Scharffen Berger

Lately, Paul and I have noticed that our tastes in chocolate have changed.  The easiest way to describe this change?  The darker the better.  Paul would pick up a bar of darker chocolate every few weeks until one day, while enjoying a Lindt 90% Cocoa Bar, we discussed how disappointed we were whenever we splurged on a normal candy bar.

According to The Pioneer Woman, and her Great Baking Chocolate Debate, Scharffen Berger is THE best chocolate to use when baking.  While Paul was in PA doing some training he ran across some Scharffen Berger at the local grocery store.  Wanting to be a good husband, and not having much luck on the Penguins memorabilia front, he picked up a few bars for me.

The Nibby Bar.

Semi-sweet chocolate with crunchy, toasted cocao beans (nibs).  This was nibbled over the course of two weeks while we debated the best way to use our other bars.  Each taste reminded me that whatever I made with the others, it would be sublime.

70% Bittersweet Chocolate

I made gourmet chocolate ice-cream.

14 oz can Coconut Milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 Cup Sugar
3 Egg Yolks
3 oz bar Scharffen Berger 70% Bittersweet Chocolate
1 tsp Vanilla

Combine milk and salt in double boiler to 170°.  Whisk together sugar and egg yolks.  Temper with coconut milk.  Return to double boiler for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  In a bowl break up chocolate bar (snag a piece to taste) and add vanilla.  Strain custard mixture into chocolate.  Stir 'til combined, and cool overnight in fridge.  Then freeze in the ice-cream maker.  It is so thick, this only took 6 minutes.

Paul and I loved this ice-cream!  It was crazy thick.  But, because there was not enough time for the ice-cream maker to churn in some air, it didn't make "as much" and was gone very quickly, which made us wistful for more, except it was extremely rich and we probably couldn't have handled more if it had been available.

82% Extra Dark Chocolate

Today I am making ice-cream with the last bar.  I have doubled the recipe, except for the chocolate bar, since I only have the one.  I also added half of the sugar to the coconut milk in the boiler at from the start.

We recently found Scharffen Berger chocolate at Central Market.  We purchased the cocoa powder.  I will be making our "magic shell" recipe (at the bottom of the Peanut Butter Ice Cream post) using this.  Freezing it into a thin layer (on wax paper), I am going to break it up and add while churning, to make our ice-cream Double Scharffen Berger Chocolate.