Michael Laiskonis — Creative Director

How to Approach a Composed Cheese Course

aday — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 13:00:00 +0000

How to Approach a Composed Cheese Course aday Thu, 06/01/2023 - 09:00 Award-winning pastry chef and ICE creative director Michael Laiskonis describes his creative process for designing a Petit Basque dish. June 1, 2023

By Michael Laiskonis — Creative Director

I’ll admit that even as a pastry chef, sometimes the last thing I’m looking for in a “last course” is something sweet. While I think it’s important to always save room for dessert, I’m often swayed by the alternative of a composed cheese course. At the very least, I may even squeeze the cheese in before dessert!

From a creative perspective, a composed cheese plate allows an exciting opportunity to straddle the line that separates sweet from savory. The cheese is the star of the show, of course, but the accompaniments we choose can play an important role as supporting actors. I often try to start with a palette of basic tastes – sweet, salty, bitter, acid – as inspiration and follow that with spice or heat; the balance of these elements will, of course, be determined by the flavors offered by the cheese.

To demonstrate this approach, we could start with a favorite of mine, Petit Basque. Produced in the French Pyrenees, it’s a semi-firm sheep’s milk cheese that is nutty, earthy and occasionally accompanied by just a hint of funkiness. For one, it’s formed into diminutive cylinders and is firm enough to cut into clean slices, which lends itself well to a plated composition. As I start to explore the range of supporting flavors at my disposal, I really need to look no further than the region the cheese hails from – the vibrant Basque country that incorporates parts of France and Spain.

I love the notion that what grows together, goes together, so when I think of the south of France and northern Spain, I’m immediately drawn to flavors like fig and almond. The richness of the Petit Basque could stand up to a hint of spice, so a smoky pimenton is an obvious choice. For some complex acidity, I love the classic gastrique – essentially a caramel made with vinegar – and a bright peach vinegar would add even more interesting fruit notes. Confit lemon peel adds a final sweet-bitter-acid touch that helps tie all the components together.

As soon as the flavors begin to come into focus, I’m already thinking of what form they might take. While some cheeses are special enough on their own to not require much fussy treatment, our milky Petit Basque begs for a bit more compositional flair. The fig is cooked down into a pate de fruit and sliced in a long, thin base. Salty Marcona almonds are presented both unadorned and fashioned into a crunchy shard of praline. A line of the smoked paprika allows the guest to play with different heat levels in each bite. And after a few drops of the sweet-sour peach gastrique, a peppery nasturtium leaf becomes the final garnish.

A composed cheese plate not only enhances subtle nuances of its noble subject but also affords a chance to flex our culinary muscles to elevate such pairings and to customize a range of complementary flavors and textures.

Petit Basque: Fig, Almond, Peach, Pimenton

For the Petit Basque:

Fig Pâte de Fruit (recipe below)
Marcona Almond Praline (recipe below)
Peach Vinegar Gastrique (recipe below)
Confit Lemon Peel
Spanish Pimenton
Marcona Almonds, whole
Nasturtium Leaf

For the fig pâte de fruit:

200 grams fig purée
50 grams apricot purée
30 grams sucrose (1)
4 grams yellow pectin
210 grams sucrose (2)
40 grams glucose syrup
3.5 grams citric acid

For the Marcona almond praline:

56 grams unsalted butter
85 grams sucrose
12 grams glucose syrup
12 grams water
40 grams Marcona almond (roasted and salted), coarsely ground

For the peach vinegar gastrique:

125 grams sucrose
75 grams water
30 grams peach vinegar

For the fig pâte de fruit:

In a heavy saucepan, combine purées and heat to 40 C/104 F.
Combine first measurement of sucrose (1) and pectin and whisk into purées. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously.
Add remaining sucrose (2) and glucose. Cook to 106 C/223 F. Remove from heat and stir in citric acid.
Pour into a plastic-lined 12-centimeter square frame and allow to set.

For the Marcona almond praline:

Melt the butter in a small heavy saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in sucrose, glucose syrup and water. Cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture reaches 150 C/300 F.
Remove from heat, stir in almonds and pour out on buttered parchment-lined half-sheet pan or marble to cool and harden.

For the peach vinegar gastrique:

Combine sucrose and water to moisten in a small saucepan. Cook to a very light caramel color.
Remove from heat and slowly add vinegar. Return to heat and cook to dissolve any hardened bits of sugar. Continue to cook to 105 C/221 F. Allow to cool.

Train with award-winning pastry chefs in ICE's Pastry & Baking Arts program.

Cheese & Dairy Pastry Arts Guest Chefs Recipe

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Making a Case for Concord Grapes

abaker — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 18:11:22 +0000

Making a Case for Concord Grapes abaker Wed, 10/19/2022 - 14:11 They're the reason for the season. October 20, 2022

By Michael Laiskonis — Creative Director

In my mind, nothing marks the transition from summer to fall quite like Concord grapes.

Just as the crisp chill in the air, the slow retreat of daylight hours and the subtle turn of the foliage all signal the arrival of autumn, there are flavors that also reflect the shift of the seasons.

While apple, pear, quince — and, yes, pumpkin — will eventually fill out seasonal dessert menus for the months to come, the appearance of the Concord grape is a bit more fleeting.

It’s easy to argue that most of what we call ‘table’ grapes that are available year-round — whether red or green — don’t pack much of a punch in the flavor department. That’s why the late September arrival of plump purple Concords make for a sweet, tart and juicy welcome as summer berry season fades into memory. This is the essence of ‘grape’ flavor we associate with everything from jelly and juice to candy and soda.

This is the essence of ‘grape’ flavor we associate with everything from jelly and juice to candy and soda.

Pastry chefs tend stock up on these intense flavor bombs when in season and are often fashioned into desserts that draw from a subtle sense of nostalgia.

More Recipes: Chef Penny's Concord Grape Tart

The Concord grape is a unique variety bred from native North American grapes, notably the wild Vitis labrusca. Its origin dates to 1849, after an intensive trial led by Ephraim Wales Bull on his farm in Concord, Massachusetts. The new grape hit Northeastern markets in 1854, quickly gaining favor, winning awards and earning a reputation abroad. It is said that cuttings from Bull’s original vines fetched upwards of $1,000.

The Concord enjoyed increased popularity in the next decade, when Dr. Thomas Welch began producing an unfermented grape juice utilizing the recently developed concept of pasteurization. By 1900, Welch’s fledgling juice empire was processing 300 tons of grapes a year. The union of grape jelly and peanut butter that would become a school lunch staple began to gain traction in the 1920s.

Today, over 300,000 tons of Concord grapes are grown each year in the United States. New York is second in production, just behind Washington State.

Crafting Concords into components sweet or savory requires some degree of effort. Hidden under the thick “slip-skins” and juicy pulp are hard stubborn seeds that must be removed. Crushing the grapes or buzzing them in a blender is simple enough; the real chore ends up being the patient passing through a sieve or cheesecloth to produce a skin and seed-free pulp.

The reward is worth the rigor. One might stumble upon a seedless Concord now and then, but I almost see the requisite crush-and-strain exercise as a comforting ritual of the season. Beware, however, that the errant drops of juice instantly leave behind a dark purple (and near permanent) stain.

With this year’s crop, I’m seeking to rework and refine a classic dessert — cheesecake — with a seasonal punch-up of Concord grape.

A light cream cheese mousse spiked with a touch of lemon fills in for the rich and dense texture of traditional cheesecake. The pillow of mousse is set on a Graham cracker sablée and concealed in its center is a core of liquid Concord grape. The whole is sprayed with a thin, velvety layer of white chocolate and accompanied by a grape sorbet.

Concord Grape & Cheesecake Mousse

Yield: approximately 15 individual desserts

For the Concord Grape Coulis

150 grams Concord grape juice
½ gelatin sheet, hydrated
25 grams invert sugar
(Total weight: approximately 180 grams)

For the Cheesecake Mousse

3 sheets gelatin
50 grams cold water
110 grams sucrose
1 gram salt
100 grams unsalted butter, softened
225 grams cream cheese, softened
60 grams crème fraiche
40 grams lemon juice
300 grams heavy cream (36% fat)
(Total weight: 885 grams)

For the Graham Cracker Sablée:

80 grams unsalted butter
125 grams graham cracker crumbs, finely ground
13 grams potato starch
80 grams confectioners’ sugar
2 grams salt
75 grams egg whites
90 grams all-purpose flour
(Total weight: 465 grams)

For the Concord Grape Sorbet:

10 grams sucrose (1)
2 grams sorbet stabilizer
95 grams water
55 grams sucrose (2)
25 grams glucose powder
10 grams dextrose
5 grams invert sugar
250 grams Concord grape juice
(Total weight: 450 grams)

For the White Chocolate Spray:

250 grams white chocolate, melted
250 grams cocoa butter, melted
Purple colorant (fat soluble), as needed

For Assembly:

White chocolate decor

For the Concord Grape Coulis:

Place the grape juice in a saucepan. Gently bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
Whisk in the gelatin and invert sugar. Deposit the mixture into 3cm silicon hemisphere molds and freeze to set.

