During her globetrotting, she has tasted some of the sweetest confections, from macarons in Paris to fresh gourmet chocolates in Ecuador.
CHOCOLAT CREMERIE FREE
She now spends her free time baking at home and recommends quality ingredients within your given budget.Īllison Wignall, who updated this roundup, is a writer who focuses on food and travel. She's also a former pastry chef and has traveled to Paris, Budapest, and Kyiv, Ukraine, during their Fashion Weeks as a photographer and writer, always finding the best authentic pastries along the way. Karen Resta is a writer specializing in food culture and history, cooking, pastries, and restaurants. If the ingredients are fresh, the flavor is best enjoyed as close to when it was made as possible. Gourmet chocolate is best eaten as soon as possible-and not only because it’s irresistible. If kept in a cool, dry place, it can last up to a year, but this really isn’t advisable. How long gourmet chocolate can last depends on the variety of chocolate and how it was made and stored. Chocolate roses are not only a great way to get used to working hands-on with chocolate, but they are also sure to impress! You can find step-by-step instructions for whatever creation you want to make. A bar? Bonbons? Molded shapes? Each one has a different method and requires different tools and skill levels. You'll also need to decide what form of gourmet chocolate you want to make. Also known as baking chocolate, unsweetened chocolate is the base ingredient in all other forms of chocolate, except white chocolate. To get started working with chocolate, explore the common chocolate types and varieties. How do you make gourmet chocolate from scratch?Ĭhocolate is made in a complicated process that begins with cocoa beans and involves fermenting, roasting, and processing. The process from start to finish usually involves personal attention rather than the norm for everyday chocolate, which is highly industrialized. Sometimes called “craft chocolate," gourmet chocolate is often made with cocoa beans that are ethically sourced and bought in small bulk. Considered to be luxury products, gourmet chocolates are hand-made by trained chocolatiers or made in small batches to better control quality. Gourmet chocolate is made to higher standards than what is generally available in the marketplace. At its most basic, packaging should be designed to keep the chocolates fresh and unbroken, but value is also added by the type of box the chocolates are packaged in, and some can be quite decadent. Gourmet chocolates always have the essential feeling of being a gift-whether they're for someone special or if they’re just for yourself-so packaging is important. If decoration is part of the chocolate, as in bonbons, it should look perfect, never muddled or messy. It can be matte or shiny, depending on the type of chocolate and the method being used to create it. The chocolate itself should always be clear and not clouded-looking. We eat with our eyes first and in the world of gourmet chocolate, this concept is taken seriously. "Organic," "bean to bar," and "handmade" are also terms that add value to gourmet chocolate, so look for those on labels.
CHOCOLAT CREMERIE PROFESSIONAL
The finest chocolates are made with the finest quality ingredients that are then imagined into reality by creative and well-practiced professional chocolatiers whose techniques are precise and fine-tuned. If you look at the ingredients and see a long list of additives, it’s not a “gourmet” chocolate. The ingredients in gourmet chocolates should be quality, fresh, and recognizable.
What to Look for in Gourmet Chocolates Quality Ingredients Or, if you want to wow your recipient with handcrafted treats, consider the Chef's Selection from Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate ( view at Goldbelly), which includes 24 delicious pieces that are hand-selected by the chef and packaged in a stunning gift box. Truffles are a classic treat that anyone will enjoy, and the Harry & David Signature Chocolate Truffle Gift Box ( view at Harry & David) includes 24 bite-sized chocolates in a variety of popular flavors.