What Einstein Told His Cook by Robert L. Wolke Read Free Book Online

semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, and milk chocolate.
    Before any high-quality chocolate product is ready for molding into bars or for enrobing (coating) various objects, it goes through two important processes: conching and tempering. In conching, the chocolate mixture is kneaded in heated tanks at a controlled temperature somewhere between 130º and 190ºF (it varies) for as long as five days. This aerates the chocolate and drives off moisture and volatile acids, improving both its flavor and smoothness. Then it is tempered, kept at carefully controlled temperatures while it cools, so that the fat crystallizes into very tiny crystals (about 40 millionths of an inch), rather than bigger ones (as large as 2 thousandths of an inch) that would give the chocolate a grainy texture.
    Today, there are many excellent chocolates available for cooking. The quality depends on many factors, including the blend of beans used (there are about 20 commercial grades); the type and extent of roasting; the degree of conching, tempering, and other processing; and, of course, the amounts of cocoa butter and other ingredients.
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    Chocolate with Olive Oil?
     
    Chocolate Velvet Mousse
     
B ecause of its cocoa butter content, chocolate blends well with other fats such as butter and the butterfat in cream. That has led to the invention of dozens of rich, creamy chocolate desserts. But here’s a non-dairy chocolate mousse using, of all things, olive oil.
Our good friend Basque Chef Teresa Barrenechea offers this silky mousse at her Manhattan restaurant, Marichu. “More and more people don’t want to eat so much cream,” she says. “I don’t tell guests this dessert contains olive oil when I serve it. I wait until I hear them murmuring, ‘Mmmmh-mmmmmh.’” The chocolate flavor is intense, but in spite of the generous amount of extra-virgin olive oil, its flavor is subtle. Embellishment isn’t necessary, but we serve the dessert with fresh raspberries.
     
     
6 ounces very good semisweet, dark chocolate (such as Lindt, Callebaut, or Ghirardelli), chopped
3 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted after measuring
¼ cup double-strength coffee at room temperature or 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons Chambord or Cointreau
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil Raspberries
     
     
1. Melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave oven or in a saucepan over very low heat. Let cool.
 
     
2. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and confectioners’ sugar until smooth with an electric mixer on medium speed. Beat in the coffee and Chambord just to combine. Then stir in the melted chocolate. Add the olive oil and mix well.
 
     
3. Wash the beaters thoroughly, so that they are completely free of oil. In another medium bowl, beat the egg whites until almost stiff. With a whisk, gently fold one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until all patches of white disappear. Fold in the remaining egg whites, 1/3 at a time, until the patches of white disappear. Do not overmix.
 
     
4. Transfer the mousse to a pretty bowl or individual dessert dishes, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled. Serve cold with raspberries. No, it will not collapse. And no, it does not taste oily.
 
     
    MAKES 6 SERVINGS
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    A DUTCH TREATMENT
     
    What is Dutch process cocoa? How is it used differently from regular cocoa in recipes?
     
    T o make cocoa, unsweetened chocolate (solidified chocolate liquor) is pressed to squeeze out most of the fat, and the resulting cake is then ground to a powder. There are several types of “regular” cocoa powder, depending on how much fat remains. For example, “breakfast cocoa” or “high-fat cocoa,” as defined by the FDA, must contain at least 22 percent cocoa butter. If labeled just plain “cocoa,” it may contain anywhere between 10 and 22 percent fat. “Low-fat cocoa” must contain less than 10 percent fat.
    In the Dutch process, invented in 1828 by Conrad J. van