For the Cheesecake Mousse:

Hydrate the gelatin in the full measurement of water. Gently heat to dissolve and reserve.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the sucrose, salt and butter, creaming the mixture well. Slowly add the cream cheese, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Follow with the addition of the crème fraiche, lemon juice and dissolved gelatin.
Fold in the whipped cream and deposit into 70cm silicone ‘stone’ molds; insert into each one of the frozen half-spheres of Concord grape coulis. Top with additional mousse as needed, level and then freeze.

For the Graham Cracker Sablée:

Combine the butter, graham cracker, starch, confectioner’s sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the egg whites and continue blending until incorporated.
Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the flour by hand.
Sheet the dough between two half sheet-sized pieces of acetate and freeze.
Transfer the dough between two silicon baking mats set on a flat pan. Bake at 150°C/300°F just until set, 5-7 minutes; remove the pan from the oven and cut 75mm discs. Return to the oven to continue baking until lightly browned, 8-10 minutes.

For the Concord Grape Sorbet:

Combine the first measurement of sucrose and stabilizer. Reserve.
In a saucepan, heat the water to 50°C/120°F. Whisk in the stabilizer mixture, the second measurement of sucrose, glucose powder, dextrose and invert sugar. Bring just to a boil and remove from heat.
Chill and allow the syrup to mature at least 4 hours.
Combine the juice and syrup and process in a batch freezer; extract the mix at -5˚C/23˚F. Alternatively, transfer to PacoJet canisters and freeze; process as needed. Continue to harden the sorbet at -18˚C/0˚F as necessary.

For the White Chocolate Spray:

Combine the white chocolate, cocoa butter and desired color and transfer to an airbrush or paint sprayer and apply a thin layer onto the frozen and unmolded portions of cheesecake mousse. Return to freezer until ready to serve.

For Assembly:

Remove the portions of cheesecake mousse from the freezer and set onto discs of the baked graham cracker sablée. Allow to temper under refrigeration.
When ready to serve, plate the cheesecake mousse, top with white chocolate decor, and finish with a small scoop or quenelle of Concord grape sorbet.

Ready for more fall recipes? Check out Chef Barry's fall vegetable recipes and read his advice on how to make the most of the season's bountiful produce.

Desserts Fall

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Pastry & Baking Arts For the Concord Grape Coulis;
Step 1 - Place the grape juice in a saucepan. Gently bring to a simmer and remove from heat; Step 2 - Whisk in the gelatin and invert sugar. Deposit the mixture into 3cm silicon hemisphere molds and freeze to set; For the Cheesecake Mousse;
Step 1 - Hydrate the gelatin in the full measurement of water. Gently heat to dissolve and reserve; Step 2 - In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the sucrose, salt and butter, creaming the mixture well. Slowly add the cream cheese, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Follow with the addition of the crème fraiche, lemon juice and dissolved gelatin; Step 3 - Fold in the whipped cream and deposit into 70cm silicone ‘stone’ molds; insert into each one of the frozen half-spheres of Concord grape coulis. Top with additional mousse as needed, level and then freeze; For the Graham Cracker Sablee;
Step 1 - Combine the butter, graham cracker, starch, confectioner’s sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the egg whites and continue blending until incorporated; Step 2 - Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the flour by hand; Step 3 - Sheet the dough between two half sheet-sized pieces of acetate and freeze; Step 4 - Transfer the dough between two silicon baking mats set on a flat pan. Bake at 150°C/300°F just until set, 5-7 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and cut 75mm discs. Return to the oven to continue baking until lightly browned, 8-10 minutes; For the Concord Grape Sorbet;
Step 1 - Combine the first measurement of sucrose and stabilizer. Reserve; Step 2 - In a saucepan, heat the water to 50°C/120°F. Whisk in the stabilizer mixture, the second measurement of sucrose, glucose powder, dextrose and invert sugar. Bring just to a boil and remove from heat; Step 3 - Chill and allow the syrup to mature at least 4 hours; Step 4 - Combine the juice and syrup and process in a batch freezer; extract the mix at -5˚C/23˚F. Alternatively, transfer to PacoJet canisters and freeze; process as needed. Continue to harden the sorbet at -18˚C/0˚F as necessary; For the White Chocolate Spray;
Step 1 - Combine the white chocolate, cocoa butter and desired color and transfer to an airbrush or paint sprayer and apply a thin layer onto the frozen and unmolded portions of cheesecake mousse. Return to freezer until ready to serve; For Assembly;
Step 1 - Remove the portions of cheesecake mousse from the freezer and set onto discs of the baked graham cracker sablee. Allow to temper under refrigeration; Step 2 - When ready to serve, plate the cheesecake mousse, top with white chocolate decor, and finish with a small scoop or quenelle of Concord grape sorbet;

Chocolate Trends for 2022

ablustein — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 15:05:20 +0000

Chocolate Trends for 2022 ablustein Mon, 01/24/2022 - 10:05 Innovation, Sustainability and Awareness January 24, 2022

By Michael Laiskonis — Creative Director

A new year is upon us. It's a time for reflection, and also a time to look forward and set goals.

As a longtime working pastry chef, I’m no stranger to thinking at the leading edge of fads and trends emerging both within the industry, and among guests and customers as well. Now that my headspace is increasingly occupied by issues affecting the world of chocolate, I’ve begun to consider trends that play out across the entire cocoa supply chain, from producer farmers and manufacturers to chefs and consumers. Below, I’ll tease out just a few of the factors influencing how we source, make and enjoy chocolate in the coming year.

COVID Rebounds

Now two years into the global Covid-19 pandemic, the emergence of new virus variants continues to affect every link in the cocoa supply chain. Not affected as quickly as countries in the Global North, many cocoa-growing countries have seen delayed but sustained impacts (and of course, individual countries have responded with a variety of policies). Peru has the highest overall death rate per capita; Brazil and Colombia remain within the top 15 of most affected countries. As cocoa is primarily grown by smallholder farmers in rural areas of developing countries, access to healthcare is less reliable; treatments and vaccines also tend to be distributed at a slower rate among countries in the Global South. Pandemic-related disruptions will likely persist with day-to-day challenges among the already fragile economics of upstream cocoa production.

International shipping has seen noticeable impacts since early 2020, affecting not just the transport of cocoa beans, but other raw ingredients and materials, such as packaging. The vast majority of the nearly five million tons of cocoa produced each year travels over water in shipping containers. In addition to stalled delivery times, the cost of transporting that freight has increased by over 400% of pre-pandemic levels.

Drying cocoa beans with microlot producer Sabita Mykoo in Rio Claro, Trinidad

Among chocolate makers, the supply of cocoa beans is only one part of the business equation; they have also needed to adjust to slower retail sales by focusing on reaching customers online. Changes in consumer behavior due to lockdowns has certainly shifted over the last two years. Manufacturers are still trying to understand what those changes look like and whether it will impact future behavior, but it appears that consumer demand has grown, and perhaps has even shifted toward higher quality chocolate products. Though many restaurants resumed ‘normal’ operations in 2021, new Covid-19 variants have created renewed insecurities. Many have shifted menu offerings in response to pandemic-related pivots. Increased ingredient costs and labor shortages are also affecting menu offerings and buying behaviors.

Innovations and Alternatives

Though still a tiny drop in the bucket of total chocolate production, the specialty (alternatively referred to as ‘craft,’ ‘artisan,’ or ‘bean-to-bar’) sector continues to grow, and with it a savvier consumer base. It can be a crowded and confusing field of options for consumers, but I look forward to continued efforts toward educating them on aspects of quality, flavor, formulation, sourcing and general sustainability issues. I observe a continued increase in emphasis and education on the nuances of single-origin flavors from both the industrial and specialty chocolate manufacturers — but have also noticed an uptick in added flavors and inclusions, from the familiar to the novel — drawing from on-trend ingredients, health-and-wellness and nostalgic flavor combinations. Small-scale makers are also focusing more energy on value-added products made with their chocolate — from baked goods to bonbons and panned confections.

With several recent offerings from industrial makers (Barry Callebaut, Nestlé, Felchlin, Lindt and Ritter) over the last year or two, I think we will see more experimentation with ‘whole-fruit’ chocolates and other snacks sweetened not with conventional sugar, but with cacao pulp-derived sugars. These products may take a while to catch on among pastry chefs and chocolatiers due to unique flavors, differences in the chocolate’s workability and standard-of-identity issues (legal definitions of chocolate).

