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{Chocolate Review}: How to Bake with Craft Chocolate – Intensely Bittersweet Chocolate Souffle

Oct 29 by Anita 57 Comments

intensely bittersweet chocolate souffle

Happy (day after) National Chocolate Day! I’ve been getting plenty of intriguing new chocolate to keep me occupied – perhaps it’s a good thing I have a baby to prevent me from eating it all at once!

I was recently contacted by Bar & Bean, a new online shop for small-batch craft chocolate from around the world. Bar & Bean is dedicated to educating people about the qualities and nuances of craft chocolate, and they helpfully include tasting notes for the bars on their site, as well as detailed information about the chocolate makers.

I got the chance to meet Jasdeep, the creator of Bar & Bean, who is passionate about introducing people to the world of craft chocolate. He’s brought an impressive roster of chocolate makers onto Bar & Bean, many of whom I haven’t heard of or had the opportunity to try yet. Jas recognized that many people are either unaware of all the craft chocolate out there, or intimidated by the plethora of choices. By organizing his site with cocoa percentage and flavor profile searches, and adding tasting notes, he’s hoping to demystify the process. Jas has also developed some detailed personal notes on how to taste chocolate, which he shares in his tasting classes in San Francisco; check the Bar & Bean website for details.

As a introduction to Bar & Bean, I received a baker’s set consisting of five bars from Poco Dolce, Ritual, Escazu, and Dick Taylor. An early Halloween haul, indeed!

ritual chocolate

Ritual Balao 75% – I’d heard of this Denver-based chocolate maker but hadn’t had a chance to try it before. This elegant little bar is made from single origin Ecuador beans. Citrus and floral, very bright and lively, dry finish.

poco dolce chocolate

Poco Dolce Bittersweet with Sea Salt – San Francisco-based Poco Dolce does not make their own chocolate, but uses Guittard chocolate as their base for their flavor combinations. This bar is their classic, pure chocolate with a sprinkling of their signature grey sea salt. Very smooth, creamy, delightfully mellow. I confess a bias towards Poco Dolce since they are after all based in my backyard!

dick taylor chocolate

Dick Taylor Fleur de Sel 74% Dominican Republic – Dick Taylor makes some of the more gorgeous-looking bars around. This bar delivers a fruity, acidic punch – no wallflower this! I find the fleur de sel provides a welcome tangy counterpoint to this very robust bar.

escazu chocolate

Escazu 74% Pumpkin Seeds and Guajillo Chile, 74% Chipotle Chile and Vanilla – This Raleigh based chocolate maker is also new to me. Although they make plain bars with no inclusions, Bar & Bean chose to include two of their bars that do contain inclusions – chiles and pumpkin seeds.

Now, when I received this package of very fine chocolate bars, marked for baking, my eyebrows went up and I wondered, “For baking? Not eating?” Small-batch chocolate has been crafted to highlight the flavors and nuances of the cacao beans; often these particular harvests are quite small themselves and difficult to source. From my view all this painstaking work is primarily intended to be enjoyed on its own. Now, of course you *can* bake with them, but to bury all that careful craftsmanship beneath a pile of sugar and butter – well, it’s like using a bottle of Chateau d’Yquem to poach some peaches. You could do it, but I’d probably rather just drink that wine straight.  The quality of most craft chocolate leads to reason two: these chocolate bars are quite dear. As a quick example, the recipe below requires 8 ounces of chocolate to make about 8 servings of dessert. Most of the bars in this set are barely 2 oz. If you’re making dessert for a party, you could end up with quite a grocery bill (and if the amount doesn’t faze you, I’d like to be your new best friend). There’s no getting around the fact that craft chocolate is a premium product that is unlikely to ever be available at bulk prices. The question is raised, is it really worth spending extra for craft chocolate – and then mixing it into your chocolate cake?

bar bean baking set

I posed the question to the master of chocolate herself, Alice Medrich. By happy coincidence, one of her classic cookbooks (and one I consider a seminal part of my journey towards serious baker), Bittersweet, is being re-issued in an updated edition, Seriously Bitter Sweet. It now bears the subtitle, “The Ultimate Dessert Maker’s Guide to Chocolate”, and certainly this reference belongs on the bookshelf of any dedicated chocolate lover or baker.

