Mocha

Mochalogue:

Ingredients, Tools & Techniques

Chocolate and coffee prove to be kindred companions in a range of drinks and desserts, and this book is intended to advance the current state of the art with contributions from an impressive multitude of professionals.  

The theme uniting this assemblage has less to do with the individual ingredients than in how they come together in glorious, often unexpected ways. But first, let's take a few pages to discuss the essential elements in a little more depth.

Ingredients

The essence of the chocolate-coffee partnership lies as much with an informed choice of ingredients as with an informed approach to preparation. While many of the items that follow are available at your local supermarket or coffee shop, I encourage you to stock your cupboard with supplies that may be more challenging to find.

Master chocolatiers and baristas are, each in their own way, as selective and fanatical about ingredients as vintners are about grape varieties. As mentioned earlier, cacao and coffee develop different characteristics when grown in different regions. Thus it follows that each region contributes a distinctive aroma, personality, and complexity to the preparation's final character.  

Chocolate

A package of fine chocolate will list the percentage of cocoa butter and/or cacao solids it contains. High-quality chocolate contains more fat, which results in more flavor and a luxurious feeling on the tongue, or mouthfeel. The higher the number, the better the chocolate. Superior chocolates, the "couvertures" used by professional chefs, consist of 56 to 70 percent cacao solids and include 31 percent cacao butter.

Unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate liquor and about 50 percent cocoa butter. Bittersweet chocolate blends at least 35 percent liquor with as much as 50 percent cocoa butter, sugar, and vanilla. Semisweet chocolate has the same ingredients as bittersweet with the addition of more sugar. Milk chocolate, which contains about 10 percent chocolate liquor, takes the process a step further by adding about 12 percent milk solids. Some of the recommended chocolates come in blocks and must be chopped or shaved before use.

The recipes in this book mostly call for dark, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate and a few use white chocolate. (Because it does not contain cacao solids, white chocolate is technically not a chocolate.)  Where it makes a difference, the exact percentage of cacao or specific maker is indicated.

A mocha-inspired preparation is meant to be a balance between the chocolate and the coffee. Base the selection of each chocolate for your recipe in combination, rather than separately. Chocolates often behave differently once they become part of a blend.   

Cocoa Powder

Cocoa powder is made by extracting much of the cocoa butter richness from the chocolate liquor (ground, roasted cocoa beans), then pulverizing the dry residue into a fine, soft powder.

There are two types of cocoa: natural (nonalkalinized) and Dutch process (alkalinized). Natural cocoa powder (also called unsweetened) is simply untreated cocoa powder. Dutch process cocoa has been treated with an alkali to make the powder more soluble. Along the way, "dutching" gives the cocoa a deep mahogany color and an Oreo cookie flavor. The most popular American brands of cocoa powder contain about 7 percent cocoa butter, while specialty and European cocoa powders contain 12 to 24 percent cocoa butter. Recipes in this book call for pure cocoa powder, not cocoa mixes that include artificial flavors, nonfat dry milk, preservatives, soy lecithin, vanilla, and sugar.

Cocoa powder is often used aesthetically, as a light dusting to add pleasing color and aromatics to a drink or dessert presentation.

Coffee

While there are over twenty species of coffee plants, only two, robusta and arabica, account for the lion's share of commercial coffees. Robusta beans have a woody, bitter taste and aroma, and they are usually relegated to mass-produced, pre-ground coffee blends and freeze-dried products. In Italian tradition, robustas are often included in espresso blends to boost crema, the alluring layer of tiny, smooth bubbles that trap precious aromatics.

Arabica varieties, descendents of the original Ethiopian coffee trees, are the best beans down here where mortals tread, appreciated for distinctive bouquet, sweet, wine-like tones, and superior acidity or "high notes."  Beans from different origins are blended to make a coffee that is higher in quality than any of the ingredients individually, often to create a proprietary or signature blend. But the highest-quality arabica varieties usually stand alone as single-origin and estate coffees. For a match with chocolate, it's better to avoid very bitter coffees or any with a scorched flavor.

As beans are lightly roasted, they change to a buttery gold color and develop a very mild, nutty flavor. Further roasting adds more body, and the darkest or French roast produces savory, rich characters with satisfying bittersweet and smoky flavors.