Though a taste for the intense flavors of dark chocolate has increased, craft chocolate makers are changing our perception of what milk chocolate can be as well, with ‘dark milk’ products that offer higher cocoa percentages, adding extra complexity to familiar creamy textures we expect to find. We will also see increased use of alternative dairy products to produce plant-based analogs for milk chocolate, seeking to deliver a similar experience with on-trend milk replacers, like oat, cashew, almond and coconut. Alternative sweeteners are traditionally more difficult to incorporate into chocolate. There may still be some space for innovation due to the interest in low-carbohydrate diets, but sugar-free chocolate remains a niche market, though Hershey’s acquisition of the popular Lily’s brand in 2021 may be a signal that alternative sweeteners will one day break into the mainstream. The messaging and science on potential ‘healthy’ aspects of chocolate — notably the antioxidant-rich polyphenols that it may contain — are still a bit murky, but expect to see a steady increase in promotion of health-and-wellness positions as well.

Social Awareness

The chocolate industry is also at the forefront of social and environmental innovation. Generally, farmer incomes remain a top line item, and despite volatile world prices, the 2021 implementation of initiatives like the Living Income Differential (LID) in the largest producer countries Ivory Coast and Ghana seek to improve the economics at an institutional level. Forced and child labor on cocoa farms — an issue that created controversy two decades ago — continues to be discussed as well, with consequential cases currently circulating through the United States court system.

The ‘whole-fruit’ cocoa pulp-sweetened products present an exciting opportunity toward ‘upcycling’ of components that typically go to waste over the course of the chocolate-making process. I think it will be interesting to see if other byproducts like cocoa bean shell (a waste product that comprises 15% of a cocoa bean) will see similar repurposing efforts at a large scale. Consider, for example, that at least 15% of the weight of the cocoa beans traversing the oceans in shipping containers is discarded; processing those beans and recycling the shell at origin could play a significant role in decreasing chocolate’s wide carbon footprint. Efforts to reduce deforestation linked to farming will also continue to be centered among conversations of the global cocoa industry. Ivory Coast alone lost 116,000 acres of forest in its cocoa-growing regions in 2020, despite industry pledges to halt deforestation.

Sustainability and a ‘Farm-to-Table’ Sensibility

Historically, chocolate-making has relied on a trade structure that sees raw cocoa beans traveling thousands of miles, imported into countries far from where the beans are grown. One important idea emerging from sustainability efforts is the creation of more economic and environmental value for cocoa-producing countries by increasing the manufacture of finished chocolate products at origin. I would love to see the well-accepted premise of ‘farm-to-table’ applied more to chocolate products, with proper recognition given to producers and the sense of place that can be expressed through chocolate.

In addition to my work in the ICE Chocolate Lab, I’ve recently been recruited by the United Nations-backed program Alliances for Action to support and promote small-scale cocoa farming and chocolate production throughout the Caribbean, with projects in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. In addition to technical support and assistance with new product development, the broader goals include sharing those stories of unique flavor and terroir along the entire value chain, all the way to chefs and consumers.

The ICE Chocolate Lab in-person experiences have returned — check for updates on the range of courses available for pros and novices alike.

Chocolate Chocolate Lab Culinary Arts Pastry Arts Desserts Global Cuisine

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Chocolate Classes Return to ICE's Bean-to-Bar Lab

aday — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 18:52:03 +0000

Chocolate Classes Return to ICE's Bean-to-Bar Lab aday Tue, 07/13/2021 - 14:52 Study with Award-Winning Pastry Chef Michael Laiskonis July 13, 2021

By Michael Laiskonis — Creative Director

The deep aroma of roasted cacao beans and the familiar hum of the chocolate machines are back. Though much of the activity in the Ģ��Ƶ bean-to-bar Chocolate Lab was idle for the past year, public-facing educational programs return in August.

The Chocolate Lab’s origin story dates back nearly nine years when ICE began to outgrow its New York campus on West 23rd Street. The initial seed of an idea — perhaps carving out a small corner of a kitchen classroom dedicated to chocolate and confectionery projects — soon blossomed into a forward-thinking blueprint to study chocolate on a deeper level. When launched with the completion of the new campus at Brookfield Place in 2015, the lab offered a unique opportunity to provide hands-on experiences in manufacturing chocolate from raw bean to finished bar. Giving visibility to the chocolate-making process enhanced the material studied in our career Pastry & Baking Arts program and offered classes designed for curious chocolate lovers and aspiring makers alike.

The chocolate-making process, on its surface, is fairly simple. Raw cacao is roasted, the beans’ outer shells removed and the remainder crushed into the nibs. Those nibs are then ground and further refined with the addition of sugar and perhaps some cocoa butter. Each basic step of the process presents any number of variabilities, and any single step could be performed by a variety of machines that will contribute, in part, to the characteristics of finished chocolate. The suite of machines lined up in the Chocolate Lab include a drum roaster, winnower, hammer mill (which pre-grinds nibs into a paste known as "liquor"), cocoa butter press and temperature-controlled ball mill. Outfitted with equipment originally designed for research-scale production by large manufacturers, the lab’s capabilities allow for batches up to 25 pounds.

Over five years, a range of regular courses were created, and the lab found a place within the diverse network of artisan makers, academics and chocolate aficionados. A familiar story by now, the initial surge of COVID-19 shuttered schools like ICE, and the Chocolate Lab entered a period of hibernation. Amid strict safety protocols, career training programs resumed, but many of the public programs, from recreational classes to professional development studies, were halted out of caution. The time has now come to reopen the lab, and I’m excited to be reorganizing the space and giving all of the equipment a tune-up in anticipation of our first round of classes this summer.

The series kicks off on Aug. 4, with a rebooted version of our exploratory look at the chocolate-making process. A Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Experience offers a four-hour tour of the lab and an overview of chocolate from farm to factory. Curious chocolate lovers will gain a broad insight into the various factors that give chocolate its taste and will briefly touch each part of the process before sitting down to a comparative tasting of bars made onsite to further elaborate on these ideas. A companion class, Beyond Bean-to-Bar: Fundamental Chocolate Techniques, returns on Sept. 9 and will cover basic skills like tempering and using craft chocolate in a variety of pastry and confectionery applications.

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A second-level course for those seeking hands-on skills, A Bean-to Bar Chocolate Intensive, is a two-day program taking place Oct. 9-10. This class offers professionals and enthusiastic amateurs an opportunity to touch, smell and taste chocolate throughout the process to better understand the complex cause and effect of each step. The extended format allows the production of a few simple batches, which attendees will temper, mold and take home at the end of class.

And finally, for a deeper dive, A Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Immersion will convene Nov. 1-4. This four-day course offers a more detailed look into sourcing cacao, agricultural aspects, genetics, flavor chemistry and the complex physics at work in the manufacturing of chocolate. Multiple batches from start to finish will compare origin, formulation and style. This popular course also introduces concepts relevant to chocolate as a business. The intimate class setting also allows for an exchange of information and experience among the students over an immersive 24 hours of lab time.

I sometimes joke that the more I learn about chocolate, the more I realize what I don’t know. The only thing I enjoy more than the personal discovery is sharing what I’ve learned with others. Though the physical space of the Chocolate Lab has sat quietly these past months, I’ve only intensified my own study, and I can’t wait to inform and inspire once again as we welcome students back.

Get hands-on with Chef Michael in the Chocolate Lab.

Chocolate Chocolate Lab ICE Chef Recreational Classes

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Cacao vs Coffee

aday — Wed, 05 May 2021 17:01:13 +0000

Cacao vs Coffee aday Wed, 05/05/2021 - 13:01 Pastry chef and chocolate expert Michael Laiskonis compares and contrasts the beans. May 5, 2021

By Michael Laiskonis — Creative Director

Two interests merge in the ICE Chocolate Lab as we explore the similarities and the differences in approaches to roasting coffee and cacao beans.

Long before I developed a passion for working with chocolate, I began fostering a love for coffee. I don’t exactly recall the occasion of my first pre-teen taste of coffee, but it subconsciously served as a rite of passage into a mysterious grown-up world. I’m also betting on the likelihood that it wasn’t a very good cup of coffee — most likely pummeled to muddy mediocrity in some pitiless percolator and then served forth in a flimsy Styrofoam cup. In hindsight, the event marked instant access to sophisticated taste, a sense of ritual and increased social capital.

Coffee beans before roasting

Coffee symbolized the exotic and the mundane, the hip and the old-fashioned; chocolate, in a way, represents those same dichotomies. Since then, I’ve always tiptoed along the edge of serious coffee culture. I did play around with some early but uninformed experiments in roasting green coffee, long before coffee’s artisan third wave began 20 years ago and the dissemination of roasting knowledge down to the home enthusiast. One might say that we are at a similar place with chocolate today, with makers and consumers raising the bar of quality and appreciation. In recent months I’ve leaned further into roasting coffee, fascinated by the differences and similarities I found as a chocolate-maker.

