CIA Culinary Intelligence

Chocolate-Dipped Anything

We can all agree that there are not many limits on what you might consider suitable to dip in chocolate. This Valentine's Day, create your own fun and romantic dessert of sinful indulgence. Strawberries, dried fruit, and pretzels are traditionally dipped in chocolate, but tradition is made to be broken. Put together your own vision of luscious chocolate-dipped bits and pieces. Pears are superb dipped in dark or milk chocolate, and pineapple mixes well with milk chocolate. With one taste of the decadent morsels you prepare, your sweetheart is guaranteed to melt.

When prepared with a quality brand of chocolate, fresh-dipped cannot compare to ready-made from the store. "Tempered chocolate is the preferred ingredient for dipping," says CIA Chef Peter Greweling. "Many home candy makers are intimidated by the thought of tempering chocolate. In truth, the process is much simpler than getting behind the wheel to drive. With just a little practice and patience, you can use the seeding method below to properly temper chocolate every time."

When your schedule, your ambition, or your kitchen temperature make it impractical or impossible for you to temper chocolate, you can still make chocolate-coated confections by using "coating chocolate" or compound coating. While this is not true chocolate, it is quick to work with, is very forgiving of warm temperatures, and can be used as a coating on any product. Coating chocolate can be found online and in specialty and candy-making stores.

You can find these recipes and more in The Culinary Institute of America's Chocolates and Confections at Home (2010, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) cookbook available at bookstores or at www.ciaprochef.com/fbi/books/ChocolatesatHome.html.

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Tempering Chocolate

1. Weigh or measure the chocolate you will be tempering. As always, weight is the preferred method for measuring any ingredients; otherwise, use the following chocolate conversion table:
   • 6 ounces = 1 cup pistoles or chopped chocolate, 1/2-inch pieces
   • 8 ounces = 1 1/3 cups pistoles or chopped chocolate, 1/2-inch pieces
   • 10 ounces = 1 cup melted chocolate
   • 8 ounces = 3/4 cup melted chocolate
2. Weigh or measure a second amount of chocolate equal to 25 percent of the original amount.
3. Fully melt the larger amount of chocolate using either a microwave or water bath. Remove the bowl of melted chocolate from the heat. The chocolate should be 120 degrees F for dark chocolate or 110 degrees F for milk or white chocolate.
4. Add the smaller amount of unmelted chocolate to the melted chocolate. This is called the seed; it will cool the melted chocolate and cause it to set the way you want. You can use either pistoles or a single block as the seed; a single block has the advantage of easy removal once the chocolate is tempered.
5. Stir the melted chocolate gently and constantly until the temperature falls to 85 degrees F for dark chocolate or 83 degrees F for milk or white chocolate. This will take 15 to 20 minutes, and most or all of the seed should have melted by the end of this time.
6. Test the chocolate. Testing chocolate for temper is the only way to know for sure that chocolate is actually tempered. Following temperatures is a good guideline, but even with strict adherence to technique, no one can tell for sure whether chocolate is tempered without performing a test to see how it sets.
   • Make sure the chocolate is below 90 degrees F for dark or 87 degrees F for milk or white chocolate.
   • Dip a spoon in the chocolate, place the spoon on the work surface, and leave it undisturbed for 7 to 8 minutes in the working room at 68 degrees F. Do not yield to the temptation to refrigerate the spoon! This will only give inaccurate results.
   • After 8 minutes have passed, look closely at the chocolate on the spoon. If the chocolate has set so that it no longer looks wet, and the surface is uniform and without streaks, the chocolate is tempered.
   • If the chocolate has not set or has set with a streaky appearance, the chocolate requires further seeding (see step 8).
7. If the chocolate sets properly, gently warm it over a water bath not exceeding 89 degrees F for dark chocolate or 86 degrees F for milk or white chocolate.
8. If all the seed has melted but the chocolate is not setting quickly without streaks or spots, it must be seeded more. Add a few more pistoles or another small block to the bowl, and stir for another 3 to 4 minutes. After this time, test again (step 6), and proceed from there.
9. Remove any unmelted seeds from the melted chocolate.
10. Use the chocolate as desired while maintaining the proper working temperature.

How To Dip

1. Prepare the centers. The centers to be dipped should be dry and at a cool room temperature. When dipping fruit in chocolate, allow it to warm to room temperature rather than dipping it while it is ice-cold from the refrigerator. If cutting fruit for dipping, dry the cut pieces with a paper towel to remove excess moisture from the surface of the fruit.
2. Temper the chocolate or melt the coating. Dipping centers in untempered chocolate will result in bloom and chocolate that is not sufficiently crisp. If using a compound coating, follow the manufacturer's guidelines for temperature.
3. Dip the centers. The centers may be entirely enrobed in the chocolate by dipping with a fork, or partially coated by holding one end of the center and dipping up to the desired level in the chocolate.
4. Allow the chocolate to set. Placing the dipped centers on parchment paper to set keeps them clean and ensures that they will not stick to the surface. This step should always be performed at room temperature to obtain the best shine and snap from the chocolate.

