Chocolate Adventure

What do you think about chocolate? Maybe for some females, chocolate is a necessary part of every month’s most difficult time. For some males, chocolate may be a good present to have when chasing girls.

When I was very little, chocolate was simply a snack to me, and I almost always got this kind of chocolate. It’s a time-honored brand in Taiwan and it’s very cheap. You can buy a bar of chocolate with only NT$10. Actually, the quality of this chocolate isn’t very good, but it was just like a treasure at that time. However, right now, chocolate is a lifesaver during the hardest times. It can help you recover or I might say it can help you recharge when you feel tired or stressed.

My chocolate life has changed since I visited a chocolate shop in the UK. This is not only a chocolate shop but also a chocolate factory. You could see a big roasting machine and a lot of bags which had different cocoa beans inside. Moreover, the shop sold different kinds of chocolate bars, which were made of cocoa beans from different countries that showcased different flavors. It was definitely an eye-opening experience, and on top of that, my chocolate adventure started there.

After the visit, I found out that chocolate is just like coffee. Where cocoa beans come from, how dark the cocoa beans are roasted and what percentage of the cocoa oil is in cocoa bean will all influence the flavors of the chocolate you eat.

The shop clerk taught me how to taste chocolate correctly. Let me share it with you. Firstly, make sure you have a clean palate. You can clean the palate easily by having a sip of water.

Secondly, make sure your chocolate is at the right temperature and the right size. If your chocolate is stored at refrigerator, the clerk recommended to leave the chocolate in the room temperature for a while before you taste it. Additionally, you have to break your chocolate bar into the size that you can put it on your tongue properly. It will help you to full experience the chocolate.

Thirdly, do not chew it. Let the chocolate melt in your mouth naturally. Finally, remember to slow down. Try to feel the texture of the chocolate that you have, experience the sweetness, acidity and bitterness.

You might be curious about why we have to do that, it’s because different areas of our palate have different taste buds which react to different tastes. It works like thi sweet at the front, salty and sour on the sides and bitter at the back. If you chew it, then you can’t taste the chocolate with the use of your whole palate. That’s why you have to break your chocolate into the right size and why you can’t chew it.

Now, you know how to test it. You can have your own chocolate adventure by yourself. You can compare different types, brands and cocoa percentages. Then find your favorite one. In my own way, I will score each part separately and compare the total score. Of course, you can do it your own way.

The next stage of your chocolate adventure is to taste the different forms of chocolate or combine it with other food. Such as you can pair chocolate with teas, wines and fruits. My favorite way is to use my favorite chocolate to make a brownie. Find out the chemical reactions between ingredients. Make the texture more soft, chewy or fluffy. Let it become darker or sweeter. You only need five ingredients to make your own favorite brownie. Why don’t you give it a try? I will share my favorite chewy brownie recipe below. You can have it whenever you need.

Ingredients

Chocolate — 150g (use your favorite one)

Butter — 250g

Eggs — 4 (room temperature)

Sugar — 240g (you can change it according to how sweet the chocolate is)

Plain Flour — 140g

Walnuts — 145g (you can decide whether you want to add or not)

Chocolate chips — 150g (you can decide whether you want to add or not)

Method

1. Lightly toast the walnuts in oven at 160℃ for 10 minutes and coarsely chop.

2. Brush some butter on a 24*30-cm baking pan, cover the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.

3. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water, then cool it down a little bit.

4. Beat butter with paddle until the texture turns smooth and creamy but not airy, then mix and stir with the chocolate.

5. Gradually add in the eggs. Use a whisk to mix it. Remember to leave the eggs at room temperature, otherwise the mixture will separate easily when you mix it.

6. Add the sugar in, blend properly.

7. Return to the paddle for the flour, gently blend it together.

8. Put the nut and chocolate chips inside.

9. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 19–22 minutes. The brownie will be ready when the top is dry. Furthermore, you can insert a skewer in the center of the brownie, it should come out a little bit sticky.

10. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

11. Cut it.

12. Enjoy it.

“Now it’s time to have your own chocolate adventure.”