When I started to learn about wine as a young cook, I got some great advice from a sommelier I worked with. He suggested I stick to a couple of Old-World regions first to learn the lingo and how to taste and then branch out into other origins and styles of wine from there. To this day, those two regions (the Rhône Valley for red, the Loire for white) remain sentimental favorites. Probably because I had some degree of fluency in cacao when I started making chocolate, I went the opposite way, wanting to play with all the beans from everywhere all at once, embracing all their variabilities. Now that I’m roasting coffee, I’m going back to the focused approach. At the moment, I’m limiting myself largely to Central America and drilling deeper into a few regions in search of interesting beans, identifying the nuances of terroir, cultivar and processing, all while learning to achieve consistent, predictable roasts.

Interestingly, the consumption of coffee and cacao emerged beyond their origin into Europe around the same time, gaining a popular foothold in the 17th century. Prior to that, coffee thrived in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, while cacao-based beverages were limited to the cultures of Central and South America before the arrival of Spanish conquistadors. The convivial culture of the coffee and chocolate houses evolved, and clear camps of preference emerged; chocolate, interestingly, was favored by some as a more nourishing and healthier beverage with a milder stimulating effect than coffee. Though coffee (and for some, tea) would become a ritualized part of our daily routine, chocolate went on to lay claim to a much wider range of applications beyond the cup and into desserts and confections.

Coffee and cacao grow within the same tropical belt and share common origins and producer countries from Africa to Central and South America, Oceania and Southeast Asia. Cacao prefers low-lying forest conditions, while coffee quality is generally linked to higher altitudes, the most complex flavor profiles attributed to elevations beginning around 1,000 meters above sea level. Both can be broadly separated into cheap commodity beans and fine flavor grades; quality in cacao and coffee is highly dependent on origin, varietal and post-harvest processing as well as roasting, and for chocolate, subsequent manufacturing steps. Both are the seed of a fruit — the coffee "cherry" and the cacao pod that contains 30-40 seeds or beans. While much of chocolate’s flavor is developed during a lengthy fermentation process, for coffee, a short fermentation has less impact on flavor and is more a means of separating the seed from the fruit. From a composition perspective, cacao beans contain much more fat (50% versus 14%) while coffee beans have a greater percentage of carbohydrates or sugars (50% versus 20%). Dried cacao beans have a moisture content from 6% to 8%, while green coffee beans contain 8% to 12% moisture. Under proper storage conditions, both cacao and green coffee are stable for months before processing.

Cacao beans in the ICE Chocolate Lab

The mechanics of roasting coffee and cacao, on the surface, are quite similar. Both benefit from the even heat of a rotating drum roaster, where the beans are in constant motion, but the similarities end there. The intensity, duration and chemical processes differ. Coffee likes a hot-and-fast approach while cacao requires less heat and more time. This is, in part, due to the size of the beans. On average, the weight of cacao is 10 times that of a coffee bean. Flavor development for both begins at the point when moisture loss occurs. The higher bean temperature required for coffee (in excess of 200 C/400 F) results in caramelization of sugars, and for darker roasts, pyrolysis – thermal decomposition that might also be described as controlled burning. As they roast, coffee beans expand, turning from green to brown, and audibly crack ("first" and "second" crack mark notable points in roast development). With the momentum of the high heat, coffee bean flavors develop rapidly, and the profile can shift drastically in a matter of seconds.

By contrast, cacao beans are treated in a comparatively low-and-slow manner. Flavor development during roasting is largely based on chemical precursors formed during post-harvest fermentation. Proteins, or amino acids, and "reducing" sugars react with heat to produce Maillard reactions and Strecker degradation. Though Maillard reactions typically result in the browning of foods, the brown color of chocolate is due in large part to the fermentation process, though roasting can contribute. In contrast to the high temperatures associated with coffee, the final bean temperature might range from 120 C/250 F for light roasts to 135 C/275 F for the deepest roasts. In cacao, there is also a subtractive element to roasting; volatile and vinegary acetic acid resulting from fermentation is driven off. High-quality beans of both cacao and coffee generally tend to reveal subtle nuances and complexity when roasted on the lighter side. With experience and control of the many variables, roasters can pinpoint the ideal parameters for beans of specific origins, genetics and processing.

At the end of roasting, coffee and cacao both require rapid cooling, or quenching, to halt the process. Both lose a significant amount of weight during the roast due primarily to moisture loss — I expect to lose 5% in cacao and up to 14% in coffee. In addition to moisture loss, coffee also releases "chaff" — its paper-thin husk — during the roast. Cacao’s more substantial shell requires additional processing (winnowing) to remove. The transformation into finished chocolate requires several steps after roasting; and while coffee brewing is an art and science itself, roasting, with all its subtlety, is the primary processing step. Freshness is considered key to optimal coffee flavor, but just-roasted beans are typically aged for a day or two (or up to a week) before grinding and brewing to allow for the de-gassing of carbon dioxide created during the roasting process. Finished chocolate is often aged, too, as flavors do shift over time, though there is little published research to explain how those flavors change.

I’ve come to appreciate both approaches necessary when working with coffee and chocolate — and I find that better understanding one helps inform how I view the other. I like to say that the more I learn about cacao and chocolate, the more I realize I don’t know, and as I continue down the path of coffee that statement rings doubly true, as slight variations of the green beans or a few seconds in the roaster might translate into a very different cup.

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Coffee and Chocolate

Submitted by Annamarue canadeo on May 9, 2021 5:25am

We never realize the sultilties of making good coffee and good chocolate.. fascinating,,, thanks

Chocolate & Coffee

Submitted by Daniel Cosgriffe on May 11, 2021 7:14pm

As a former pastry chef, wish I could afford much higher quality chocolate, however, I work with 70% callebaut, almost a couverture chocolate. As a rule when making hot chocolate for my Love, I will caramelize the organic sugar, use a vanilla bean or two, a few tbs of butter, always adding some Himalayan salt, a cinnamon stick or two and then sometimes adding some or all of powdered ginger, cloves or nutmeg in varying amounts. I also use goat milk and never go beyond heating this all up but for a few bubbles, never boiling and burning the chocolate. All this all makes a decent hot chocolate.

And then I’m able to acquire amazing coffees from a great shop here in Toronto called The Coffee Bouquets. This place has coffees from the Himalayan Mountains and the Galápagos Islands and everywhere in-between. Some of my favourites are Kaffa from Ethiopia and beans from the Flores Island in Indonesia, but one that makes amazing mocha and is great with a little 10% cream are coffee beans from Cuba. I’m not always able to get Cuban beans, but when I can I’m generally in heaven. Heck my partner likes her mocha 2/3rds hot chocolate and 1/3rd coffee and can still taste the amazing coffee!

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Going Nuts for Gianduja

aday — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 14:16:40 +0000

Going Nuts for Gianduja aday Tue, 03/16/2021 - 10:16 Explore the elevated version of Nutella. March 16, 2021

By Michael Laiskonis — Creative Director

The head of ICE's bean-to-bar Chocolate Lab, Chef Michael Laiskonis, explores the Italian delicacy gianduja, a chocolate and hazelnut spread from Piedmont, with moderate and advanced applications.

Every once in a while, a technique or a preparation will inspire me to reflect on some of the philosophical aspects of cooking. If I were to reduce the act of cooking down to the simplest of concepts, I might suggest that it is merely an attempt to add value to a raw ingredient, an effort to improve on nature. Cooking is transformative – we apply techniques to develop flavor or employ processes in a way that provides better access to nutrients in our food.

As cooks we might seek to treat one precious product with minimal, focused attention to amplify its unique character, or we might combine two or more ingredients to explore complexity. Like a composer creating a piece of music, a cook can tease out an ingredient’s inner "voice" as both a soloist and as a member of a chorus. This latter idea, the notion of achieving a result that is greater than the sum of its individual parts, is of particular interest to me. It’s the engine that drives most culinary creativity, whether we’re combining dozens of flavors or just two. A perfect model for this idea is the ethereal union of chocolate and hazelnut in gianduja.

For those unfamiliar with this traditional delicacy of Italy’s Piedmont region, I often refer to it as the high-brow ancestor of popular chocolate-hazelnut spreads like Nutella. If you only know the latter, the former may just change your life. Where commercial spreads are typically composed of hazelnuts blended with vegetable oil, low-fat cocoa powder and sugar, gianduja (also spelled, perhaps more accurately, gianduia) involves a more conventional chocolate-making process: milling and refining whole roasted cacao beans and hazelnuts together with some sugar and cocoa butter. In fact, there are standards that exist dictating the minimum percentage of hazelnut and cacao content in gianduja – and some swear that only the prized hazelnut variety tonda gentile delle Langhe can produce the genuine article. Though many makers exceed these requirements, the European Union requires products labeled as gianduja to contain at least 20% hazelnut and 32% cacao solids.

