Melted Chocolate

[warwick.hoy]

Hi my name is James and this is my first post!

I'm wondering (hopefully there aren't any previous posts on this) how to make a more suitable chocolate sauce for coating shortbread.

I simply started out with a double boiler on low heat and melted some semisweet morsels and that was it.

Is there anything I can add to the chocolate to thin it and give it more of a sheen, and get it to flow a little better? Should it be hotter?

I know how not to burn it and that even a small amount of water will ruin the chocolate, but what about butter? cream?...etc.

thanks

 

[philso]

hi james - you can thin it with cream. it's called a ganache or agansse. it's what's on those chocolate-coated cakes, like a sacher torte. however, it's softer too. if what you want is a solid chocolate, you'll have to temper it.

aguynamedrobert is our local chocolatier. here's a link to his page on tempering: Chocolate

there are many approaches to making a ganache, using cream, butter, simple syrup, etc., but for a simple approach, try adding some heavy cream to the amount of 1/5 or 1/4 the amount of chocolate, which might be about what you want for a cookie. have some extra cream and unmelted chocolate at hand. test the ganache on your cookie and let it cool. add a little more cream or chocolate depending on if you want it softer or more firm.

 

[TATTRAT]

welcome!

Like above, a ganache is easy to work with and tasty too. For more sheen, it is a matter of tempering it( a few times) and if I am not mistaken, the addition of some butter.

Great avatar by the way....Spoon? SPOON!!!!!!!

 

[aguynamedrobert]

Great suggestions so I will just add...
You can make a Chocolate Glaze, which is like a ganache but a lot thiner...you add a lot of butter instead of a lot of cream...this up's the fat content a lot and creates the shine in the final product, fluidity, and a good taste...
All the other suggestions are good ones as well...Most of the time when you put chocolate on a cake you don't use striaght chocolate....most of the time and chocolate ganache or glaze is used....
Check the chocolate chips you are using because a lot of times chocolate chips have a certain wax added to them to make it so THEY DON'T MELT! For the reason of chocolate chip cookies and things like that where you want the chocolate to hold its form...so check that and if it isn't just chocolate, cocoa butter, sugar, lecithin, and vanilla...then get some other chocolate...Your best bet is to get bars of chocolate....

Have fun and tell us how your next one comes out,
Robert
Chocolate

 

[aguynamedrobert]

Soft Chocolate Glaze:

12 oz. butter
2 oz. corn syrup
1 pound chocolate

I got this recipe from my chef in school....works like a charm...

Robert
Chocolate

 

[warwick.hoy]

Hey Great, Thanks

My hometown is VA. Beach; but what is BDA? Birdneck Area?

I have not tried the tempering process yet; but I will the next time I have shortbread on hand.

I know I should be using better chocolate; but am not sure where to find it. I've never looked for it via internet. Any thoughts?

~James

 

[college_cook]

Usually you can find it in the baking isle if you look hard. If not, Bed Bath and Beyond is starting to carry bars of good Ghiradelli and Lindt ( i think?) chocolate. Also, sometimes the bakery dept. or your supermarket will sell chocolate in bulk, and this should also work well.

 

[aguynamedrobert]

You can start to get good stuff in the grocery store...if you can't find it there or want unlimited selection then go to Chocolate and click on the link on the left of the page that says "buy chocolate at..." You can buy pretty much any chocolate from around the world on there...
stores usually carry Ghiradelli which isn't the best brand of all time but is definitely ok(mid grade)...

Robert
Chocolate

 

[XeniA]

Soft Chocolate Glaze:

12 oz. butter
2 oz. corn syrup
1 pound chocolate

I got this recipe from my chef in school....works like a charm...

Robert and his chef are clearly offering up credentials I don't have, however, I must note that the proportion of butter in the above recipe strikes me as very high, surely resulting in a very soft glaze at room temperature -- perhaps sometimes desirable, perhaps not so desirable at other times.

I've used the glaze from "The Art of the Cake" (Bruce Healy & Paul Bugat) which calls for a ratio of 9 oz (250 g) of chocolate to 1-1/2 oz (40 g) butter (clarified BTW).

The resulting glaze is crisp but soft, neither brittle nor "melty" -- I've found it just perfect for cakes ...

 

[TATTRAT]

BDA, or BMU=Bermuda

 

[aguynamedrobert]

Yeah, Whatever thinness you need or firmness you need from the glaze, just adjust the butter...the more butter, the softer it will be...my recipe is just slightly firm at room temp...so if you need something firmer then go with Ayrton. Less butter equals a firmer product...

Robert
Chocolate