Alice agreed with me that you want to showcase the carefully crafted chocolate, not hide them beneath a mountain of fat and sugar, and she recommended “minimalist recipes”. If you read Alice’s headnotes and essays in her cookbooks, you notice that she’s become ever more dedicated to paring out excess in her recipes over the years, reducing them to polished gems. From Seriously Bittersweet, she suggested making her Rich Hot Chocolate or Albert’s Mousse. Both recipes use water, which may surprise many people who associate rich chocolate desserts with more milk, more cream, more butter. However, Alice asserts that less fat allows you to taste the actual chocolate flavor much more clearly – and these desserts are by no means lacking in the indulgence factor!

Alice also suggests making truffles, another simple (and economical) way to sample several different chocolates. It’s one of my favorite ways to do a chocolate tasting and is a little more festive than simply setting out bowls of chocolate pieces.

intensely bittersweet chocolate souffle

I elected to use my Bar & Bean bars in Alice’s Intensely Bittersweet Soufflés. The headnote for this recipe reads, “This recipe is positively a showcase for the chocolate you make it with, so you must use a chocolate of distinction.” What more inviting dessert for the rapidly cooling weather and fast-approaching holiday season than a warm, rich soufflé ?

Although soufflé may sound intimidating, they’re really nothing to fear, and are actually quite versatile as they can made almost entirely ahead of time – one reason they’re a restaurant kitchen staple. You can make the batter and fill the ramekins beforehand, and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Then you pop them in the oven and like magic, you look like a dessert wizard.

To make them even more irresistible, I served the souffles with some cocoa nib-flecked cream – the subtle, sweet flavor of roast nibs in cream adds a wonderful layer to a intensely rich soufflé.

Thoughts on the results? These are some interesting picks for a baker’s bar set. They are all on the bittersweet end of the cacao percentage scale, which gives them more clarity and intensity than the lower-percentage chocolates. They’re ideal for the soufflé recipe, which is intended to draw out and showcase the chocolate. Not surprisingly, I thought the best results came from the Ritual and Dick Taylor chocolate bars, which were almost nothing but chocolate (the fleur de sel in the Dick Taylor bar was fairly subtle as the flakes were small and well incorporated). They were both intense, bittersweet bars and that intensity came through just slightly muted by the ingredients. In this case, I think it worked well as I probably would not eat a whole bar of their chocolate in one go, but mixed with some sugar and egg and butter, I was ready to scarf it down (oops). The Escazu Chipotle and Vanilla also fared well; I would have probably preferred to have control over what spices I added to my batter, but the end result was pleasantly piquant and different enough to stand out; if you’re using nice chocolate, you’d better hope that your guests will notice. The Poco Dolce, which delightful on its own, is probably the most challenging to bake with because the large sea salt flakes can seriously skew the result of any baked good. While the soufflé was tasty, I would sometimes get a few unexpected flakes of sea salt in my mouth. This bar might work better in a truffle where you can better appreciate the balance between chocolate and salt.

intensely bittersweet chocolate souffle

Although I’d not likely to make small-batch chocolate my regular baking chocolate (winning the lottery notwithstanding), I do have a better appreciation for how I could showcase them if I wanted to make a very special dessert. You can do the same: I’m giving away a Bar & Bean Baking Set to one lucky Dessert First reader! You can do you own experiments in your kitchen – or just enjoy them on their own (I won’t tell!)

Also, now through November 1st, receive 10% off your entire purchase at Bar & Bean by entering the promo code “cocoabeans” at checkout. Here’s your opportunity to discover some great craft chocolate!

