La clase de Chocolate

The infamous chocolate making class, what an experience. Even though I thought the class was a tad long, I have come to appreciate EVERYONE who makes chocolate.

We began by peeling the thin shells off of the cocoa beans and then roasted them until they sounded like popcorn kernels when they start popping. Our chef also told us that the beans will change color and have a specific aroma, thus you can tell when they are done roasting. Afterwards, we then ground the roasted beans by hand with a stone grinder and  bowl. This part of the process was probably the most difficult because we had to grind the beans into a powder, and then into a paste. We then took the created paste and packed it into a circular mold!

For the last part of the class, we took already melted chocolate and poured them into molds. We also had the option for milk or dark chocolate, and if we wanted to fill them with any candy. I filled a festive Peruvian mold of men and women wearing traditional clothing with dark chocolate, ground up sea salt, and crushed Oreos. I will admit, I snacked on some gummy bears during the class but decided not to incorporate them into my chocolate design. Overall, I enjoyed the company of our class and learning about the cocoa tree!