English Muffins

This recipe brings a classic favorite to the breakfast table. To get the characteristically browned outer crust of the muffins, before baking, the dough is first heated in a skillet for a short time at a low temperature. Slather these muffins with butter and jam, or pile them high with eggs and bacon for a satisfying early-day meal.

This recipe is from the CIA's Artisan Breads at Home cookbook.

yield: 12 muffins at 3½ oz
poolish: 12–14 hours
bulk fermentation: 60–75 minutes
final fermentation: 15 minutes
bake: 475°F and 6–8 minutes

INGREDIENT	OUNCES	GRAMS	VOLUME	BAKERS %
POOLISH
Water, 55°F	6.8	191	¾ cup	25.00%
Bread flour	6.8	191	1 1/3 cups + 1 Tbsp	25.00%
Yeast, instant dry	0.01	0.3	¼ tsp	0.04%
FINAL DOUGH
Poolish	13.6	383	•	50.10%
Water, 95°F	12.5	354	1 ½ cups	46.40%
Malt syrup	0.2	6	1⁄8 tsp	0.60%
Butter	1	28	2 Tbsp	3.70%
Bread flour	20.2	573	4 ½ cups	75.00%
Yeast, instant dry	0.3	9	1 Tbsp	0.90%
Salt	0.6	18	1 Tbsp	2.30%
Sugar	0.3	9	2 tsp	0.90%
TOTAL	48.6	1380	•	179.90%
GARNISH
Semolina-flour mixture; ratio 1:1*	as needed

*equal parts Semolina and All-Purpose flour

1. PREPARE the poolish the day before you want to serve the muffins. Mix together the water, fl our and yeast by hand until homogenous. The poolish will have little lumps and will be wet (unlike a dough). Cover the poolish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for 10 to 12 hours. At this point, the poolish will have fermented and risen with visible bubbles (it should not have collapsed in the center).
2. TO MAKE THE DOUGH, put the poolish in the bowl of a mixer with the water and malt. In a separate bowl, rub the butter into the flour to make a sandy mixture. Add the yeast to the fl our and butter, then add to the bowl. Add the salt and sugar and place the bowl on a mixer fi tted with a dough hook. Mix for 4 minutes on low speed, making sure to scrape down and flip the dough over twice during the mixing process. Then mix for another 2 minutes on medium speed, making sure to scrape down and flip the dough. The dough should be wet and tacky with partial gluten development. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl large enough for it to double in size and cover with plastic wrap.
3. PLACE the bowl in a warm place to rest and ferment for 45–60 minutes, until when lightly touched the dough springs back halfway.
4. PLACE the dough on a lightly floured work surface and fold it into thirds. Re-cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for another 15 minutes, until when lightly touched the dough springs back halfway.
5. PREHEAT the oven to 475°F.
6. UNCOVER the dough and lightly flour it on all sides with a mixture of semolina fl our and bread fl our. Then gently roll the dough out into a rectangle (10 by 11 inches) about ½ inch thick. With a pastry wheel or pizza wheel, cut the dough into 3-inch squares (cut in 1 direction to create 3-inch strips, then cut across each strip to create squares). Place the squares on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest in a warm place for 15 minutes, until when lightly touched the dough springs back halfway.
7. WARM a nonstick skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Place a few dough pieces in the skillet, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, and cook until they are brown on each side (if the skillet becomes too hot, quickly lower the heat). Place the cooked dough pieces on a clean tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough.
8. TRANSFER the muffins to the oven. Bake for 6–8 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature of 205°F.
9. REMOVE the tray from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

Tips:

Gently roll out the dough to about ½ inch thick. Try to avoid deflating the dough too much. This will cause it to become tough after baking.

Cut 3-inch strips across the width of the dough. Then cut each strip into 3-inch squares. Put very little pressure on the dough while measuring so that it doesn’t deflate.

Brown the top and bottom of the muffins in a medium-hot skillet. Avoid overheating as these need to be baked as well. If the skillet is too hot, the muffins will burn, or dry out or burn in the oven.

Poolish: A prefermentation technique that originated in Poland, and has been embraced by many French bakers for their baguettes. Poolish is the soupiest of the preferments, with a raio of flour to liquid that is 1:1. It is a mixture of flour, water and a small portion of yeast which, once mixed, is refrigerated for two hours to slow down the yeast. Next, it is removed from the refrigerator and fermented at room temperature for ten to twelve hours. Adding poolish to your bread results in a mild flavor and aroma along with gas production for a lighter loaf.