# What to do with a 99% cacao bar?



## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

I suppose it's safe to say that anyone who clicked the title of this post is a genuine Cacao Head!

Let me be one to say...I love good chocolate  There is nothing wrong with a good milk chocolate, but what really gets me going is a nice dark bar. 60% on up to 85%...I love it!

But recently I bought a 99% cacao bar. I really had to do it, I couldn't just pass it up could I ? NO!

But after a couple of small samplings, I'm wondering what I could do with this strong cacao? Did I say strong? WOW! There's just got to be something constructive to come out of this...

methods, recipe, combinations???


thanks,
dan


----------



## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Dan,

You have my COMPLETE attention.

Do you know that the top 5 brain foods include chocolate ? I know, its crazy ....

Salmon
Cacoa beans
Matcha 
Acai/blueberries
Coffee beans

And it just so happens that they are all my favorite as well.

Lindt came out with their 99% bar. I feel an urge to send them a thank you letter for all their great efforts.
In one of their articles it said:

Thomas Linemayr, CEO and President of Lindt & Sprüngli(USA) recommends this five-step sensory approach to tasting chocolate, and these simple skills can quickly turn anyone into a chocolate connoisseur. "The 99% Excellence Bar should appear very shiny, almost black, and with a uniform appearance. Its aroma should be very intense, with a predominantly smoky flavor. The chocolate should feel silky and slightly pliable to the touch, but on breaking apart, the sound should be an audible clean, crisp snap. These are all excellent indicators of a perfect bar of chocolate," he explains.
There is a correct way to taste, smell and experience and even hear chocolate. A CD with the sounds of chocolate and no calories.

But like all good things in life its an acquired taste. I would not advise anyone to buy their first bite of heaven without trying milk chocolate first.

That being said, what to do with that bar...........ummm

Try a hot cup of chocolate with it. .....first then .....I have many ideas for it .

Do you know what strength is ?

*The ability to break a bar of 99% chocolate in four pieces and only have one piece ! Now that is strength.*

LOL , love your post......I could do a Thesis on this topic easily ....
Chocolate and fleur de sel.....oh my.


----------



## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Dan -- use it as you would unsweetened chocolate, because that's pretty much what it is. The percentage is of cacao (solids and cocoa butter) -- the higher the percentage, the less sugar, milk, extra fat. So 99% has almost nothing else, in effect making it unsweetened (the remaining 1% might be other fat, such as coconut or vegetable fat).

Petalsandcoco, you're a stronger woman than I! :lol:

My husband like the 86% bars I buy for him; for me they are ! Too strong. I top out somewhere in the mid to high 70s.


----------



## abefroman (Mar 12, 2005)

Same there, I can't stand anything above 70


----------



## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

You really have to be off your "bean" to really like that stuff......I am off my bean.

It is truly an acquired taste to love the dark chocolates. If I need a chocolate rush, I will eat it just as is, but there are days I eat with other things. I also shave it off for desserts toppings . 

My fridge has just about every % of chocolate...THERE IS NO MILK CHOCOLATE in my fridge. Yes, many enjoy milk but after having "dark" for so long, and from Belgium and France, it is hard for me. I also have a section of flavored chocolates.

What is it about a piece of chocolate that just makes you smile and feel all happy ?
A little everyday is very good. I "refuse" to complain about that.
How did someone figure out that adding sugar to cacoa would make us feel so good, I would like to meet this genious ! He gets a few stars in my book.

my 2 nibs....


----------



## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

I would like to try it in a homemade brownie recipe, but I hate to waste it in a recipe. Maybe I'll just continue consuming it one small square at a time  Although shaving small amount on top of a dessert shouldn't be a problem.

2 nibs worth?

I've had the Sharffen Berger bar with cacao nibs...yum! I've been looking for other chocolates with nibs ever since, but haven't had any luck. Any ideas?

I'll have to sprinkle a little Fleur de Sel on top 

thanks,
dan


----------



## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Dan,

Let me get some thoughts together on the Nibs, I will be in touch again on this matter ......
Let me find you a recipe.....give me some time....I am just getting ready to leave soon. 

A bientot.


