(note about comment posting since I've been told it's a tad bit confusing...the link to post a comment is under the title of the post)
Back in Ecuador, I discovered chocolate making. Ok, no, that's a lie. My history with making chocolate actually dates back to childhood. Since I can remember, I have loved creating culinary yum yums for those that I love. My parents for their wedding were given a chocolate cookbook and as a child I became a voracious reader of this miraculous book and tried numerous of its magical recipes. My favourite one to make and share was for decadent chocolate truffles.
But in Ecuador, I bought a 10lb bag of cacao paste, and a 10lb bag of cacao butter, and went to town. Like, literally, I would make a ton of different types of chocolate and then go into town and hand them out to people (while, of course, eating a number myself for Quality Assurance purposes). My specialty was a raw peanut butter chocolate cup variety, which definitely won me many friends. (note to all travelers out there...chocolate is the way to EVERYONE'S heart)
I decided when I was a kid that chocolate was one thing I definitely wanted to do with my life. And this passion came back full force in that little love-filed town in the Andes.
In Lima, on a way to find a cafe, I stumbled across the Choco Museum. I of course had to go inside. I sampled a chocolate tea and quickly and without hesitation signed up for a workshop where I would learn how cacao is grown, harvested, fermented, as well as the whole process from bean to bar (and many other deliciousnesses along the way). The top things I learned...
cacao tea
steep the cacao bean shells in hot water for at least 5 min. strain and enjoy with some maple syrup, agave, or whatever sweetener your heart finds joy in
peruvian hot chocolate
grind beans until a powdery paste is formed. add hot almond milk (or coconut milk for a truly decadent treat), cayenne pepper, and sweetener and blend
another peruvian hot cocoa drink
grind beans until a powdery paste is formed. add hot water and a sweetener. mix by pouring back and forth between two jugs until mixed. strain into a cup and enjoy.
I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!! Contemplating the idea of interning with them or something to become even more well versed in the ways of this magical fruit.
xo
Selene
Back in Ecuador, I discovered chocolate making. Ok, no, that's a lie. My history with making chocolate actually dates back to childhood. Since I can remember, I have loved creating culinary yum yums for those that I love. My parents for their wedding were given a chocolate cookbook and as a child I became a voracious reader of this miraculous book and tried numerous of its magical recipes. My favourite one to make and share was for decadent chocolate truffles.
But in Ecuador, I bought a 10lb bag of cacao paste, and a 10lb bag of cacao butter, and went to town. Like, literally, I would make a ton of different types of chocolate and then go into town and hand them out to people (while, of course, eating a number myself for Quality Assurance purposes). My specialty was a raw peanut butter chocolate cup variety, which definitely won me many friends. (note to all travelers out there...chocolate is the way to EVERYONE'S heart)
I decided when I was a kid that chocolate was one thing I definitely wanted to do with my life. And this passion came back full force in that little love-filed town in the Andes.
In Lima, on a way to find a cafe, I stumbled across the Choco Museum. I of course had to go inside. I sampled a chocolate tea and quickly and without hesitation signed up for a workshop where I would learn how cacao is grown, harvested, fermented, as well as the whole process from bean to bar (and many other deliciousnesses along the way). The top things I learned...
- cacao is actually a fruit and you can eat the fruit around the beans, but if you want to make chocolate, you need to let the fruit ferment around them. You then drain off the alcoholic juice and the beans are ready for the next step.
- depending on where the tree is grown, the cacao will taste different.
- the beans are roasted by slowly stirring them in a pot until the first POP. they are then ready to be peeled.
- the shells of the bean make an amazing tea (my heart sank as I thought about how much the shells much just be thrown out for all the cacao nibs etc that are sold. this tea is one of the best things I have ever had)
- the beans are then ground to be the base of tasty, rich drinks or to make cacao paste
- most chocolate is made from cacao butter, cacao powder, and a sweetener (adding milk for milk chocolate, omitting the powder and adding milk for white chocolate). i make my chocolate from the paste, but it was yummy the powder way as well!
- if the chocolate is not tempered, the fat will eventually separate, which wil change the texture. the tempering process is complex. my chocolate is never around long enough for the texture to change...:)
cacao tea
steep the cacao bean shells in hot water for at least 5 min. strain and enjoy with some maple syrup, agave, or whatever sweetener your heart finds joy in
peruvian hot chocolate
grind beans until a powdery paste is formed. add hot almond milk (or coconut milk for a truly decadent treat), cayenne pepper, and sweetener and blend
another peruvian hot cocoa drink
grind beans until a powdery paste is formed. add hot water and a sweetener. mix by pouring back and forth between two jugs until mixed. strain into a cup and enjoy.
I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!! Contemplating the idea of interning with them or something to become even more well versed in the ways of this magical fruit.
xo
Selene
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