Art of Darkness II - Recap

Coco Carl is camped on Main Street, USA to push his chocolate treats when average American Alton Brown walks past. Karl snags Alton and feeds him a Coco Carl brownie. Alton takes a polite bite. Unimpressed, he politely turns away from the camera to rid himself of the culinary affront; Carl isn’t deterred. He offers Alton cocoa with “magic marshmallows” next. Alton’s allergy excuse doesn’t dim Carl’s enthusiasm. Carl’s final offer is “big brown squeeze” – a concoction meant to be chocolate syrup. Alton remains underwhelmed. A true salesman, Carl doesn’t let customer dissatisfaction dissuade him. He proclaims his chocolate products “loved by the average American!” Finally Alton’s had enough; he tells Carl’s audience that anyone can make these things at home easily and quickly. He answers Carl’s claims of “secret ingredients” by citing some of them – chemicals with unpronounceable names that Alton says he last saw in paint! Alton’s on a roll and sends a flustered Carl packing. With quality cocoa and sound food science, any of Carl’s products can be homemade… Good Eats!

Alton sets down his paper (the headline reveals that Coco Carl has been tarred and feathered) and tells the tale of cocoa powder – the essence of chocolate. Used properly, it contributes more chocolate flavor than chocolate itself! To explain why, Alton describes the production of chocolate. Cacao beans ferment for a time and then are hulled, roasted and conched to produce chocolate liquor. In 1828, Dutch chocolate maker Coenraad van Houten found a way to press this liquor (which does not contain alcohol), separating it into a solid cake and a fatty butter. The cake can be ground into a brick red and very bitter powder called natural cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder has a low pH (it is acidic) and an unpalatable flavor. Van Houten tinkered some more, finally developing a method of alkalizing the chocolate, raising the pH towards neutral. The result, Dutch process cocoa, was a darker powder with a more palatable flavor.

Alton starts with brownies. America’s favorite dessert, the brownie may owe its origin to a bungled cake recipe that failed to rise. Alton starts with a slightly lower oven temperature (300º) that fosters a chewy texture. Brownies must be removed from the pan while still warm; correct pan preparation is essential to good results. Alton explains how to use a non-stick pan, non-stick spray and parchment to prepare the pan. Then he moves on to the rest of the hardware, including his grandmother’s favorite sifter that… disintegrates in his hands.

At the kitchen supply store, Alton explains that sifting breaks up small lumps, aerates compressed powders and blends ingredients. The redoubtable “W” helps Alton select the right sifter – a spring loaded model that sifts quickly without spraying ingredients all over the kitchen, as other designs can.

Back in the kitchen Alton introduces the software: cocoa powder, brown sugar, white sugar, flour, salt, melted butter, vanilla and eggs. The first task is to beat the eggs to create an emulsion that will mix better with other ingredients. The emulsion should have a light color and texture. When it does, Alton loads the sifter with all the dry ingredients and sifts them into the mixer bowl (a flexible cutting board may help) and turns on the mixer. Then he adds the vanilla and the butter (slowly – you don’t want it to pool on the top). He warns against beating the batter too long or at too high a speed – both can introduce too much air, producing cake batter instead of brownie batter. A plastic dough blade can help get all the batter into the pan. Forty-five minutes of baking and they’re ready for the toothpick test. If the toothpick comes out with just a hint of crumb, the brownies are ready. The parchment sling simplifies removal and a pizza cutter separates the warm treats with crushing them. Alton finishes with a baking tip: use natural cocoa powder in baked goods; the sharper flavor cuts through the fats and sugars of those recipes.

Alton’s assault on Carl’s chocolate empire continues with chocolate syrup – simple sugar syrup flavored with cocoa. It starts with sugar, water and light corn syrup; the dextrose in corn syrup prevents the sucrose in sugar from crystallizing and makes the chocolate syrup thick. The remaining ingredients are vanilla extract, Dutch process cocoa powder and salt (yes, salt – Alton explains that salt primes the tongue to experience flavor. This is why we perceive unsalted foods as bland.) Adding the cocoa to the sauce is going to take work and whisking – the fat in cocoa and the water in syrup don’t want to get along. They’ll blend when the heat of the sauce melts the fats in the cocoa. The vanilla goes in at the very end so the heat won’t drive off the flavor. Alton uses Dutch process cocoa whenever there isn’t enough fat to overpower the acid in natural cocoa powder, as in this recipe. He reduces the syrup slowly at medium heat until it thickens. Too many variables influence how long this takes, so Alton offers no prediction beyond a general tip: keep your eyes on it. You’re looking for something a little thinner than typical chocolate sauce (remember, it’s still hot). At that point, move it to a storage container. Restaurant style squeeze bottles work well. Let this cool on the counter before you close it, to let condensation out.

At its height, Alton recounts, the household of Montezuma consumed fifty gallons of hot chocolate a day. Until the day he shared a tall, frothy mug with a blond fellow named Cortez, who repaid the favor by wiping out his civilization. Alton proposes a much better version of the treat than anything Coco Carl might create! His cocoa powder contains powdered milk, powdered sugar, Dutch process cocoa powder, a little corn starch, a pinch of fine salt (Don’t use Kosher salt for this one – it’s not fine enough. Alton recommends popcorn salt or pickling salt.) And the final, secret ingredient is a pinch of cayenne pepper. The Aztecs added cayenne to their cocoa and they were experts. Alton admits he doesn’t know why it adds to the flavor, but it does. All these ingredients get thoroughly mixed.

Fill a cup about a third full of the powder. Add just enough boiling water to make a paste and whisk or stir until that paste is smooth. Add water to the top of the cup, stir, and enjoy the chocolate.

Cocoa powder will last about two years in the pantry – less time if it’s higher quality powder. Higher quality powders contain more fats, and therefore will go rancid faster.
Alton ends his lecture and picks up another newspaper; this one recounts the final fall of Coco Carl – indictment and business failure! No matter – you don’t need Carl’s confections. With what you’ve just learned you can convert the powdered remains of theobroma cacao – “food of the gods” into Good Eats!

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