Chocolate
Today I discovered that The Essential Ingredient (an Australian shop specialising in things culinary) stocks 99.45% chocolate. No sugar. It has lecithin and a little vanilline, which means it’s not perfect for following early recipes, but it’s closer to perfect than anything else I have seen in Australia. It’s a surprisingly non-bitter chocolate and at c 54% fat should work rather well with spices and in savoury dishes.
The packet says that it’s Belgian couverture, but doesn’t give any details about the source of the beans, which is a pity. I’ll let you know how recipes go when I use it.
The other chocolates I have right now for various endeavours are Koko Black and Callebaut, but they contain sugar. Basically, the only thing they are useful for is confectionery, drinks and some sauces. I made some arak-scented chocolates with the Koko Black the other day and they worked nicely.
I’ve seen such differing opinions as to when sugar and chocolate became inseparable and as to when chocolate was eaten as confectionery. Maybe now I’ll have the motivation to sort it out. Or maybe I’ll just play round with old recipes.


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