While mass-produced spreads we find in every supermarket and bodega are a modern invention, the origin of gianduja is deep and complex. The addition of nuts to chocolate in northern Italy in the 19th century may well have been a delicious match made due to proximity, or perhaps a novel way to extend expensive cacao beans and sugar in periods of short supply. The name no doubt derives from a puppet character whose act fused entertainment with politics and came to symbolize civic pride among the residents of Turin, the likely birthplace of the confection. Some suggest the character’s trademark tricorn hat inspired the triangular shape common of single-serving-sized giandujotti, but function rather than form may be the real reason. For a thorough and well-researched history of gianduja, I highly recommend reading the deep dive offered up in a series of posts by writer Scott Craig. Below I explore two approaches: a traditional, though time-consuming version, and a simple Nutella-inspired spread that can come together in minutes.

When I teach the long-form courses in the ICE Chocolate Lab, I often include this gianduja among the multiple batches we produce. My formula pushes the roasted hazelnut content to roughly 30% and a cacao content of 35%. There are full-on milk chocolate versions of gianduja commercially produced, but I often add a very small percentage for body, which is purely optional and can be removed for a dairy-free version. When selecting a cacao bean for this preparation, I’m looking for a strong supporting role rather than a star player. In theory, a fruitier bean with a touch of acidity (like Madagascar cacao) may sound like a good pairing with nutty flavors, it can be difficult to strike that greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts balance. Instead, I tend to lean on cocoa-forward beans like the Uganda Semuliki currently in the lab or Ecuador Camino Verde, which has its own floral, nutty qualities. And this traditional confection does require a small table-top grinder or melangeur to refine to proper fineness; my hope is that sharing this recipe will inspire chefs to invest in one for their kitchen and to explore its multiple uses.

A quick note on tempering: because gianduja contains nut oils and less cocoa butter, it won’t crystallize into the firm, brittle and snappy texture of couverture chocolate. As it would be difficult to release from a conventional mold, most commercial gianduja is deposited into trays or pails. Tempering is still important, and all of the typical methods can be used for traditional gianduja. I also temper the softer spread, typically on marble as indicated, or with 1% stable cocoa butter crystals from our EZ-Temper unit.

Hazelnut Gianduja

Yields approximately 2000 g or 4.4 pounds

580 grams roasted cacao nibs or liquor, warmed
635 grams whole, blanched hazelnuts
1 vanilla bean, finely chopped
180 grams cocoa butter, melted
650 grams sucrose
2 grams salt
40 grams whole milk powder (optional)

With the machine running, gradually add the warmed nibs into the stone grinder about 100 g at a time. Adding the nibs too quickly may cause the grinder to seize. Process for an hour, covered, until the nibs achieve a coarse but liquid consistency.
Meanwhile, gently roast the hazelnuts in a low oven set to 150°C/300°F, until lightly browned into the center. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Briefly pulse in a food processor to a granular consistency.
Add the chopped whole vanilla bean to the nibs in the grinder, and gradually add the ground hazelnut. Follow with the melted cocoa butter and then gradually add the sucrose, salt, and optional milk powder. Periodically warm the mixture with a heat gun as necessary.
Continue to process, uncovered and with full tension, for 24 hours to achieve a target particle size of 20 microns. Process further, if desired, for additional flavor development.
Remove the gianduja from the grinder and pass through a fine sifter or sieve.
Temper the gianduja according to preferred method and deposit into shallow containers, trays, or desired mold. Allow to crystallize.

A quick and versatile alternative is to prepare a spread with finished chocolate and a prepared nut paste. I personally love the caramel depth of a high-quality sweetened hazelnut praline paste, but virtually anything can be swapped in – pistachio, cashew, sesame, peanut or even a cookie butter. As the primary ingredient, bear in mind that the sweetness will be dictated by the nature of the paste used; an unsweetened paste may necessitate balancing with a sweeter chocolate. The finished spread can be piped into a jar for use as a classic pâte à tartiner, but it also makes a wonderful filling for bars and bonbons. The firmness can be adjusted with more or less cocoa butter, and texture can be added with roasted cacao nibs or finely chopped nuts. A pinch of coarse salt can also be a nice touch; because there is very little moisture in the spread, the salt won’t readily dissolve.

Hazelnut Praline Spread

Yields approximately 450 grams or 1 pound

Ingredients

25 grams cocoa butter, melted
80 grams dark chocolate, melted (70-100% cocoa solids)
325 grams praline paste (60% hazelnut/40% sugar)

Directions

Thoroughly combine the melted cocoa butter and chocolate with the praline paste. Gently warm the whole mixture to 46 C/115 F.
Pour the mixture onto a marble, working briefly with an offset spatula until it cools to 30 C/86 F.
Deposit into small jars, or transfer the mixture to a frame or prepared bonbon shells. Allow to crystallize.

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Pastry & Baking Arts Hazelnut Gianduja;
Step 1 - With the machine running, gradually add the warmed nibs into the stone grinder about 100 g at a time. Adding the nibs too quickly may cause the grinder to seize. Process for an hour, covered, until the nibs achieve a coarse but liquid consistency; Step 2 - Meanwhile, gently roast the hazelnuts in a low oven set to 150°C/300°F, until lightly browned into the center. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Briefly pulse in a food processor to a granular consistency; Step 3 - Add the chopped whole vanilla bean to the nibs in the grinder, and gradually add the ground hazelnut. Follow with the melted cocoa butter and then gradually add the sucrose, salt, and optional milk powder. Periodically warm the mixture with a heat gun as necessary; Step 4 - Continue to process, uncovered and with full tension, for 24 hours to achieve a target particle size of 20 microns. Process further, if desired, for additional flavor development. Step 5 - Remove the gianduja from the grinder and pass through a fine sifter or sieve; Step 6 - Temper the gianduja according to preferred method and deposit into shallow containers, trays, or desired mold. Allow to crystallize; Hazelnut Praline Spread;
Step 1 - Thoroughly combine the melted cocoa butter and chocolate with the praline paste. Gently warm the whole mixture to 46 C/115 F; Step 2 - Pour the mixture onto a marble, working briefly with an offset spatula until it cools to 30 C/86 F; Step 3 - Deposit into small jars, or transfer the mixture to a frame or prepared bonbon shells. Allow to crystallize;

Popcorn Choux Pastry

aday — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 16:07:28 +0000

Popcorn Choux Pastry aday Wed, 03/03/2021 - 11:07 Outstanding Pastry Chef Michael Laiskonis pairs popcorn history and choux pastry innovation. March 3, 2021

By Michael Laiskonis — Creative Director

James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Laiskonis explores the history of popcorn and evolves the classic pâte à choux with this nostalgic and crunchy choux pastry recipe.

Years ago, while working as the pastry chef at Le Bernardin, I began giving serious thought to the role of nostalgia and the sense of memories tied to taste. I still enjoy finding playful yet subtle ways to weave humble, familiar flavors and a reminiscence of childhood into sophisticated desserts without being too obvious or kitschy. It’s especially fun to slip a sweet surprise into a classic unexpected form. In this spirit, the idea for crunchy popcorn choux was born.

Native to the Americas, corn, or maize, was among the first domesticated crops sown, roughly 10,000 years ago. It’s believed that corn was popped into a snack (and perhaps as ornamental decoration) as early as 4,000 B.C., based on archaeological finds from modern-day Mexico down to Peru. In more recent food culture, it was enjoyed by Native North Americans for centuries. By the time it was introduced to colonists arriving from Europe, popcorn was a fairly common, albeit novel, snack, made in small quantities by hand – sometimes as a breakfast cereal. It likely achieved its ultimate "pop" culture status by the dawn of the late 19th century, as large corn popping machines made it even more accessible and portable. Sales and consumption hit all-time highs since the early 1980s and the introduction of microwave popcorn.

The commercial popcorn we use today is a type of flint corn; the everta variety is most common. The mechanism behind the popping begins with the moisture in the starchy core of the corn kernel, which is protected by a hard shell, or husk. When heated, the water in the corn rapidly expands as it is converted to steam, building up enough pressure (in excess of 135 pound/square inch known as psi) to rupture the husk and create an airy edible foam of gelatinized starch. This expansion happens so fast that only a high-speed camera can capture the perfect pop. The Modernist Cuisine team in Bellevue, Washington, shot this video at 6,200 frames per second:

We all know popcorn as the salty, often buttery and sometimes sweet snack; it’s the perfect flavor to drop into a different context. Using a crunchy-topped pâte à choux as a vehicle, I incorporated popcorn into a creamy filling. In order to maximize the impact of flavor, I reworked the traditional pastry cream custard into a lighter and cleaner base. It begins with an infusion of freshly popped kernels in warmed milk and cream. After a few hours, the solids are strained out and discarded. The infusion is then brought to a quick boil with agar, the algae-derived gelling agent, and a touch of sugar and salt. By the time the popcorn infusion cools to room temperature, it will have set into a firm, brittle gel. Agar gels have a special rheological property called shear thinning, which means that whizzed up in a blender, the rubbery gel is rendered smooth and creamy. This technique is sometimes referred to as a fluid gel, and a few other hydrocolloids like pectin, gellan gum and carrageenan share similar properties. Used in place of a classic pastry cream, which contains eggs, butter and starch, this preparation has a lighter texture and cleaner flavor that allows the popcorn flavor to shine through.