To enter:

1. Leave a comment answering the question, ” What is your favorite baking chocolate?”

2. For a second entry, you can follow my Instagram, where I’ve been posting up images of my favorite chocolates lately. Post a comment here if you’ve done so.

The contest will run until November 3rd and I’ll randomly select and announce the winner on Monday November 4th. Good luck!

I was sent two sets of Bar & Bean Baking sets for my review. All opinions in this post are my own.

Intensely Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflés

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  • Recipe adapted from Alice Medrich's Seriously Bittersweet

Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflés

  • 8 ounces (227 g) 70% chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering ramekins
  • 1/3 cup whole milk
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature, separated
  • 1 large egg white, room temperature
  • 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/3 cup (65 g) sugar, plus extra for dusting ramekins

Cocoa Bean Cream

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons (20 g) roasted cocoa nibs
  • sugar to taste

For the soufflés:

  • If you are making the soufflés right away, preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and position a rack in the lower third of the oven.
  • Lightly butter and sugar the sides and bottoms of eight 5-ounce ramekins.
  • Combine chocolate, butter, and milk in a metal and place over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in egg yolks until combined.
  • In a medium dry bowl or in stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip the four egg whites and cream of tartar together until soft peaks form.
  • Gradually sprinkle in the 1/3 cup sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
  • Fold about one-quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten. Add in the rest of the egg whites and carefully fold until just combined.
  • Divide mixture among prepared ramekins, filling about three-quarters of the way full. You can either bake off the souffles now or cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for up to two days.
  • To bake soufflés, place ramekins on a baking sheet. Run your finger or a q-tip around the inside edge of the ramekins to keep the soufflé batter from sticking to the sides - this will help them rise straight.
  • Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until soufflés have risen, crack on top, and a wooden skewer inserted into the center are moist and gooey (but not liquid) - you are not making molten chocolate cakes!
  • Remove soufflés from oven and serve immediately with the cocoa bean cream.

For the cream:

  • Combine cream and cocoa nibs in a small saucepan. Bring just to boil over medium heat.
  • Remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain out nibs and chill cream in refrigerator for six hours (or until thoroughly cold).
  • Whip to soft peaks for serving with the soufflés.

Filed Under: Chocolate, Chocolate, Cookbooks, Giveaways, Recipes, Reviews, Sweet Spots Tagged With: alice medrich, bar & bean, chocolate, seriously bittersweet, souffle

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Comments

  1. 1

    jenifer smith says

    Oct 29 at 12:25 am

    My favorite baking chocolate is cocoa barry. Its easy to work with and tempers well. Also, I followed you on instagram! Would love to do some holiday baking with the chocolate!

    Reply
  2. 2

    ThisBakerGirlBlogs says

    Oct 29 at 12:27 am

    The bars sound great and that souffle – oh my YUM! Just delicious 🙂

    Reply
  3. 3

    Jenn says

    Oct 29 at 2:15 am

    Right now I mostly use girhadelli.

    Reply
  4. 4

    Jenn says

    Oct 29 at 2:16 am

    Following on IG

    Reply
  5. 5

    Jami says

    Oct 29 at 4:55 am

    Valrhona.

    Reply
  6. 6

    Tommy says

    Oct 29 at 4:59 am

    My favorite chocolate for baking is Ghirardelli

    Reply
  7. 7

    Alicia Tan says

    Oct 29 at 7:09 am

    My favourite baking chocolate is Lindt 75 % cocoa chocolate bar 🙂

    Reply
  8. 8

    Nicole S. says

    Oct 29 at 7:15 am

    I love baking with dark chocolate!

    Reply
  9. 9

    Jennifer says

    Oct 29 at 7:37 am

    I love baking with Coco Barry 60% chocolate. It’s smooth and not too dark. Perfect for cookies, brownies and everything in between!

    Reply
  10. 10

    [email protected] Dusting of Sugar says

    Oct 29 at 7:47 am

    This all looks so amazing! I haven’t gotten the chance to bake with a lot of higher quality chocolates, but I like Guittard and Scharffen Berger.

