Belcampo Chocolate Truffles - April 27, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Belcampo Lodge
Chocolate Truffle with Nibs
Very Good
Weight: .54 oz. (15.28 g.) (estimate) for 1 truffle
Calories: 80 calories (estimate) for 1 truffle
Cost: N/A - part of package
Purchased from: Belcampo Lodge and Farm, Punta Gorda, Belize

Yesterday, I wrote about Belcampo Mayan Chocolate Pudding, made from scratch, at Belcampo Lodge (Punta Gorda, Belize). This favorite chocolate dessert with a touch of heat, as well as today's featured (brand new) Belcampo chocolate truffles, were special for two different reasons.

First the chocolate for the pudding and truffles was made all in one country (Belize) -- from farm to table. The cocoa beans were grown and fermented within several miles/kilometers of Belcampo Lodge and Farm.

For this first batch, cocoa beans were purchased and transported to a chocolate building at Belcampo's new Agritourism facility to create finished chocolate (recently made possible by new equipment installed on-site at Belcampo). With this facility, Belcampo joins a other local chocolate makers in the Toledo District (where many fine beans are grown in southern Belize). Belcampo is also growing cacao for future production.

With the exception of beans grown in the State of Hawaii, the supply chain for U.S. chocolate makers is usually geographically far flung. Cacao farmers grow beans in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, or other regions within 20 degrees of the equator; whereas chocolate makers and chocolatiers (with sophisticated processing equipment) live in cooler climates (e.g. on the U.S. mainland, or in Europe).

Journey to the Center of Chocolate
Making chocolate is a journey. Today's Belcampo truffles with cacao nibs (pieces of bean) were made using chocolate fresh from Belcampo's new roaster, winnower, concher and tempering machines. (While craft chocolate making is similar to small batch coffee making, there are more steps involved after fermenting and roasting with chocolate.)

Having this production equipment (integrated and local) enables more direct feedback between farmers and makers -- and facilitates production of several cocoa-related end products, including cocoa nibs and the cocoa mass that might be used, with fresh cream, for a ganache (truffle filling). The Belcampo team was experimenting with roast and flavor profiles with the first few pilot batches.

It was an exciting time to be there for the first chocolate making and tasting in the new facility.

Triple Threat Truffles - A Star is Born
Today's delicious rolled truffles were triply good, a look into all that's possible with the cacao bean. A fresh cream, soft, sweet chocolate ganache center was covered with a generous coating of dark chocolate, and then coated in fresh, crunchy, earthy tasting cacao nibs (pieces of cocoa bean).

Given the tropical climate, these truffles were perfect served slightly chilled.

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Latin America Theme Week.

Mayan Chocolate Pudding - April 26, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Belcampo Lodge
Mayan Chocolate Pudding
Very Good
Weight: N/A - 1 serving
Calories: unknown
Cost: N/A part of package
Purchased from: Belcampo Lodge and Farm, Punta Gorda, Belize

Watching a trained chef whip up a chocolate dessert is always a treat. Today's creamy, flavorful Mayan Chocolate Pudding was prepared by Belcampo Lodge's head chef and general manager, Mara Jernigan.

Belcampo Lodge is nestled in a lush jungle, in the Toledo District of southern Belize. The Toledo region is to cacao in Belize what Napa is to wine in California. Belcampo (also with locations in Northern California and Uruguay) is ramping up chocolate (and coffee and rum) production as part of a new Agritourism center at their site in Belize.

The chocolate for this week's Mayan Chocolate Pudding (flavored with a touch of spice and heat) was made with the first batch of chocolate created in the "chocolate building" in this new Agritourism center. (Two other buildings in this complex will be devoted to coffee and rum.)

Mara developed the recipe for Mayan Chocolate Pudding and gave a demo of how to prepare her popular dessert, with help of staff, in the afternoon; and the finished, creamy, mousse-like pudding was served as part of the dinner menu.

Being in the jungle, does not mean doing without, especially at Belcampo, which is also part farm -- where one can obtain fresh eggs (from resident chickens); gaze at thousands of cacao trees under cultivation (for chocolate making); tour a garden area with a few spices; and in the very near future, see fields of sugar cane (primarily for rum production).

It was a treat to be at Belcampo to see the first batch of chocolate being created with new equipment in the chocolate building. Expect to see a few new chocolates and desserts available soon at Belcampo Lodge.

To be continued...

Note: Posts and photos will be delayed due to travel. However, the chocolate eating will continue.

Belcampo - Belize Batch #1

A Bar Is Born - At Belcampo Belize
April 24, 2013

Being present at the start of something great is always a pleasure. And, today I had the great pleasure of witnessing the creation of a new production cycle (Batch #1) of chocolate being made, with new equipment at a new facility, at Belcampo Lodge and Farm (Punta Gorda, Belize).

Belcampo's Belize location (showcasing chocolate, rum and coffee production, with a focus on agricultural tourism) is situated in the Toledo District of Southern Belize. Toledo is to chocolate in Belize what Napa is to wine in California.

Following a short workshop and comparative tasting in the "chocolate building", cacao beans were carefully measured and poured into a roaster. Roasting times and temperatures were carefully graphed and recorded, so that optimal results could be duplicated later.

A very impressive and efficient winnowing machine got rid of the thin membrane covering the cocoa beans after roasting. (And leftover shells were ejected into a bag, ready to use as compost in the garden.)

Next, cocoa nibs were weighed and loaded into a larger machine that would grind the bean pieces into an aromatic cocoa paste, that would eventually become dark flowing, molten chocolate.

The last, and not the least, step: chocolate was put in a liquid-cooled/heated tempering machine, where it would be heated and cooled to just the right temperature to form crystals that would lock into place. All the while, humidity levels and room and water (surrounding machine) temperatures need to be monitored carefully.

When done correctly, a good temper yields chocolate bars that are solid and break with an audible snap. (Easier said than done; tempering can require some patience.)

Eventually lovely rich tasting dark chocolate bars emerged, some with fresh cacao nibs, putting chocolate on the map for Belcampo. Thank you to Seneca, Mara, Kelly, Maynard and many others who made tasting these bars possible.


Stay tuned for pictures and more details this coming week.

Note: Posts and Pictures will be delayed this week due to travel.

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