FrostsAlot Takes France: Choco-latte

Arg maties!

I'm halfway done with labs already. So crazy how time flies. Only 60 more days until I'm back in the states. I hope it doesn't go by too quickly though.

CHOCOLATE!

If you don't know this spongebob episode, please get off my blog and return at a later time after you've googled and watched it.

So, a full lab of just chocolate. How could it get any better than that??

This week we had to pick a theme for our chocolate showpieces and this theme is going to be used again later in the program for our final buffet presentation. So we had bounced around a few ideas and then one of my ideas was actually selected - pirates!

Tuesday in class we tempered chocolate the ENTIRE time. We did table tempering, which was something I learned at JWU (and had done a handful of times) so it was kind of a refresher for me - which was nice because it is slightly difficult, and it was something I wanted to practice. However, once I dumped all the chocolate on the marble table, and with a spatula in one hand and a bench scraper in the other, I knew I was about to make this chocolate my bitch.

Now time for me to attempt to describe tempering chocolate to you all.

When dipping bonbons, making chocolate show pieces, and garnishes - you can't just melt down a hersheys and dip away. The chocolate needs to be tempered so it sets properly, and quickly. The chocolate needs to be shiny, fluid, consistent in color, mixed well, and has a nice crack when you break it. Tempered chocolate is beautiful and flawless and can sometimes be very frustrating.

To temper chocolate, you have to melt the chocolate down to 113F - dark /113F - milk/104F-white. (Each chocolate has different temperatures when tempering - due do their various percentages of dry cocoa mass, cocoa butter, and sugar) This step is done in order to make sure that all the crystals in the chocolate are completely melted.

Next, you have to bring the chocolate down to 83F/81F/79F. This step is done to create beta crystals in your chocolate which is what you need for it to be tempered. But you need only so many beta crystals because too many will make your chocolate think and untempered and too little will make your chocolate too warm and untempered.

After cooling your chocolate down, you have to slightly heat it again (88F/86F/84F) so that it's at working temperature and fluid enough to use for the task at hand.

Table tempering consists of; heating your chocolate, pouring about two-thirds of it on a marble table-top, with an off-set spatula and a bench scraper (similar to a spackle spatula from home depot) you spread the chocolate around and scoop it back up into a pile about three or four times. It helps decrease the temperature and create the beta crystals. Once you have it at the appropriate temperature you have to scrape it off the table back into your bowl (which contains the other one-third). Then stir well, take the temperature, and dip a piece of baking paper in as a test strip to see how the chocolate sets up.

As you can imagine, this process could be pretttttty messy. Surprisingly enough, my first go at it was successful and I started the week off on a good note. I successfully tempered chocolate about 20 times that class, and just practiced doing it quickly and neatly.

Wednesday we made different fillings for all our bonbons. There were seven different flavors; praline croustillant/yuzu (praline is an almond/hazelnut/caramel paste, crispy crepe pieces and asian citrus), pate sable gianduja noisette lait (almond biscuit with hazelnut chocolate paste), peanut praline (praline with chocolate and peanuts added), fraise vanille (almond paste with vanilla bean and a strawberry jelly), cassis et chocoalt au lait (blackcurrant jelly with milk chocolate ganache), tablette caramel gianduja lactee (hazelnut milk chocolate paste with salted caramel), finger coco passion (coconut praline with passion fruit ganache).

Thursday we cut the fillings using something called a guitar - which was basically a giant paper cutter with a bunch of cutting strings that would cut the filling in perfect squares/rectangles. We also tempered more chocolate and molded some pieces for our final show pieces.

Friday we finished up our show pieces and dipped all our chocolates. Then presented our buffet. All the chocolates were incredible. Probably some of the best chocolates I've had. It will be difficult for me to eat Lindt or Hersheys when I return home to the states. I feel like such a foodie snob all the time! Hah

Chocolates lab was a lot of fun and the Chef was really awesome. We have him for two more labs and I'm really excited that I get to have him again. He really loves what he does and is VERY good at it. He is also really strict and tells you how it is - which I think is necessary when teaching in this kind of environment.

Friday was also my 22nd birthday! At lunch they brought the dessert out with candles and sang happy birthday to me. It was really nice. Two girls from the group also got me a bottle of tequilla (which didn't make it past friday...) When I got to lab I got a birthday card and most people from the group and my chef had signed it. It was such an awesome surprise. After lab we all had pizza and drinks. We played apples to apples and other drinking games. I also got another cake and a pint of Ben and Jerrys! Everyone here is awesome. I feel truly blessed to have spent my 22nd birthday celebrating here with these people. It is just so amazing how much has changed in the past year. It blows my mind that I'm actually in France expanding my knowledge in the pastry world, immersing myself in something that I (and all the people I live with) am so passionate about, and really getting a taste for traveling. Which I have to admit I LOVE, but I am rather homesick - I am just grateful to have so much support behind me from back home, my parents especially.

Saturday and Sunday were spent driving around France, going to wine tastings, a chocolate shop, and venturing around cities. It's so beautiful here. Sometimes I can't even stand it. Everywhere corner you turn there is another beautiful, breath-taking view. I wish my camera could capture how amazing it actually is.