprinkle a few  cocoa nibs  on top and they all of a sudden transform into a gourmet cookie, lol.

You can get your hands on cocoa nibs from health food stores in the high street but if you are having trouble then head over to amazon or ebay and you can pick up some cocoa nibs for around £3.50 per 100g.

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Cocoa Bean

By , 11 December, 2010, No Comment

Here’s what wikipedia has to say:

“Cocoa bean is the dried and fully fermented fatty seed of Theobroma cacao, from which cocoa solids and cocoa butter are extracted. They are the basis of chocolate, as well as many Mesoamerican foods such as mole sauce and tejate”

cocoa beans

To make chocolate the cocoa bean needs to be processed.  It starts with the the cocoa bean being dried, fermented and ground to produce a paste. The paste  is the basis of chocolate as we know it, throw in some sugar and the bitter cocoa is something which resembles chocolate you buy of the super market shelves.

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What is bitter chocolate?

By , 29 November, 2010, No Comment

What is bitter chocolate?

Bitter chocolate is an unsweetened chocolate.  Because it of its unsweetened nature it is a popular choice for cooking with because it is easier for a recipe to have its sweetness adjusted.  Generally bitter chocolate is of a better quality than most other forms of chocolate because manufacturers haven’t added a bunch of other additives.


The bitter chocolate as the name suggests has a bitter taste, and is nothing like the confection we tend to think of as chocolate. Bitter chocolate is great for making your own chocolate confections because you have so much control over the final product.  By adding milk and vanilla you can create a simple milk chocolate bar or be a little more creative by adding other flavour combinations perhaps some chilli flakes of  some orange essence.

Different  types of bitter chocolate are created as a result of using different types of cacao beans.  Just like coffee tastes different depending on what beans are used the same principal applies to bitter chocolate.  A good chocolatier knows what types of beans to blend to together to get a unique type of chocolate, and is a skill in its own right.

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Chocabulary Dark Chocolate

By , 3 November, 2010, No Comment

Dark Chocolate

Definition: a slightly bitter deep-brown chocolate with little or no added milk

Related words for: Dark Chocolate

bittersweet chocolate,  semi sweet chocolate, plain chocolate


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Chocabulary “bain-marie”

By , 2 November, 2010, No Comment

A “bain-marie” or water bath is a method of gently cooking foods by surrounding them with simmering water.  Perfect for melting chocolate to avoid splitting and caking onto the pot.  For more Facts visit wikipidia

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/stone-soup/

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