----------



## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

I found some roasted cacao nibs from The Spice House. Next time I place an order I'll have to get a small batch. I could already taste them in a good brownie recipe. 

thanks petals,
dan


----------



## chefray (Sep 29, 2009)

I must know where you got that chocolate. I can't find chocolate strong enough around here, with Lindt's 85% being the top of the heap here.

As for a recipe, butter, chocolate, and crushed red pepper makes a good sauce for roasted chicken.


----------



## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

99% Cacao bar

Hi ChefRay,

I bought it at a Lindt store (somewhat) near my house. You can purchase their chocolates online, including the 99%.

thanks for the recipe 

dan


----------



## chefray (Sep 29, 2009)

Found and ordered. I love internet shopping.

Make sure you mix that in a double boiler or the chocolate will scorch and be horridly bitter.


----------



## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Dan,

There are so many Chocolate Brownie recipes on the net , unless they are actually made and eaten, you cannot really tell which one has that "Big flavor", or which one , when you taste it , makes you say "this is it". Well the following Brownie is one I found on the net and I have made it six times and it has not failed me yet. It has now become my "Therapy" . It is called "Interlude" and I thank the mother who post this recipe in my heart everytime I make them . Prepare your heart for something very decadent and wonderful.

"Interlude"

1 cup of unsalted butter
2 ½ cup sugar
1 ¼ cup Valrhona cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
4 eggs (room temperature)
1 ½ cup of AP flour
2 cups dark chocolate chips (dark)
½ cup cacao nibs (Scharffen Berger)

Preheat oven 350 F


Line 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper on the bottom and the sides
Melt butter over low heat.
Add sugar and heat until its just about to boil. WHY ? This will give brownies a crispy top crust.
Transfer to a mixing bowl.
With a wooden spoon stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, vanilla.
Add eggs one by one, beating until smooth and shiny.
Add the flour and mix gently until it is almost completely incorporated.
Add the chocolate chips and cacao nibs.
Pour into pan and bake for 30 minutes
Brownies are done when the top is firm and slightly puffed and set on the edges.

Now since we are still talking about the thought of using cacao nibs , have you ever thought about making a rub for a roast ? Yes , it is called Scharffen Berger cacao nib rub on a Tri Tip Roast.
This is the site, I will add it on .....it is amazing what flavors this can take on.....

http://www.scharffenberger.com/re0901.asp

I hope you get to try this recipe , which ever you decide. I really love your thread. I hope to add more as I think of things. If I have missed something let me know....


----------



## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

It's unsweetened chocolate, therefore baking chocolate. It was never available here till recently - i don;t know anyone who would eat it, but it's what i buy when i want to make my american recipes that call for unsweetened baking chocolate. Otherwise i have to do substitutions with cocoa and butter.


----------



## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

I still have to order the nibs, soon. I recently got a Lindt dark w/fleur de sel...I wish I could fill the pool with that stuff and just dive in. It's nice 

dan


----------



## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Dan,


Now you are talking ....what a wonderful pleasure to experience.
Ahhh if only....

Dark Chocolate (small amounts) "can" lower:

1- blood pressure
2- lower cholesterol LDL's

2 more reasons to eat it......


----------



## weapon x (Mar 17, 2017)

gonefishin said:


> I suppose it's safe to say that anyone who clicked the title of this post is a genuine Cacao Head!
> 
> Let me be one to say...I love good chocolate  There is nothing wrong with a good milk chocolate, but what really gets me going is a nice dark bar. 60% on up to 85%...I love it!
> 
> ...


----------



## weapon x (Mar 17, 2017)

Hello world , so what I do with this intense bitter wonder is I use it in combination with other chocolates to help add extreme depth and umami. I use it in bold dishes like mole and warm hot chocolates with burbon or rum. It's extreme bitterness can be counter balanced with sweetness. Use it's to help season other chocolate . Finishing a batch of brownies or ganche can become more interesting with a small amount this beautiful ingredien


----------



## norcalbaker59 (Feb 16, 2017)

gonefishin said:


> I
> 
> But recently I bought a 99% cacao bar. I really had to do it, I couldn't just pass it up could I ? NO!


How much (by weight) do you have?


----------



## norcalbaker59 (Feb 16, 2017)

Norcalbaker59 said:


> How much (by weight) do you have?


Also what brand?


----------