    Reply
  11. 11

    Julie says

    Oct 29 at 8:06 am

    I still use that Baker’s square one… semi-sweet.

    Reply
  12. 12

    sydney85 says

    Oct 29 at 8:08 am

    I have use Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar for brownies and really liked. I am really wanting to try and make those chocolate souffles. They look amazing.

    Reply
  13. 13

    LisaB says

    Oct 29 at 8:52 am

    I haven’t had the opportunity to try “better” or craft chocolate yet, so my favorite at this point is the easily-obtained Ghirardelli. Thank you for including the recipe. This is one I’d like to try. I was surprised to learn it could be made ahead and held in the refrigerator.

    Reply
  14. 14

    Alina says

    Oct 29 at 9:05 am

    My favorite baking chocolate is Guittard. YUM!

    Reply
  15. 15

    Sean C says

    Oct 29 at 9:06 am

    It would have to be Ghirardelli.

    Reply
  16. 16

    Lilah says

    Oct 29 at 9:51 am

    cost-wise, Valrhona – not a bad chocolate to bake with for the price-point. If I want to throw in the towel on cost and do what it takes to have an amazing result, Dandelion or Mast Brothers.

    Reply
  17. 17

    Lilah says

    Oct 29 at 9:54 am

    BTW: I am also following you on Instagram. I see you’ve been to my beloved Dandelion and B. Patisserie lately 🙂

    Reply
  18. 18

    grace says

    Oct 29 at 10:06 am

    i don’t often bake with bars of chocolate but cocoa powder is one of the most frequently used ingredients in my kitchen!

    Reply
  19. 19

    Tommy says

    Oct 29 at 10:28 am

    I’m following you on instagram!

    Reply
  20. 20

    Meryl says

    Oct 29 at 10:57 am

    Ghirardelli bittersweet 60%.

    Reply
  21. 21

    Lou says

    Oct 29 at 10:58 am

    My favorite for baking is Ghirardelli semi-sweet and bittersweet.

    Reply
  22. 22

    Margot says

    Oct 29 at 11:53 am

    On a good day, I use Sharffen Berger. Otherwise, whatever the grocery stores has.

    Reply
  23. 23

    kristin says

    Oct 29 at 12:07 pm

    I usually use Ghiradelli, but i would love to try these!

    Reply
  24. 24

    kristin says

    Oct 29 at 12:07 pm

    i followed you on instagram

    Reply
  25. 25

    Emily Brees says

    Oct 29 at 12:13 pm

    Oaxacan chocolate. Although, I haven’t experimented much with small batch chocolate. I would love to start! I can imagine the excitement of trying these bars from our stockings on Christmas morning!

    Reply
  26. 26

    karen says

    Oct 29 at 1:48 pm

    I have really been enjoying Guittard 60% – my husband kindly gave me a 10 pound block and it has been fun to bake my way through it

    Reply
  27. 27

    Eitan says

    Oct 29 at 1:51 pm

    I’m partial to Callebaut unsweetened, when I need to call in the heavy artillery.

    Reply
  28. 28

    Wehaf says

    Oct 29 at 3:31 pm

    I’ve always liked Valrhona chocolate for baking.

    Reply
  29. 29

    The Ninja Baker says

    Oct 29 at 7:16 pm

    Ghirardelli dark chocolate is a fave for baking.

    With the above mentioned bars I’d definitely stick to minimalist recipes.

    Your soufflé looks divine !

    Reply
  30. 30

    Rosalyn says

    Oct 29 at 8:06 pm

    I love baking with Ghirardelli semi-sweet or bittersweet depending on recipe.

    Reply
  31. 31

    YN says

    Oct 29 at 8:46 pm

    The best chocolate I have used for baking has been Valrhona so far. The other ones I have used just do not seem to compare.

    Reply
  32. 32

    N Noor says

    Oct 30 at 3:21 am

    My favorite baking chocolate is Valrhona.