The difference between coffee and espresso is simply the amount of water that dilutes the grounds. An invigorating shot of espresso has the least amount of water, and therefore has a stronger, more concentrated taste profile. Instant coffees or espressos have been dried into soluble powders or granules, which can be quickly dissolved in hot water for consumption or employed as ingredients in recipes.

Syrups

In Europe, flavored syrups are added to mineral waters to make "Italian sodas." On this side of the Atlantic they serve a dual purpose of flavoring and sweetening lattes and cappuccinos, an idea conceived by "Brandy" Brandenburger of General Foods and first promoted by Torani & Company of San Francisco. Flavored syrups are highly concentrated, but when used judiciously, they can give sweet little bursts of flavor to creative mochas. 

Spices

Spices are among the earliest commodities to have circumnavigated the globe in trade. The practice of adding these powerful, lyrical, sensual aromatics to enhance the natural flavors of both chocolate and coffee can be traced back many centuries.

For best results, buy small quantities of ground spices and store them in tightly-closed containers in a cool, dark, and dry place for no longer than a year. Before using, sniff them. If the fragrance of a spice has dimmed, toss it out. Chances are, the flavor has weakened as well and will do nothing to improve your recipe. If you're using nonsoluble spices, place them in a tea ball or wrap them in cheesecloth before dropping them into liquid so you can easily fish them out later.

Store vanilla beans completely submerged in granulated sugar. This process preserves not only the moisture and freshness of the beans, but also creates an aromatic vanilla sugar that can be used for making cookies and other baked treats.

Sweeteners

Sugar is persistently valued, not only for the sweetening of drinks and desserts, but for adding volume, tenderness, and texture.

Granulated white, or table, sugar has medium-sized granules and is most often called for in recipes. When heated, granulated sugar takes on a toffee-like color and flavor. 

Confectioners' sugar, which has been crushed mechanically (and generally mixed with a little starch to keep it from clumping), is favored for its dissolving properties, especially in iced chocolate drinks.

Brown sugar is simply white sugar with a bit of molasses to give it texture and color. Its color will depend on the amount of molasses added during processing. The darker the color, the stronger the taste, so use one that suits your taste preference. Substituting brown sugar for white will add notes of caramel and molasses.

Honey adds sweetness as well as flavor, however, you may need to experiment as some honey varieties tend to overwhelm the subtleties of other flavors. Because honey is sweeter than table sugar, you'll need less of it to please your palate. For more robust, bittersweet flavors, natural molasses is a one-to-one substitute for honey.

Conversions & Equivalents

Fluid Measures

10 milliliters (ml) = 2 teaspoons (t)  

50 ml = 3 tablespoons (T)  

100 ml = 31/2 ounces  

250 ml = 1 cup + 1 (T)   

500 ml = 1 pint + 2 (T)  

1 liter = 1 quart + 3 (T)  

1 teaspoon = 5 ml

1 tablespoon = 15 ml

1 ounce = 30 ml

1 cup = 235 ml

1 quart = 950 ml

1 gallon = 33/4 liters

Dry Measures

10 grams = 1/3 ounce  

50 grams = 13/4 ounces  

100 grams = 31/2 ounces  

250 grams = 83/4 ounces  

500 grams = 1 lb + 11/2 ounces  

1/2 ounce = 14 grams

1 ounce = 28 grams

1/4 pound = 112 grams

1/2 pound = 224 grams

1 pound = 448 grams

Tools & Techniques 

Measuring

When measuring chocolate or coffee, an ounce is measured in weight, not volume. Professionals use scales to measure dry ingredients for greater speed and accuracy. Digital and balance scales are preferred, since they can be recalibrated to maintain accuracy. Spring-loaded scales are not as precise.

For home cooks, there are inexpensive digital scales available that will hold up to eleven pounds, are accurate to within 1/4 ounce, and convert between grams and ounces.

To properly measure, first weigh the container in which each ingredient will be placed. Set the zero indicator at the container's final weight. Then add the ingredients. In effect, you have ignored the weight of the container and only included the weight of the chocolate or coffee.

As for equipment, most recipes can be prepared with utensils you probably already have in your k...