372699 Mon Feb 19 12:33:32 -0800 2007 9 31 Home Cooking 0 2307506 Hi: I want to make cupcakes using Mexican chocolate, but don't know how to work with it (seems grainy, does not produce a smooth texture). Anyone have any advice or recipes? Mon Feb 19 12:33:32 -0800 2007 74616 annkof 1 2307566 If you're using Ibarra-type chocolate, you can grate it using a Microplane rasp. Or, melt it first in a double broiler. It will still be somewhat grainy, though, because of the other ingredients in it. Mon Feb 19 12:48:20 -0800 2007 2307506 16797 bogie 1 2307570 Because Mexican chocolate hasn't been conched (where the cocolate and sugar are worked to reduce the size of the particles) it will not produce smooth results. Try using a more refined chocolate and adding cinnamon & vanilla. Mon Feb 19 12:49:39 -0800 2007 2307506 26019 SmokeDawg 2 2307603 Great point, SmokeDawg, I didn't even think of it not being conched. Mon Feb 19 12:57:49 -0800 2007 2307570 16797 bogie 2 2308012 Great info... can one conch it on their own (I know nothing of the process)? or is it a much more complex process than what someone could do in their own kitchen? Mon Feb 19 15:00:11 -0800 2007 2307570 11120 adamclyde 1 2310369 Conched or not, there are a number of ways to work with Mexican chocolate. I've had moderate success. First, since it already contains sugar, you may need to adjust the sugar in your recipe. I've found reducing the amount of sugar by about 2 +/- tablespoons to be workable. As a rule of thumb, if the recipe calls for a lot of sugar the more you need to reduce it by. Second, Mexican chocolate is difficult to "melt" becuase of all the solids in it, i.e. sugar, canela and nuts. You can, however, dissolve it. You can do this a couple of ways. Chop up the Mexican chocolate and let it steep in whatever the liquid is that called for in the recipe. If the liquid in the recipe can be heated, bring to a simmer, and then pour over the chopped chocolate, cool if necessary. Hot coffee works really well for melting Mexican chocolate. Beaten eggs also work well for dissolving the chocolate, well it dissolves the sugar you may still have little lumps of chocolate. Third, use a combination of Mexican chocolate and regular chocolate. You can melt the regular chocolate, then add in the Mexican chocolate. Stir and heat, stir and heat until it's all melted. You can do this in the microwave, but I think it's easier to use a double boiler, you've got better control. Here are a couple of examples of how I deal with Mexican chocolate. I make a pecan pie using it. Since the recipe calls for both corn syrup and white sugar, I reduce the amount of white sugar to compensate for the sugar in the Mexican chocolate. Originally, I tried just putting the chopped chocolate in the bottome of the pie crust. The results was grainy. Once I got the sweetners, eggs, vanilla, etc. all mixed together I added the Mexican chocolate and let it stand for about 10 mintues. Then I poured it into the pie shell and baked. The results were much better. I also make brownies using Mexican chocolate. Once again, I reduce the amount of sugar a little in the recipe. For this one, I use a combination of regular chocolate and Mexican chocolate that are melted together before being added to the batter. I've had the most success experimenting with recipes that are 1) very forgiving, 2) that I've been making for years or 3) that are basically foolproof, it almost doesn't matter what you do. I don't recommend trying to sub Mexican chocolate into recipes you've not tried before or with which you are not familiar. The quality of the Mexican chocolate is also an issue. Ibarra and Abuelita are not especially good quality and I think harder to work with. MayorDomo brand from Oaxaca is much easier to work with because it's less grainy and doesn't seem to contain quite a much sugar. It is available on-line from http://www.chocosphere.com . It's available in regular and semi-sweet varieites. Since I travel in Mexico frequently I almost always will stop into a local store or aborrate and see what they've got in the way of Mexican chocolate and come home with brands I've never seen or tried before. Some are the same as Ibarra or Abuelita, about 75% are better. I think to work successfully with Mexican chocolate you need some patience, a good recipe, a willingness to experiement and know your final product could not turn out, and you need to have a little bit of baking skill and common sense about baking. Tue Feb 20 10:04:36 -0800 2007 2307506 10506 DiningDiva 2 2310446 Great info, DiningDiva, as usual... the only thing I could find in my hometown at Christmas time was Abuelita and Ibarra, so I used Ibarra for the Mexican Chocolate Streusel Cake. I found it almost impossible to chop with a knife, and I would recommend (if the OP uses either of these brands) putting it in a baggie and taking either a meat cleaver or a hammer to it- probably outside too!! Tue Feb 20 10:18:58 -0800 2007 2310369 12813 Katie Nell 3 2310592 Thanks. I agree Mexican chocolate is hard to chop up. Even some of the stuff I bring home from Mexico can be hard to chop. I use a big chefs knife and just kind of have at it. It's messy and it's time consuming. If you get the chocolate into big enough pieces, depending upon what you're going to do with it, you can finish it up in a food processor. Do NOT, repeat, do NOT put piloncillo in a food processor or blender. The sugar will win that battle and still be in it's whole conical shape. Tue Feb 20 10:47:54 -0800 2007 2310446 10506 DiningDiva 4 2312547 In Ecuador the raw sugar (like piloncillo, but not in 'pylon' shape) is called 'raspadura'. I suspect that word comes from 'raspar', to grate, and 'duro', hard. It is either dissolved to make a syrup, or grated. paulj Tue Feb 20 18:33:24 -0800 2007 2310592 12139 paulj 1 2312511 THANKS all for some great advice!! Tue Feb 20 18:20:11 -0800 2007 2307506 74616 annkof