Gestational Diabetes Sore Spot

GOURMET: Chocolate Labs and Oil (Part 3)

(photo by photo need )

Reorder the notes, click the pictures and understand how to set the post was a good job so I decided to speak before the chef here and here and then even if not in order time laboratories. Culinary fact , was not just an event where they marched starred chefs, but it was an opportunity to participate in some laboratories (I participated in all) including primarily that of chocolate, then the tasting (very funny) and oils 'last but not least' baking and decorating cakes.
The first workshop covered what is known as the "Nectar degli dei" (così consacrato nel 1737 dal naturalista svedese Carlo Linneo): il Cioccolato!

" Il Temperaggio di due cioccolati e l'analisi sensoriale dei cioccolati"

E noi conosciamo il cioccolato? Si certo lo amiamo, lo mangiamo in ogni momento della giornata e soprattutto in momenti di depressione affettiva,

pensiamo di conoscerlo, ma in realtà (e questo l'ho capito grazie a questa esperienza) non sappiamo assolutamente nulla.

Vorrei allora condividere con voi quello che ho imparato in questo laboratorio grazie all'esperienza e alla lezione di una  Maitre Chocolatier   Luisa Proietti che tra l'altro è la proprietaria della fabbrica di cioccolato "La Luisa" presente nella mia zona, Tivoli, dove da sempre noi compriamo le uova di Pasqua e dove vi consiglio di fare un salto se fate una gita da queste parti, ne vale la pena.

 Conoscerla è stata una vero piacere e ascoltare la sua lezione e lasciarmi guidare attraverso l'analisi sensoriale del cioccolato è stato molto educativo.
In questa esperienza non ero sola, ma in ottima compagnia di Angela , altra foodblogger romana, amante del cicocolato tanto da decidere per l'occasione di incremarsi con una crema al cioccolto giusto per confonderci un pò i sensi e Rossella,un'amica.
mentre prendevo appunti pensavo da neofita " si vabbè ma che ci vuole?è facile!" niente di più falso  fin quando mi hanno chiesto di salire sul palco (grazie Stefano!) per vedere se riuscivo a indovinare la temperatura del cioccolato lì ho capito che io il cioccolato finora l'ho solo mangiato ma non l'ho mai capito!

( ringrazio i fotografi di necessiafotografica for letting me take this beautiful picture )

But what is tempering? is a very accurate which brings the melted chocolate at the right temperature for the cooling crystallization after which you have 2 minutes to transfer it into the molds and create our favorite chocolates.
The tempered chocolate must have received the liquidity of melted chocolate and crunchy chocolate crumbs.
I steps of the process of tempering, are threefold: melt chocolate at 60 °, gradual cooling, first slowly and then at 45 ° to 28 °. After reaching this temperature the melted chocolate should be tempered and rapidly (2 min) poured into molds for chocolates, to cool for about 10 minutes in the refrigerator before being tasted .
E 'should not dissolve in water bath and microwave that could alter the molecules, then equip yourself with a thermometer or try (but here it takes a lot of experience) to do as in the photo. .. try to guess the temperature of the chocolate on the lips quickly bringing his finger dipped in chocolate. It 's a bit like listening to a fever child approaching her lips to his forehead and feel the temperature going well with the chocolate ... it is not easy but I assure you!

Tasting chocolate is to know through all five senses

Like all food chocolate is alive, changing over time and subject to change due to organoleptic external agents such as heat , humidity, odors.

tasting always starts with the white chocolate (less intense because of the presence of fewer and more cocoa mass cocoa butter), then goes to the milk and finally to the dark (most intense). As in all the tastings in a tasting and the need to clean up our taste buds, in this case drinking half a glass of water.

Well let's start with the easiest way: The view! !

must first observe and watch it: his appearance will give me the first indications. Black to dark brown for that to milk, hazelnut milk and similar to white is white? In principle yes, but then there are shades of white ... many types of white from cream to ivory, and many shades of brown depending on the fruit of the cocoa and other ingredients that comprise it, such as vanilla, milk, butter or biscuit.

( other picture camera that captures need me (center), my friend Ross to my right, and Angela while listening to the chocolate)

We now hearing: breaking the chocolate with the one hand we hear ' snap ' if it is dark,' flop 'if it is white. The snap just feels good if the chocolate is tempered

We then go to touch

White chocolate has a smooth, almost melts between your fingers due to the increased presence of cocoa butter. The dark is more compact and smooth, more polished than the milk for the presence of milk is softer.

Then we smell

sniffing the chocolate you can immediately perceive its characteristics: scent of butter, milk, vanilla white chocolate; first milk, then vanilla and then chocolate for the milk, while the pungent aroma makes us understand that it is dark.

and then finally the sense that we like best: The taste!

And finally taste it, but you like? To taste the chocolate, the Maitre teaches us that we must first chew it a bit ', then stick it on the palate to suck all the flavor and finally perceive the nasal aftertaste. Of course it is a slow and should be done by focusing on our perceptions: white dissolves immediately, leaving a taste of butter and vanilla, milk chocolate is more consistent with the taste of milk and then cocoa, dark chocolate is ; more crunchy bite. And here's the chocolate that we created together with the Maitre Louis Proietti.

The second workshop was a lesson on Tasting Oils and here I had the pleasure to meet a chef and sommelier in my area (Tivoli): Gabriella Cinelli!

With the game you do the tasting oil, this is a world where there are still a few rules. The real taste of the oil, which is called " panel test" and is carried out da un gruppo di persone (almeno 10)allenate e preparate ad assaggiare gli oli extravergini di oliva avviene attraverso un bicchierino di colore rosso rubino o blu cobalto questo perchè il colore non è importante nell'olio e non deve trarci in inganno, quello che conta è il gusto e l'olfatto!!! Infatti la degustazione andrebbe fatta ad occhi chiusi.
L'esame olfattivo non è semplice, sia perchè la percezione sensoriale varia da individuo a individuo, sia perchè bisogna saper riconoscere i " flavour "ossia i profumi e i sapori che ci indicano le caratteristiche organolettiche dell'olio e che sono impressi nella nostra memoria. Ma qui si potrebbe parlare all'infinito.
The game consists nell'annusare natural flavors and then some artificial ones, which unfortunately are used in trade, so you know them apart. Each of the participants felt different perfumes. And so we find that there are people most gifted, called "taster ", in other words have a more developed sense of smell, a sort of dog truffle oil.

I must say that this game was very fun and for me it was easier to recognize that natural and artificial flavors ... I do not know if this is a good or bad!
if oil between a tasting and the other must guess what to eat to cleanse your mouth?? a piece of bread ... but no way, but a slice of apple!!
At the end of the lesson I learned many things including an important thing to say that there are only four tastes: bitter, sweet, salty and sour taste, but a 5th! and you know what?? L ' Umami !!!!! Yeah the taste of monosodium glutamate in short, the 'star nut' so to speak!!
Finally I tried to taste olive oil through the "strippatura, the oil must be sampled with the teeth and then with the taste buds. In short We tried to do, but the path is very long, but if it is true that "we are what we eat is then important to understand the genuine products and quality raw materials for a psycho-physical which begins at the table.
It is for this reason that next year will be introduced in schools now dedicated to food education, as he explains Gabriella Cinelli.


I hope not to have bored you but I have learned a lot and I was pleased to share these discoveries with you, why even talk about cooking is not just to publish recipes and photos but also to document and have a culinary culture.
... I'll wait for the final design on the bread and cake ..