As for the choux itself, I like to pipe the batter into silicone molds for consistent size and shape – and for large volume, it’s the best method for organizing production. The crunchy coating baked onto the choux puff is roughly equal parts butter, sugar and flour, which allows the "craquelin" topping to spread and expand during the bake. I thinly sheet the loose dough and freeze; with a rung cutter greater in diameter than the molded choux, I cut discs that are wide enough to fully drape the puff. When ready to bake, I allow the frozen pieces to fully thaw in order to get the best rise. Once in the oven, I start with high heat and slowly bring the temperature down – once the initial oven spring and browning are achieved, the baking becomes more of a drying process.

Crunchy Popcorn Choux

Yields approx. 10-12 pieces

Skill Level: Moderate
Active Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Total Preparation Time: 3 hours

Pâte à Choux

65 grams whole milk
60 grams water
5 grams sucrose
2 grams salt
50 grams unsalted butter
40 grams all-purpose flour
35 grams high gluten flour
100 grams (2 pieces) whole eggs

Directions

Place the milk, water, sucrose, salt and butter in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.
Remove from heat and stir in the flour until combined; return to heat and cook for 1-2 minutes until a smooth mass has formed.
Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the mixture until slightly cooled; incorporate the eggs in small amounts.
Transfer the paste to a pastry bag and deposit into medium-sized silicone hemisphere forms. Freeze.
Unmold and arrange on a Silpat-lined sheet pan; top each frozen choux with a disc of the choux sablée. Temper to room temperature.
Place in a convection oven preheated to 350 F/175 C and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 320 F/160 C and continue to bake an additional 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 F/150 C and finish baking until golden and dry, approximately 10-15 minutes.

Choux Sablée

Ingredients

100 grams butter, unsalted
125 grams sucrose
125 grams all-purpose flour
2 grams salt

Directions

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle; mix on low speed just until combined, adding a small amount of water if necessary.
Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper cut to approximately 30 cm by 40 cm. Freeze.
Cut into discs that are slightly larger than the molded choux pieces.

Popcorn Cream

Ingredients

1 bag microwave popcorn (or an equivalent of freshly popped corn, roughly 60 g)
200 grams heavy cream (36% fat)
450 grams whole milk
5 grams agar
50 grams sucrose
2 grams fine sea salt
1 sheet gelatin, hydrated

Prepare the popcorn according to the instructions on the package. Combine with the milk and cream in a small saucepan; bring to a gentle simmer, remove from heat and allow to infuse for two hours, chilled.
Gently re-warm the infusion and strain, pressing as much liquid from the popcorn as possible.
Combine 500 g of the popcorn infusion with the agar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer, cooking an additional 1 minute. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in the sucrose, salt and gelatin.
Transfer the popcorn cream to a shallow pan and allow to cool and fully set at room temperature. Blend the popcorn gel to a smooth consistency and strain. Reserve chilled.
Transfer the chilled cream to a pastry bag and fill each choux puff. Serve immediately.

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Pastry & Baking Arts Pate a Choux;
Step 1 - Place the milk, water, sucrose, salt and butter in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil; Step 2 - Remove from heat and stir in the flour until combined; return to heat and cook for 1-2 minutes until a smooth mass has formed; Step 3 - Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the mixture until slightly cooled, incorporate the eggs in small amounts; Step 4 - Transfer the paste to a pastry bag and deposit into medium-sized silicone hemisphere forms. Freeze; Step 5 - Unmold and arrange on a Silpat-lined sheet pan; top each frozen choux with a disc of the choux sablée. Temper to room temperature; Step 6 - Place in a convection oven preheated to 350 F/175 C and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 320 F/160 C and continue to bake an additional 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 F/150 C and finish baking until golden and dry, approximately 10-15 minutes; Choux Sablée;
Step 1 - Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix on low speed just until combined, adding a small amount of water if necessary; Step 2 - Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper cut to approximately 30 cm by 40 cm. Freeze; Step 3 - Cut into discs that are slightly larger than the molded choux pieces; Popcorn Cream;
Step 1 - Prepare the popcorn according to the instructions on the package. Combine with the milk and cream in a small saucepan; bring to a gentle simmer, remove from heat and allow to infuse for two hours, chilled; Step 2 - Gently re-warm the infusion and strain, pressing as much liquid from the popcorn as possible; Step 3 - Combine 500 g of the popcorn infusion with the agar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer, cooking an additional 1 minute. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in the sucrose, salt and gelatin; Step 4 - Transfer the popcorn cream to a shallow pan and allow to cool and fully set at room temperature. Blend the popcorn gel to a smooth consistency and strain. Reserve chilled. Step 5 - Transfer the chilled cream to a pastry bag and fill each choux puff. Serve immediately;

On Growing Cacao and the Importance of Bugs

aday — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 14:40:04 +0000

On Growing Cacao and the Importance of Bugs aday Tue, 02/23/2021 - 09:40 The head of ICE's bean-to-bar chocolate lab explores cacao pollination. February 24, 2021

By Michael Laiskonis — Creative Director

Growing cacao beans for chocolate requires intensive effort to overcome a number of pressures that affect the crop. In addition to human labor, there are other unsung heroes at work at cacao farms all over the world, and you might be surprised to discover who they are.

As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about the chocolate-making process and complexity of the cacao supply chain, I notice most of the consumer-facing education efforts (and even those aimed at professionals) tend to oversimplify what is admittedly a complicated and variable succession of events. Awareness of these intricacies helps us all to better value the work of farmers and makers and to better respect and appreciate the end product. When breaking down the process, so many of the stories and infographics begin at the factory level, far removed from the cacao trees and the millions of farmworkers worldwide who foster them. At best, we’re offered a brief glimpse of the cacao pod harvest at origin and the important fermentation and drying steps that follow.

The growing season from flower to ripened cacao pod is roughly six-months-long, and the labor and expertise at the farm level employed long before harvest are just as important as processes that kick in when beans arrive at the factory. Outside of highly technical literature, little attention is paid to cacao agronomy, the study and best practices applied to growing the crop. Among the important work in this field are genetic research, farm management and mitigation of disease. As one learns more about farm-level concerns, one also discovers a tiny but mighty actor that plays a big role in our chocolate supply: an insect commonly known as a midge.

Apart from the familiar honeybee, most of us tend to overlook the importance of pollinators – the various bugs and other animals that fertilize the flowers that bear the fruits we eat. Cacao midges — tiny biting flies of the family Ceratopogonidae and the genus Forcipomyia — thrive in tropical climates around the world and are the primary means of cacao flower pollination. These diminutive farmworkers represent a delicate balance of nature and farm management, though most of their work is rarely seen up close. Before we explore the habits of the midge, let’s first take a look at a few of the various agricultural factors at play, before and after pollination, to produce the beans that make up our chocolate.

A noted chocolate expert once said, “The only species more promiscuous than cacao is mankind.” That might evoke a giggle, but it might also oversimplify the murky world of genetics. It is true in a broad sense that most cacao trees are self-incompatible, meaning that a flower on one tree requires the pollen of a flower from another tree to fertilize. To better understand this complex subject, I turned to Daniel O’Doherty, a cacao agronomist and consultant based in Hawaii, with experience working in cacao farms around the world. This reproductive system is not uncommon among plants, but with cacao, it can affect farm management decisions and influence a pod’s size, shape, color and bean size (what botanists refer to as morphology).

With regard to flavor and quality, there is still much to learn about the effects of cross-pollination. As both the pulp quality (determined by the "mother") and the seed, or bean, (recombinant as it is determined by the "mother" and pollen donor "father") play a role during the fermentation stage that further influences flavor. More research on how these factors affect quality is needed to approach breeding cacao with flavor in mind. And when it comes to planting new trees, it’s not as simple as planting seeds from an existing tree with beneficial traits; there is no guarantee the progeny will resemble or behave like the parent. Instead, the preferred way of producing trees of uniformly high quality is by vegetative propagation (grafting, for example) that will result in clones of the desired parent tree. Though their range may be limited, the pollinating midges are a vital link that solves the compatibility problem by carrying pollen from one tree to another. After speaking at length with Daniel, I came away thinking about cacao’s incompatibility less as a challenge and more as an important survival mechanism against inbreeding, and today we benefit from the range of genetic diversity that has evolved over millions of years.

