Couverture chocolate is a
chocolate
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...
that contains a higher percentage of
cocoa butter
Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil, is a pale-yellow, edible fat extracted from the cocoa bean. It is used to make chocolate, as well as some ointments, toiletries, and pharmaceuticals. Cocoa butter has a cocoa flavor and aroma. Its mel ...
(32–39%) than baking or eating chocolate.
This additional cocoa butter, combined with proper
tempering, gives the chocolate more sheen, a firmer "snap" when broken, and a creamy mellow flavor.
Definition and term
The total "percentage" cited on many brands of chocolate is based on some combination of cocoa butter in relation to
cocoa solids
Dry cocoa solids are the components of cocoa beans remaining after cocoa butter, the fatty component of the bean, is extracted from chocolate liquor, roasted cocoa beans that have been ground into a liquid state. Cocoa butter is 46% to 57% of the ...
(cacao). In order to be properly labeled as "couverture", the dark chocolate product must contain not less than 35% total dry cocoa solids, including not less than 31% cocoa butter and not less than 2.5% of dry non-fat cocoa solids, milk chocolate couverture must contain not less than 25% dry cocoa solids.
Couverture is used by professionals for dipping, coating, molding and garnishing.
The term "couverture chocolate" is distinct from
compound chocolate
Compound chocolate is a product made from a combination of cocoa, vegetable fat and sweeteners. It is used as a lower-cost alternative to true chocolate, as it uses less-expensive hard vegetable fats such as coconut oil or palm kernel oil in pl ...
. Products that contain compound chocolate have a lower percentage of solids and contain non-cocoa fats.
Some brands of couverture chocolate are packaged tempered, and others are packaged untempered. Subsequent tempering may or may not be required, depending on the usage and the desired characteristics of the final product.
See also
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Enrobing
An enrober is a machine used in the confectionery industry to coat a food item with a coating medium, typically chocolate. Foods that are coated by enrobers include nuts, ice cream, toffee, chocolate bars, biscuits and cookies. Enrobing with choco ...
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Types of chocolate
Chocolate is a food product made from roasted and ground cocoa pods mixed with fat (e.g. cocoa butter) and powdered sugar to produce a solid confectionery. There are several types of chocolate, classified primarily according to the proportion ...
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Cake decorating
References
External links
Cooking For Engineers – Kitchen Notes: Tempering Chocolate– step-by-step tempering instructions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Couverture Chocolate
Chocolate