at Tue, 13 Jan 2004 15:46:00 GMT in <YoUMb.45410$xy6.115590@attbi_s02>,
(Adam Schwartz) wrote :

> I'm planning on making some cherry cordials today, but I only have
>unsweetened chocolate. I will sweeten the chocolate with sugar, but this
>will thicken it considerably, so it will not be pourable even when fully
>melted. What can I use to thin it so that it will still harden for use as
>coating chocolate; shortening, butter, something else? I know it would be
>easier to buy semisweet chocolate, but I'm trying to use what I already
>have.
>
You're in for an elaborate procedure, because in order to get the chocolate
and the sugar to integrate smoothly and without ruining the texture, you'll
have to use candymaking technique. If you expect granulated sugar to
dissolve in melted chocolate you're in for a BIG surprise (and panic)
because it won't. Rather, you will need to dissolve the sugar in some
water, bring to a vigorous boil, then cook to hard-crack temperature. Then
you'll need to stir it into the melted chocolate - and this could just as
easily create problems because without very careful stirring the sugar is
likely to solidify as it hits the much cooler chocolate, resulting in
unsweetened chocolate with lumps of sugar in it. At lesser cooking degrees,
it'll mix in slightly more smoothly with the chocolate, but the overall
result will be soft, more like fudge.

Using powdered sugar won't work, either, first, because the grind still
isn't fine enough for the result to be silky smooth, and second, because it
contains cornstarch which will turn the whole thing into a sticky, lumpy
mess.

Bottom line: you don't realize how very much easier it will be for you to
buy semisweet chocolate. What you're proposing to take on takes expertise
and practice to get right, and isn't worth the effort even then. It's
always tempting to use what you already have, but there are times when you
need to recognize that you're trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's
ear. There are things for which it doesn't pay to substitute and chocolate
is one of them. The unsweetened chocolate will keep for a while. Use it in
some other application another time.


--
Alex Rast

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