    Reply
  33. 33

    Stafford says

    Oct 30 at 6:35 am

    I use Sharffen Berger. It makes everything taste good!

    Reply
  34. 34

    Miriam says

    Oct 30 at 7:01 am

    Ghirardelli!

    Reply
  35. 35

    Jody Herriott says

    Oct 30 at 7:30 am

    Sharffen Berger is good for me.

    Reply
  36. 36

    Debra Lee says

    Oct 30 at 12:10 pm

    I use Scharffen Berger.

    Reply
  37. 37

    Debra Lee says

    Oct 30 at 12:11 pm

    Following on instagram under Distracteddebra.

    Reply
  38. 38

    Susan Christy says

    Oct 30 at 7:34 pm

    I love baking with whatever good chocolate I an find, which is hard around here, so I usually end up with Ghirardelli.

    Reply
  39. 39

    Susan Christy says

    Oct 30 at 7:34 pm

    Follow you on Instagram (susitravl)

    Reply
  40. 40

    Ren says

    Oct 30 at 11:42 pm

    Guittard Oro & semi sweet Callebaut

    Reply
  41. 41

    martina says

    Oct 31 at 7:46 am

    menier 70 % dark chocolate

    Reply
  42. 42

    Elise says

    Oct 31 at 2:26 pm

    my favorite is valrhona… 2nd choice is callebaut semi-sweet.. 3rd choice TraderJoe’s pound plus bar (made by Callebaut). These days I mostly use TJ’s…

    Reply
  43. 43

    Calli says

    Oct 31 at 7:29 pm

    I love baking with Ghirardelli!

    Reply
  44. 44

    sara says

    Nov 1 at 11:45 am

    Those souffles look amazing! I like to bake with Ghiradelli chocolate.

    Reply
  45. 45

    Vittoria @ The Beautiful Things says

    Nov 1 at 9:31 pm

    i love baker’s (not very original!)

    Reply
  46. 46

    Vittoria @ The Beautiful Things says

    Nov 1 at 9:31 pm

    i follow on instagram!

    Reply
  47. 47

    Teresa W. says

    Nov 1 at 9:42 pm

    I like to use Callebaut and Ghirardelli.

    Reply
  48. 48

    Lindsey says

    Nov 1 at 9:45 pm

    I love using the cocoa powder from Savory spices.

    Reply
  49. 49

    Cristina says

    Nov 1 at 10:34 pm

    I enjoy baking with Ghirardelli.

    Cristina
    [email protected]

    Reply
  50. 50

    Cristina says

    Nov 1 at 10:34 pm

    I follow you on Instagram.

    Cristina
    [email protected]

    Reply
  51. 51

    Kammie @ Sensual Appeal says

    Nov 2 at 11:34 am

    I don’t have a favorite baking chocolate! So yay I wanna try this

    Reply
  52. 52

    Kammie @ Sensual Appeal says

    Nov 2 at 11:35 am

    I followed you on Instagram! @xokammie

    Reply
  53. 53

    marybeth says

    Nov 2 at 12:06 pm

    I have always used just regular baking chocolate for baking. I have used Ghiradelli but that is about it as far as going more gourmet. I will have to get a little more creative next time….

    Reply
  54. 54

    Mary says

    Nov 2 at 11:55 pm

    I love Ghirardelli 🙂

    Reply
  55. 55

    Whitney Lindeman says

    Nov 3 at 5:41 pm

    I don’t have a favorite brand, but I definitely prefer the darkest of dark chocolates!

    Reply
  56. 56

    Whitney Lindeman says

    Nov 3 at 5:42 pm

    I follow you on Instagram as walindeman.

    Reply
  57. 57

    Audrey says

    Nov 3 at 8:48 pm

    My favorite baking chocolate is guittard’s 72% bittersweet wafers!

    Reply

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about pastrygirl

Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, baby girl, and rescue cockapoo Snickerdoodle. More about pastrygirl

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