Episode 16
Luxury Chocolates
Bite into a luxury chocolate, and you'll get a taste of one of the finer things in life. Each one tastes different from the next, and it's that element of surprise that keeps us coming back for more. Of course you could consult the index on the box, but that would spoil the fun.
Ever since chocolate was discovered, people have had a craving for it. Today's luxury chocolates take our addiction to a whole new level.
They add marshmallow cream and lots of pure butter to a mix of sugar and corn syrup to whip up some buttercream chocolates. Water, vanilla, and a special yeast enzyme complete the recipe. The enzyme will enhance the creaminess. They tuck the buttercream between ridged rollers, which shape it into creamy columns. A wire slices them into bite-sized morsels. They tamp the buttercreams to a uniform height. Chocolate oozes up through the slats of this conveyor to coat the bottoms of the creams. Then it's on to a cool surface to solidify. Next, the creams travel through two curtains of chocolate while being coated on the bottoms again. A worker uses her fingers to make a symbol on the top. It's a clue as to what's inside. A trip through a 24 1/2-foot-long cooling tunnel hardens the chocolate, and it's a feast for the eyes. You can look, but don't taste. These chocolates are headed to the stockroom.
Now production takes a sweet turn as they cook up a caramel filling. They add sugar and salt to water, followed by corn syrup and a lot of heavy cream. They fire up the burner and turn on the mixer. They add butter to enhance the flavor. As the mix comes to a bubbling boil, it caramelizes. Then they kill the heat. Otherwise, the next ingredient, pure vanilla, would evaporate. They apply a non-stick substance to a big pan, then pour the caramel into it. They leave it to set overnight. The next day, they divide the caramel slab into squares. They feed the caramel squares into a device with circular knives. It's called a gang cutter, and it slices the squares into strips. They turn the sliced square sideways, and it goes through the gang cutter again to create caramel cubes. They dust the caramels with starch so they won't stick to each other as they go through the chocolate coating system. And that's how they get the caramel in the chocolate.
To make cordial cherry chocolates, they load the cherries into a revolving pan. They add sugar crystals, and as the cherries roll around, they get an even coating. Along with the sugar, these cherries have been coated with a special enzyme. It will turn the sugar to liquid over the next 10 days for a juicer cherry taste. The enzyme effect is why the cherries get an extra coating of chocolate. It creates a solid shell that contains the sugary liquid. And now they're ready for cherry-picking chocoholics.
Each box of chocolates contains 18 to 20 different varieties. Since they make three to four flavors a day, it can take up to a week to produce one of these luxury assortments. Of course, they'll be devoured in no time at all. For the customer, it's one sweet deal.