Cacao trees also require several years of growth before reaching full mature yields, a significant investment of time taken on by the farmer. And throughout that period, there is continual pruning and management of shade and undergrowth. When the payoff finally comes with full maturity, thousands of tiny flowers will form in clusters or cushions on the trunks and larger branches of the tree (these fragile cushions, if damaged during harvest, may reduce future yield). Despite the best efforts of the midges carrying pollen from one flower to another, sometimes as few as 5% of those flowers will be fertilized, though Daniel tells me he’s seen rates much higher, due in large part to localized environmental conditions or high pollinator populations. The initial set of hundreds of tiny pods, or cherelles, may make it appear as if the tree will produce an impressive bumper crop. But within weeks, a natural process called cherelle wilt sets in — the tree’s way of culling the final yield down and directing energy to a manageable amount of fruit. This final yield may only result in an average of 20-40 healthy pods, which then might produce as little as 400-500 grams (or roughly one pound) of dried beans, and a comparable amount of finished high-quality chocolate.

Cacao pods in Madagascar's Sambirano Valley. Photo courtesy of Beyond Good.

Of the several afflictions that can affect yield, the most serious problems include the fungal infections black pod, frosty pod rot and witches’ broom. Though the midges are beneficial bugs, there are several species of invasive aphids, mealybugs and borer moths that damage pods and other parts of the tree. Daniel sees cacao as a sensitive crop that is susceptible to many diseases and pests. “It’s not that there is necessarily less disease in other large-scale crops, it’s just that investment in developing and planting disease-tolerant varieties is higher and control measures are easier to implement at scale. The problem is that it’s hard to get millions of small farmers, in areas often difficult to access, to propagate tolerant varieties (or grafted plants at all). Further, these farmers do not often have access to the education and training or even enough time to implement disease-control measures.”

Though cacao in an origin such as Hawaii is largely protected from diseases due to geographical isolation, he does worry about the ease at which they can be imported from elsewhere. While breeding cacao cultivars for resistance is important, some of the most effective control measures for fungal disease involve tree pruning and manual removal of diseased fruit before they enter a reproductive or contagious stage of development, he adds. Chemical treatments are often cost-prohibitive and harmful to both the farmworkers and the environment, making a lot of cacao, by default, organic. As for animals who also may enjoy the taste of cacao, there are birds, squirrels, rats and monkeys who occasionally help themselves to the fruit, though far lower on the list of threats.

Given all these farming challenges, the cacao pods that survive to harvest become all the more precious, and perhaps the work of the midges is one of the more dependable factors influencing success. Wherever cacao has been introduced over the centuries, native midge species already present are known to visit its flowers. Dr. Sarah E.J. Arnold, an entomologist with the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich in the U.K., reveals that there is still much to learn about midge behavior. She suggests that studying them might improve their partnership with human farmers and perhaps help us better understand cacao, but from the midge’s point of view. What makes these insects special among all others that live in the farm is their size — just one or two millimeters long — making them one of the few able to navigate the small cacao flower and its complex structure. Even if a local population of midges isn’t particularly large, their efficiency makes up for it, as the minuscule hairs on their back are quite good at collecting and distributing the sticky pollen.

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A post shared by Daniel O'Doherty (@cacao_services_inc)

It’s fairly rare to witness them in the act, but Daniel recently shared a short video of a cacao midge at work in Hawaii; he also helped identify this specific species, endemic to the islands, as a local cacao pollinator. As cacao flowers bear no discernible scent that humans can smell, it’s thought the midges might detect something we don’t. It’s unclear what exactly attracts the midges in the first place, possibly scent, the guidelines on flowers, or even UV pigmentation that we can’t see. This behavior is the subject of much of Dr. Sarah’s study – in addition to fieldwork, breeding midges and re-creating some of the farm conditions in a lab. The females, primarily, appear to be most active at dawn and dusk and thrive in the humid environment of rotting leaf litter or discarded cacao pods; in some origins, the large stems of banana trees are collected and laid around cacao trees to provide compost and an ideal breeding ground for the midges. However, having seen a few large industrial-scale farms in various parts of the world, Daniel notes that even such a scorched earth environment provides some habitat for pollinators.

In a detailed interview with chocolate maker Lauren Heineck (all of Lauren’s podcast interviews are great!), Dr. Sarah says that it appears the cacao tree needs the midge more than the midge needs the cacao. And she suggests that the next time we swat away at an annoying fruit fly, we might spare a thought for the humble midge and appreciate the important role it plays in bringing us chocolate.

See how we've used bugs at ICE in the video below!

Read more about the cacao plant and get hands-on in the chocolate lab in ICE's Pastry & Baking Arts program.

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A Modern Mont Blanc

aday — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 14:55:46 +0000

A Modern Mont Blanc aday Tue, 02/16/2021 - 09:55 Chef Michael Laiskonis puts his spin on the chestnut dessert. February 16, 2021

By Michael Laiskonis — Creative Director

To the pastry chef who seeks to maintain some semblance of seasonality, the long dark months of winter seem endless. There is, however, an overlooked gem to consider until warmer days yield the fresh flavors of spring and summer – the chestnut. While the ingredient can be a tough sell for some, in terms of flavor and texture, the classic Mont Blanc dessert is a perfect way to win them over — and a great vehicle to build upon.

Named for its resemblance to the famed snow-capped peak straddling the border of France and Italy in the Alps, the dessert likely has its origins in the latter, but it has been embraced as a staple of French patisserie for decades. Versions of the Mont Blanc date back to the 19th century and in its simplest form, the dessert comprises little more than a mound of sweetened chestnut puree piped into distinctive threads, or vermicelli, and topped with whipped cream. It has seen a resurgence in recent years as pastry chefs around the world develop creative updates and interpretations.

While preserving the spirit and central focus of the Mont Blanc, my spin seeks to balance the typical sweetness with complementary flavors and layer a dynamic series of textures. Choosing to use the verrine, or glass, as a vessel frees me from thinking about the rigid architecture of a typical plated dessert, allowing me to experiment with the juxtaposition of multiple elements. Assembly in the glass also turns this old-school dessert into a fun mashup of other classic ideas, like trifle (cake and cream) and vacherin (frozen ice cream or sorbet and crisp meringue).

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My version of Mont Blanc begins with chocolate – a milk chocolate cremeux infused with a touch of coffee – an echo of the chestnut’s depth and richness. The whipped cream of the original is swapped with a more refined vanilla parfait or light crème anglaise-based mousse. These two creamy textures – one dense, one airy – help extend the flavor of the chestnut.

Texturally, I’ve added multiple elements to keep each bite interesting. Layered between the vanilla parfait and chestnut puree are pieces of cocoa chiffon cake; while moist enough to stand on its own, a brief soak in a light rum syrup offers a classic complement. Topping the piped-in nest of chestnut – here a simple blend of unsweetened and sweetened purees – are the nutty crunch of amaretti cookies and chunks of candied chestnut and confit lemon peel.

Finishing the dish, a small scoop of pear sorbet provides a fruity counterpoint and temperature contrast. My favorite component, a thin disc of dried meringue, caps the modern Mont Blanc inviting one to shatter through the shell, drawing together each flavor in varying proportions.

In production, I find this dessert works well on a restaurant menu, striking the right balance of advance prep and a la minute finishes; it is also ideal for entertaining and high volume. With a few tweaks, this Mont Blanc might also find a place in a retail pastry shop as a takeaway item.

Mont Blanc: Chestnut, Milk Chocolate, Coffee, Vanilla and Pear

Yields 10 servings

Milk Chocolate Coffee Cremeux

150 grams whole milk
140 grams heavy cream (36% fat)
25 grams sucrose
10 grams roasted coffee beans, crushed
60 grams egg yolk
1.5 sheets gelatin, hydrated
200 grams milk chocolate couverture

Combine the milk, cream, sucrose and coffee in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and whisk in the egg yolks. Add the hydrated gelatin.
Strain into a container and add the milk chocolate, emulsify with an immersion blender.
Divide among 10 serving glasses and freeze.

Vanilla Parfait

Ingredients

90 grams whole milk
140 grams heavy cream (36% fat) (1)
2 grams lemon zest
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
50 grams sucrose
50 grams egg yolk
2.5 sheets gelatin sheets, hydrated
130 grams heavy cream (36% fat) (2), whipped

Directions

Combine the milk, first measurement of cream (1), sucrose, vanilla, and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the egg yolks. Return to heat and cook to 85˚C/185˚F. Add the hydrated gelatin and cool to 15˚C/60˚F.
Strain. Fold in the second measurement of whipped cream and deposit into each serving glass, on top of the set milk chocolate cremeux. Chill to set.

