Which chocolate do you like?

Scharffen Berger, Scharffen Berger, Scharffen Berger!! I love it. The flavor is so complex - like good wine. Callebaut is nice, but it lacks the complexity. Valrhona in nice and smooth (and pricey!), but I'm really hooked on Scharffen Berger.

[shroomgirl]

I'm looking for a source for Scharffen Berger pastilles....European imports has Valharona...we'd like the pasilles though, easier to use than the blocks

[momoreg]

I've been looking for that as well. It is the best!

I have been baking this sour cream chocolate fudge cake for quite some time now. It is one of my favorites to make, yet I don't eat much of it since it is so sinfully rich.
I started first using Ghiradelli baking chocolate, then switched to Callebaut(sp), and now I am hooked on Schaffenberger chocolate.

I want to know the opinions of all those who bake with chocolate on what do you find is the best chocolate out there? I mostly use unsweetened chocolate and sometimes semi-sweet.

[mudbug]

Chocolate: the best

Widely considered the "best" brands are ScharffenBerger, Valrhona, and Callebaut. "Next best" are Merckens, Guittard, and El Rey. Ghirardelli would be in the next category as a "very good" brand. (These notes are according to the class notes from a friend who went to a chocolate tasting with professionals, I'm certain I'm not using the official category titles but you get the idea.) Within each it depends on the type of chocolate: bittersweet, semi, milk (for example Guittard's bittersweet is top notch but it's milk isn't quite as good, typical among the "next best" producers for there to be variations from one type of chocolate tothe next). To decide you have to try chocolate yourself (tasting and baking) and decide if >YOU< can tell the difference in quality. For most palates, a less expensive chocolate like Ghirardelli (easily found) is fine enough. For me, I can taste the differences in various chocolates but my family can't. I bake desserts for me (my birthday cake) with the best (Valrhona or ScharffenBerger) but year round fro my family I bake with Ghirardelli.

Anne

from: http://food4.epicurious.com/HyperNew...p/35667/2.html

[Isa]

I'm not difficult I like all chocolate.


More seriousl I don't think Merckens makes chocolate. What they have is a chocolate coating that you do not need to temper.

[cape chef]

Shaffenberger is the best most consitent chocolate I have come across. I buy block and rondels From Walker butter and eggs, I will give the # and contact when I get back to work.
cc

I made a batch of ganash paste tonight to form truffles for a wine tasting dinner tomorrow night. I used Callebaut bitter sweet chocolate. For my every day chocolate I use Guittard semi sweet mini chips (I can't remember what they are really callled). I will have to look into ScharffenBerger.

My Albert Uster Salesman gave me a chocolate sampler containing;
Milk chocolate, cream chocolate, and increasing cocoa butter chocolates. While I could feel the quality on my tongue, the flavor was not there.

I find that Chocolate is like cognac in that the best quality has that back of the nose flavor/scent.

[m brown]

A very wise pastry chef, Albert Kumin said to me when I posed this very question to him,
"Whatever your customer wants is the best chocolate!" words to live by.

As far as I can tell there are different chocolates for different purposes, I would not bake with Valrhona, or a premium
chocolate because they are price prohibitive and baking kills much of the beauty of the bite.
Baking chocolates, Calabaut, Petes, Guttard, Guaradelli, Bakers, Nesle and Hershy Dark.
For enrobing and ganach, mousse, and even dipping berries, the high end stuff is great.
Coating Chocolate has it's place when dipping 2000 strawberries in 100 degree heat, you know? Really helpful when
decorating a cake with lots of colour!

Would you make a gravy with Opus One?

For eating chocolate, Scharffen Berger is beautiful, as are the single blends of El Rey and Valrhona. Also wonderful are
Suchard, Felchen,
Schockenaud and Valrhona blends. Try eating chocolate with fine wines, really brings out the bang!

I want you to know there is more than one chocolate and more than one use, please try as many chocolates as you can afford!

[m brown]

I don't want folks thinking that the only chocolate to use is $6.95 per pound and have them not able to afford to use many wonderful chocolate products.

[Nick.Shu]

i have a preference for:

callebaut - i especially find the caillets handy

carma - not so much the chocolate but their hazelnut paste

valrhona - nice but expensive

here is their homepage: http://www.barry-callebaut.com worth a look.

[Bayou]

What a great topic ... I'm "whippin' up" a Queen of Sheba cake for our family gathering (read as .. putting on the feed bag, lol) for Thanksgiving. I'm using Ghirardelli SS for the cake part and Scharffen Berger 62% for the ganache. I'll be disappointed if it doesn't blow some socks off ....
Bayou

[Isa]

Bayou,


You got me curious with the name of your cake. I gather it is a chocolate cake but what exactly is a Queen of Sheba cake?


Sisi

I just visited the web site that Nick-Shu posted for Cocoa Barry. I use the Ivorie Decor so I was interested. Is it me or is that one of the most frustrating web sites to use? Too many windows, too slow, not enough pertinant info. Ahhh!!!! Drove me nuts! Or do I just need a drink?

[Bayou]

Sisi, the "Queen of Sheba" cake might also be called Chocolate Almond Torte. The recipe I'm using is in the New Joy of Cooking cookbook, page 959. The recipe calls for 9 oz. of SS chocolate, and 1 1/2 sticks of buter, 6 eggs (sep.) brandy, and lots of other tasty stuff. The ganache glaze is on page 1003. I've made this cake once, it was great!