Callebaut Chocolate?

[maxon8]

My local food wholesaler now stocks Callebaut Chocolate:-

Callebaut

I am not familiar with this brand, however the product range is extensive and marketed for trade use.

Have any of you had experience using Callebaut Chocolate and what are your views.

maxon8

[Breton Beats]

As a professional baker I find it to be an excellant choice that is still fairly cost efficiant. I only use their big 11# bloks that that I chop, or grated, or melt and mix into things. It has good flavor that will support other ingredients or flavors very well. The flavor is not one I would use if pure chocolate was to be the star attraction. However it is far better than other grocery store brands that are priced for cooking. (There is better chocoalte , but are you going to make a cake with a $12 @ 4oz Dagoba bar?). My parents (non foodies or cooks) like to eat it raw and think it is luxary.

If I am doing extra fine pastries or an item were the cocoa liquor is the star flavor I will go for some of the Valhronna line but Callebaut works very well for about 1/2 the price for most other operations. I don't really like their chocolate chips for size, flavor, or mouth feel. I use a one by Chocovic that I like very well.

I find the white chocolate bar almost IMPOSSIBLE to melt (forget tempering) without burning. Though other people may have better luck.

It is belgian.

[foodpump]

Beware, the Callebaut d8-11 is made in the US and should be cheaper priced and of lower cocoa content than the European Callebaut. Other than that, Callebaut is a very large Belgian company, with many product lines coming from other parts of Europe as well.

[beano]

Callebaut are part of a larger corp 'Barry Callebaut'. It is now a massive global company with the brand callebaut with roots in Belgium and Barry (formerly Cacao Barry) from France. This conglomeration happened in the 1990's when Callebaut took over. In my opinion cacoa Barry was always a far superior couverture especially when dealing with anything above 55% or milk, Callebaut was always for me about making mousses or ganache and barry for the fine stuff. In the UK callebaut purchased 'Lesmi' (think thats how you spell it), a chocolate manufacturer based North of London, which is now branded Callebaut. I would guess that if you are aquiring a trade 'industriel' product in the UK then it is produced in the UK and if it is on a retail shelve it would probably from belgium.
I would agree with Breton Beats that its not in the same league as Val, but it is very good chocolate that will certainly be easier to handle.
Just for the record my favourite medium cost couverture that i would say will match Val any day of the week is 'Guayaquil 72%' made by DGF (distributers grossistes de France), available worldwide through nominated trade suppliers.

Sorry for sounding such a bore, I just love chocolate...........

[maxon8]

Thank you all for this info. I saw the product at Booker C&C in the UK. I will have another look and then buy some. Yum Yum!

One other question, is it possible to make uniform chocolate chips from a solid bar to add to ice cream. If so how?
maxon8

[Breton Beats]

Why? and Why?

Why would you want to make choco chips from a chocolate bar, why not just by chocolate chips.

Do you really want to put chocolate chips in your ice cream. Frozen chocoalte is pretty hard to chomp on. My reccomendation would be to make up some truffle mix 1 part cream:1 part chocolate, then just make a bunch of little "drops" (with pastry cone and a tiny plain tip) or let the ganache harden in a flat pan, turn it out, and chop it into little squares.

But for the record to make "real chocolate chips" you would have to temper the chocolate - then pipe it through a cone to make the little drops. Let harden. Then just mix them into the ice-cream.

Another idea is to take the big ole choc bar and grate it (box grater is ok, I have warm hands so I use the food processor grater thingy). Then mix the grated peices into the ice-cream.

best of luck,

[maxon8]

"Why? and Why?
Why would you want to make choco chips from a chocolate bar, why not just buy chocolate chips."

The reason is that I have been making mint chocolate chip ice cream. The standard cookie chips are too large and the food processor method too crude. I think your idea of making “ truffle mix 1 part cream:1 part chocolate” and then pipe it might well be the refined solution.

If you are right then this should work!.

many thanks

[Ishbel]

Hey, Beano
No wonder you know about W Curley and Wife...!