Cocoa Chiffon

Ingredients

50 grams cake flour
7 grams cocoa powder
2.5 grams baking powder
1 gram salt
25 grams egg yolks
36 grams brewed coffee
24 grams vegetable oil
50 grams sucrose (1)
60 grams egg whites
15 grams sucrose (2)

Directions

Combine and sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Reserve.
Whisk together the egg yolks, coffee, oil and first measurement of sucrose (1). Gently incorporate the dry mixture into the egg yolk mixture.
Prepare a simple meringue with the egg whites and remaining sucrose (2). Fold into the egg mixture.
Transfer to a parchment-lined one-eighth sheet pan and bake at 205 C/400 F for approximately 15 minutes or until set.
Allow to cool. Cut into small cubes or tear into small pieces and reserve.

Chestnut Cream

Ingredients

250 grams chestnut puree
250 grams sweetened chestnut paste

Directions

Thoroughly combine the chestnut puree and paste and pass through a fine sieve.
Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a very fine straight tip.

Lemon Confit

Ingredients

2 pieces whole lemon, peeled into wide strips (white pith removed)
Water, as needed
100 grams sucrose

Directions

Blanch the lemon peel three times: cover in a saucepan with cold water, bring to a boil, and then strain.
Place the blanched peels in a saucepan with the juice of the two lemons plus enough water to measure 300 grams total. Add the sucrose and heat to a gentle simmer. Continue to cook until softened and translucent, roughly 60 minutes. Cool and chill in the reduced syrup.
Cut the strips of peel into small squares and reserve.

Meringue Discs

Ingredients

60 grams egg whites
50 grams sucrose
50 grams confectioner's sugar

Directions

Begin whipping the egg whites in stand mixer on medium speed. Slowly add sucrose and confectioner’s sugar in a few additions until firm peaks are achieved.
Pipe as desired onto acetate or non-stick dehydrator sheets and gently dry at 40 C/105 F for several hours until crisp.

Pear Sorbet

Ingredients

45 grams sucrose (1)
2 grams sorbet stabilizer
260 grams water
50 grams sucrose (2)
41 grams glucose powder
16 grams invert sugar
500 grams pear puree

Directions

Combine first measurement of sucrose (1) and stabilizer.
Heat water to 50 C/120 F. Whisk in stabilizer mixture, then remaining sucrose (2), glucose, and invert sugar; bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and chill; allow syrup to mature for at least 4 hours.
Combine the pear puree and syrup and process in batch freezer; extract the mix at -5 C/23 F. Alternatively, transfer to PacoJet canisters and freeze; process as needed.

Assembly

Rum simple syrup (optional)
Candied chestnut, drained and broken into pieces
Amaretti cookies, crushed
Gold leaf
Confectioner’s sugar

Directions

Bring the chilled verrine glass to room temperature and allow to stand for 10 minutes to temper slightly. Arrange several pieces of the cocoa chiffon into the glass (soaked in rum syrup if desired).
Pipe a continuous strand of the chestnut cream over the cake, nearly filling the remainder of the glass. Place a small scoop of pear sorbet into the center and finish with pieces of the candied chestnut, lemon confit, crushed amaretti cookie and gold leaf.
Dust with confectioner’s sugar and top with a disc of meringue. Serve immediately.

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Giving New Life to Vintage Chocolate Molds

aday — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 17:36:54 +0000

Giving New Life to Vintage Chocolate Molds aday Wed, 01/06/2021 - 12:36 The head of ICE's chocolate lab explores historic chocolate making tools and methods. January 7, 2021

By Michael Laiskonis — Creative Director

As an avid student of chocolate history, culture and manufacturing, I’m always looking for connections to the work of chocolate makers past. I collect all kinds of artifacts and ephemera, including several vintage chocolate molds dating back 100 years or more. Some have faired better than others in their decades of storage gathering dust. With a bit of restoration and cleaning, I thought it might be fun to attempt to return these metal candy molds to their former glory and once more cast chocolate in them.

In its earliest modern form, in the days of the 19th-century Industrial Revolution, chocolate would have been sold unsweetened in rough blocks and cakes, to be ground or broken up by the end-user for use as a beverage. Technology and changes in formulation led chocolate’s evolution into the sweet confection we know today, and alongside it, methods of tempering and molding.

A few of the hundreds of molds sold by Crandall-Pettee in NYC, circa 1915

Today, chocolate is molded in plastic forms, but the first molds were crafted of steel or copper and coated with tin or nickel. Common shapes included the typical bar, along with animals, toys, tools and popular holiday-themed forms like eggs for Easter and Santa Claus for Christmas. Large and small novelty shapes were created with thin two-piece molds, held together with hinges or clips. Production frame-style molds with several cavities could be quite bulky and heavy, weighing several pounds on their own. Pioneers in mold-making emerged in France and Germany, like Matfer and Reiche, and these imported molds and others from domestic dealers, like Eppelsheimer and Weygandt, were displayed in bound catalogs from wholesale sellers like New York’s Crandall-Pettee Company in TriBeCa, an early 1900s precursor to professional kitchenware boutiques like JB Prince. As plastics technology developed in the 20th century, these metal molds fell out of use in favor of materials like Bakelite and eventually the familiar clear and lightweight polycarbonate we use today.

Because of their durability, many of these old molds still survive. Savvy antique sellers know that vintage metal molds are a hot commodity among collectors. Based on their size, shape, maker, condition and rarity, some molds can fetch $100 or more. Original printed mold catalogs are also in high demand. From flea markets to eBay, molds can be found in thousands of varieties – and in varying conditions. Rust and wearing of the tin coating are common after years of disuse. Most of the molds in my collection tie directly to New York City’s chocolate-making past, though I am also interested in hunting down other unique, interesting shapes. Among them: a letter and number mold used by the Auerbach company on Manhattan’s west side in the 1920s and a rare hinged cigar mold with magnetic closures made by the German firm Bodderas that I presume was used by the Hawley and Hoops factory that was located in the SoHo neighborhood on Lafayette Street.

Armed with an array of brushes, sanding blocks and cleansers, I set out to refurbish these molds as best as I could. The candy cigar mold simply needed some light rust removal and a good polishing. The edible alphabet mold needed a bit more care and attention; the fine detail of the cavities made it more challenging. While a decorative egg mold needed little more than a wipe with alcohol to remove a bit of dust and grime, a very old two-piece Santa Claus mold was slightly bent and had lost much of its plating; I’d rather preserve its patina for display than risk further damaging the surface.

Once cleaned and polished, I was ready to hit the Chocolate Lab. I quickly realize the convenience and versatility of modern plastic forms over the vintage metal molds. Apart from their weight and bulk, metal can be tricky when working with temperature-sensitive chocolate. A hundred years ago, the tempering process, in practice, was less precise than the methods we use today, so I wonder how chocolate makers worked around the problem. Using metal molds may have presented challenges but perhaps also a slight advantage to compensate for less than perfect tempering.

To start, I typically warm a mold before casting. The idea is not to heat the mold until it is hot (that would immediately pull the chocolate out of temper), but rather to gently bring the mold a bit warmer than room temperature, close to that of the tempered chocolate itself. Plastic isn’t conductive; however, the metal molds are and thus retain the heat much longer, requiring patience to get the temperature just right. By using our EZ-Temper unit, I tempered the chocolate at a slightly higher temperature and with added cocoa butter for more fluidity to better fill the detailed molds and prevent premature crystallization.

With a bit of practice and patience, I found the molds to be just as functional today as they were when in production, though I’m not sure I’m ready to give up my polycarbonate molds. The project was also a great way to motivate myself to learn the basics of cleaning and restoring metal surfaces. While I’m excited to bring these molds back to life, they will now remain on the shelf — I just couldn’t help but cast them at least once to make that connection with the past. And my search for more molds to add to my collection continues!

Get hands-on in ICE's bean-to-bar chocolate lab in the Pastry & Baking Arts program.

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Easter Molds

Submitted by Susan Janson on January 16, 2021 10:21am

I have some incredible Easter molds that were given to me by my mentor, a Dutch pastry chef. I’m not interested in selling them, but AP, after pandemic, I’d love to bring them along to play with them together, so please contact me.

Here’s a funny story that adds even more challenge to using mine...when I managed an ice cream and chocolate factory back in the 1980s, a Romani tinsmith stopped in and offered to clean and re-plate my molds for a fair price. I agreed. When he returned, he had plated only one side of each and demanded additional money for completion. I wouldn’t agree, so now most of my set has one freshly plated side that releases easily, and one original side that sticks. But i can get a reasonable number of good pieces with each batch, despite not having a temperer and propping the molds up in quart containers filled with dried beans or rice as they set. They are superb molds though, night and day out from today’s. Scjanson1at gmail.

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