All about chocolate
OUR QUEEN OF CHOCOLATE, KIRSTEN TIBBALLS, SHARES TIPS AND RECIPES FROM HER NEW SHOW ON FOXTEL
Using cooking chocolate in a dessert recipe may seem an obvious choice, but for pastry chef and master chocolatier Kirsten Tibballs, aka The Chocolate Queen, few crimes against chocolate are more heinous.
“You can use it, but we won’t be friends anymore,” quips Tibballs, whose chocolate creations have won international accolades and challenged MasterChef contestants in pressure tests.
As the festive season brings out the dessert chef in all of us, Tibballs shares her top five tips to avoid crimes against chocolate and give your holiday creations a professional edge.
AVOID COOKING CHOCOLATE
Cooking chocolate is usually made with vegetable fats, as opposed to the cocoa butter used in quality chocolate, Tibballs explains.
“It’s not a good eating experience and, even worse, it can include trans fats and palm oil,” she says.
Some delis sell cooking chocolate made from cocoa butter but, failing that, any good quality chocolate is suitable in a recipe – providing it isn’t a snack bar or last year’s melted Easter eggs. “What you find in the confectionery aisle isn’t made to be melted,” Tibballs says.
MIND THE MOISTURE
Store chocolate in a sealed packet or container to prevent it from absorbing moisture. “The sugar in
there will draw in moisture, and when you go to melt it, it thickens the chocolate and makes it hard to work with,” Tibballs says.
Similarly, melting chocolate over a double-boiler risks it absorbing moisture from steam. Instead, Tibballs suggests melting it directly on top of an induction stove, or simply in a microwave. “Melt it on high in 30-second increments, stirring in between,” she says.
ROOM TEMPERATURE ONLY
Storing chocolate in the fridge is another no-no. “It’s meant to be eaten at an ambient room temperature,” she says. “The fat in
good quality chocolate will soften, but you still get a beautiful snap. It’s a much better eating experience.”
STEER CLEAR OF SPICES
Chocolate will absorb aromas around it, so be mindful where it’s stored. “If it’s next to garlic or in a spice drawer, it will take on the taste,” Tibballs says.
WASTE NOT
White patches on chocolate are called “fat bloom”, and simply mean it has been heat-affected and some of the cocoa butter has separated.
“If you’re using it as an ingredient, just melt it and it will mix back together,” she says.
DRESS TO IMPRESS
Topping your desserts with shards of shiny chocolate will give them a professional edge. Melt some chocolate, spread it on plastic, refrigerate for a few minutes, then break into shards.
“They can go on anything you make,” Tibballs says. “Spreading on plastic will make it shiny – baking paper will make it dull.”
For more recipes and tips, catch Kirsten Tibballs on The Chocolate Queen, Tuesdays at 9.30pm on Foxtel. Watch on LifeStyle Food and On Demand.